Passport of a German citizen issued by the German consulate in New York in 1939, with the addition of the name “Israel” and the mark “J,” in accordance with the anti-Semitic Nazi laws. New York, 1939-40.
[1] passport with the stamp and signature of the consul, handwritten text, original picture.
This is the passport of Leo Neumann, who was born in Berlin in 1881 and resided in Zurich. The passport was issued by the German consul in New York on April 25, 1939, and was extended twice in 1940 – without any border crossings or travels. The consul signed “Borchers.”
On October 5, 1938, as an extension of the Nuremberg Race Laws, the offices of the Reich issued a law cancelling the passports of all Jewish citizens unless they were marked with the letter “J.” On January 1, 1939, another clause was added that obligated Jews with non-Jewish names to add the name Israel or Sarah to their passports. The bearer of this passport received his added name “Israel” and “J” on his reissued passport.
In 1939-1940, the United States had full diplomatic relations with Germany (it entered the war in 1941), and the German consulate continued to function in New York, headed by consul Heinrich Franz Johannes Borchers, who upheld and supported the anti-Semitic laws. He was arrested at the end of the war with senior Nazis such as Ribbentrop and Hans Frank.
A check with Yad Vashem and the Holocaust Museum regarding the unique appearance of a Nazi symbol issued in America has proven that it is very rare. It seems that Jewish German citizens did not want to leave the haven offered by the United States so they did not bother to extend their German passports. Of course, there were probably some German citizens – like this one – who needed to extend their passports. Since it was signed by the German consulate, American authorities were not involved.
Rare. Preserved, like-new.