On 27 January 1941 the board of the Reich Association of Jews in Germany discusses assistance for non-Aryan Christians and the transfer of Jewish psychiatric patients to assembly centres¹BArch, R 8150/2, fol. 67r–v. This document has been translated from German.

Minutes of the board meeting of the Reich Association of Jews in Germany (I/Dr. Berl/Kl.), signed Dr Berliner,²Dr Cora Berliner (1890–1942), economist; specialist for consumer protection in the Reich Ministry of Economics, 1919; Regierungsrat in the Reich Statistical Office, 1923; professor at Berlin’s State Vocational Training Institute, 1930–1933; member of the board of the Reich Association of Jews in Germany, 1933–1942; deported to Minsk in June 1942, after which her whereabouts became unknown. It is unclear why Cora Berliner was listed as ‘missing’ on the list of inmates. 158 Kantstraße, Berlin-Charlottenburg, dated 27 January 1941³Present at the meeting were Dr Baeck (chairman), Dr Cohn, Dr Eppstein, Henschel, Dr Hirsch, Kozower, and Dr Lilienthal. Not in attendance were Dr Seligsohn, Dr Berliner, Brasch, Dr Fuchs, Fürst, Karminski, Löwenstein, Lyon, and Meyerheim.

1. Retired higher regional court judge Berthold Israel Lehmann,⁴Berthold Lehmann (b. 1876), lawyer; higher regional court judge in Berlin; dismissed from his post in 1935; deported to Auschwitz in Jan. 1943; his further fate is unknown. who is already one of the assessors on the higher arbitration board, was appointed deputy chairman of the [same] arbitration board.

2. The community board ordered the head of the Hebrew school in Berlin, Mr Baum, to step down from his post, because his Aryan wife, who converted to Judaism at the time of their marriage, has now left the Jewish faith. A complaint from Baum addressed to the Reich Association concerning this matter was rejected.

3. Dr Eppstein is developing an education programme for extracurricular educational work with special emphasis on vocational training and occupational restructuring facilities, which is to be implemented on the basis of the guidelines adopted by the board. Under consideration of the outcome of the very extensive debate, Dr Eppstein was instructed to submit draft guidelines to the board.⁵This document could not be located.

4. The Jewish Religious Association of Hamburg⁶The Jewish Religious Association of Hamburg was established in 1937 from the merger of Ash- kenazi communities; Dr Max Plaut was its director from 1938 to 1942. The organization was incorp- orated into the Reich Association of Jews in Germany at the end of 1942. was asked to remove the shipping containers in storage at the Hamburg Free Port from 700 persons who are still in Germany, and the approximately 5,000 packing cases from Jews who have already emigrated. It was decided to first contact the Reich Security Main Office in order to ensure that the Reich Association is informed of planned sales and is entitled to directly purchase the textiles and leather goods in the packing cases, so as to stock up the Jewish clothing depots.⁷Some of the shipping containers at the Port of Hamburg were destroyed by air raids; others were confiscated by the Gestapo. The contents were auctioned.

5. The following decisions were made regarding assistance given to the Protestant members of the Reich Association by the Pastor Grüber Office:⁸The Grüber Office had been placed under Eichmann’s supervision in 1939 and closed down in 1940. Between 1938 and 1940 it helped facilitate the emigration of more than 1,000 Jews who had converted to Christianity and their families: see also Doc. 47 and PMJ 2/267.
Emigration counselling will be provided forthwith by the Reich Association’s Emigration Department, whereby the question of taking over the staff of the Pastor Grüber Office is still to be negotiated. Welfare assistance will be provided by the welfare offices of the Jewish religious congregations, but if necessary volunteer workers are to be recruited from this group of persons to carry out enquiries, pastoral care, and collection activities among the non-Aryan Christians.

6. A report was given on the transfer of mentally ill Jews to assembly centres and institutions of the General Government.⁹The alleged transfer of Jewish invalids to institutions of the General Government was only a cover up; the invalids were murdered in the Reich. See Doc. 173 and Introduction, pp. 33–34. On the basis of the decree issued on 12 December 1940, the Sayn¹⁰Correctly: Bendorf-Sayn: see Doc. 127. Jewish psychiatric hospital has sole responsibility for mentally ill Jews who were admitted to psychiatric hospitals after 1 October 1940 or who are now newly admitted. An expansion of Sayn Jewish psychiatric hospital by setting up barracks is under consideration. Furthermore, invalids who were accommodated in psychiatric hospitals before 1 October are to be transferred, wherever possible, to the lunatic asylums, hospices, and old people’s homes of the Reich Association.