"Unser Hotel ist judenfrei"
Bäder-Antisemitismus im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert
Description:... While the older and more prestigious German resorts welcomed Jews, the newer, middle class seaside resorts like Borkum and Zinnowitz, as well as the Bavarian mountain resorts excluded them. This exclusion was from below, from the demands of the guests. Every beach concert ended with the enthusiastic singing of a song celebrating that particular resort and its rejection of Jews. A Jew who dared set foot in one of these resorts was in danger of a near-lynching. The phenomenon began with the surge of mass tourism in the Wilhelmine period, and expanded in the Weimar period, becoming more and more radicalized politically. Legislators attempted to put a stop to the practice and prohibit the public singing of the songs, but without success. The Nazis allowed local authorities to take the initiative in banning Jews. By 1939 there was practically nowhere for Jews to vacation. "Resort antisemitism" (before 1933) was far more widespread in Austria, eastern Europe, and the US than in Germany. But in the US it was social, not political. Segregation in resorts was one of the factors preparing Germans mentally to accept and participate in Nazi persecution and expulsion of Jews. The appendices include texts of antisemitic songs of the seaside resorts and a list of antisemitic resorts and hotels compiled by the Centralverein.
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