Forcing Jews to wash the street
Creator(s)
- Walter Nitsche (Camera Operator)
- Österreichisches Filmmuseum
Biographical History
At the time of the Anschluss, Walter Nitsche was 20 years old and a student at the Höhere Staats-Gewerbeschule at Schellinggasse 13 in Vienna's 1st district. He graduated from school in June 1938 and shortly thereafter took up a job as a local construction supervisor at the "Road Administration of the Province of Lower Austria." At the end of November 1938, he was drafted into the Wehrmacht. Walter Nitsche became an American prisoner of war in 1944, from which he was released on June 1, 1946. It is unlikely that Nitsche was a member of the NSDAP or one of its sub-organizations. Research in this regard in archives and private documents was fruitless and nothing is known about this within the family.
Scope and Content
"Reibpartie", a man (Jew?) is forced to wash the street. Victim is in a suit, and looks up at the filmmaker's lens. A second victim, in shirt and vest on his knees, frantically cleaning the street, feet of onlookers are visible to the right and in BG. Cut back to victim 1 with CU of hands. Counter-shot of young woman in a coat being "showcased" to the filmmaker. Behind her a SA man and a civilian hold hands to shut her off from the crowd in the BG. Crowd cheering while SA man grabs her right arm. Woman (Jew?) is made to hold a broom up in her right, makes an embarrassed gesture with her left, turns, face grimacing (crying?). 01:13:54 Very quick glimpse of the top of a head (man forced to scrub the street?) at the middle bottom of the frame.
Note(s)
See photographs of street scrubbing in USHMM collection: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/?f%5Brecord_type_facet%5D%5B%5D=Photograph&q=street+scrubbing&search_field=all_fields Refer to: https://visual-history.de/en/2021/04/26/dokumentation-und-demuetigung-judenverfolgung-in-amateurfilmen-wien-1938/ You can also find the fragment on Höffkes’ website: https://www.archiv-akh.de/filme/2840#1
Subjects
- ANTISEMITISM
- ANSCHLUSS (ANNEXATION OF AUSTRIA)
- PUBLIC HUMILIATION
- STREETS
- JEWS
Places
- Vienna, Austria
Genre
- Film
- Amateur.