The Transfer Agreement

This book is authored by Edwin Black. It is extremely interesting to see what twists and turns preceded and enabled the establishment of the state of Israel. There is a detailed accounting of the transfer of money and German Jews out of Nazi Germany. It was only possible because Jews and non-Jews from many countries united in giving notice to Hitler that persecuting Jews was not acceptable. It turned out this environment of threatened economic boycott forced Hitler to give just a little at a crucial time. Roughly 60,000 Jews escaped from Germany with a sizable chunk of money prior to the Shoah. That turned out to be crucial in the next decade in preparation for their war of independence in 1948-9.

The lesson from that is that Jewish people can't let the world's governments tell them to be quiet and just hope nobody gets hurt. They can't hide and hope the trouble will pass them by. The rank and file among Jews and non_jews recognized the threat that Hitler posed. The Jewish leadership did amazing things considering their predicatment. They had to make wrenching choices. The protagonists of those times continue under different labels in present day Israel. The goal of many was then and is now an independent Jewish state. This book is highly recommended.