Susanne Heim's Historical Study Examines Systematic Obstruction of Jewish Escape from Nazi Persecution

Historian Susanne Heim's book 'Die Abschottung der Welt' provides a comprehensive analysis of how European Jews faced systematic barriers when attempting to flee Nazi persecution between 1933 and 1945. The work examines how contradictory and frequently changing visa, passport, and transit requirements created a labyrinth that trapped refugees. Heim demonstrates that while Germany invented and executed the industrial-scale murder, the international community largely failed to provide protection, with over 80% of those fleeing being Jewish. The book details specific cases including philosopher Walter Benjamin, who in September 1940 faced deportation from Portbou, Spain, back to France and likely Gestapo capture due to altered entry regulations. The 1938 Évian Conference, initiated by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, failed to produce solutions, with most countries unwilling to accept more refugees. Even when refugees reached destinations like Shanghai—which required no visa—they faced extreme hardship, and from 1943 were ghettoized. Political theorist Hannah Arendt documented internment in French camps like Gurs, where German Jews were held as 'enemy aliens.' Despite growing evidence of mass murder, the 1943 Bermuda Conference prioritized wartime costs over humanitarian rescue. Not until 1944 did U.S. pressure lead to the War Refugee Board, saving tens of thousands. Heim's research reveals that escape routes were often blocked by shifting policies, and many perished at sea, like the Struma torpedoed in 1942 with nearly 800 refugees. The study underscores that persecution history is equally a history of denied sanctuary.