Why the Nazis and Zionists Signed an AGREEMENT in 1933

Did you know the Nazis and the Zionists signed an agreement in 1933? What were the reasons for this?

When Hitler rose to power early 1933 anti-Semitism became the German government's official policy. In the following months administrative measures were implemented to segregate the Jews from the rest of German society. Part of the Zionist movement believed Jews shouldn't be part of gentile society. Because of the rise of Nazism the Zionist movement increased in strength among the German Jews. Hitler wanted to segregate the Jews from the Aryan population. The Zionists wanted a Jewish state outside Europa, which effectively meant that Jews had to leave Europe. So in that sense, how unbelievable it may sound, the Nazis and Zionists had some common interests.

In August 1933, an agreement was signed between them. Known as the Haavara, or Transfer Agreement, it allowed German Jews to emigrate to Palestine with a portion of their assets. At the time, Nazi Germany was under pressure from a global economic boycott. Meanwhile, British immigration policies in Palestine made it difficult for Jews to enter unless they could prove they had substantial financial means. To solve both problems, a deal was struck. Jews leaving Germany would deposit their assets into a German trust. That money would then be used to export German goods to Palestine. Once there, the emigrants would recover part of their money minus taxes and fees. This allowed some 20,000 Jews to escape with part of their wealth intact.

Do notice that the Haavara Agreement however does not mean the Nazis were ever Zionists. Instead, it is testament to the fact that Nazi policy towards the Jews was not clear-cut from the beginning, but evolved greatly over the years. The only constants were a fanatical hatred of Jews, the insistence that the Jews were the root cause of all of Germany’s problems, and that the “Jewish question” must be “solved” once and for all.