Thanks to support from the Ernest Hecht Charitable Foundation, we holds a collection of over 400 original Nazi works used to indoctrinate children in the Third Reich. One example is Der Giftpilz written by Ernst Hiemer and published by Julius Streicher, the founder and publisher of the virulently antisemitic newspaper Der Stürmer. Meaning 'The Poisonous Mushroom', this book alludes to how, just as it is difficult to tell a poisonous mushroom from an edible mushroom, it is difficult to tell a Jew apart from a Gentile.
There is nowhere better than The Wiener Holocaust Library to hold these fascinating but disturbing items, whose very existence serves as a reminder of the worst consequences of fear, contempt and dehumanisation.
For more information on how the Nazi party used children’s books, games and toys as propaganda devices see our online exhibition, A is for Adolf: Teaching German Children Nazi Values.
