German Jews’ Passports Marked with “J”

Following a request from Switzerland, passports of German Jews are marked with “J” for Jude (Jew). Jews must surrender their old passports, which will become valid only after the letter “J” has been stamped on them.

Photograph of a brown and beige booklet document written in German, including a hand-written signature. The open page has a big red “J” stamped in the top-corner.

The first page of a passport belonging to Gerhart Maass, a German Jew. The page is stamped with a red ‘J’. (MHM Collection)