Beginning on the 19th of September 1941, it became mandatory for all persons in Germany defined as Jews under the race laws of 1935 to clearly display this „yellow badge“ in the form of the Star of David on their clothing in order to identify themselves as Jews and be distinguished from all others. The yellow cloth, or patch, was about as big as the palm of a hand and featured the hexagonal star with the word „Jude“, highlighted in black lettering. This lettering was meant to resemble Hebrew writing in order to draw ridicule.
For this reason, the symbol was also designated as the „Jewish star“, which constituted a form of public stigmatisation: Now that it was clearly evident to all, the wearer could be subjected to open harassment and humiliation. The star was to be displayed at all times on, and be permanently sewn onto the left breast side of the garment. Those who did not conform to this mandatory identification requirement or tried to hide the patch could expect severe punishment. The deportations began in the immediate aftermath of the introduction of this identification requirement.
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