Commentary
In many ways, the fruits of Dr. Mayer’s professional life among community and justice building organizations along with his exploration of his German-Jewish WWII anti-Nazi history come together on this site. Those two streams – working against Fascism by strengthening human responses to its threats – come together in a more contemporary way on this site here on this Commentary page section.
While federal ICE agents stormed the Twin Cities and outlying regions in the brutal winter of 2026, Steven Mayer began the first of his commentaries for posting on this site. It’s titled “Is the U.S. becoming like Germany in the 1930s?” It is also featured in ICE OUT and the April 1, 2026, issue of Minnesota Reformer.
Is the U.S. becoming like Germany in the 1930s?
“Was Germany in the 1930s anything like the US now?” I get asked that a lot, not because I was there but because my parents were, and my father left behind plenty of papers and correspondence for me to study – which I did recently, along with deep dives into the history of that era. Basic answer: Yes, there are similarities between then and now, as well as many differences, the most important being that the US has a lot more going for it – historically, culturally, and politically – than Germany in the 1930s.
What’s Next?
We’ve seen what good people can do when they’re outraged, having been subjected to the kind of indignities the current administration likes to inflict with no regard to right and wrong. But we’ve also seen what brute force can do, and the threat isn’t over. Hard times and societal volatility are ahead, I believe, thanks to the destruction caused by the present administration.
Who the Folk?
On a podcast for TC Jewfolk, Dr. Mayer was asked: “You’ve written on topics that are more closely linked to your work as a social scientist; do you think that this book skews away from it, or is it a branch of that genre? Your father came to America, became a Ritchie Boy – one of the Jewish, U.S. Army soldiers who escaped Nazi Germany and Austria – and became a reparations lawyer. Did his experience escaping the Nazis help steer him to his career? Did the journey of writing this book help you understand your father and what he experienced?” Tune in here
ICE and Nazi Germany: Are We Repeating History?
On episode #20 of “Life Unscripted,” Alix Kendall asks, “Are we repeating a dark time in history?” Author Steven E. Mayer compares his parents’ history in the 1930s with what families and society are experiencing now.