Like many works of social history that primary source material are first person material such as personal correspondence, memoirs, or diaries. This type of source material is the bread and butter of any social history and in some areas of history is abundant. One of the key early indicators of a change in Germany society came in the a decline in sociability. Long before people entered the gas chambers German Jews died a social death. This connection with friends, co-workers, authority figures, and even strangers was extremely difficult to get best for Jews, especially women. Kaplan writes, Women’s lives bridged the gap between family and community; they were more integrated into and dependent upon the neighborhood and more accustomed to neighborly
