On 1 September 1941, the German Government ordered that all Jews in Germany above six-years-old must wear the yellow star, the Judenstern—a Star of David that was coloured yellow and inscribed Jude (Jew) in mock-Hebrew lettering. The supposed mark of shame would, in postwar years, become a symbol of persecution and of the Holocaust itself.

The practice of forcing Jews to distinguish themselves had been known since the Middle Ages. The Nazis had already demanded that Jews in the East, including Poland, wear the Star of David (although in blue instead of yellow).

Following the yellow star law, many decent Germans would tip their hats as a sign of respect when passing Jewish people in the street. Later, the German authorities expressly forbade the practice.

In the Occupied Zone of France, the Germans did not impose the yellow star until June of 1942. Vichy, which had been so proactive in persecuting Jews in the Free Zone, did not follow suit.