In Berlin, the Gestapo conducted a sweeping arrest of around 1,800 Jewish men who were married to German Aryan women, targeting these spouses in a move to intensify the Nazi regime's systematic persecution of Jews during World War II. The operation, aimed at consolidating their anti-Semitic policies, took place in the harsh socio-political context of increasing discrimination and violence against Jews across Germany. Many of the arrested men were deported to concentration camps, where they faced dire conditions. The impact of this arrest was felt immediately among the families affected, leading to deep distress and an outpouring of communal resistance from their German wives, who sought to protect their families from further destruction.

The women, determined and defiant, gathered at Rosenstrasse, creating a protest that would grow significantly in size and intensity. They called for the release of their husbands, claiming that their marriages to German women provided them a rightful place in the German society and deserved protection under German law. The protest, which took place daily, became one of the rare instances of vocal opposition to the Nazis, attracting attention for its unusual nature—a demonstration led by both Jewish and non-Jewish citizens in solidarity against the regime. This movement gained traction, leading to heightened awareness of the cruelty faced by Jewish families.

Ultimately, the protest succeeded in obtaining the release of many of the arrested men. This moment has since been credited as a profound act of bravery and a powerful regional uprising against the Nazi state, where ordinary citizens took to the streets in defiance of governmental oppression.