After the Nazis came to power in Germany in 1933, Berolzheimer was persecuted as a Jew. In 1938, he fled to the USA via Switzerland in 1938. He was obliged to abandon the collection of hand drawings, which had been declared a national cultural asset by Ernst Wengenmayr, an associate of the Munich art dealer Adolf Weinmüller, who specialized in Aryanization. Berolzheimer's stepson Robert Schweisheimer was forced to contract with Weinmüller who auctioned paintings and sculptures in 1938; the auction of the graphic art followed in March 1939. Berolzheimer received nothing from the proceeds of the auctions. After the Nazi attacks on Jews on Kristalnacht in November 1938, a special Jewish property levy of 80,000 RM was imposed on the Berolzheimer family. Berolzheimer's real estate in Grainau was also aryanized, that is, transferred to a non-Jewish owner.
