Liberally, to write off a debt, abschrieben came to mean working Jews to death to write off their debt to Germany.
Actually, if you were keeping a big ledger of debts, Jews did, in fact, have a humongous debt to Germans. After World War I, Germany plunged into a profound recession (this was 1923-24, long before the Great Depression of the 1930s after the Stock Market Crash of 1929). Inflation was 10,000% or more – a loaf of bread cost 1,000,000 marks.
The Jews were by and large isolated from this financial calamity because they were diversified, with many of their assets in foreign currency or outside of Germany. They actually profited from the 1923-24 depression in Germany (and to a lesser extent the 1930s depression) and were far better off financially after the depression(s) than before.
While other Germans literally worked themselves to death to earn 1,000,000 marks from often Jewish employers to buy (from a Jewish merchant) a loaf of bread for their children, Jews lived in plenty.
Paybacks are hell.