9 November 2008

Last night I went to Temple B'rith Kodesh for a presentation called "Voices of Conscience & Memory: 70 Years After Kristallnacht". The hall was full and there were a variety of speakers. I was most impressed with the video documentation that has been recorded of the local survivors who are actively telling their story. Some were in the audience and, sadly, others have died. Mrs. Paul used to come to the school where I taught and had the students riveted as they listened attentively to her presentation, so I was glad to see that her story was also documented before her death.

And I was delighted to hear retired family court Judge Anthony Sciolino, who is now a Deacon of the Catholic Church, say what I have been telling people for years. Christians are followers of Christ who was a Jew. Christians use the old and new testaments of the bible. Judge Sciolino had a difficult time with his Pope's involvement, or lack of involvement, with the holocaust, so he is also one of the people saying "never again".

I wish I had memories of some of those events ... not because I want or need to experience it, but so I could add my voice to the telling of this horrific event so it never happens again. Well, I guess I am telling it in my own small way.

When I went to college I lived in the dorm and the roommate they assigned me was Myrna Seigel. The next time I came home, I told my family about her and also mentioned that she was Jewish. Dad smiled and said, "Of course." Then he explained about last names and why they put Weinberg and Seigel together. I had no idea about ethnic names. It was never important or an issue in our house. After all, we lived in America where most people are decendants of not native born people.

I never understood prejudice. Even all that Dad went through, he never understood it, either. I remember him telling about an incident at work. It seems that dealers would bring scrap metal to Apex and Dad was in a management position at that time, so he took the customers in the order that they came. Apparently there was a white man after a black one and he objected to the "preferential" treatment of the black man. Dad gave the white man a lecture about being an American and how lucky he was to live here. Dad would be so pleased that Barack Obama was elected for a lot of reasons.

I wish I could have been in Grant Park when Barack Obama gave his acceptance speech. The crowd reminded me of V-J Day. We lived in Chicago at that time and heard on the radio about the joyous crowds all heading downtown. So we went, too. The bus took us as far as it could travel and then the driver said, "I can't go any farther!" So Mom took Bernd's hand and Dad had mine and we started to enter the crowd. We did not go far as the crowd was too animated and our parents were concerned for our safety so we went back. It was a very happy crowd then, too.

My plea is to please teach your children acceptance and kindness and positive coping skills. We are all different. Enjoy the differences.

Sachsenhausen

We arrived at the Stadthotel in Oranienburg which is a suburb of Berlin. The rooms were lovely and much bigger than our other German hotel rooms and the price was very reasonable. First we ate. I had tartare and, yes, it was delicious! The others had good food, but not as special as mine, although they looked like they wouldn't touch mine with a ten foot pole.

It was still early so we got the 3 day transportation pass and went into Berlin to take the upper decker bus and browse. But first we had to have our ticket validated. I saw a woman who was cleaning up and pointed to the "validate" part of the ticket and said, "How do we do this?" She indicated that she did not speak English so I said, "Auf Deutsch, bitte." And she did. In German she told me to go to the red box, stick the ticket in and it will be stamped with the date & time and then pull it out. Easy! And I understood every word. I wish I could recall the words to ask the questions. 2 people (Helga from Göttingen and Lesley the translator) told me that when I speak German I don't have an accent. Of course sentence structure and vocabulary need lots of work.

We had a pleasant evening in Berlin and a relaxing dinner. Bernd especially enjoyed the car dealerships ... very upscale. We liked what we saw of Berlin, a clean and vibrant city. Then back to the hotel for a good nights rest.

It was raining, an appropriate atmosphere for our plans for the day. Oranienburg is the town where Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp is located. It's the camp where Dad was sent. Now it is a museum and memorial. The picture on the right is an diagram of the concentration camp and on the left is a memorial in stained glass.

There were several school groups going through with their guides. We rented tapes to educate us as we went through the facility. We sure got an education! This was an experimentation camp. Yes, many died here and some were executed, but most died because of the treatment they received.

We were told that the museum is 1/20th the original size of the camp. Bernd was wondering what the people of Oranienburg thought about the activities that were walking distance from their town. They must have known something. It certainly was a strange time and that's why I was so glad to see all the tour groups being educated.

These are 2 other memorials. The photo on the left is a photo of the synagoge that Opa supported in Oldenburg which we saw in an exhibit hall. The tall structure on the right with all symbols on the top is a reminder of all the people that died and represents the 18 countries they came from.

After a while I said to Chuck that I wasn't feeling up to par and he said it was probably the emotional impact on me. That's when I looked at my watch. Yes, it was very emotional, but we had been walking around for 5 hours without anything to eat or drink. We were drained. Bernd and Pat went through on there own and were patiently waiting for us. We went back to the hotel & I was going to put my feet up for 5 minutes before joining Pat & Bernd who wanted to go into Berlin. Luckily I realized that I was not up to Berlin and my 5 minute rest was considerably longer. Chuck and I enjoyed a quiet dinner at the hotel restaurant. When Pat & Bernd came back they brought some baked goodies and along with some wine it was a very good evening. Chuck didn't have a nap so he was asleep and missed the goodies.

Hamburg

We came to Hamburg to meet with Hannah, see the harbor where we left in 1939, visit the BallinStadt Emigration Museum and the Reeperbahn. When we made these arrangements none of us knew that Hannah would not be in school, but in Göttingen doing an internship. She is still maintaining her apartment there ... a 5th or 6th floor walk up that we opted not to visit. For me, getting down would be easy, but up? No way! Hannah was a fantastic guide!

The GPS told us we had arrived at the Fritz hotel, but we didn't see it. Turns out it is on the second floor above some shops and all that was visible was a small sign on the door. Chuck finally spied it on our third time past it while we were also looking for a parking spot. It was a crowded area and we finally saw a convenient parking spot and that's where the car stayed until we left for Berlin as public transportation was excellent. We looked doubtfully at the Fritz, but found it was wonderful! The hotel was very convenient to the S and U bahn stations and all the sites we wanted, had clean rooms with comfortable beds, the price was right and it was a good place to walk, but we had to remember to stay out of the bike lane.

Hannah met us and after an early dinner (more Weinerschniztle for Chuck) and with much conversation, we headed off to the Rauthaus area with all the upscale shops and Chuck looked up and there were 2 hot air balloons ... right over the city! We have NO idea where they take off from or land. (Chuck had his own balloon and still does some crewing) I even bought a piece of quilt fabric at a department store. Balloons for Chuck ... fabric for me. What could be better?

Well, our next stop, of course. Yup! You guessed it ... the Reeperbahn! You know I was looking forward to seeing where the ropes for the shipping industry were made because that's why Opa and Dad's business was so successful. And here you thought it was for the sex shops. Alas, we were all disappointed ... you who thought I was so sexy and me because I found no rope making. I could imagine the rope making as the street is long enough to make ropes long enough that would tie up ships. Captain Schmidt, from the Ships Museum in Brake, told us that story and we thought that when Opa would send for the ropes (I'm SURE he didn't go) there would have been bars and women nearby to entertain the men as they waited for the order to be filled.

And the red light district? Yes, it had sex shops, but mostly what we saw were tourists like us looking at each other. Perhaps we didn't go far enough or late enough, but we had walked plenty and seen as much as we wanted so it was off for some hot chocolate, coffee or ice cream and then bed.

Sunday started with a huge breakfast at "Oma's Apotheke" and we had dessert there at the end of the day. We like German eating places because they all expect you to linger over food or drink and the check is not presented until you are ready and ask for it. America thrives on turnover and getting the next group in your spot.

Our next stop was the Emigration Museum. At the start there were iMacs where you could access files ... it took us a while to find the English and then discovered it was Ancestor.com which we had at home. Nothing new. But the museum was informative. The narrations said over and over again that those who left at the time of WWII would NEVER return. I was made aware yet again how rare my visit was. But the other part was that everyone said they left Germany with only the belongings they could carry which was not true for us.

I know Dad was angry because he claimed that nobody seemed to be supporting our family before we left, but I have to think that somewhere along the way someone signed some papers that allowed us to ship all our belongings or perhaps some shipping connections saw to it that we received our things. I'm sure some money was passed to someone, but from all we have been able to research, our family was unusual to be able to send our belongings. I know the Weinberg's were well respected business men so that must have helped, even if the help was done covertly. We will probably never know.

The harbor was next and it is extremely big and still an active business and pleasure facility.

After exploring there we came back to the hotel and Hannah called Liesel. I didn't know if Liesel spoke English so Hannah talked with her and explained who she was and after a while Hannah handed the phone to me and said Liesel wanted to speak to me. Liesel spoke English! I was at a loss for words and so very delighted to hear her. She said she always wondered what became of our family and was glad to read the story. I have her email and hope to hear from her. Perhaps someday we will even have the opportunity to meet.

This HAS been an amazing trip with so many perks, but this was the icing! All these things that have happened! Hurray for the internet! It is very overwhelming.

20 September 2008

It's time to leave Brake and go to Hamburg where we will meet Hannah. But first, breakfast and packing the car.

When we got to breakfast Edith handed me a note where she had written some information. She got a call at 10:30 P.M., she was already in bed, from Liesel Roggenbuck. (Who?) It seems that Liesel lives in Koln (Cologne) and somehow saw the article about me. She was a neighbor that I played with as a child and was glad to hear about me because she always wondered what happened to our family. I was overwhelmed!

Then it was time for the luggage to be packed. Remember that message that came on in the car that I wrote about yesterday? When the "boys" were ready to load the car, it was listing a little. Seems we had a flat. Manfred took the tire to a repair shop and who knows what they did with it. I sure don't, but it got fixed with the spare until we returned to the shop for the REAL fix. When all was well I asked how much it cost and the man said, in German while walking away, something like I wouldn't charge you. I read about you in the paper and it was my pleasure to help.

Before we left the Ambiente Edith got another phone call and handed the phone to me. It was from the daughter of a 90+ year old woman who told her daughter to call me and tell me that she worked for Opa. She then asked me for my email address, which I started to give her. Then she asked me if I could write it down and leave it at the Ambiente for her to get later. I should have written her name down because my mind is a leaky sieve. I'm so sorry I haven't heard from her, yet.

Who knew we would have all these surprise contacts and acts of kindness? If we have the opportunity to visit again, I'm going to take out a full page ad for the first day I visit. What a fun and emotional visit this was. We were reassured because we saw that the Germans are taking ownership for the Holocaust. They DO talk about it. Funny, I haven't thought about it, but in 2000 when we went to The Passion Play, we visited Dachau and someone told our young guide that our family had to leave Germany. She tried to talk to me about it, but at that point I wasn't able to share. I wonder if that's what really started to open my heart about beginning to think about perhaps visiting Brake someday? I'm so glad I came for this most wonderful visit!

19 September 2008

This day was going to be a more relaxing day. After all, the press conference, reception and lunch were over. How much more could there be? HA! Little did we know!

Ulla had arranged a trip to Bremen with Herr von Wedel as our guide so we got up and had a leisurely breakfast ... until Manfred came strolling into the breakfast room with warm greetings and a very big smile. He then opened the newspaper and held up the article that Thomas Bücher had written. It was a nice big article on the front page of one of the sections with a large photo (the big picture with all of us is not in this online article)! Wow! We are celebraties! Well, on a small scale and perhaps only in our eyes, but very exciting to us. And then the fun began.

Our first trip that morning was not to the train station, but to the Nordwest Zeitung office in Brake. We dashed in and started to asked if we could buy some papers and were told no, we could take as many as we wished and, yes it was a nice article. They recognized us! Then as we were going back to our car there was a man in a hurry to get somewhere, but he kept turning to us and smiling, nodding and indicating that he knew who we were. We really were celebraties!

When we got on the train to Bremen we plowed (our reading of German is limited) through the article and decided that Herr Bücher did a great job. What we really wanted to do was hold up the paper for all on the train to see, but we decided to be a little more dignified.

We had a wonderful visit in Bremen with each of us grabbing onto the legs of the Bremen Town Musicians statue with both hands so our luck wouldn't run out. And pigs are very definitely the most prominent statues that we saw, with stores that sold painted pigs and store fronts displaying pigs. Bremen is a blend of old and new. Very nice.

When we got back to the Ambiente, we rested until it was time to leave for Oldenburg as Ulla invited us along with Almut and Leslie and their husbands for dinner. I had my coat on to leave and the phone rang. Claus Lühring was calling. He saw the article and remembered that he had a formal photo of his grandfather, his great uncle and my grandfather with some other men at a "Kegelklub" (bowling) outing. I was so impressed that he saw the article about us, dug out the picture, had it duplicated and brought it to us the next morning!

Ulla has a wonderful place with a lovely garden. I had a special treat because Lesley brought her album of quilts she made. And dinner was delicious and leisurely and it was good to meet the husbands.

After dinner we saw the other newspaper, Kreiszeitung Wesermarsch, and there we are again, but apparently they don't have the article online ... or I can't read enough German to find it. Lesley verbally translated the articles to us. We all laughed as, yet again, it was mentioned that the "73 year old Claire Welch returns after 69 years." I was honored by all the attention and it wasn't until a few days ago that I zeroed in on the fact that 9 November 2008 is the 70th year anniversary of Kristallnacht.

And Ulla is the best at timing. So, after a relaxing evening Ulla brought out her coup. Opa wrote in his journal that he was a town council member, but Ulla could not find any records of it and we were determined to find it, but after our trip to the Staat Archives without any luck, we resigned ourselves to not finding it. Bernd had given Ulla the journal in German with the dates in them and she made another request to the Staat Archives and they found it! She really is a wonderful researcher, but she waited until the end of the evening to tell us! Pat & I said we both would have shared that information right when we walked in the door. Here she is sharing the new found proof.

As we drove back to Brake a warning light went on in the car, which we couldn't translate very well ... something about tire pressure, but no tire looked like it needed attention and midnight is not the time to attend to that so we ignored it and drove safely on.

18 September 2008

Herr Höbrink and the reporters. The woman next to Herr Höbrink is from radio. I forgot to ask what station and remembered that she was going to broadcast at 5, but couldn't find the station.

This was the day we were most curious about; a press conference at 10:30 AM, a reception with the Bürgermeister at 11:30 and lunch after that. If we'd had any idea what this day would bring we would have stayed a few more days, but who knew back in February when we made our plans that Ulla would make such wonderful plans for us? We didn't even have contact with Ulla back in Feb.

At the press conference there were 3 reporters from newspapers and one from the radio. Michael Höbrink, the Landrat (equivalent to our county clerk position), was the host of this event. Lesley the translator, Ulla (who spear headed this week) and Almut plus Bernd, Pat, Chuck (who recorded all this on a cam corder) and myself sat around a huge circular table. Everyone who has read the articles they wrote knows I'm 73 and that it's been 69 years since I came back. My coming back WAS an event. Very few people return. The questions asked were why we came at this time, what are my feelings since I returned, did I recognize anything ... I think I explained those answers in earlier blogs, except for how it felt to return after all those years.

I was apprehensive about how we'd be received. All my life it has been instilled in me by Dad to never return! Why would I want to go back to a country that didn't want us? I did understand his feelings, but as a shielded child I felt our leaving was a blessing. As much as Dad was angry that he was forced to leave, he was so grateful to be in America. He was a very prosperous business man in Germany and had a menial factory job when he first came to Chicago, but never resented that job. In fact, he worked his way up at Apex Smelting, Company to a management position.

I'll tell you that we were received royally! I felt like a welcomed and honored guest upon my return to Brake. I'll mention specifics in future blogs, but the day at Ovelgönne was the first of many ways Germans showed me how sorry they were that we were ousted. And I was made very aware of the fact that the Holocaust is being taught and not swept under the rug.

I was impressed that 2 of the reporters (they wrote the longest articles) were so young. In fact, Mr. Bücher came to me afterwards and told me that he asked for this assignment because he had studied this era several times and couldn't believe that it happened in his country and he had wanted to talk to someone about that time, but he never heard of anyone that returned. I was the first for him.

The reporters seemed to speak English like I spoke German ... not enough to get it all. Lesley was great. I mentioned Opa's journal and that it "languished" in my file for many years. There was quite a discussion about how to translate the word languish, and afterwards we used it often. Guess you had to be there, but we found it humorous.

Next we walked to the Rauthaus, city hall, where Bürgermeister Roland Schiefke met us along with the city council. One council member had an old picture of Opa's house (the man I'm talking to) and another had a copy of another book (in the photo below, the man on the far right ... see the book?) that mentioned us. We were sorry that we couldn't spend more time chatting with the council members. They served champagne and chocolates. They sure knew how to please Pat and my chocolate appetite! And then there was the presentation!
Herr Schifke spoke English, welcomed us formally and then told about a 60th wedding anniversary celebration he just attended. When he mentioned that he was on his way to our reception, they said they remembered Weinberg's fondly as successful business men. He then presented me with a wonderful bouquet of flowers, a book about Brake and a signed, numbered lithograph of the Telegraph Building. He said that the new drawing was a tie between the old and new. The old had a huge sign on it that said "Jews are unlucky!", but this one does not! He wants us to remember the new, but let the old be a reminder that should not to be repeated. The entire time I realized, yet again, how unusual my return was and the meaning for the people I met.

Next we were the guest of the Wesermarsch Landskreis and Herr Landrat Höbrink at the Wilkens Hotel for a lunch. There we could relax and reflect on the activities while eating delicious food, beautifully presented and enjoy the Weser River activities passing by us.

And that wasn't the end of our day. Later in the afternoon we had plumcake and coffee, well naturally I had tea, with Herr Berger at the Weserlust. Conversation was stilted as he spoke no English and my German was lacking, but Cindy, the server, was a big help. I showed him some old photographs, but he could not identify any of the people. He did ask if he could keep the copies so perhaps I'll get some identification some day.

By then we were on sensory overload with all we'd experienced that day. We went back to the Hotel Ambiente and the phone rang. It was Helga from Göttingen to see how the press conference and this rest of the day went. These are amazing people and I sure felt like this was a huge welcome home.

Wed. 17 Sept. 2008

Our GPS did a fine job of directing us to the Staat Archives building in Oldenburg ... except for the construction, one way streets and round abouts, but we got there with time to spare. And we finally got to meet Almut Setje-Eilers, the co-author with Ulla, who had been on a bike/hike holiday.

This is a facility where scholars go to research anything within the area. Usually you present the specific topic to a librarian and the information is brought out to you. Ulla asked for specific references about Opa before we arrived and told them who she was bringing and why.

We were shown how the information is stored and found. Nice tour. Then Ulla explained ... again ... that it is because I came back to Germany that we were allowed this privilege. She had never seen the inner workings of this facility. I was amazed because she certainly has done much research here.

We were extremely impressed when Herr Brunken showed us some very old documents; the equivalent to our Declaration of Independence, but theirs dates back to 1211 (or 1112) ... very old, a document that Napoleon signed, one from Catherine the Great and another signed by Queen Victoria. I think this is the Declaration of Independence on the left.

Then we were ushered into a room and brought a stack of files for us to browse and if it was what we were interested in, they would make copies for us. Having the room was a big help because we could discuss what we needed to talk about and the big research room is very quiet. The folder on the left is what we were looking to find, but look at all the files they gave us to check out. They went to a lot of work for us. And the day wasn't over.

It was about 2 PM when we went for a leisurely lunch at an Italian place before we went to the new synagogue. Again, an eye opener for me. Opa was a financial supporter of the former synagogue in Oldenburg before it was burned down by the Nazi's in 1938. The new one was started in 1992 by Sara Schuman. She and her family were hidden all through the war and Sara and her parents were the only survivors. Frau Schuman is my age and has been determined to bring Judiaism back to Germany. There are about 300 members there now and when Bernd asked her how many are German, she answered, "Only me. The rest are from Russia." Wow. I understand why the German Jews did not come back, but was so moved by Frau Schuman's dedication! Frau Schuman had one stipulation and that is that all members learn German because it is a German Jewish facility. The Russians have obliged willingly.

At the time we visited they did not have a Rabbi, but I see they will have one shortly. The secretary was wonderful and I'm so sorry I didn't write down her name. She gave us a grand tour of the facility.
Frau Shuman, the secretary and Lesley, the translator.

Tuesday

Oops! Thanks, Pat for correcting me. I changed the name to Marie (Cohn) as the wife of Samuel. Rosalie was the name of someone I was meeting later on. And when I read what I've written, I apparently see what should be there and not what is.

On Tuesday we were pretty much on our own until 3 PM. We discovered lots of areas around Brake ... neighborhoods, hospital where I was born, BAKERY (with the best mandelhornchen with chocolate on the ends that we tasted in our travels), shops, train station, post office, bank, Opa's garden plot, ships, cafès ... you name it, I think we saw it ... and either Chuck or Pat photographed it.

But the best was at the beginning of our walk. Last year when Pat and Bernd were in Brake they met Hans Berger, whose mother used to work for Opa and he remembers playing cards or dominoes or something with Opa. I tried writing him a letter and included some old photos and I hoped he might be able to identify the people I did not know, but it was returned, so we weren't sure what happened. It turned out to be the wrong address. At the beginning of our walk Pat says, "It's Hans Berger!" He stopped to chat with us as he was on his way to enjoy coffee with friends. We arranged to meet another day. It was good to meet someone that remembered Opa ... and me ... even if it was 69 years ago.

About 3 PM we went to the Ship Museum where Ulla arranged a tour in English with Captain Uwe Schmidt. Bernd said the museum was small and it wouldn't take long. Wrong, but a nice, wonderful tour. Captain Schmidt also explained about all the ropes used in the shipping industry to tie up the ships or hoist up the sails on the sailing ships. That's when we told him that S. Weinberg, Inc. (Opa's business) bought and sold those ropes to the ships owners. Then he started to ask us questions about the business, but we had few answers. This is another thing to investigate.

And he told us about the Reeperbahn. We were going to Hamburg and as we were planing our trip people would giggle and ask us if we were going to the Reeperbahn. We hadn't heard of it, so decided we had to go. It originally was a long street where rope long enough to tie up ships was made, but is famous for other things today. You'll have to open the link to find out, if you don't know.

15 Sept.

I neglected to mention how well I slept after the dinner at the Greek restaurant. My mind was going a mile a minute in anticipation of the coming week, so I decided to have some wine to help get to sleep. What I didn't know was that this restaurant serves complimentary ouzo, an anise flavored liqueur. So I had that, too ... and I slept very well that night!

We had our first leisurely breakfast at the Hotel Ambiente and it was delicious and ample. We enjoyed the view from our room and from the breakfast room as the ships passed by frequently. I'm sure the Weser River was at least as busy when Dad and Opa had their business in Brake.

At 11:30 we were going to Ovelgönne to the Jewish Cemetery, which is now a preserved historic site to meet the people I'd been emailing. If you open the link, you will not see much information because Ovelgönne is a prosperous small community with a few nice shops and a handwork museum, also very nice. We wandered around and found a very nice clothing shop which we were told draws many people from far and wide, with an large wedding department.

We went to the cemetery a little early and I was upset with myself because I had some stones to lay on the grave stones of my ancestors, but I left them in the USA. It is a very small cemetery and the oldest Weinberg is Hanna Weinberg, but I don't know anything about her. She could be the mother of Samuel, my great-grandfather, who is buried there along with his wife Marie (Cohn) and my Opa's first wife, Magda and their infant daughter.

Then Lesley came along. She was the translator and as we got acquainted she said, "I like your jacket. I have some of that Jinny Beyer fabric, too." I've been looking for quilt fabric, but couldn't find much, but meeting a quilter is much better.

Next came Ulla Bernhold and we were so glad to finally meet this author who is a so thoughtful, a joy to be around and a wealth of information. Next was the Burgermeister (mayor) of Ovelgönne, Thomas Brückmann. I was beginning to appreciate that my coming back to Germany to visit was not an ordinary occurrence.

Ulla brought some stones for us to put on our ancestors gravestones which she gleamed from a field in the region where Opa was born, north of Brake. We listened as Herr Brückmann told us a little of the more recent history of this cemetery. It seems a developer wanted to buy up the acreage around the cemetery to build a new housing area, but the dispute was settled in 2001 to leave the cemetery and a significant amount of surrounding land as it is in order to "preserve the open view of the cemetery." Behind me, there is a plaque that we couldn't read because it was in German and there was dew covered plexiglass over it, which told the history of the cemetery.

We drove into town where we had the most delicious lunch (dinner) at a hotel that was staffed by handicapped adults. Their cooking skills were not lacking. The table was beautifully set and the first course was a wedding soup. Then came the rouladen, red cabbage, parsley potatoes and cucumber salad ... just like Mom fixed! It was SO good. And for dessert? Rote Grütze! All the recipes I found for the rote grütze use cornstarch as a thickener, but my mother used tapioca and any of the fresh red fruits that were in season. All were excellent.

Then Herr Brückmann presented us with a framed translation of the plaque at the cemetery and a book about Ovelgönne. The hospitality shown us made me think, again, how special our visit was.

Here we all are: Pat, Lesley, Bernd, Herr Brückmann, me, Ulla & Chuck.

After our leisurely lunch we were off to the Landkreis Wesermarsch, which is like our county offices. I rode with Ulla and she was going over what we would be do in Oldenburg. Again, I was impressed with the amount of work Ulla had done to prepare for our visit and how unique this visit was. She said that my coming back was unusual. When we got settled in the office I got out my flash drive and transfered my copies of original documents that I thought might help her with future research to a computer. Meanwhile Bernd gave Ulla a copy of the German journal that Opa wrote. The one part of the journal that we could never prove was the part where Opa states he was a part of the town council. Now Ulla had dates and could look it up.

By 5:30 we were back at the hotel and starting to process all that we had seen, heard, eaten and experienced ... and it was only our first day! We did some of this during a walk where we went past the house I lived in. I did not recognize any of it.

14 September 2008 On to Brake

I was excited as well as apprehensive. All my life I've heard, "I'll NEVER go back!" And I understand Dad's feelings. I was a child and shielded from the realities of life at that time. My view of all the events have broadened even though I still do not have all the answers and probably never will be able to get them.

We left Göttingen and came to Brake. Our plan was to park the car at the Hotel Ambiente, leave our things in our room and then walk. We couldn't get to the hotel as there was a marathon going on past the hotel so we found a spot to park and then walked. I did not recognize anything until we started down Lindenstrasse and Bernd asked me if anything looked familiar. As I gazed around I started to say no, but then saw Opa's house. That's when the tears came. It looked the same ... except for the satellite dishes on the upper part of the house. The only other part I recognized in Brake was the Kaje where we often walked and watch the ships go by. I remember skipping there, but did not try that again on those lovely cobblestones. You'll notice that I used a cane on this trip.

And the race was over and we went to the hotel where there was a box from Ulla Bernhold. Pat and I were happy as could be when the first thing we saw was the box of Lindt chocolates, although that was not the most important item in the box, but what we needed at the time. There was also a book with a reference to our family from Werner Meiners, "Geschichte Der Juden In Wildeshausen" and an email saying how sorry he was that he would not be available while we were in Brake.

And then there was a thick file with an overview of our week as suggested by Ulla with so many options that we could accept or change as we wished. We did not change things as it seemed perfect to us. And it was! We will never be able to thank Frau Bernhold enough for all she arranged. The request for an autograph in her book has blossomed into the most wonderful adventure of my life.

By this time we were hungry and ate at a Greek restaurant where I could look out the window at Opa's house across the street. Then back to the hotel to prepare for the next day.

On to Göttingen

Our next stop was Göttingen, where Clara's parents (Ruth and Jürgen) and Hannah "R" and her parents (Helga and Bernd) and Hannah's sister Nele live. As we rode into town I saw this smiling young lady on her bike waiting for the light to change beside us. Then Bernd turned his head and said, "There's Hannah!" So we followed her home. The cars behind us were not as happy as we were, but it was only a few blocks, and then they whizzed by.
Helga & Pat, Hannah & me, Nele (If you looked earlier, Nele was not showing. Her photo was hiding under my photo.)
Helga, Hannah and Nele made us feel SO welcomed. We felt like we had known them all our lives as Chuck & I got settled into our rooms and then we had apple kuchen, coffee, tea and gave out our gifts in their backyard. Hannah was also pleased with her quilt.

Next we were off to the Kind's where Bernd and Pat stayed and we all had dinner. We missed Paula, Clara's younger sister as she is in Quebec for a semester. Ruth and Jürgen are as comfortable to be with as Helga is. We haven't met Bernd R. yet as he was at a conference. Our dinner was lively with animated conversation. Here are Ruth, Pat, Helga, Hannah & me in the kitchen. And Ruth and Jürgen with their new iPod/phone carriers and luggage tags.

I happened to sit near Nele at dinner and am so impressed with her political awareness of world news. We loved that each time something was lost in translation Jürgen would either pull something up from Google or his hand held translator. The meal was delicious and topped off with plum cake, different than mine, but equally as good! Or was that the next day for coffee? We had several plum cakes while in Germany ... all good and each a little different! I love plum season!

And then the next day was also filled. First with a delicious breakfast that Helga prepared and Bernd R. came home so we chatted some more. Then off to Kind's where we walked to town and enjoyed the public market. Back to Kind's for coffee and treats and a tour of Göttingen. The University has produced 22 Nobel winners. Impressive. We could live in this town. In the evening we went to a concert with 4 saxophone players who played classical and popular tunes and then back to "R"'s for a light supper, topped off with "rote grutze", a red fruit pudding, conversation and much laughter.

The next day we met at Kind's for a long leisurely breakfast before we took off for Brake. As much as we were looking forward to the next part of our trip, we were reluctant to leave the "R"'s and "K"'s. We wished we had thought to stop there at the end of our trip to tell them about all our adventures, as they were such a huge part of our plans.
Here are the 2 Bernd's and all of us together.

The Beginning ... and end.

First, the end. I knew we could afford this trip and wanted to go now because our health is still good. Today I decided it was time to pay bills and balance the check book. So I checked at the bank to see what the ATM charges/exchanges were. In Germany we took out 400.00€ and my statement read $567.86! And a few days later we took another 300.00€ to the tune of $422.89. Talk about sticker shock. Whew! But we'd do it again in a minute. It was the perfect time for us. Thanks to ALL who made this happen.

Bernd and Pat came from Tucson, AZ & Chuck and I came from Rochester NY to meet at Chicago, O'Hare for the second leg of our flight to fly to Frankfurt, Germany to start our adventure that has been in the planning stages for more than a year. The flight was uneventful, but long.

We rented the car that Pat arranged for and were off to Mannheim, south of Frankfurt. There we met Clara Kind, one of the 2 girls who translated our grandfather's journal, as she attends university there.

After checking into our hotel (there were the FEATHER BEDS!), Pat called Clara and we met at Clara's apartment. Thank goodness for GPS. What a delightful young adult Clara is. Chuck & I were so glad to finally meet her in person.

I wanted to do something special for these 2 girls that started this whole adventure for us, so I made a lap quilt for each of them. Clara was delighted with her green & yellow "Friendship Star" lap quilt and I certainly was delighted to make it for her! It was like Christmas for her as Pat & Bernd had gifts, too. It was fun for all of us to watch her enjoyment.

After a tour of Mannheim and the university we were off to dinner at Vapiano where we talked, ate and talked some more. Clara was very up to date on our politics and it was a delight to hear her opinions. By then we were exhausted and Clara had a party to go to. We told her to call us if it was any good and we'd join her. If she called, we slept through it.

The next morning Clara rode her bike over and met us for breakfast. Oh, did I miss those breakfasts. I know I could fix them here, but I'm not willing to get up early enough to go to the bakery for those fresh rolls and pastries every morning and the choice of cheeses, meats and fish would get moldy before I had time to finish them. So I indulged royally while I was in Germany each day. I am so sorry we did not have more time with Clara and certainly hope that we will meet again ... here or in Germany.

We're Back

We are regrettably, but safely back home. It has been an amazing trip, which I will try to review over the next few weeks as I'm still processing. This may be a life long project.

Colleen asked me what quilting I was bringing and I hadn't thought to pack any. So I found a small project to tuck into a corner of the suitcase. And that's where it sat for the entire trip. I did get it out once, but never got to quilt.

The funniest thing happened when I handed my passport to the first officer in Frankfurt. She saw that I was born in Germany and asked me in German (which I understood), "How long have you been in America?" When I said 69 years she said in English, "Have a nice trip."

And I sent emails to the family when we were in Göttingen just to let them know we arrived, but that was the only time we had internet access. In the U. S. A. internet seems to be free at most hotels, but not in Germany ... 8 € for each 1/2 hour seemed too much for us. It was amusing to me to type on an Apple keyboard in Germany as the "y" & "z" keys are reversed and there are actual keys for ä, ë and ü, not the keystrokes I have to use.

And we have never walked so much. We ate very well and did not gain weight, which surprised us because we sure ate the most delicious baked goods and the much richer foods than we are used to eating ... real whipped cream and butter and rich breakfast/luncheon meats. Mmmmm!

Public transportation is marvelous in Germany. It probably is all over Europe, but Germany is where we experienced it. We had a Mercedes Benz with a GPS. What a great invention that is! The roads are well maintained. Regrettably, when we go back, we will have to go with someone under 70 as we can't rent a car, but will pack comfortable shoes and be knowledgeable about public transportation.

Here we are on our first night in Rottenberg. Claire, Pat ( my sister-in-law), Bernd (my brother) and Chuck. Even being together for 18 days we are still talking. You'd think we would run out of things to say, but we didn't. Pat is THE BEST organizer! She had lists and maps and booked the most wonderful, convenient accommodations at reasonable prices. They were clean ... some smaller rooms than others. The Fritz in Hamburg was the one I had doubts about as we rode past it several times trying to find a parking spot, but it was perfect with public transportation right across the street and lots of variety in eating establishments within walking distance.

Now it's back to laundry and wonderful memories. It's good to be home, but already I miss the feather beds. I'll add more as we sort out the photos and my journal.

Only 2 more days

I am so wired and excited I can hardly sit still. Chuck keeps laughing at me ... not with me. Earlier this week I couldn't sleep ... all these lists running through my head. Finally, after the second sleepless night I made a written list. Then I kept working at it and it is done. Slept like a baby the next night.

When I have a list to do I go like crazy, as my brother and sister-in-law will tell you. I wasn't sure which cell phone they were bringing & because I want that information, I called them ... right then. 10:30 Rochester time is only 7:30 AM their time ... they weren't awake, yet.

And I was on a quest for the perfect tote for the trip. So I made one to co-ordinate with my new jacket. Pockets galore. Perhaps a little too many, but those on the outside add to the decor. Had to do a dry run of my travel outfit. It will work.

Let's see, my hair is cut, the clothes are all ready for the suitcase, got a few Euros, notified the appropriate authorities, electronics are charged, cortisone shot in the knee works ... if we have more to do, I don't know what it is. We'll manage without it.

We have the use of a camcorder and practiced. Our neighbors dog looks good and so does my garden. No, you won't see them. Chuck apparently liked me pulling weeds & using the close or far view. :-( Piece of cake ... and the movie clips load onto my computer with ease!

And the dollar has a better rate! More shopping? Nah ... I don't need things, not that I might find a trinket or 2 to purchase.

Chuck has been checking our flights and they have gone on time for weeks. Yes, he is excited, too. So we are trying to wait until Wednesday, but waiting is SO HARD!

7 Days To Wait

Colleen, our eldest, asked me if I wanted her essay. I hadn't gotten around to asking her if I could use it so was glad she offered it.

Colleen wrote this as an assignment for school in 2004 and we thought it was accurate. Most of it is. In 2007 Bernd, my brother and his wife Pat went to Germany and they were given 2 books written in 1996 that looked into records of the Jews in the Wesermarch, the area where I was born. Bernd was born in Chicago. The italics within Colleen’s writings are my amendments. I ammended this on 4 May 2008.
Ist Denn Da Was Gewessen? by Ursula Bernhold & Almut Setje-Eilers
Juden In Der Wesermarsch 1933 - 1945 by Gerd Strachotta

Passage to Freedom: One Family’s Story By Colleen A. Davisson (photo at right)

The day came to a close and Claire, then 3 years old, headed off to bed. Well into the night, sleeping comfortably under her feather comforter, she was abruptly awakened by loud pounding at the door and rough, strange voices from the entry below. Fearful and alone in her room, she quietly crept out of bed and wedged herself behind the wardrobe set in an alcove of her bedroom. Once there, uncomfortable as it was, she stayed, soon to discover that she was stuck and could not move even if she wanted to.
After the commotion subsided and the strangers left Claire began to cry and call out for her ‘mutti.’ Thinking Claire had been asleep throughout the ordeal, Friedericke rushed to the bedroom to find her only child stuck between the wall and the large piece of furniture where she had sought refuge. Together they worked to ease Claire out and then snuggled in bed together for comfort.

I always thought this was what happened. And I was told that it was a dream I had a few days after Dad was picked up. I believe that is correct; it was a nightmare I had and I hid.
Claire did not yet know it, but this night would change the course of her life. Her wealthy, Jewish father, Berthold John Weinberg, had been rounded up on this November night and taken to the Sachenhausen concentration camp by the Nazi’s. History recalls this night as Kristallnächt, the night of shattered glass. All Claire remembers is that her father was gone and the family was unsure of what was to come.
What I had never been told was that Opa (paternal grandfather), Max Weinberg, was picked up and detained for a few days in a jail of some kind, and my mother and I were also picked up. We, luckily, were only detained a few hours.

About a month later, on December 14, 1938, Berthold returned to the home of his father, Max Weinberg, Claire’s grandfather. Claire recalls this moment vividly. She was brought her to her father who was with his wife and Max. “The three of them,” Claire says, “my mother, father and Opa just stood there embracing and sobbing. It was the first time in my life I had ever seen adults cry.” The family suspects a large sum of money, perhaps from the family business or relatives already safe in South America or the States, was exchanged for his release. To this day no one knows for sure how Berthold was released, just thankful that he was.

And now I know that we were released because Dad signed a paper to leave Germany and never return. He didn't. This information is in previous blog.

*******
Berthold Weinberg and Friedericke Gramms were married on May 21, 1933. An unconventional union of sorts, a common Lutheran country girl and a wealthy, upper class Jew, the two had married despite their families’ opposition. Nineteen months later on December 21, 1934 in Brake, Germany Claire was born. At six months of age it was determined that she had a cancerous growth on her left arm and would need the growth removed by amputation. While at the hospital awaiting the surgery, physician, Dr. Una overheard doctors discussing Claire’s case. He intervened and suggested they consider a newly approved treatment, radiation. They could, if need be, resort to amputation if the new treatment did not work. Claire was one of the first success stories for treating cancer with radiation and wears the burn scar on her still attached left forearm.


Photo of Claire with swollen left forearm before treatment.
*******

Earlier during the fall of 1938 the Weinberg family had begun making preparations to leave Germany. Letters of sponsorship to the American Counsul-General in Hamburg, Germany, from Claire’s uncle, Hans Weinberg, a physician practicing in the States and a dentist, Dr. Joseph Chapman, both of Chicago, Illinois had been received on their behalf. On the day before Berthold had been seized, November 8, 1938, the family received their Führungszeugnis, or Certificate of Good Standing, from the local police department in Brake. Months later, on February 2, 1939 Berthold presented himself to the Amerikanisches Generalkonsulat, American Consulate, in Hamburg, Germany, seeking visas for the family to travel to the States. Although Claire does not recall these months she pieced together the information from documents the family brought with them to the states.

Photo of Letter of Sponsorship for Weinberg family.
*******
Bundled in a winter coat, Claire and her mother head out the back door, across the yard, and into their neighbor’s house. This was a common occurrence. The girls would play for hours outside in the sandbox during the summer or with dolls in one house or the other. Today, however, was different. Shortly after arriving there was a knock on the door. Before the door was answered, Claire and her mother quickly but quietly headed to the attic. “I remember the panicked look on my mother’s face,” Claire said. At this point Claire knew it was important to do as she was told without any hesitation. For only a short time she and her mother cowered in the attic. At the door had been a salesperson and the family was not interested in whatever was being sold, nor did they want to open their house to a stranger. The salesman left and the remainder of the afternoon Claire and her friend played as they always did while their mothers visited…for the last time.

The next day, the day before the family left for America, Claire and her father were out walking and decided to stop in at their favorite bakery. As a special treat he told her she could have anything she wanted. Carefully scanning the delicacies, Claire decided on a chocolate treat, (some things never change!). “I picked out the chocolate goodie,” she recalls, “and the woman wouldn’t sell it to us. I could tell she was afraid.” Her father insisted and the woman went to the door, opened it and looked up and down the street to see if anyone was around. When she saw that no one was nearby she gave Claire the pastry, refused any money and apologetically asked that they leave immediately. “She could have been punished for just talking to us,” [because we were Jewish] Claire said.
********
While many Jews stayed in Germany, the Weinberg family decided it would be best to leave. “Our family lived in a small town and we were the only Jewish family (one of the few) in the community,” Claire said. “We didn’t have the support of others like us, saw what was happening and could legally leave Germany and enter the States with a sponsor.”
The family boarded a bus (I’ve since found out that we were driven to Hamburg by a family friend. And, yes, we “only” brought our suitcase with some possessions, but we bought back our belongings from the Germans and had them shipped to America.) and headed to Hamburg. They arrived and were ushered into a building to a room about the size of two school classrooms. Chairs bordered the perimeter.

“I have to go to the bathroom,” Claire said to her mother.

“No you don’t,” she replied insistently.

Persistent and oblivious to the uncomfortable surroundings Claire continued to pester her mother. Reluctantly, Claire’s mother approached the door to the room and knocked. “I thought that was dumb,” Claire recalls, “because I knew you knock to get into a place but not to leave.” A soldier carrying a large rifle answered the door and Friederike explained that her daughter had to use the bathroom.

“No I don’t,” Claire answered hiding behind her mother’s skirt frightened by the soldier’s weapon.

“Yes you do!” she insisted and quickly escorted her into the ‘badenzimmer’, bathroom. “From there on I became very quiet and did everything an adult told me,” Claire said.

Photo of Max Weinberg’s Passport with Third Reich Stamp

*Passport pictures for Berthold, Friederike and Claire Weinberg.

Sometime around mid-February (14th) the family boarded a ship (the USS Roosevelt, a cruise ship) from Hamburg and headed to the States. Their passage was one of comfort. All their belongings, those permitted, were boxed and shipped to the States. Claire and her parents slept in a state room while her Opa bunked in a dormitory with other single men. “Each morning a stewardess came and got me ready and delivered me to my Opa,” Claire states. “My parents spent the entire trip in their suite, retching.” Curiosity makes one wonder over what, anguish, seasickness or both.
*******
Holding tight to her Opa’s hand for fear of getting lost or falling into the ocean, Claire and Max strolled about the promenade deck of the ship eventually making their way into the dining room. Sitting at the table, Claire carefully placed the linen napkin in her lap as if it were a fancy skirt. Everyone around talked but Claire could not understand any of it. She only understood German and most of the passengers and crew spoke English. Ordering her liverwurst sandwich, the only food on the menu that translated to German, the two sat and discussed their plans for the day.
“Let’s head to the kitchen after lunch,” Opa suggested.
“Okay,” Claire agreed and after eating they headed out.
“A cook spoke to me and gave me an orange,” Claire recalls. “His language was gibberish to me. Opa tried to get me to say thank you, but in true stubborn child-like behavior, I kept my mouth shut ... not even a smile.”
********
The ten day trip was coming to a close. The seas had calmed. Friederike and Berthold dressed and joined Claire and Max on the deck of the ship. Foggy and cold, a crowd had gathered. There was an air of excitement. Friederike lifted Claire onto her shoulders.
“Can you see it?” she asked.
“Yes. Now you can put me down,” Claire answered afraid her weak mother would drop her. What was she supposed to have seen? All she saw were the heads of adults standing in front of her. Looking back Claire realizes that the ship had been passing the Statue of Liberty. “Today I realize what a thrill it was for them to see.”
*******
The Weinberg family was fortunate to be able to leave Germany when they did. Others were less fortunate. Max’s brother, Bernd Weinberg, (my brother was named after his Uncle Bernd) and sister-in-law, Reike, were both taken to a concentration camp during the war. Bernd died in the camp and ‘Tante Reike’ survived. She joined the family in the States after the war and sadly died shortly after arriving in Chicago. “I remember she had been a very happy person in Germany,” Claire recalls, “but when she came over she was so sad and sick.” Claire never saw her maternal grandparents again. They died shortly after the war of malnutrition on their family farm near Oldenburg, Germany.
Photo of Claire with maternal grandparents,
Anna and Ernst Gramms, January 1939.