Description
Book SynopsisGerman Jews and Migration to the United States, 1933–1945 is a collection of first-person accounts, many previously unpublished, that document the flight and exile of German Jews from Nazi Germany to the USA,. The authors of the letters and memoirs included in this collection share two important characteristics: They all had close ties to Munich, the Bavarian capital, and they all emigrated to the USA, though sometimes via detours and/or after stays of varying lengths in other places of refuge. Selected to represent a wide range of exile experiences, these testimonies are carefully edited, extensively annotated, and accompanied by biographical introductions to make them accessible to readers, especially those who are new to the subject. These autobiographical sources reveal the often-traumatic experiences and consequences of forced migration, displacement, resettlement, and new beginnings. In addition, this book demonstrates that migration is not only a process by which groups and individuals relocate from one place to another but also a dynamic of transmigration affected by migrant networks and the complex relationships between national policies and the agency of migrants.
Trade ReviewThis expertly edited collection brings fresh insights to the remarkable story of German-Jewish displacement in the heart of the 20th century. Sinn and Heusler have assembled a first-rate collection of testimonies and woven them together to provide a portrait of an uprooted community. Highly recommended for classroom teachers, researchers, and anyone who wants to know more about Jewish migration to the United States.
-- Adam R. Seipp, Texas A&M University
Table of ContentsTable of Contents
Introduction: From Hitler’s Munich to American Exile
Andrea Sinn and Andreas Heusler
Part I: Heimat – Jewish Life in Germany and Nazi Persecution
Chapter 1: Munich, 1933–1938
Ernest B. Hofeller
Chapter 2: The Munich Years
Erich Hartmann
Chapter 3: A Student’s Fate, 1933–1945
Christine Roth-Schurtman
Chapter 4: The Jaws of the Swastika Tighten
Fred Bissinger
Chapter 5: An Emotional Handicap
Hugo Holzmann
Chapter 6: A Jewish Childhood in Nazi Germany
Pesach Schindler
Chapter 7: “… What One Leaves Behind”
Schwager Family Letters
Chapter 8: “I’m Alive: It’s a Miracle!”
Blechner Family Letters
Part II: Exile – Emigration and New Beginnings Abroad
Chapter 9: My New Life in the U.S.
Inge Moss
Chapter 10: Tossed by the Wind: A Proud Journey from 1920 to 1994
Ilse E. Scholle
Chapter 11: Tossed by the Storms of History: Experiences of a Survivor
Charlotte Haas Schueller
Chapter 12: Memories
Hanns Peter Merzbacher
Chapter 13: A Family History
Lotte Bamberger
Chapter 14: The Lost Home
Charlotte Stein-Pick
Chapter 15: The Tragedy of Emigration
Koppel Family Letters
Chapter 16: “Wanderer Between Two Worlds”
Hans Lamm
