Deaf People in Hitler's Europe

Deaf People as Eyewitnesses of National Socialism

78 Jochen Muhs Deaf People as Eyewitnesses of National Socialism 78 Jochen Muhs Translated by Robert Harmon In 1995, for the fiftieth anniversary of German liberation from Hitler’s dictatorship, I presented an exhibition in the Berlin Center for the Deaf, called “Fifty Years Later: Deaf People Under Hitler’s Dictatorship, 1933–1945.” The exposition consisted of cables from 1930 to 1945, excerpts from contemporary deaf newspapers, photographs , and other documents. This was the first presentation by a deaf person on the lives of deaf people in Berlin during the era of National Socialism. There were both negative and positive reactions. Some older deaf people criticized and reproached the exhibition, while many others remained silent. The younger generation, both deaf and hearing, proclaimed their interest in this subject and praised the exhibition. The National Socialist period had long been a taboo topic in deaf circles. In May 1996, for a conference titled “Deaf People During the Nazi Period,” supportive hearing teachers of the Berlin Ernst-Adolf-Eschke School for the Deaf invited me to lecture on this topic. There are many general accounts of National Socialism’s disastrous period, but unfortunately very few from deaf people. Deaf individuals found it difficult to record their observations and experiences because they lacked the necessary writing skills. Clearly they were unaware of how useful and important their reports would be for future generations of deaf people. Even today, many eyewitnesses lack the courage to come to terms with the injustice of the past. Many deaf people were fellow travelers —voluntary or involuntary partisans of the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (National Socialist German Workers’ Party [NSDAP], i.e., the Nazi Party). Because deaf people had difficulty 79 Deaf People as Eyewitnesses of National Socialism gaining access to news, often they were poorly informed or knew nothing about Nazi war crimes or the persecution of Jews. Reports of such actions were dismissed as enemy propaganda. Like other Germans, deaf citizens were confused by the systematic lies of the National Socialists and deceived by censorship and manipulation of the press. They, too, feared the Gestapo. Since 1992, I have interviewed several deaf eyewitnesses to National Socialism. I recorded my interviews using a small video camera in order to create a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere. Using such techniques, I was able to document the experiences of many deaf eyewitnesses, especially in the Berlin area. After some initial hesitation , most of my informants signed openly and quickly forgot about the camera. Because of their advanced age, however, many had forgotten some details. I began my conversations with questions about my informants’ school days before moving to political topics or antiSemitism . Informants were not always prepared to give testimony. Thus one Berlin deaf Jewish man of Polish descent, who had been in a concentration camp where he lost his family, and another deaf witness who lost his Jewish mother in a camp, declined to discuss such painful personal experiences. Because of the small size of the Berlin deaf community, I have frequently declined to fully identify my informants , even by citing the date and place of the interview, in order to protect their anonymity. The following excerpt illustrates how naive and uncritical many of the witnesses I questioned were. It should be noted, however, that such naivete was common to many Germans at the time, and not just a result of the isolation of many deaf people. Jochen Muhs: Did you ever personally see Adolf Hitler? Informant: Yes, he was pale-looking, but he was very appealing. When he would drive down the street or was in the Olympic Stadium, everyone swarmed around him and called out repeatedly , “Heil Hitler!” and the deaf joined in. He made Germany strong. Under Hitler, there was order, work, and no hunger. Every year we attended a huge youth camp. We were able to do military exercises, enjoy a nice camp life 80 Jochen Muhs under open skies, evenings around a romantic campfire, and very good organization. I became familiar with discipline there and learned how to darn socks. All that was useful, and I’m thankful for it. It was nice! Jochen Muhs: But what do you think about forced sterilization and the war? Informant: Yes, but that wasn’t so bad. Jochen Muhs: And the Jews? Informant: Well, we didn’t know about that. No one told me that— not even the church. We were told they were in the East...