Crowns, Crosses, and Stars: My Youth in Prussia, Surviving Hitler, and a Life Beyond

Epilogue: August 1996

302 D Epilogue: August 1996 d Several months after my acceptance into the family of Jews on June 11, 1990, an official letter from Temple Emanu-El informed me that,following a recommendation by their Senior Rabbi Dr. Ronald B. Sobel, the decision had been made to name me an honorary member of their congregation. Now I had a spiritual home in the city to which I hoped to return in the not too distant future. However, before being free to leave Europe behind me for a second time, there still remained tasks to be accomplished, loose ends to tie up, promises to keep. The Wiesbaden US Air Force Hospital closed its doors in 1993, concluding my twenty-two years of work as a member of the American Red Cross. One year later, my son returned to the United States as a practicing physician in Pennsylvania; his departure left little reason, if any, for me to stay behind. In 1990,I had begun to write my first book,a German-language autobiography,which was soon followed by a second volume. Published in Berlin by Ullstein, it is the story of a child and adolescent growing up during the Nazi era,on the“other side of the tracks”amidst a family,their actions guided solely by their conscience,who decided to light a candle instead of cursing the darkness.The shining examples of my parents and Pastor Martin Niemoeller, who dared to practice simple common decency in the face of evil and inhumanity, instilled in me values that forever shaped my life. Writing about what happened in the world,my world of confusion and turmoil,where traditional standards seemed to have been abandoned, served more than one purpose. By expressing in writing all that I had never been able to speak about, I rid myself of some of the shadows that had darkened my own life, while creating a lasting memorial for my parents , especially for my father, who did not live to see freedom. Furthermore, I felt a strong obligation to bear witness, in the hope that my humble contribution, albeit a pebble in a large mosaic, might help young people in their struggle for better understanding of the incomprehensible . Whatever I was able to achieve on the long and arduous road toward the goal I set for myself after the death of my husband, I owe to the guidance and constant reassurance of magnificent teachers who, each in his own way, set lasting standards for me: Albert Friedlander , Ronald Sobel, Gunter Hirschberg, Raul Hilberg, Robert Kempner, Erwin Leiser, The Promised Land 303 Franklin Littell, Hubert Locke, and Henry Marx. My deep gratitude goes to Elie Wiesel, without whom this book would never have been written. One question still remained: could I trust myself to dare take the drastic step of moving back to the United States so late in a life that has been one long succession of miracles? The answer was clear: of course I can! After my son had settled in Bucks County,Pennsylvania,I returned to the United States on April 28, 1998. Another window was about to open. ParT Three 304 ParT Three noTes 1. I also found out that nobody really cared to see certificates about qualifications for a job in the network’s research department. You either could do it or you could not, in which case you were fired as fast as you were hired, not only on my level, but on all levels. I once witnessed a high-level executive of NBC, upon returning from a week’s vacation, find his office occupied by someone else, his belongings thrown into a cardboard box, and his coworkers not terribly eager to speak to him anymore. 2.The only celebrity I would,to my dismay,never meet or even see from afar,was Marlene Dietrich, with whom I felt a strong kinship for more than one reason. The superstar had come from much the same Prussian background as I had, her rigid upbringing having probably been vital in her ability to overcome trying situations with the discipline instilled in her. She had become an American citizen with much the same enthusiasm that motivated me. 3. Victor Marcolini, a delightful source of local gossip, made no secret of the sinful fact that among his best customers by far were the Jehovah’s Witnesses, whose world headquarters—the Watchtower—was located at the...