Jews, Germans, and Allies : close encounters in occupied Germany

414 Pages·2007·10.39 MB·English

by  Grossmann

Jews, Germans, and Allies

Jews, Germans, and Allies
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS IN OCCUPIED GERMANY
Atina Grossmann
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS
PRINCETON AND OXFORD
Copyright©2007byPrincetonUniversityPress
PublishedbyPrincetonUniversityPress,41WilliamStreet,
Princeton,NewJersey08540
IntheUnitedKingdom:PrincetonUniversityPress,6OxfordStreet,
Woodstock,OxfordshireOX201TW
AllRightsReserved
Thirdprinting,andfirstpaperbackprinting,2009
PaperbackISBN:978-0-691-14317-0
TheLibraryofCongresshascatalogedtheclothedition
ofthisbookasfollows
Grossmann,Atina.
Jews,Germans,andAllies:closeencountersinoccupiedGermany/
AtinaGrossmann.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-0-691-08971-3(cloth:alk.paper)
1. Jews—Germany—History—1945–1990. 2. Holocaust survivors—
Germany—History—20thcentury.3.Jews—Germany—Politicsand
government—20thcentury.4.Germany—Ethnicrelations.I.Title.
DS134.26.G762007
940.53′1814—dc22 2007019952
BritishLibraryCataloging-in-PublicationDataisavailable
ThisbookhasbeencomposedinSabon
Printedonacid-freepaper.∞
press.princeton.edu
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3
In memory of
Toni Bernhard Busse, 1884–1943?
Gertrud Dewitz Grossmann, 1873–1943?

Contents
ListofIllustrations ix
Preface:WhereIsFeldafing? xiii
Abbreviations xvii
INTRODUCTION
EntangledHistoriesandCloseEncounters 1
CHAPTERONE
“PoorGermany”:BerlinandtheOccupation 15
CHAPTERTWO
GenderedDefeat:Rape,Motherhood,andFraternization 48
CHAPTERTHREE
“Thesurvivorswerefewandthedeadweremany”:
JewsinOccupiedBerlin 88
CHAPTERFOUR
TheSavedandSavingRemnant:
JewishDisplacedPersonsintheAmericanZone 131
CHAPTERFIVE
MirZaynenDo:Sex,Work,andtheDPBabyBoom 184
CHAPTERSIX
Conclusion:The“Interregnum”Ends 237
AbbreviationsinNotes 269
Notes 271
SelectBibliography 359
Acknowledgments 369
Index 373

Illustrations
Fig.1.1. Berlin,May1945.Privatecollection,Heinrich
Busse/AtinaGrossmann. 14
Fig.1.2. GeneralEisenhower’smessageinEnglishandGerman
onasigninfrontofaU.S.militaryinstallation,
Berlin,1945.USHMM,courtesyofAvivaKempner. 26
Fig.1.3. AmericanandSovietsoldiersinfrontofStalin
portrait, Unter den Linden, Berlin, 1945. USHMM,
courtesyofAvivaKempner. 29
Fig.2.1. CoverofAmericannovelTheBigRape,published
1951.Privatecollection,AtinaGrossmann. 47
Fig.2.2. Germancivilianwomenandchildrensitonsteps
ofabombed-outbuilding.USHMM. 81
Fig.3.1. JewishCommunityofBerlin,certificationassomeone
of the “mosaic” faith, who had worn the “yellow
star”andsurvivedasan“illegal.”Privatecollection,
HeinrichBusse/AtinaGrossmann. 87
Fig.3.2. MagistratoftheCityofBerlin,certificationasa
“victim of fascism.” Private collection, Heinrich
Busse/AtinaGrossmann. 87
Fig.3.3. Berlin police commissioner, certification as resident.
Privatecollection,HeinrichBusse/AtinaGrossmann. 87
Fig.3.4. Jewishmaninconcentrationcampuniformmakes
applicationforclothing,Berlin.PhotoGerhard
Gronefeld, reprinted by permission of Deutsches
HistorischesMuseum. 103
Fig.3.5. PassoverSederforAlliedsoldiersandBerlinJewsand
Jewish DPs, presided over by U.S. Army chaplain
RabbiHerbertFriedman,RathausScho¨neberg,April
1946.PhotoGerhardGronefeld,reprintedby
permissionofDeutschesHistorischesMuseum. 117
Fig.3.6. Two young friends on motorcycle, Schlachtensee DP
camp,Berlin.USHMM,courtesyofNatalieGonenn. 121
Fig.4.1. “Wearehere”:YoungDPsonbenchatWannseeS
BahnStation,Berlin.USHMM,courtesyofLucy
GliklichBreitbart. 130