A German Life

This is the story of Dr. Bernd Wollschlaeger as told to a Jewish group in NY (Nassau County) and published in his book "A German Life."    He was the son of a former active Nazi and famous tank commander under Gen. Guderian, and received the Iron Cross from Hitler for his services to the German Reich.  After the defeat of Germany and after WWII, Bernd was born in 1958 and grew up in the central German town of Bamberg, a beautiful historic city.  He grew up knowing little about the war and about his father's role in it, except that he had been a military hero.  But, certain things disturbed this simple narrative, first his parents would never discuss WWII with him, it was the past. Second, in his town were stationed 15,000 American troops and their families, he never really understood why. Third, living above them in their house was an old lady, whose husband had also been a decorated German war hero like his father.  Talking to this old lady he discoved that she was the widow of Count Klaus von Stauffenberg, who had been executed as a result of his organizing a plot against Hitler.  But, his father told him that Stauffenberg had been a traitor.

Then in 1972 the Munich Olympic Games took place, that was supposed to bring Germany full acceptance back into the family of nations.  When the Israeli team paraded with the Magen David flag, his parents and their friends became suddenly quiet.  Then a terrible act occured, the Israeli athletes were murdered by the combination of Palestinian terrorists and German incompetence.  His parents were ambivalent about the deaths, they did not condone them, but they did not condemn them either.  The paper headline read "Jews killed in Germany again."  This provoked much discussion at school and he learned for the first time from his teachers about the Holocaust and the history of the Jews in Germany.

When he questioned his father about his role in the war, at first his father remained elusive.  But after initial denials of knowing anything about the murder of the Jews, he gradually opened up and finally admitted it, and said that it was something that they had to do, to rid the world of these inferior people.  Bernd saw for the first time that his father was motivated by irrational racial hatred and turned away from him.  He began to educate himself about WWII, the Holocaust and Judaism.  He sought out the remaining Jews in Bamberg, there were about 30 that formed a small community.  He befriended the Rabbi and became the "shabbos goy."  When he broached the subject of conversion the Rabbi turned him down and said he would have to go elsewhere. 

When he was older and studying medicine he was intoduced to another Rabbi and after initial rejection, he was finally accepted for Orthodox conversion.  He converted in 1986 and then made aliyah to Israel in 1987.  He joined a kibbutz to learn Hebrew, and then after 6 months he was inducted into the IDF, took the officers course and became a Lieutenant.  After his military service he worked as a doctor in a hospital.  Throughout his time in Israel he concealed his family background.  He married an Israeli woman and had children and never told his family of his origins.  Recently he went to Miami to study a speciality. Only when his son was 14 and asked him about his grandparents for a project at his Jewish school did he finally open up.  When his son told his story at school Bernd was asked to come in to see the Principal who told him that he must tell his story and then he confessed to his family and eventually wrote the book about his life. 

For Dr. W's speech see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSEI5sulT7Y&app=desktop

(I thank Renie Hirsch for bringing this story to my attention.)