Autobiographical interviews of Jews born in German speaking countries ("Yekkes") - 50/60 years after their immigration to Israel

Born 5/24/1905 in Berlin: 1914-1923 Schooling - Real gymnasium (high school). 1926-1931 Occupation: Merchant, group leader in the youth movement. 1932 Change of profession. Began education as social worker at the Social Services Office, Berlin. 1933 Eliminated. 1934-1938 Hachshara in Holland, Germany and Denmark in conjunction with Miriam with simultaneous belonging to Zionist Youth groups. September 1938 Emigration to Palestine. Activities: First stone breaking, orange plantations. After joining kibbutz on June 5, 1939; stone gathering fruit culture, management, factory until today. 10 years of attending to volunteers from foreign countries. Michaelis, Miriam (formerly Lotte Adam) Born 6/19/08. Left school at 16. Graduate of evening school. Study of Germanistic, Philosophy and Journalism. Promotion in Journalism. Member of German Author’s union. Lyricprize in 1933.Worked with Zionist Youth groups. Hachshara together with Micha. 1936 Married. Activities: First in a kibbutz kitchen. Then on orange plantation. After settling in kibbutz nurse in Daliah. Since 1941 factory work quality-control. Interrupted in the 70’s for 3 years. Organization of the office of Medical secretary and work in the factory until today. (In the kibbutz, there is no pension fund.) Offices: (on the look out for health & cultural jobs etc.) Bilingual authors Hebrew and German. Interview: Got to know each other in the Youth Movement. Her youth in Germany (wish to become an author, parents). Her ; relationship to Zionism. Her studies and aim of profession. Studies and dissertation. relationships. Member of the German Authors Union. Themes and direction of her work (Expressionism). 1934 Ha-Chaluz. Dissolution of the Union. She kept writing and published poems. Finished her studies in Newspaper sciences. Decision to emigrate to Palestine Micha: heard her read her poetry and fell in love with her. His life up to 1933, burgeous family, father was a Socialist, Micha was the black sheep of the family. His mother's family in Lausanne. First experience with anti-Semitism in school. Joined 'Altwandervogel' and was expelled. He leaves school, begins commercial training. Hiss attitude toward Zionism. Work in the German-Jewish Youth Movement. Education as social worker, expulsion as a Jew. Ha-Chaluz. Work in a flower shop. Judgement of his siblings: his brother was a communist. Arresting of brother and his mission for his release from the concentration camp. He asked an SS officer for help and had to go to a hearing with the Gestapo. About the hearing. SS officer Werner Mochow takes him to Oranienburg. Brother is released. Micha went on Hachshara to Holland. Micha and Miriam meet again. He was in charge of a youth group from Ha-Chalutz, she came to teach the group. They had a certificate but got order from Ha-Chaluz to take over a youth group in Germnay. Their wedding. Their work with the group. To Denmark with part of the group. Differences in their relationship to Zionism. ; Return to Berlin. They were already searched for by the Gestapo. Flight. Miriam: had to leave everything behind. About her mother who stayed in Berlin. Mother’s letters from Berlin up to 1942. Last letter from the ghetto in Warsaw. They found out in Yad Vashem that her mother died in Drawitsky. About cencorship of letters. Beginnings in the land. Supplement: Flight over Italy (sojourn without money). Experience on board and arrival in Haifa. Reception camp. Micha: Minister of Finance came to look for them.. Decision for the Had-Sham-group. First impressions of the Kibbutz. His knowledge of Hebrew. Development in the kibbutz: he became a librarian, other tasks First jobs: Micha - stone breaking; orange plantation; Miriam - kitchen, plantation. Rapid integration but language problems. Build-up of the Kibbutz Dahlia. His honorary office - pushed compensation payments. A negative experience in Essen, Germany. Under arrest. Miriam: was sent to Germany to support Micha. her memories of the beginnings in the Kibbutz. Worked as a nurse, lived in a camp, had to do armed night watches. Micha: favourite occupation; care of volunteers in the kibbutz arrangement of volunteers groups. His motive - to seek mutual understanding. Negative experience with visitors to the Kibbutz. Striving for an objective relationship. German volunteer’s interest in Israel (a negative example). Miriam: activities in the Kibbutz and her writing. Nurse, work in the factory, librarian. Reason’s for ; voluntary work. Attitude toward authorship. Study of modern Hebrew literature. Micha: Factors for respectability in the kibbutz. Younger generation in the kibbutz. Fate of son-in-law. Miraim: Further aspects of her literary activity and membership in the Hebrew and German author’s society. Associations and linguistic depths in Hebrew. Influence of the emigration on her course of life. Micha: relationship to Judaism. Emigration as a breakaway; but realisation of a world view: kibbutz is the purpose in life for both of them.