Escaping Nazi Germany: One Woman’s Emigration from Heilbronn to England

Description

Carefully piecing together the personal letters of Alice ‘Leisel’ Schwab, Escaping Nazi Germany tells the important story of one woman’s emigration from Heilbron to England. From the decision to leave her family and emigrate alone, to gaining her independence as a shop worker and surviving the Blitz, to the reunion with her brother and parents in England and shared grief as they learn about the fate of family members who died in the Holocaust, her story provides powerful insight into both the everyday realities of German-Jewish refugees in Britain and the ability of letters and life-writing to create transnational networks during times of trauma and separation. Elegantly written and deeply researched, Joachim Schlör’s emphatic and unflinching re-telling of Alice Schwab’s life sheds new light on the Jewish experience of persecution during the Holocaust and adds nuances to current debates on emigration, memory, and identity. This book is an essential primary resource for scholars of modern European history and Jewish studies, offering a compelling and intimate route into understanding what it meant to be a Jewish refugee caught up in the tragic and tumultuous events of the Second World War. Cover Half title Title Copyright Contents Illustrations Acknowledgements Introduction 1 ‘Liesel, it’s time for you to leave.’ Departure 2 Digression: ‘Dear Liesel, there are still so many questions.’ A trip to Bombay 3 ‘This morning I got a letter from Jack.’ A way out for Helmut 4 ‘Dear Liesel, Urug. is no longer an option.’ What happened to the parents? 5 ‘An alien of a most excellent type.’ The war years in London 6 ‘Thinking of Germany.’ From a broken picture book 7 ‘Your home’ [‘Ihre Heimat’]. Reconnecting 8 Digression: ‘Now in ruins.’ The house in the Götzenturmstraße 9 ‘How was the wine harvest?’ Heilbronn from afar Notes Bibliography Index