typed memoir
Margit Bernstein Memoir (1963)
Original — Deutsch
םדוקמ ,ןייטשנרב תידא טיגרמ לש םייח תורוק ר מייהנפוא ןתי הזש הווקמ ינא .ייח תורוק תא םירצק םיווקב ראתל יתטלחה םיריכמ רשא "ורוא" לש םיגיצנה רשאמ בוט רתוי .יתואירב בצמ לע רתוי הריהב הנומת .רישי יתלב ןפואב קר יתוא יבא .ונמיאמ דרפנ רשא יבא לש ותיבב יתוחאו יחא םע דחי ,יתלדג בהא אוה .תיבב אמא התיה אלש תורמל ,הגאד אלל םירוענ ונל ויהיש ידכב לכה תא השע . תאז ורשאי בוהאה וניבא תא וריכהש הלא לכו ,המזגה התיה אל תאז .לובג אלל ונתוא ויה ונידגב .רישעו אלמ היה דימת וננחלוש .רבד םירסח ונייה אל ונחנא דימת .תיבב וניליב רשא לודג שפוח רוכזל הלוכי אל ינא .בוט רפס תיבב ונרקיב .םילועמ וניליבש וא ,ןגנימגב היח התיה רשא ,יבא לש תוחא לצא םעפ .והשלכ םוקמל ונעסנ . טדרהרומ ריעב תיבה קשמ תלהנמ םע השפוח ךפהנש םוקמ ,"Heuberg" םידליל הארבה תיבב םג ונייה םימעפל םילוכי רשא ,וניהש וב תיבב םירג רשא םישנא דוע שיו ןכתיי .זוכיר הנחמל רתוי רחואמ ןחלוש לע הכומס התייה רשא ,רפסה תיבל יתרבח התיה ונלש תיבב .הז לכ תא רשאל הרק םעפ אל .תינומ גהנ היה היבאו ,גגה תיילעב ונתיבב הרג היירצונ התייה איה ,ונתיב ,הביקב והשמ ול שיש עדוי ינא":רמא דימת יבא .םיירהצה תחוראל תובדנ ץבקמ ונל היהש חזרמ תיבל ךלי ילוא אוה ףסכ ול ןתא םא קר תבתוכ ינא הלאה םירבדה לכ ".התושו היה יבאש םיבשוח ,טרגטוטשב םימולישל דסומה דחוימב ,םויה לש הינמרגבש ,הז ללגב קרבכ ונילע אב ,1935 סרמב היה הזש תבשוח ינא ,יבא לש רסאמה .ילאיצוס-א טנמלא םושמ גשומ ונל היה אל .םיריהב םיימשמ תא תלאוש ינא .רבד ונחנא המל ,סוניא לע אלא ,עזגה רהוט דגנ תוריבע לע טפשנ אל יבאש רחאל – םינודאה תימצע הנגה אלל עצבתמ אל הזכ רבד ?עציב לוכיבכ וניבא רשא סנואה ישעממ ונעמש אל ,הזכ בצמל העיגמ יתייה ינא וליא .ונשגרה אל ונלש הלודג אלה הרידב ונחנאו ,השאה לש ? םולכ ונשגרה אלש הככ הלא תונב וגהנתה המל .תוקעצ המיקמו ימצע לע הניגמ יתייה םיעוריאה לע הנימאמ ינא םויה דחא ריהב םוי הסנכנ ונתריד לעמ :ןלהלדכ אשונ היה אוה – ונמזב "רוביג" היה שיאה .רגניצרג ךרעב ,תרכוז ינניא םשה תא .החפשמ הרג ותיבבש םיאתה אל ןכשלש תענכושמ ינא .תיצאנה הגלפמה לש בהזה רוטיע תא התיה םירייד רותב ונתיאמ רטפתהל ךרדה .םייניעב ץוק ומכ ול היה הז .תידוהי החפשמ רותב םויה .תירא הינמרג התיה תיבה קשמ תלהנמש הדבועה התיה ןאכ .וליבשב השק תמכסהבו ןימ ייחל תושירד ויה ,השיא אלל יח רשא ,יבאלש ןיבהל הלוכי ינא ,רגובמ םדא .'וכו תונתמ םע התוא הציפ יבאש תענכושמ ירמגל םג ינא .התיא יח השיאה
Translation — English
The biography of Margit Edith Bernstein born Oppenheimer (written in 1963) I decided to describe my life in short lines. I hope it will give A clearer picture of my health. Better than the representatives of "U.R.O" (United Restitution Organization) who know me only indirectly. I grew up, together with my brother and sister, in the house of my father who separated from our mother. He did everything so that we could have a carefree youth, even though there was no mother at home. He loved us without limit. This was not an exaggeration, and all those who knew our beloved father will confirm this. We didn't lack anything. Our table was always full and rich. Our clothes were great. We visited a good school. I can't remember a long vacation that we spent at home. We were always going somewhere. Either to my father's sister, who lived in Gemmingen, or we spent a vacation with the housekeeper in the city of Murrhardt. Sometimes we were also in the "Heuberg" convalescent home for children, a place that later became a concentration camp. There may be other people who lived in the same building where we stayed, who can confirm all of this. In our building I had a friend from school, who often dined in our house. She was a Christian living in our attic, and her father was a taxi driver. It often happened that we had a group of beggars for lunch. My father always said: "I know he has something in his stomach, if I give him money he might go to a tavern and drink." I am writing all these things only because in today's Germany, especially the Payments Institution in Stuttgart, they think that my father was an anti-social element. My father's imprisonment, I think it was in March 1935, came upon us like lightning from a clear sky. We had no idea at all. I ask the gentlemen - as my father was not tried for offenses against the purity of the race, but for rape, why did we not hear about the acts of rape that our father allegedly committed? Such a thing is not done without the women's self-defense, and we in our small apartment did not feel it. If I had come to such a situation, I would have defended myself and shouted. Why did these girls act like we didn't feel anything? Today I believe in the following events. A family moved in above our apartment one clear day. I don't remember the name, something like Gerzinger. The man was a "hero" in his time - he was the bearer of the gold decoration of the Nazi party. I am convinced that it did not fit the neighbor that a Jewish family lived in his house. It was like a thorn in his side. The way to get rid from us as tenants was difficult for him. Here was the fact that the manager of the household was German Aryan. Today as an adult, I can understand that my father, who lived without a wife, had demands for sex and with the woman's consent he lived with her. I'm also completely convinced that my father compensated her with gifts, etc. It was said that the way to cause fear and panic was not difficult in those times when it was necessary to testify against Jews, that my father brutally raped her. For a party member like the neighbor, it was a thing of little value. My mother received news - this was in 1960 - that we were dealing with compensation claims after my father. She then wrote to me that she went to the house on Grenziger Weggs Street, where another woman lived who used to live in the building with us, this woman named Braun told my mother that she, along with another neighbor, wanted to testify in my father's trial in his favor. They were not allowed to give evidence, no protocol was recorded, and they were also threatened that their situation would be worse if they testified and that it would be better for them to go home. Of course, they both got scared and went home. I myself made an unforgivable mistake - when after the rejection of my father's case by the Payments Institution in Stuttgart, I remained silent. I was amazed at the time by the whole thing. Because of anger and grief, I reached the end of my mental state. I walked around like crazy, I had cramps in my neck as if I was being choked. The fact is that for many nights I could not sleep. What sense is there in reparations when the Nazi laws exist to this very day. Millions cannot compensate us for what we went through. Is there even compensation for a beloved father who lost his
Historical context
Page 1 covers Margit's childhood in Stuttgart with her father Julius Oppenheimer, who raised the three children (Änne, Margit, Josef) after separating from their mother. Describes their comfortable life before the father's arrest in March 1935 on charges of 'Rassenschande' (race defilement). Also discusses the post-war restitution case and Margit's frustration with the German Payments Institution in Stuttgart.