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

orig. name: Herbert Walter. Born 02/08/1921, Schmoetzel / Kolberg. high school Kolberg until 1935. Emigration to Palestine 1936. Occupation: farm work. Walter, Kaethe. Upper Silesia. Emigration to Palestine 1938. Interview: About his original name Herbert. 4 sections of his life: 1. carefree youth, only Jewish family in the village but no problems 2. school years in Kolberg (during Hitler's time) 3. Time in the youth aliya, 1 ½ years, learned Hebrew. 4. Building up Sde Warburg Parental home: parents old, father died when he was 11, mother came to Israel with aunt and her mother. Parents had a big department store and a ball room which was rented for special occasions Father was chief of the fire brigade, in the bicycle club and member of the private-war-club. Not very religious. Episode about a Christian. Nazi period changed his educational plans, wanted to got to Univ. First Anti-Semitic experience and big shock. 1934 expelled from school. Contacts to Zionism. Mother signed him up for Hachshara. Arrival to Israel: difficulties to integrate, language problems. Mother sold the business and followed with capitalist certificate. Younger brother went on Hachshara. The first years in Sde Warburg. Cultivating the soil. All settlers were members of the middle class, nobody knew how to do farm work. Jewish Agency sent instructors. Episodes. Diseases. How he met his wife. Living conditions. Mother and aunt had difficulties in adjusting to the new situation. Problem: lack of high ; culture. Kaethe: Father was arrested 04/01/1933, after liberation decision to emigrate, but stayed until 1938. She and her sister followed, then her mother came as well. Did not finish her education (was 13 years old). Germany: private school, almost no Anti-Semitism, Upper Silesia had minority laws. Few Jewish family in the village. Synagogue was only open on high holidays. Zionist youth movement and Hebrew lessons. Parents could not prepare themselves for Palestine - shock. Parents had a liqueur shop in Germany. Could send one lift to Palestine. First impressions of Sde Warburg. About their travels, saw Jerusalem for the first time in 1943. About Jerusalem in 1943. Living in Sde Warburg. Daughters spoke German, are bilingual. About conquering the land and being a Jekke. Life in the new country contacts to Arabs. War. Intifada. Experience of discrimination against German speaking immigrants. Were told to speak Hebrew in the Kibbutz. Visiting Germany. Integration 1949-51. Taking in refugees and difficulties. About their children. Development of and life in the village. Language situation after 1958: Hebrew as official language. They both speak Hebrew very well, but read in German. Language situation of the children: first 3 years only German, Hebrew in kindergarten and school. Both daughters know German well but grandchildren don't know it. Reactions of young people to his story. Characteristics of Germans (punctuality and drunkenness). Episode about a fair featuring ; shooting matches in Germany.