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

Born 11/11/1902 in Frankenberg/Eder. Jewish primary school until the age of 10, private school until graduation. About her name and why she did not take on a Hebrew name. Her brother: probation officer who tried to keep criminals out of jail. Studied in Germany and was a teacher. Her uncle: director of the archive of German Jews, patriot who fought in WWI. Her uncle Jacob Jacobsen survived Theresienstadt and wrote two historical books. Episode: "Edertalsperre". About Frankenburg/Eder: many refugees from the east, big Jewish congregation, a Jewish primary school. Father: Shlomo (Sally) Stern. Her parents owned a shoe shop. Mother: Amalia Goldschmidt. About a letter she received after her arrival to Israel in which a young German asks her to refrain from all claims on her house in Germany. Building of a house in Kfar Witkin and the principle of neighborly help. Building up a meshek (=farm). Parents: father born in 1875, mother in 1876. About her grand parents and their origins (Kassel). Jewish Communities in Mainpressen, Marburg, Kassel and Frankfurt. About her grandfather. She used to have many Christian friends and did not notice Anti- Semitism before Hitler came. She and her husband were among the first to leave Germany. Many did not realize the danger. Parental home: zionist attitude, idea of an own country (Herzl). Jewish youth associations. About her brother's destiny. Schooling: Jewish primary school, Christian private school. Her brother finished his teacher exam in ; Berlin. She and her brother have been asked to write down their memories, but she thinks that children are not interested in her history. 30 years in a Moshav, chicken breeding. Death of her husband. Language situation: learned Hebrew by listening to other people talk. Spoke German with parents and husband, Hebrew with her son. About her uncle's father who was a rabbi and about a book he gave to her grandmother. Professional wish: infant nurse. About her grandmother and her status within the family. About old people and her grandchildren. Episode about a cousin who came to visit her in the Kibbutz. About two other cousins and their careers. One cousin was awarded a honorary doctorate by the Queen of GB. About her niece and her family. Journeys to Germany. Watering problems in Kfar Witkin and about the foundation of the Kibbutz. Working conditions in the beginning. About her husband's talent for music. Her work during the first years in the Kibbutz. Language problems. Illegal immigration in 1934. Their immigration was organized by her brother. First impressions on their arrival. How she got to know her husband in Berlin. Her family held Shabbat in Germany, in Witkin she could not do so anymore because work had to be done. How habits change with the change of surroundings. About Kfar Witkin (Socialism, agriculture, ...) Their activities within the Hagana. Wedding in 1929. No thoughts about emigration before 1933. Without Hitler they would have stayed in Germany where they ; had been living in good economic conditions. Childhood memories. Birth her son in Kfar Witkin. On board of the "Martha Washington", an illegal refugee ship. About the emigration. About "Mein Kampf" and its false interpretation. Her parents' immigration in 1935. Living conditions in Kfar Witkin. Birth of a son in 1939. About the young generation's relationship to Germany. About Israel. The beginnings in Kfar Witkin. About her grandmother and WWI. About agricultural work. Explanation of "Jekke". Difficulties with learning Hebrew. English Soldiers and how they treated the immigrants. Language Situation: calculates and counts in German, but speaks Hebrew fluently. She thinks in German. Death of husband in 1960, she begins to work as housemother and nurse. How she nursed her sick brother until he died. About the new housemother and how her situation was different.