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

Betti Keschner was born in 1920 in Hattingen, Germany. She studied at the “Lyzeum” (school for girls leading to university entrance qualifications) and in 1937/1938 studies at the Jewish Theological Seminary in Breslau (Wroclaw) where she met Paul. ; Paul Alfred Alsberg was born in March 1919 in Elberfeld, Germany to an assimilated, liberal, bourgeois family. His parents owned bed-shops and a shoe factory. All the family members used to read a lot. Paul attended a “Real gymnasium” and belonged to a liberal Jewish community. For some time he was a member of the non-Zionist Jewish boy scouts (Wanderbund) “Kameraden”, but he left them in 1932 because he felt like an outsider among the Jewish children from Eastern Europe. From 1934/1935 he deepened his interest in Judaism and joined a circle of friends interested in Jewish history. His sister and brother emigrated to Italy and France; his father had become a Zionist and had registered for a transfer to Palestine, but he died in 1936 before he had a chance to emigrate. Since Paul's emigration was not yet approved, he decided to study at the rabbinic seminary in Breslau (Wroclaw) together with his future wife Betti. His intention was to acquire some knowledge of Judaism and Hebrew; temporarily he became orthodox. On November 10th 1938, Paul Alsberg was arrested in the street and was sent to Buchenwald, where he was interned for two months. Betti Alsberg describes how she struggled for his release, trying desperately to get a certificate for his emigration. Paul Alsberg tells about his disease in the concentration camp and his stay in the camp hospital. Episode about a member of the SS who was moved by Paul Alsberg's appearance at his release. ; Paul and Betti immigrated to Palestine in 1939 on a student's certificate and married in 1942. He pursued studies of general and Jewish history, sociology, and later studies of romance philology. Betti pursued trained as an elementary school teacher and a nurse. In 1940 Paul's mother left for Bombay via Singapore and Shanghai to join her daughter in Bombay. In 1942 she moved to Palestine. Paul Alsberg got his his M. A.in 1942 and - while working as a carpenter - started a doctoral thesis but did not finish it. He did his military service as medical orderly. Since 1949 he has worked in the Zionist central archives, where he finished his doctoral thesis on Zionist history. He was sent to France and Germany to take photographs of documents for Yad Vashem. In 1957 he became head of the State Archives until his retirement in 1990. In 1971 he became Israel State Archivist replacing Dr. Alex Bein. Professionally active in organizations like Yad Vashem, Leo Baeck Institute, etc. Personally active in ‘Irgun Olej Merkaz Europa', head of the Else-Lasker-Schüler-Society, etc. They discuss: Language(s) and culture of the German Jews in Israel and the passing on of their culture to the next generations; the cultural and intellectual contribution of the German Jews to Israel; the cultural identity of their children, languages spoken in the Alsberg family. Analysis of the general language situation in Israel: The ideological struggle for Hebrew at the time of their immigration, the difficulties of the Yekkes with Hebrew. Analysis of their own (rather superficial) relationship to Hebrew culture and language: though Paul Alsberg speaks Hebrew fluently he prefers to read in English and German. ; Betti Alsberg worked as a nurse and in the book trade and volunteers. She thinks that she neither became really familiar with the Hebrew culture nor with the language, so that she sometimes feels like a stranger in Israel, especially in company of young people. Final remarks about their close relationship to the German Aliya and to their German past and about their relationship with their grandchildren.