Bertha Bracey

Bertha Bracey (1893-1989) was a Quaker who did a lot to help German Jews. She came from Birmingham and worked as a teacher.

In 1921 she went to Nuremberg and set up several clubs for young people. She helped with relief work and also helped with reconstruction work at the Quaker centre.  The Quaker aim was to create centres of reconciliation and peace. She also worked in Berlin and eventually returned to London in 1929.

When problems began for the Jews in 1933, she became the secretary of the Germany Emergency Committee. She organised Quaker help for Jews persecuted by the Nazis in Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia, and destitute Jewish refugees in Paris. She helped them to flee these countries and found work and accommodation for them in Britain. She spoke fluent German, had a large network of useful contacts. All Jewish aid organisations were  brought together under one roof in Bloomsbury House and Friends Committee for Refugees and Aliens moved into 25 rooms there with 80 staff and 14,000 case files.

In 1934 she helped to establish a Quaker school in Holland for 100 Jewish children. The school provided employment for Jewish and Quaker teachers. She also helped to establish Stoatley  Rough School in Surrey in the same year. This school catered for Jewish refugees.   

After the Kistallnacht, Jewish parents were desperate to get their children to safety. It was too dangerous for British Jews to go to Germany, so six Quakers were sent out to report on the situation. On 21 November Bertha Bracey joined a delegation to the Home Secretary, Sir Samuel Hoare, and Hoare obtained the consent of Parliament to the admission of the children. The first group arrived on 2 December.

In 1945 just before the end of the war three hundred orphans were found alive in the Theresienstadt concentration camp in Czechoslovakia and with the assistance of RAF Bomber Command she had them flown to a reception camp by Lake Windermere.

In 1942 Bertha Bracey received the OBE for her work for refugees. In 1946 she was appointed by the Allied Control Commission in Germany to handle refugee affairs, and was later put in charge of women’s affairs in the British and American Zones, and there she remained until she retired in 1953 at the age of 60.
The importance of what she did, in particular in her help in organising the Kindertransport was honoured in 2010 by Gordon Brown.  

  

Clara Lehrs

Clara Lehrs, nee Loewenthal, was born on 7 October 1871 in Schwerin in Mecklenburg. Her parents were Jewish. He father was a corn merchant. Her mother was an immigrant from Holland. She had eight siblings.

In 1892 she married Ernst Julius Lehrs. Her first child Leopold Edgar, was born in 1894. Katharina Theresa was born in 1896 and Rudolph in 1901. Her husband Ernst worked in sales in industry. They converted to Christianity so that they could enjoy contemporary society.

Ernst was very badly injured in World War I and had to stop working. He died in 1918, aged 56.

Her son Leopold Edgar served in World War I and became an officer. He returned from the war convinced that society had to change. He became interested in the work of Rudolph Steiner and converted to anthroposophy. Much to Clara’s disappointment, he gave up a career as a scientist to become a teacher at the newly founded Waldorf School in Stuttgart in 1921. At about the same time, he started calling himself Ernst  

Although Clara had a very close relationship with her oldest son and although they shared a love of humanity and culture, she wasn’t entirely convinced about the teachings of Steiner and actually found the man himself rather strange.  

By 1927, Clara was determined to return to Berlin. Ernst junior managed to persuade her to set up house with him. They built a house together in 1928, at number 20 Schellberg Street. In order to finance the building, Clara sold some of her jewellery and borrowed money from her brother and from a friend of the family. The house was used not just as their home but also as a place where Waldorf School pupils might board and where meetings were held for the Anthroposophy Organisation.

Clara gained a reputation as a very cheerful, caring person. She became reconciled to anthroposophy and found a new purpose in life looking after her students. It was because she cared about them so much that she continuously put off leaving Germany. Her sons found refuge in England and America and her daughter and granddaughter in England. Clara left it too late. However, before the Nazi regime caught up with her, she made many more contributions to humanity. 

In the school year 1921 / 1922 a Special Class was created for severely disabled children by Karl Schubert. From 24 April 1934 he was allowed to run this as a private class within the Waldorf School. The Waldorf School was closed by the Nazis in 1938. Clara Lehrs offered her home as a place for the class. No one is quite sure how, but this class was tolerated throughout the war and beyond.

In 1939 Clara was forced to sell the house on Schellberg Street for 30,000 Reich marks to Emil Kühn, a friend of the family and the president of Waldorf School Association. Jews were not allowed to own property anymore and anyway she had to pay various debts to the authorities and to various Jewish societies. She was able to rent a room in the house on Schellberg Street for a little while longer. By 1941, she was registered as Klara Sarah Lehrs – the authorities gave her first name German spelling and gave her the second name Sarah – all Jews who did not possess an obviously Jewish name were given an extra name of Sarah or Israel to show that they were Jewish.

In 1942, just like all other elderly Jewish people, she was ordered to live in one of the ghettoes in Württemberg. She actually lived for a short while in Rexingen, with other Jews in one of the oldest Jewish communities in the area. Again, here she gained a reputation for being generous of spirit.  

Her time in Rexingen was short. On 22 August 1942 she was transported to Theriesenstadt. From there she was transported on 29 September to Treblinka, where she was murdered. Towards this transport and the promised home in the east she had to pay out her last 6246- Reich marks.  

Read more:                               

To think about

Banned books 

Are all of the proposals to librarians and by the students bad? 

Why do you think they had these ideas?

Is it useful for us to read literature from other cultures? Why or why not?

Is it ever right to ban what is written?

Click on the title above to get some ideas.     

The Blackout 

Apart from serious accidents, in which other ways could a Blackout be inconvenient?

How would it affect you today?

Dim-out was eventually introduced. Does this suggest that the rules had been too strict earlier?

Why do you think the rules were so strict?  

Why do you think the government was able relax them?

Click on the title above to get some ideas

The Blutschutzgesetz 

Can you think of any other countries who have used or are indeed still using laws anything like this?  
Is there any way in which such laws could be protective? 
Why do you think the Germans wanted pure blood? 

Click on the title above to get some ideas.     

Bombings 

The Allies bombed German towns as well. Do you know where the worst bombings happened?
Renate's family had a dilemma.
Her mother was being bombed by the Germans in London.
The Allies were bombing towns where her friends and family lived.
Her father was helping to design bombs for the German military. 

Click on the title above to get some ideas.     

  Bund Deutscher Mädel

http://www.thehouseonschellbergstreet.com/search/label/Bund%20Deutscher%20Madel  

Do you think you would have liked to join the BDM? Why or why not?
The uniform was very smart but when you look at old photographs sometimes the girls aren't wearing shoes that go well with their uniform. Why do you think this is? 
Can you name some advantages of belonging to an organization like this?   

Click on the title above to get some ideas.     

Concentration camps

http://www.thehouseonschellbergstreet.com/2014/06/concentration-camps.html#more

Arguably, life had to go on and if one got rid of every bystander, who would be left to do the work?  

Why was Rossel deceived?

Why did “bystanders” do nothing?

What would you do? 

Was it right to intern German Jews during World War II?

Can an internment camp be made humane?     

Click on the title above to get some ideas.     

Enemy Aliens

Why do you think the rules about what Enemy Aliens Class B could do were made?
How might these rules have affected someone like Renate?
How might it have affected her mother?  (She lived in London for much of World War II.) 

Click on the title above to get some ideas.     

 Food

Do you find food symbolic?

Take a look at a British or a German ration card. Could you manage on that amount of food?

Look around where you live. How could you find free or very cheap food here?   

Click on the title above to get some ideas.     

Ghettos

How would a “natural” ghetto be formed?

Can you think of any that you know of?

What impression do you get of ghetto life by looking at the pictures?

Often the Rexingen Jews are referred to as a community. What is the difference between a normal community and a ghetto?   

Click on the title above to get some ideas.     

Heimwehr

http://www.thehouseonschellbergstreet.com/search/label/Heimwehr

Why do you think so many teen boys were willing to take on the Allies when they moved into Germany?
How might their training with the Hitler Youth have helped these young people?
The Heimwehr is similar to our own Home Guard. However, there are differences. Can you think what they might be?        

Click on the title above to get some ideas.     

The Hitler Youth

Is it a good idea to make such organizations as this compulsory?
Is this better or worse than having military service for young people?
Would belonging to an organisaiton like this help you develop life-skills?  

Click on the title above to get some ideas.     

  

  Indoctrination

Should we ban publications like the Deutsche Mädel now?

Why do you think the Deutsche Mädel was enjoyed by so many girls?

Think of a magazine that you like to read today. Is it “indoctrinating” you in any way? 

Click on the title above to get some ideas.     

Internment

Was it right to intern German Jews during World War II?

Can an internment camp be made humane?  

Click on the title above to get some ideas.     

  

The Kinder

Which do you think is best for the child?
How might being evacuated affect your schooling and your family life? 
What are the advantages of evacuation? 
And the disadvantages? 
Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?      

Some believe we should have offered homes to whole families. Why do you think we didn't?
How could we decide which ones to help?
What would you think if your family wanted to send you away for your own safety?

Click on the title above to get some ideas.     

  

Kinderlandvershcickung

If you had to be evacuated because of a war situation, would you prefer to live with your friends or within a family? 
Which do you think is best for the child?
How might being evacuated affect your schooling and your family life? 
What are the advantages of evacuation? 
And the disadvantages? 
Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? 

Click on the title above to get some ideas.     

 

The Kindertransport

How would your family feel about sponsoring a child to the tune of £3500?
Why do you think the Quakers were motivated to help?

Click on the title above to get some ideas.     

Kriegeshilfedienst

There was a lot of unemployment in Germany in the 1930s. Do you think the RAD and the Kreigeshilfedienst helped combat that?    
How did these two initiatives specifically help women?
How had war often helped  women in the work place?
What happens after the war is over?
Do you see any similarities here with anything you ahve read about what british women did in World Wars I and II?    

Click on the title above to get some ideas.     

Kristallnacht

A lot of the shops could be looted. Who would do that? 

Why do you think the Germans felt so angry about the Jews? 

Was Ernst von Rath's assassination a justification or an excuse? 

Sometimes we are surprised that certain people, ourselves included, actually join in looting parties. Why do people who normally keep to the laws suddenly start doing something so peculiar?  

Click on the title above to get some ideas.     

    

Landgirls

What sort of work do you think the land girls had to do? 

How was this different from the way the German girls may have worked?
Which jobs are a farm are easier in the 21st century?
Why was ENSA useful?
Would something like ENSA be uesful today?
Do we in fact have anything like that?    

Click on the title above to get some ideas.     

Lebensborn

The Lebesnborn initiative was an attempt to create perfect babies who would turn into perfect human beings. Do we still do this?
What about farm animals and pets?
Would single mums have been more comfortable within the Lebensborn system than they would have been in Britain at the time?
How does that compare with our experience in the 21st Century. 

Click on the title above to get some ideas.     

 

Nazi Key Figures

What do you think may have motivated these men? 
Can you find their redeeming features?
Why do you think ordinary people were influenced by them?

Click on the title above to get some ideas.     

Nuremberg laws

Can you think of any other countries who have used or are indeed still using laws anything like this?  
Is there any way in which such laws could be protective? 
Why do you think the Germans wanted pure blood? 

Click on the title above to get some ideas.     

Places

Have you visited any of these places?
What is your impression of them?  

Click on the title above to get some ideas.     

  

The Quakers

How would your family feel about sponsoring a child to the tune of £3500?
Why do you think the Quakers were motivated to help?

Click on the title above to get some ideas.     

Reichsarbeitsdienst

Is it right and fair to expect young people to do their duty during war time?

Should they also do duty during peace time? 

Click on the title above to get some ideas.     

Reichsbürgergesetz

Can you think of any other countries who have used or are indeed still using laws anything like this?  
Is there any way in which such laws could be protective? 
Why do you think the Germans wanted pure blood?  

Click on the title above to get some ideas.     

  

The Rexingen Jews

Rexingen became a natural ghetto. What do you understand by the word "gehtto"?
How are ghettos formed?
Why can they sometimes become dangerous?
What might be an alternative to a ghetto?
How can we stop dangerous ghettos forming?

Click on the title above to get some ideas.     

  

   

Steiner Schools

Germany does not have many private schools but it does approve of the Streiner schools. Why do you think this is so?
In many ways the Waldorf / Steiner schools were ahead of their times. How does the school in the books compare with your own school? 
These schools are known for promoting creativity.  What do you understand by that?

Click on the title above to get some ideas.     

The White Rose

What worries you in today’s society? Is there anything that you object to that your government is doing?

Do current laws in your country allow you to an express an opinion about that?

We see Sophie and Hans as heroes. No doubt the government at the time saw them as trouble-makers. What is the difference?   

Click on the title above to get some ideas.     

   

Kick-starting My Project

Retirement

I’m due to retire soon. Except I’ll not really be retiring. I’ll be undergoing another career change. At last, I shall become a full time writer. I’ll spend about a month getting into my new writing routine. Then, I want to make a big journey by train.

I’ll leave the house here in north Manchester and take the Metrolink to Piccadilly, then on to London, then perhaps Lille or Paris. Thereafter, I’ll be tracing Clara Lehrs and using a senior Europass. 

The Journey 

So:

Mecklenburg, where she was born

Berlin, where she lived most of her married life

Jena, where she worked at the Lauenstein institute

Stuttgart and naturally the house on Schellberg Street

Rexingen where she lived in the ghetto

Theresienstadt

Treblinka 

Then, I’d like to add on some of Renate’s journey:

Nuremberg to London

London to Minehead

The latter two chunks will be part of the return journey

 

Wheels            

I’ll travel in considerable luxury compared with what Clara and even Renate faced. However, it’s the wheels rolling under the carriage all of the time here that’s important.

Timing

I imagine I’m going to be away for about three weeks. I’ll stay in each place as long I need to. Again, I’ll probably be living better than Clara did although in both Mecklenburg and Berlin she was quite well off, and certainly not poor in the years in in Jena and Stuttgart. I’ll use middle of the range hotels but am also open to staying with people who offer to put me up.

The non-fiction project

As I travel, I’ll update the blog daily. I’ll also keep a private journal as well as making copious notes. I intend to write a short book also about this journey and the project. This will include some discussion of the challenges of this sort of research and the writing of this sort of biography. This will also create more content for the web site.

The wider project

The Holocaust generation is dying out. So it’s important to go back to the primary resources and to recreate what might have happened with the imagination as these stories do. I’m already offering school visits based on this material and I’m intending to work that up over the next few years, even producing packs that others can use.  

Currently, I’m offering visits for a donation that the schools can afford plus travel. I’d like to have some funding in place so that this can carry on.

 

Funding this project

I’m partly funding my journey myself but I also want to start setting up my fund for the wider project.   

I’m going to set up a crowd-funding project as soon as I’ve a more concrete date. You can register an interest now just by contacting me via this web site. Fill in the contact form. You can also make a small donation. Again, there is a button.

Eventually I’ll offer to crowd-funders depending on level of donation:   

• VIP invite to the launch of one of the books
• Name as sponsor on web-site  
• Tailor-made talk  
• Signed copy of one the books / all of the books  

Other help

You might consider arranging a talk. I could be anything form a simple gathering in your  house to hiring a local venue and filing it with people. I’d then give the talk for free but accept donations on the day and perhaps sell some books.

This might be particularly interesting if it happens as I complete the journey.  

If you’re on my route, you could offer me accommodation.

Simply tell everyone who might be interested. School visits I’ll do just for expenses plus a donation and / or a chance to sell books. I’m also happy to offer school visits at my normal fee of £350 per day plus expenses for those who like to keep things simple.