• Home
  • Full Circle Blog
  • Selected Publications
    • Publications Archive
  • In the News

Donna Swarthout

~ Writer, Editor, Berliner

Donna Swarthout

Tag Archives: CIEE Berlin

Across Continents and Generations

30 Wednesday Nov 2016

Posted by Donna Swarthout in Article 116 Citizenship, Jewish Identity and Modern Germany

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

CIEE Berlin, German citizenship, German Jews, Holocaust, refugees, Theresienstadt

Sometimes the scattered pursuits of life come together to form a moment of connection, a moment that inspires and enlightens. This week my online acquaintance with a Holocaust survivor, my faculty position at CIEE’s Global Institute Berlin, and my desire to impart knowledge of the German Jewish heritage to my children and members of their generation came together in one such connecting moment.

fabiansThe occasion was Garry Fabian’s visit to Germany to speak about his book A Look Back Over My Shoulder. It wasn’t just Garry’s story of internment, survival, and reconciliation that made the evening special, or the fact that a second German edition of his book has just been released (Blick Zurück. Wie ein Stuttgarter Junge das KZ Theresienstadt überlebt hat). Garry travelled with his daughter Carole and grandson Seamus from Australia, giving our students the chance to hear one family’s Holocaust story from an intergenerational perspective.

Garry is a true story teller whose easy-going speaking style invites us to face the past and learn about what we must never forget. He shared many vignettes from his childhood experiences as a refugee and concentration camp internee, but words were hardly necessary to demonstrate the strength of his spirit with his daughter and grandson at his side. Carole shared her second generation perspective, speaking of her grandmother’s silence and how she gained awareness of the plight of Melbourne’s Jewish refugees as she was growing up. Perched among the college students, my daughter Olivia, a high school senior, could relate to Seamus who spoke of how growing up Jewish and learning about the Holocaust were not as central to his identity as they were for his elders.

Born in Stuttgart in 1934, Garry established a renewed connection to Germany over the course of many years, ultimately deciding to reclaim his citizenship in 2007. Carole and her children have also become German citizens. I’m honored that Garry has contributed his citizenship story for my book project, which may soon include a submission from his descendants as well.

Recent Posts

  • Immigration Equity Then and Now
  • German Citizenship – The Next Decade
  • From the Shadows to the Light

Categories

  • Article 116 Citizenship
  • European Jewry
  • Holocaust Memorials
  • Inspiration
  • Jewish Holidays and Rituals
  • Jewish Identity and Modern Germany
  • My German Jewish Family
  • Uncategorized

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Archives

Tags

AfD Alternative for Germany Altwiedermus American Jews Angela Merkel anti-Semitism Archetyp Cafe Article 116 AVIVA-Berlin Bar Mitzvah Berlin Berlin-Brandenburg Berlin Wall Biebesheim Chanukah David Grossman diaspora Diaspora Jews die mishpocha drinking age dual citizenship Frankfurt Jews German bureaucracy German citizenship German exports German Jews Germany Germany Close Up Gleis 17 Gutshof Gatow Hamburg Hessen Jews Holocaust Holocaust Claims Processing Office Israel Jewish community Jewish Community of Berlin Jewish identity Jewish migration Jewish Sabbath Jewish Stammtisch Jews John F. Kennedy School Berlin Judaism Judith Kerr Juedische Gemeinde zu Berlin Juedisches Waisenhaus Kidane Mehret Kindergeld Kreuzberg Liepnitzsee Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe Menorahs Moses Mendelssohn Nazi Forced Labor Camps Neo-Nazis Neue Synagoge Obermayer Awards Ohel Hachidusch Olivia Swarthout Oranienburger Synagogue Passover Pestalozzistrasse Synagogue Reform Judaism refugees Rilke Russian Jews second generation Stiftung Zurückgeben stolpersteine storytelling third generation trade surplus Virginia Woolf Wiesbaden

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • Donna Swarthout
    • Join 117 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Donna Swarthout
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...