We've long wanted to put primary source materials online, so a team of students, researchers, teachers - scholars! - can sit together and ask questions out loud. Even if that "out loud" is virtual.
But we were a little picky about how we wanted it to be set up.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Motivation
If our energy had been flagging, events of the past few weeks remind us that this work has meaning and purpose. Through the years, we've pointed to relatively obscure extremists that hit our radar, worried that domestic terrorism based on white supremacy or other hate-filled messages could begin to dominate the national conversation.
After the rampage at the Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, and the January 2012 firebombing of a mosque in Queens, together with the August 7 arson of a mosque in Missouri, it's clear that we may not keep silent.
After the rampage at the Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, and the January 2012 firebombing of a mosque in Queens, together with the August 7 arson of a mosque in Missouri, it's clear that we may not keep silent.
Monday, April 16, 2012
What Must Be Said
When my father was in his forties, he weighed close to 300 pounds. The extra weight caused not unexpected health issues, so he went to our family physician.
That man—weighing a good 400 pounds, if not 450—proceeded to lecture my father on diet and exercise. He wouldn’t consider running tests to diagnose my dad’s ailments. Essentially he told my father to go on a diet and to come back when he had lost weight.
My dad knew that what that doctor said was true (although the doc really should have done a physical!). But it galled him that the man behind the stethoscope could be so judgmental, while he himself was more morbidly obese than my father.
That man—weighing a good 400 pounds, if not 450—proceeded to lecture my father on diet and exercise. He wouldn’t consider running tests to diagnose my dad’s ailments. Essentially he told my father to go on a diet and to come back when he had lost weight.
My dad knew that what that doctor said was true (although the doc really should have done a physical!). But it galled him that the man behind the stethoscope could be so judgmental, while he himself was more morbidly obese than my father.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
In Defense of the White Rose
It's February 22, sixty-nine years after Christoph Probst, Hans Scholl, and Sophie Scholl were convicted of treason in Germany's Volksgericht and promptly beheaded. While much about that day has been fairy-taled beyond recognition, one element of the legend has basis in fact.
Namely, as Hans Scholl was being led to his death, he shouted Long live freedom!
Now, he did not shout it loudly enough for the whole prison to hear. And he did not shout it after sharing a cigarette with Christl and Sophie. And he did not shout it after shedding a tear for an unnamed 'girlfriend' of any sort.
But his final words - appropriately enough - reminded the executioner, prison chaplain, and witnesses to his death that the friends of the White Rose were giving their lives for the notion that "freedom of the individual" was worth fighting for. Three leaflets had specifically mentioned their obsession with this personal freedom that had been taken from them by Hitler and his regime.
Namely, as Hans Scholl was being led to his death, he shouted Long live freedom!
Now, he did not shout it loudly enough for the whole prison to hear. And he did not shout it after sharing a cigarette with Christl and Sophie. And he did not shout it after shedding a tear for an unnamed 'girlfriend' of any sort.
But his final words - appropriately enough - reminded the executioner, prison chaplain, and witnesses to his death that the friends of the White Rose were giving their lives for the notion that "freedom of the individual" was worth fighting for. Three leaflets had specifically mentioned their obsession with this personal freedom that had been taken from them by Hitler and his regime.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
So Madeleine, was it a revolution?
This time every year, I tend to get swamped with requests for information about White Rose resistance from high school students who are just beginning their National History Day projects. No matter the annual theme, White Rose usually shows up as a favorite topic. It truly is that good a story.
Too often those requests for information have come in the form of, Hey, I am doing a National History Day project, so tell me everything you know about the White Rose. It can be a little frustrating when students expect to gain knowledge without expending any effort.
This year, the inquiries have been refreshingly different. Out of six initial emails, three teams have stayed with it, asking intelligent questions that prove they've already done a fair amount of homework and are prepared to do more.
My first phone interview was with a young woman named Madeleine Poisson. Part interview, part conversation, the exchange encouraged me on several levels. First, Madeleine wasn't looking for easy answers. She was ready to think about complex questions beyond the basic plot-line of White Rose actions. She's thinking about motivation and relevance of specific incidents (trying not to give away her project, since it is a competition).
Madeleine asked, and followed up on, the notion of White Rose as revolution. This year's National History Day theme is Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History, so it's a fair question, indeed, a question one would expect in the context of NHD. But she pursued it. Madeleine, this is the longer answer I promised during the interview.
Too often those requests for information have come in the form of, Hey, I am doing a National History Day project, so tell me everything you know about the White Rose. It can be a little frustrating when students expect to gain knowledge without expending any effort.
This year, the inquiries have been refreshingly different. Out of six initial emails, three teams have stayed with it, asking intelligent questions that prove they've already done a fair amount of homework and are prepared to do more.
My first phone interview was with a young woman named Madeleine Poisson. Part interview, part conversation, the exchange encouraged me on several levels. First, Madeleine wasn't looking for easy answers. She was ready to think about complex questions beyond the basic plot-line of White Rose actions. She's thinking about motivation and relevance of specific incidents (trying not to give away her project, since it is a competition).
Madeleine asked, and followed up on, the notion of White Rose as revolution. This year's National History Day theme is Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History, so it's a fair question, indeed, a question one would expect in the context of NHD. But she pursued it. Madeleine, this is the longer answer I promised during the interview.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
September 11 - Wall Street Paper
The following is the column I wrote for jewish.com on September 12, 2001, entitled Wall Street Paper. It is as relevant today as it was ten years ago.
Part of me is this wildly creative person who thrives on word play and music, Bach and double entendre. That half of me loves to travel, eat in strange places, talk to people I have never seen before and likely will never see again. I understand Mozart when he said he could hear a complete symphony in one breathtaking moment, then sit down and put it all on paper. The artistic part of my brain cherishes nourishment.
But then there is another aspect of my personality that people either know very, very well, or not at all. I like order. I like my financial records to be in perfect shape. I like personnel files to be kept in secure storage. I like well-conceived procedure guides that define business processes. Succinctly.
When glued to my television along with the rest of the world, that orderly side of me could not help noticing the unbelievable quantity of paper that escaped the World Trade Center towers without being incinerated. It is not a stretch to assume that among the white sheets on the ground, one could have found employment contracts, stock certificates, drafts of legal briefs, and confidential memoranda.
Part of me is this wildly creative person who thrives on word play and music, Bach and double entendre. That half of me loves to travel, eat in strange places, talk to people I have never seen before and likely will never see again. I understand Mozart when he said he could hear a complete symphony in one breathtaking moment, then sit down and put it all on paper. The artistic part of my brain cherishes nourishment.
But then there is another aspect of my personality that people either know very, very well, or not at all. I like order. I like my financial records to be in perfect shape. I like personnel files to be kept in secure storage. I like well-conceived procedure guides that define business processes. Succinctly.
When glued to my television along with the rest of the world, that orderly side of me could not help noticing the unbelievable quantity of paper that escaped the World Trade Center towers without being incinerated. It is not a stretch to assume that among the white sheets on the ground, one could have found employment contracts, stock certificates, drafts of legal briefs, and confidential memoranda.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Cornucopia of life
When considering the consequences of informed dissent and civil disobedience, we tend to focus on "Big Events" and the negative aspects of such actions. The beheadings. The imprisonments. The public ridicule. The loss of friends, the betrayal of family. The condemnation by a society unworthy of true patriotism and unfettered integrity.
And indeed, the sacrifice is great.
But it is only half the story, only one side of the coin.
When a person takes a difficult stand for what is right, for what is noble, he may lose friends, she may forfeit status in her community, he may feel isolated, she may wonder if it wouldn't have been easier to go along. Some who are driven by ethics and honesty may even lose their lives, money, and assets.
And indeed, the sacrifice is great.
But it is only half the story, only one side of the coin.
When a person takes a difficult stand for what is right, for what is noble, he may lose friends, she may forfeit status in her community, he may feel isolated, she may wonder if it wouldn't have been easier to go along. Some who are driven by ethics and honesty may even lose their lives, money, and assets.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Mourning Micha
Rarely has the beloved son or daughter of a White Rose protagonist touched lives and protected the verity of history as did Michael Probst. Not yet three years old when Freisler pronounced his father guilty, “Micha” is best known to us as the little boy riding atop his daddy’s shoulders. A daddy laughing, smiling, a daddy at home in his native Bavaria. A daddy, who – for the moment at least – focused on Herta and his babies, leaving thoughts of resistance for another day.
Michael Probst admitted that he spent the better part of his youth, perhaps even his young adulthood, attempting to get out from under that famous father’s shadow. Christoph Probst’s untimely death made him larger than life. Known for his backbone and integrity, Christoph Probst the hero dwarfed Christoph Probst, the flawed human being. For Michael and his brother Vincent, that birthright inspired both awe and frustration.
Michael Probst admitted that he spent the better part of his youth, perhaps even his young adulthood, attempting to get out from under that famous father’s shadow. Christoph Probst’s untimely death made him larger than life. Known for his backbone and integrity, Christoph Probst the hero dwarfed Christoph Probst, the flawed human being. For Michael and his brother Vincent, that birthright inspired both awe and frustration.
"I am the son of Christoph Probst..."
The Legacy of the White Rose
In 1976 when my Aunt Angelika died, I read my father’s letters for the first time. They had been in the estate of his sister. My father’s letters to my mother had burned in Lermoos, and the letters with political content had been destroyed out of fear of imprisonment under kinship laws in 1943.
For the first time, my father became close to me. I appreciated him in his being, saw him live his short life. And now I recognized how many portrayals of the White Rose did him an injustice, yes, how
In 1976 when my Aunt Angelika died, I read my father’s letters for the first time. They had been in the estate of his sister. My father’s letters to my mother had burned in Lermoos, and the letters with political content had been destroyed out of fear of imprisonment under kinship laws in 1943.
For the first time, my father became close to me. I appreciated him in his being, saw him live his short life. And now I recognized how many portrayals of the White Rose did him an injustice, yes, how
Monday, March 29, 2010
Calling all students of Omer Bartov
Last week, the Shoah Foundation sponsored an "international academic forum" on the use of its visual history archive. As part of that conference, Dr. Omer Bartov (Brown University) lectured on reconstructing the Holocaust from below.
Since this topic shares the same foundation as our own work, I took good notes!
Bartov notes that generally, those who lived in Europe between 1933 and 1945 tend to be classified as victims, perpetrators, or bystanders. Black and white. Defined as one of the three, period.
He argues that "testimonies" ~ such as those found in the Shoah Foundation's video archives ~ must be integrated into Holocaust history with validity equalling that of more traditional, "historical"
Since this topic shares the same foundation as our own work, I took good notes!
Bartov notes that generally, those who lived in Europe between 1933 and 1945 tend to be classified as victims, perpetrators, or bystanders. Black and white. Defined as one of the three, period.
He argues that "testimonies" ~ such as those found in the Shoah Foundation's video archives ~ must be integrated into Holocaust history with validity equalling that of more traditional, "historical"
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
I Heart Nuns
Mumble-mumble years ago as an eighteen-year-old fresh out of high school, I traveled to Europe basically alone. The world was not nearly as violent a place then as it is now, but it was not as safe as we like to remember either.
Baader-Meinhof still terrorized German cities. A year earlier, Palestinian guerrillas had marred "Mark Spitz's" Olympics. The student uprisings of the 1960s, which we now know were over and done with by the Summer of 1973, threatened to re-erupt, as the war in Vietnam dragged on. And on.
If all that were not enough, Richard Nixon's Watergate saga had grabbed the U.S. by the throat and bred distrust across the country. Distrust which showed up in Europe as disdain. Among Europeans unaware that Willy Brandt's own version of Watergate, the Guillaume Affair, was about to unfold.
Baader-Meinhof still terrorized German cities. A year earlier, Palestinian guerrillas had marred "Mark Spitz's" Olympics. The student uprisings of the 1960s, which we now know were over and done with by the Summer of 1973, threatened to re-erupt, as the war in Vietnam dragged on. And on.
If all that were not enough, Richard Nixon's Watergate saga had grabbed the U.S. by the throat and bred distrust across the country. Distrust which showed up in Europe as disdain. Among Europeans unaware that Willy Brandt's own version of Watergate, the Guillaume Affair, was about to unfold.
Friday, February 19, 2010
The new Sophie Scholl biography
I have only seen "hype" surrounding the new Sophie bio. And remain terribly unimpressed.
Above all else, I am truly tired of the money-making machine that is "Scholl" in Germany. From early postwar days, the Scholls learned how to turn their children, siblings, and cousins into Big Dollars, milking the McCloy/Marshall Fund for millions of dollars. Hiding behind Hans and Sophie Scholl to mask their own Nazi pasts.
I will NOT be impressed with any Scholl biography - whether written by German, American, or Israeli, unless and until someone actually demands ~ and I mean DEMANDS ~ total, unfettered, complete access to the thousands of Scholl documents that remain censored and off limits at IfZ headquarters in Munich.
And unless and until that same courageous biographer goes one step further and searches for archives that reveal the financial transactions involved when Scholls moved to the great house on Muensterplatz, where a Jewish family had lived prior to Kristallnacht.
Above all else, I am truly tired of the money-making machine that is "Scholl" in Germany. From early postwar days, the Scholls learned how to turn their children, siblings, and cousins into Big Dollars, milking the McCloy/Marshall Fund for millions of dollars. Hiding behind Hans and Sophie Scholl to mask their own Nazi pasts.
I will NOT be impressed with any Scholl biography - whether written by German, American, or Israeli, unless and until someone actually demands ~ and I mean DEMANDS ~ total, unfettered, complete access to the thousands of Scholl documents that remain censored and off limits at IfZ headquarters in Munich.
And unless and until that same courageous biographer goes one step further and searches for archives that reveal the financial transactions involved when Scholls moved to the great house on Muensterplatz, where a Jewish family had lived prior to Kristallnacht.
Friday, January 22, 2010
New synagogue in Ulm
Following up on news in our last newsletter: The design of the new synagogue in Ulm has been approved. City fathers, together with Germany's Jewish community, unanimously chose a simple, stark concept, Bauhaus in nature, although not directly referred to as such.
This article contains a couple of pictures, along with (German-language) description of reasons for choosing this particular style.
While generally good news, I was reminded of two ongoing struggles for Germany's Jewish community. First, it was a foregone conclusion that this had to be an Orthodox shul. So women may not worship in the level depicted here, which is reserved for men only.
And this, in the country where progressive Judaism was born...
Second, some of the feedback from Ulmers about this synagogue reflects disturbing trends. Instead of celebrating rebirth of a lost community, a few idiots are saying things like, Does this now mean we have to tolerate construction of a mosque?
Let's hope this is a case of two steps FORWARD and one step back, and that the new synagogue and JCC will bring the city renewed understanding and a big dose of tolerance.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
White Rose Holy Wars
Come November, the faithful gather in Provo or Salt Lake City. They have studiously prepared for this moment. Much learning and nightly vigils undergird the assembly. This battle consumes the waking (and often dream-filled) nights of many passionate Latter-Day Saints.
I am, of course, speaking about the annual BYU-Utes football game, a holy war to end all holy wars.
Despite its comical nickname, religion hardly plays a role in the festivities. Rather, students paint themselves red or blue, and wrap one another's campuses in graffiti'd taunts. Sure, there's plenty of teasing about who is more Mormon than the other. The coaches and players milk the holy-rolling imagery for all it's worth. And usually the game lives up to its hype, with last-minute finishes and gloating good enough to last a year. A good time is had by all.
Less funny, with no hint of a good time, are the holy wars that have afflicted White Rose "scholarship" in recent years. What used to be simple and annoying misuse of their story has turned into full-fledged abuse. Previously, we dealt with laymen who distorted the heroism of students and
I am, of course, speaking about the annual BYU-Utes football game, a holy war to end all holy wars.
Despite its comical nickname, religion hardly plays a role in the festivities. Rather, students paint themselves red or blue, and wrap one another's campuses in graffiti'd taunts. Sure, there's plenty of teasing about who is more Mormon than the other. The coaches and players milk the holy-rolling imagery for all it's worth. And usually the game lives up to its hype, with last-minute finishes and gloating good enough to last a year. A good time is had by all.
Less funny, with no hint of a good time, are the holy wars that have afflicted White Rose "scholarship" in recent years. What used to be simple and annoying misuse of their story has turned into full-fledged abuse. Previously, we dealt with laymen who distorted the heroism of students and
Monday, December 21, 2009
No Peace on Earth, Much Less Goodwill...
Coming out of the post office today, I got cut off by a Metro bus. No good reason for his lack of courtesy. Traffic wasn't especially heavy. There was no way he could beat the light one block up the street. Plain, simple rudeness, nothing fancy or especially malicious about it.
I'm reminded that all too often at this time of year, the qualities we all say we strive for are pushed to the curb. No matter whether we live in Texas or New York, Left Coast or New England, Munich or Tel Aviv, the jolly holiday spirit gets crushed in the rush to have the best tree and most expensive presents, the most extravagant Chanukah. Even Kwanzaa has joined the great tradition of commercialization over meaning.
And instead of spending time contemplating our common interest in light, our common pursuit of peace, we wind up with the common heartache of heartburn, of distress under stress, of trying to live up to impossible expectations. Often imposed on us by ourselves.
If you know our family at all, you are aware that Janet committed suicide in mid-December over
I'm reminded that all too often at this time of year, the qualities we all say we strive for are pushed to the curb. No matter whether we live in Texas or New York, Left Coast or New England, Munich or Tel Aviv, the jolly holiday spirit gets crushed in the rush to have the best tree and most expensive presents, the most extravagant Chanukah. Even Kwanzaa has joined the great tradition of commercialization over meaning.
And instead of spending time contemplating our common interest in light, our common pursuit of peace, we wind up with the common heartache of heartburn, of distress under stress, of trying to live up to impossible expectations. Often imposed on us by ourselves.
If you know our family at all, you are aware that Janet committed suicide in mid-December over
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
A thankful day
I've posted my "official" Thanksgiving essay (Festival of Plenty) along with companion commentary (Changing, and not so changing, times) on my "other" blog. Please take a moment to read those two, and join me in a happy dance celebrating bubblegum and vanilla ice cream. Among other things!
I want to add to that a thank you to readers and friends of our work who have given me (and the rest of our family) the energy to keep going. Whether it's Chris Hewitt coming back from a trip to Munich, excited about the places he visited... Or Dr. Armin Mruck, who has long found value in what we do, and often lets us know... Or dear MK, Mr. Munich, who shares all of the passion and some of our pain... Or a new friend, James Richards, who fell into the story and wants to know more... Or Prof. Hammer, who inspires his students at TAMU, who in turn inspire us...
And so, so many more of you. If I kept going, I would surely miss one or two names, so it's best to stop when I'm missing hundreds. Thank you. Without you, what we do would be meaningless, a worthless void, a clanging cymbal. With you, we're a philharmonic.
I want to add to that a thank you to readers and friends of our work who have given me (and the rest of our family) the energy to keep going. Whether it's Chris Hewitt coming back from a trip to Munich, excited about the places he visited... Or Dr. Armin Mruck, who has long found value in what we do, and often lets us know... Or dear MK, Mr. Munich, who shares all of the passion and some of our pain... Or a new friend, James Richards, who fell into the story and wants to know more... Or Prof. Hammer, who inspires his students at TAMU, who in turn inspire us...
And so, so many more of you. If I kept going, I would surely miss one or two names, so it's best to stop when I'm missing hundreds. Thank you. Without you, what we do would be meaningless, a worthless void, a clanging cymbal. With you, we're a philharmonic.
Counterfactual history
For the second time, I'm quoting Jon Meacham here. Funny in some ways, because often my world view diverges comfortably from his. Yet I find his editorials thought-provoking.
His November 16 column - entitled Rethinking the Lessons of Vietnam - addresses the tendency of historians and journalists alike to repackage history into a form and format that best suits their conclusions.
In other words, instead of digging for truth, a truth that is objective and as close to stark reality as possible, we who write tend to narrate the historical record subjectively, as seen through our own particular lenses. I know that I do so, although I try to clearly label opinions as such, and subjective discourse similarly as separate from cold, hard facts.
Meacham's opening quote, attributed to Napoleon, asks, "What is history but a fable agreed-upon?"
His November 16 column - entitled Rethinking the Lessons of Vietnam - addresses the tendency of historians and journalists alike to repackage history into a form and format that best suits their conclusions.
In other words, instead of digging for truth, a truth that is objective and as close to stark reality as possible, we who write tend to narrate the historical record subjectively, as seen through our own particular lenses. I know that I do so, although I try to clearly label opinions as such, and subjective discourse similarly as separate from cold, hard facts.
Meacham's opening quote, attributed to Napoleon, asks, "What is history but a fable agreed-upon?"
Friday, November 6, 2009
The Major
Yesterday's news about the tragic, horrific shooting spree at Fort Hood, Texas must send the same shudders through America's (and the world's) moderate Islamic community ... the same way that Herschel Grynszpan's November 7, 1938 assassination of German diplomat Ernst vom Rath must have sent shudders through the German-Jewish community.
Far-right-wing, radical groups here in the USA are reacting in much the same way the National Socialist government did seventy-one years ago. Instead of seeing the murders as the work of a isolated gunman, they are now transferring Nidal Malik Hasan's guilt onto an entire religion and ethnic group. Just as Nazis turned the act of a 17-year-old into a crime attributable to a global Jewish conspiracy, so now bloggers see terrorists in every Middle-Eastern face. If that face happens to wear Islamic garb...
Far-right-wing, radical groups here in the USA are reacting in much the same way the National Socialist government did seventy-one years ago. Instead of seeing the murders as the work of a isolated gunman, they are now transferring Nidal Malik Hasan's guilt onto an entire religion and ethnic group. Just as Nazis turned the act of a 17-year-old into a crime attributable to a global Jewish conspiracy, so now bloggers see terrorists in every Middle-Eastern face. If that face happens to wear Islamic garb...
Monday, November 2, 2009
Truth Will Tell
Anyone who has followed our work for more than half a second knows that a major obstacle to truthful telling of White Rose history is, has been, and for the foreseeable future will continue to be Inge Aicher-Scholl and her heirs. In addition to Inge's still-mindboggling refusal to grant me an interview, the overwhelming majority (about 90%) of Scholl Archives are off limits for the next 20 - 25 years.
Inge and her heirs have controlled the White Rose story almost mercilessly for the past sixty-four years. They've browbeaten anyone who's deviated from her carefully crafted half-truths, including (but not limited to) Christian Petry, Vincent Probst and the Probst family, and even Fritz Hartnagel, Inge's own brother-in-law and Sophie Scholl's sometimes-boyfriend.
She controlled photographs, Borg*-ing copyrights from dozens of White Rose friends and associates with her "Copyright Geschwister Scholl Archiv" stamp - even when they had not granted her copyright permission. She refused her own family members (specifically, the Hartnagels)
Inge and her heirs have controlled the White Rose story almost mercilessly for the past sixty-four years. They've browbeaten anyone who's deviated from her carefully crafted half-truths, including (but not limited to) Christian Petry, Vincent Probst and the Probst family, and even Fritz Hartnagel, Inge's own brother-in-law and Sophie Scholl's sometimes-boyfriend.
She controlled photographs, Borg*-ing copyrights from dozens of White Rose friends and associates with her "Copyright Geschwister Scholl Archiv" stamp - even when they had not granted her copyright permission. She refused her own family members (specifically, the Hartnagels)
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Susanne Zeller-Hirzel, the enigma
If you've read my White Rose histories, you know how much I enjoyed and appreciated Susanne Hirzel's memoir, Vom Ja Zum Nein [From Yes to No]. She's honest and up front about so many things. Her words ring true, because she only wrote about what she knew. She never insinuated herself into White Rose activities that were beyond the scope of her limited engagement.
And if you've read the updates to the academic version of those same histories, you know how problematic things became once her brother Hans Hirzel joined the Republikaner party, a far-right-wing, extremist political party in Germany. He eventually un-joined and returned to the CDU, a normal conservative affiliation.
And if you've read the updates to the academic version of those same histories, you know how problematic things became once her brother Hans Hirzel joined the Republikaner party, a far-right-wing, extremist political party in Germany. He eventually un-joined and returned to the CDU, a normal conservative affiliation.
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