The Journey of Anna Eichenwald

by Donald Hunt

  The Eichenwalds spent the next two weeks with Chaim and Vera Weizmann in their apartment in Laughton, a London suburb. In 1937, they had made their home in Rehovot, Israel, but because of his service to England in WWI, the British government maintained a small flat for them in England. He was an honorary advisor to the British Ministry of Supply.

  Weizmann had become famous as the President of the World Zionist Organization, established in 1929. He also had been instrumental in the establishment of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1925. Hanz was astonished when he learned that Weizmann was only 11 years old when he wrote “that kings and nations of the world were set upon the destruction of the Jewish people.” Now the world was seeing that prophecy being fulfilled. Weizmann had no intention of trying to convert Hanz to Zionism, but as with Einstein, his goal was to get him to support the concept of a Jewish National Home.

  But first things first. Chaim had spent considerable time in Germany before he became a British subject in 1910. He and Vera were fluent in German and Marlene was delighted to spend time with Vera, a woman of great intellect and charm. On their first evening together, the women became locked in conversation in the kitchen. The men sat in a small study, each with a glass of brandy.

  “Well Hanz,” said Weizman. “I have news! When I received your initial cable, I began the process of trying to get a Rockefeller Foundation grant for you. About two weeks ago it was approved. Beginning in the fall you will be teaching quantum theory at Cambridge.”

  Hanz was stunned. He sat in thought for a moment then replied, “I am amazed you could do that. And that I will be teaching in the Isaac Newton Institute. It’s an overwhelming thought. We already owe you so much.”

  “You owe me nothing,” Weizmann retorted. “I have been working for 10 years to aid Jewish individuals in academics. That is why God put me here!”

  Hanz knew that Weizmann believed deeply what he had just said. He had known about

  Zionism to a limited degree but was fascinated to learn more. “I would like to know more of your views of Zionism and about the Balfour Declaration,” said Hanz.

  “Delighted!” Chaim responded. “It is a complex subject. I’ll give you my perspective. At the turn of the century, Palestine was part of the Ottoman-Turkish Empire. It was inhabited by about half a million people, mostly Muslim and Christian Arabs. There were also a handful of Jews, about 20,000. My view of our return to Palestine is on Religious grounds….that historically, the Lord gave a portion of what is known as the ‘Fertile Crescent’ to his people to be their homeland. It is rightfully ours by Divine decree. Others see our return to the land as a secular movement, the response of rampant anti-Semitism. This initially was Einstein’s view, which he modified somewhat after visiting America.”

  Hanz felt his curiosity increasing. “What did he see in America?”

  “Well, in his words, it was in America that he discovered the Jewish people. He said he had seen many, many Jews in Berlin and Germany, but he recognized Jewish people first in America, people from Russia, Poland, and Eastern Europe generally. People willing for self- sacrifice. They are the people we need in Palestine. People willing to sacrifice.”

  “I know of the Balfour Declaration,” said Hanz. “Does it still have some influence?”

  “To a limited extent. It expressed the formal British Cabinet position, in 1919, for support of a National Jewish home in Palestine. That has not happened. But it reminds the Brits that they owe us. Or at least they owe me!”

  The Eichenwalds entered language school the following week. They were furnished a small auto by the British government, and Hanz began the challenge of trying to manage a left-hand drive. Their coded cable to Anna was returned. ‘Address not found’ was stamped on the envelope. There was no phone service to the continent, and the underground could not help. Three weeks into their language school, a cablegram arrived from the Swiss Embassy. Marlene was too nervous to open it and handed it to Hanz. His eyes quickly scanned the message. He read it to Marlene, “It’s from Christian Engel. ‘Package safely transferred sub-terrestrial.’”

  “What does it mean?” asked Marlene.

  “Anna has gone underground. She’s safe

  * * *

  Sarah Engel was excited to be finally meeting Anna, whose new name was now Heidi Brendler. She had heard her brother speak often of her over the past year, but the war had severely limited travel and made it impossible for the two young women to meet. Sarah spent the morning making certain her small, one bedroom apartment was tidy. She gently placed a cushion on the daybed in the living area then gazed out the window. The apartment was located next to a park on Goldschmidtstrasse, three blocks from Mendelssohn-Haus, now a museum. The train station, the largest in Germany, was a 15-minute walk, and the University of Leipzig was only 10 minutes away.

  Christian parked on a side street. Heidi had one large piece of luggage packed with all it would hold, with nothing that led to her past except her stethoscope. She could not bring herself to abandon that one possession she had prized since she was a junior medical student.

  Once in the apartment the two women shook hands then embraced. Sarah was amazed at Heidi’s beauty. The short, thick black hair was covered by a maroon beret, tilted slightly to one side. Her face was long and thin. Most astonishing were her aqua blue eyes. Sarah had almost called her Anna, but caught the slip before it came out. She had made sandwiches and a pot of coffee. The three sat around the small dining table. The two young women were already becoming friends. Christian could only observe and finally left the table to let them talk. As evening came, he stood to leave.

  “Anna, I’ve got to be going now.” There was no response. “Anna!”

  She slowly turned to face him.

  “Are you addressing me? My name is Heidi.”

  It was then that Christian came to grips with this charade. It wasn’t a game. He knew it was a life and death issue.

  “I’m sorry. Heidi. I won’t make that mistake again.”

  The two lovers strolled to the door. After a lingering kiss and a long embrace, Christian whispered in her ear. “I love you. I will stay in touch.”

  He left, praying silently that God would protect her from the Nazis. Let her survive this war, he pleaded soundlessly.

  The next week was busy for Heidi and Sarah. Their search for an apartment yielded a small efficiency flat only three blocks from Sarah and a 10-minute walk from the University Hospital, Heidi’s new place of employment. She had interviewed for a position as a nurse’s aide.

  When hired, she requested instruction for taking blood pressures and giving oral medications with supervision. She had withdrawn all of her savings before leaving Berlin. Then she burned her identity papers. Her goal was to simply vanish. The following week, she moved into the flat and began working. A part of her efforts were also aimed at putting her past where it belonged - in the past. She was now Heidi Brendler from Lubeck, near the Baltic Sea.

  Leipzig had no military instillations and no munitions factories to speak of. For this reason it was not a bombing target of the R.A.F. Heidi stayed to herself although she had been noticed by more than one physician at the hospital. She realized that there was a small risk that she might be recognized by someone she had known in Berlin, but none of the surgeons there had trained in Berlin and she was most comfortable in the hospital. One Neurologist, 10 years her senior, asked her to dinner. Tactfully, she told him that her fiancé was at the Russian front and she had no intention of betraying his love. She told the man she would complain to the authorities if he persisted. From then on, he carefully avoided her.

  Heidi spent hours thinking of Christian, but he only communicated through Sarah. She also received word that her parents had arrived safely in England. With each passing week the nadir of the war seemed farther and farther away. As the months rolled by, she blended into the fabric of Leipzig and the hospital. Her s
upervisor recognized her intelligence and even suggested that Heidi consider nursing school. She politely declined.

  Sarah and Heidi spent one evening out each week, a highlight for them both but especially for Heidi. At first, she hung on every word about Christian and her eyes searched for coded messages in his letters to Sarah. They had decided against direct written communication. The Gestapo was notorious for intercepting and re-sealing mail.

  Just before Christmas, 1942, the two friends acquired tickets to a Bach concert. They made dinner reservations at a small café near the symphony hall. Heidi had seen Christian only once in the eight months she had lived in Leipzig. She often found herself staring at Sarah, as she was a propitious reflection of her brother.

  As much as the women enjoyed their one evening out each week, spending time in public places was frightening. They frequently saw Gestapo officers, notorious for staring at beautiful women. Heidi tried very hard not to make eye contact with them. She saw only death in their eyes.

  The Erwachen Café was an intimate, almost remote little place with only 20 tables laid out in a very long room that resembled a corridor. The décor and food was Mediterranean and the café had an outstanding wine selection. The two young women sat at a table near the rear of the corridor, which gave them the privacy they wanted. On this night they noticed no military as they walked to their table, always a relief.

  Heidi wanted to find out more about Sarah’s faith. If Heidi appeared to be Christian it would be much more difficult for the Gestapo or anyone to see that she was Jewish. They ordered a bottle of red wine from France. It was always easy to find goods from German occupied territories. The other item of information Heidi wanted was about the resistance movement. She was not going to be content to live out the war hiding from the Nazis.

  As the two women shared their Bordeaux, Heidi began pressing Sarah about her involvement in the underground.

  “Sarah, I want to be involved in the resistance. The Nazis have taken everything from me including your brother, the love of my life. I know I cannot get out of the country. I don’t want to die, obviously. But I won’t just sit out the war.”

  Sarah leaned forward, noticing that there was no one close enough to hear.

  “The resistance is very dangerous. If caught you will be executed, no questions asked. If you are determined, I will put you in touch with the area commander. He will decide if you can help. I have worked mostly in communications. We have a short-wave radio and are in contact with the British. We also pick-up the BBC so we know what is happening in the war. There is so much going on that is never reported in Germany.”

  The waiter returned for orders. Both women ordered the house specialty, grilled redfish and boiled potatoes. Heidi raised her fork and took a bite of the fish, savoring the taste and a new feeling growing inside her. She was beginning to sense more purpose for her life again. “Can you share with me about the war?”

  Sarah nodded, taking a sip of wine. “Just last week the Russians launched a massive counter attack at Stalingrad and have trapped the entire German Sixth Army – 22 divisions. The winter has set in now, and it’s brutal in Russia. I am certain Hitler has been defeated on the Eastern front. Oh, yes. One last thing. About two weeks ago, a British-American force, under the command of someone named Eisenhower, invaded North Africa.”

  The defeat at Stalingrad was disastrous for the Third Reich. The Fourth Panzer Army was given the mission of reaching and rescuing the trapped Sixth Army. They advanced to within thirty miles of Stalingrad but their attempt failed. It failed to a great degree because Hitler would not allow the Sixth Army to break out and retreat from their position. The Commander of the Soviet forces sent an ultimatum to General Paulus, the German Commander. It read in part:

  “The situation of your troops is desperate. They are suffering from hunger, sickness and cold. The cruel Russian winter has scarcely yet begun. Hard frosts, cold winds and blizzards still lie ahead. Your soldiers are unprovided with winter clothing and are living in appalling sanitary conditions….Your situation is hopeless…”

  The terms of surrender were honorable. All prisoners would be cared for. The wounded and sick would be given medical attention. All prisoners would maintain their badges of rank and keep their personal belongings.

  Paulus radioed the text of the ultimatum to Hitler…the reply was Surrender is forbidden! The Russians began to pound the trapped German Army with thousands of rounds of artillery

  and the slaughter was on.

  January 30, 1943, was the 10th anniversary of the Nazi takeover of the German government. On that day, Paulus radioed Hitler: “Final collapse cannot be delayed more than twenty-four hours.”

  The Sixth Army had held their position to the last man… ‘for Fuehrer and Fatherland.’ At 7:45 p.m. an unauthorized final radio message was sent: “The Russians are at the door of our bunker. We are destroying our equipment.”

  Heidi moved to her other concern, feeling full and more relaxed after her first glass of wine. “I need to know much more about your faith. I have a vague understanding, but I would like to know more.”

  Sarah had not brought up the subject. She had the feeling it was something that had not been an issue between Anna and Christian. “I would be delighted. Where shall be begin?”

  Heidi started the conversation. “In the Torah, the God of Israel was known as Yahweh – the Lord. Yahweh is his name in Hebrew. He is a covenant God, and made royal agreements with Noah and Abraham, then with Abraham’s descendants, the Hebrew Nation. But when you pray you do not address God as the Lord; you call him ‘Father’. I find that very strange.”

  “Your question goes to the heart of the Christian Gospel,” said Sarah. “Each year, you celebrate Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement. It’s a day of fasting and prayer.”

  “Correct. It is symbolic of the day in ancient times when the Priest entered the Holy of Holies in the Temple to atone for the sins of the Nation. In this way each year we are restored to God.”

  Sarah continued. “We agree. All men must be restored to the Lord because our sin has alienated us from him. But for Christians the one who restores us is Jesus, the promised Messiah of God. His death on the cross and resurrection is our atonement, and it occurred one time for all sin for all time. Jesus is now our High Priest who gives us access to God. He has brought us into the family of God. Father has become for us God’s covenant name. We are now children of God. It is natural for us to address him as Father.”

  “So when you attend your church, Lutheran I believe, you go to worship Jesus, not God.” Sarah smiled.

  “It’s not exactly like that, Heidi. “We believe Jesus is God….the second person of the Trinity…God the Father…God the Son…God the Holy Spirit.”

  Most of their food was now sitting on plates growing cold. They finished and ordered coffee.

  “Well, this is going to require some getting used to,” said Heidi. “But I would like to come with you to your church.”

  “Good. We can walk there together on Sunday.”

  * * *

  Landis Koller was anxious to leave his job in the ball bearings factory just north of Leipzig. For the past two weeks he had worked overtime, 12 hour shifts for 14 straight days. It was Friday, January 12, 1943. Leipzig had been covered with a thick blanket of snow, the first major winter storm. Landis had promised to take Naomi sledding. At 10 years old, this was one of Naomi’s favorite activities. He and his wife Gretchen had become very protective of Naomi since the loss of their first born, a son named Philip.

  It had been six years. Philip was born with Down’s syndrome in 1930. He was a beautiful child with the typical mongoloid facial features. Though mentally retarded, he grew into a warm affectionate little boy. He loved to cuddle and would sit for hours while Gretchen read to him or held him in her lap. Then Naomi was born when he was three. In time, he took great pleasure in holding her and r
ocking her. He could not say her name and instead, called her ‘Omi’ which became her family name.

  In 1935, Landis decided to join the Nazi Party. He was not interested in politics, but believed

  the Nazi propaganda of ‘strength through joy’. They were getting Germany out of the great depression. Jobs were being produced and wages were up. He worried when Hitler abolished most civil rights and the authority of the Reichstag but getting the country out of the depression required bold action. Landis did not agree with Nazi anti-Semitism but saw this as a minor part of the Nazi agenda.

  Landis himself was handicapped. At age 13, while helping his father bail hay, his right foot was mangled in a conveyor belt. He suffered multiple broken bones in the foot and ankle and required multiple surgeries and more than two years of healing. He was left with a badly deformed foot and a fused ankle, thus, a noticeable limp. He was otherwise, a robust man of more than six feet, with sharp Aryan features and a muscular build. Before the accident he had been a star soccer player. His Nazi colleagues were sympathetic. Even Joseph Goebbels, the Reich Minister of Information and Propaganda, was left a cripple from childhood polio. Surely Hitler’s ideas of ‘survival of the fittest’ or social Darwinism would not be applied to the German Volk. It was difficult to imagine that Hitler’s dogma would in fact become official party policy.

  Early in 1937, the Kollers were asked to meet with the Nazi Counsel on Eugenics. The subject was their son Philip. The counsel requested that he be placed in a home for handicapped children. The Kollers resisted. He was seven years old and had never been away from his parents. They were told he would have good schooling and would be around many other children who were handicapped. They could see him twice monthly on weekends. When he turned 12, they would have the option of taking him back home. The counsel made it clear that they did not have a choice. The facility was only 100 kilometers from Leipzig near Dresden. It was in a pastoral setting and was well kept.