In my Western History class this semester, I wrote a short essay and gave a presentation on Hermann Graebe.
A German construction engineer, he was a former Nazi who left the party and rescued Jewish citizens during the war. At a site of mass killings in Dubno, Ukraine, Graebe and his construction foreman witnessed the SS instructing Jews to line up and remove their clothing, after which they were shot. Other Jews were told to move the bodies of their family members into the pit and then climb in themselves, also to be shot. After the war, Graebe was the only German citizen who volunteered to testify at the Nuremberg Trials. Because of his testimony, Graebe was outcast and moved his family to San Francisco in 1948, where he died in 1986 at age 85.
This is a link to a site from Fordham University - Graebe's declaration under oath can be found here.
Do you feel that Graebe's testimony was a form of resistance, even though it came after the Holocaust? By renouncing the Nazi party and helping the Jews during the war, it seems like he did what he could at the time, rather than being just another bystander. He was honored as a "Righteous Among the Nations" by the Israelis, meaning that he was a non-Jewish person who risked his life to rescue or assist Jewish people during the war.
4 comments:
I think that this is a very interesting case. This man, instead of going along with his party, chose to stand up for his beliefs.
I would bet that he knew what would happen as a result of his testimony (being outcast), yet he did it anyway. Imagine being the only person voluntarily testifying from your country. It has to take a lot of courage to stand up completely on your own.
So yes, I would say that Graebe was engaging in resistance. Instead of going along with everyone else, he chose to make his voice heard.
Unfortunately, I am unable to connect to your link (or the Fordham University website at all), so I'm just going on what you've written here. Regardless, it's definitely an interesting case.
I agree with Theresa and thanks for bringing this story to the class. I can't imagine the courage it took to renounce the party during the war - and to testify after ...
For all you history majors the Fordham site is a GREAT one, not only on this topic but many historical topics ... it provides MANY primary and secondary sources all historical topics.
The more I think about it..I am suprised that actions were not taken against Graebe during the war after he denounced the Nazi party. I think it was an act of resistance to testify against his country, too. Even though he was unable to act on a large scale during the war, he at least left the party and assisted Jews when possible.
May 1, 2008 12:28 PM
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