Tales of my grandfather from WW2
*Editorial remark: this story is mainly interesting to me so feel free to disregard it :}
Lately my mom recovered information about her father that was published in Stefan Keller's book called "Stories of Flight and Aid". Stefan Keller recovered diaries, logs, testimonials and other excerpts from many resources that documented stories of refugees in World War II. My grandfather never liked to talk about that part of his life so we discovered these stories for the first time and here they are:
"This is the story of Leo Hacker as told by his brother moritz. Salomon and Adele Hacker from Kobersdorf in Burgenland had 9 children, all boys. Leo was their 7th son. Solomon Hacker was a butcher and cattle dealer. He traveled around the villages buying up cows and oxen from the farmers. Sometimes he succeeded in doing well, sometimes not so well. The songs grew up and all became tradesmen. One by one they left to seek work in Vienna. Josef and Jacob were butchers, Emil was a baker, Samuel a furrier, Max a tailor, moritz a shoemaker and Leo was also a butcher. Only the youngest sons, Erich and Erwin, lived with their parents in 1938 when the persecution of the jews began. The first one to flee to switzerland was Josef Haker. He was the oldest and he took some money with him. The next ones to flee to Switzerland were Emil, Samuel, Max, Leo and Moritz. Josef probably paid the transporter.
Four of the brothers saw each other again in the Diepoldsau refugee camp. Only Jacob Haker, the second oldest, under no circumstance wanted to flee althoug he did have a travel document. In diepoldsau, Jacob said to moritz : "You have to sleep on straw sacks"; he was later shot by the Nazis.
Moritz came in November over the Rhein, the Israelite refugee aid group at St. Gallen hid him for a few weeks in Degersheim untill an amnesty for hidden immigrants was promised by Hayptmann Grueninger (Captain). After that Moritz was also interned in Diepoldsau.
In the beginning of December, Leo's parents reached the border. They and their two youngest sons had been turned back three times; they were stuck in Hohenems, but then, one day, Moritz Haker tells us Leo crossed over from the Diepoldsauer camp to Vorarlberg. He snuck back over the border or over the pass (I am not familiar with the exact location of these small villages), and brought his relatives again to the border. To the Swiss border guards Leo stated that Hauptmann Grueninger had already approved their entry, and on demand Leo signed a corresponding official form. The border patrol let the family enter but Leo had not been telliong the truth.Aproximately two weeks later, states Moritz Haker, a black car drove into the camp and a couple of officers handcuffed or chained Leo and brought him back over the bridge to Germany. "Heil Hitler" said the Swiss official, "Here, I'm handing you one who Lies!!". The rest of the family was allowed to stay in Switzerland.
Friendel H's (from Diepoldsau) testimony: When Leo Haker was deported, his brothers covered for him. Almost a year later, unexpectedly in the middle of the night, someone threw snowballs against Friedel H's bedroom window. Leo was standing outside, his back and belly covered with lacerations. The H. Family took him in, bathed him, and Friedel H. drove him gratis, as he tells it, in his vehicle to the Israelite rescue aid group at St. Gallen. Months later, Leo sent word from Palestine.
Moritz Hacker's version: When Leo as deported, the Germans first let him stay over at a pension. The following morning he had to report to the Nazi Gestapo. Moritz remembers, however, seeing Leo already on the next or on the following day back in Diepoldsau, and he brought two Swiss friends with him. Leo lived hidden in Switzerland untill he could leave with an illegal transport for Palestine.
This is the story of Leo Haker as told by a St. Gallen government official Valentin Keel on January 28, 1939 : We have deported 4 camp imnigrants, Leo haker amongst them. He is the one who made a False statement to the border police in which he Falsely implied Hauptmann Grueninger to be the one who approved the illegal entry of his relatives. For these false statements he is paying dearly now, as he has written a heart wrenching letter to the camp and has begged for re-entry, because the gestapo has REALLY punished him (poor guy :{ ).
I wonder how it was like for my grandfather, which I never met or seen. Sounds like he was a brave man with good values. I wish I had more stories about him.
Lately my mom recovered information about her father that was published in Stefan Keller's book called "Stories of Flight and Aid". Stefan Keller recovered diaries, logs, testimonials and other excerpts from many resources that documented stories of refugees in World War II. My grandfather never liked to talk about that part of his life so we discovered these stories for the first time and here they are:
"This is the story of Leo Hacker as told by his brother moritz. Salomon and Adele Hacker from Kobersdorf in Burgenland had 9 children, all boys. Leo was their 7th son. Solomon Hacker was a butcher and cattle dealer. He traveled around the villages buying up cows and oxen from the farmers. Sometimes he succeeded in doing well, sometimes not so well. The songs grew up and all became tradesmen. One by one they left to seek work in Vienna. Josef and Jacob were butchers, Emil was a baker, Samuel a furrier, Max a tailor, moritz a shoemaker and Leo was also a butcher. Only the youngest sons, Erich and Erwin, lived with their parents in 1938 when the persecution of the jews began. The first one to flee to switzerland was Josef Haker. He was the oldest and he took some money with him. The next ones to flee to Switzerland were Emil, Samuel, Max, Leo and Moritz. Josef probably paid the transporter.
Four of the brothers saw each other again in the Diepoldsau refugee camp. Only Jacob Haker, the second oldest, under no circumstance wanted to flee althoug he did have a travel document. In diepoldsau, Jacob said to moritz : "You have to sleep on straw sacks"; he was later shot by the Nazis.
Moritz came in November over the Rhein, the Israelite refugee aid group at St. Gallen hid him for a few weeks in Degersheim untill an amnesty for hidden immigrants was promised by Hayptmann Grueninger (Captain). After that Moritz was also interned in Diepoldsau.
In the beginning of December, Leo's parents reached the border. They and their two youngest sons had been turned back three times; they were stuck in Hohenems, but then, one day, Moritz Haker tells us Leo crossed over from the Diepoldsauer camp to Vorarlberg. He snuck back over the border or over the pass (I am not familiar with the exact location of these small villages), and brought his relatives again to the border. To the Swiss border guards Leo stated that Hauptmann Grueninger had already approved their entry, and on demand Leo signed a corresponding official form. The border patrol let the family enter but Leo had not been telliong the truth.Aproximately two weeks later, states Moritz Haker, a black car drove into the camp and a couple of officers handcuffed or chained Leo and brought him back over the bridge to Germany. "Heil Hitler" said the Swiss official, "Here, I'm handing you one who Lies!!". The rest of the family was allowed to stay in Switzerland.
Friendel H's (from Diepoldsau) testimony: When Leo Haker was deported, his brothers covered for him. Almost a year later, unexpectedly in the middle of the night, someone threw snowballs against Friedel H's bedroom window. Leo was standing outside, his back and belly covered with lacerations. The H. Family took him in, bathed him, and Friedel H. drove him gratis, as he tells it, in his vehicle to the Israelite rescue aid group at St. Gallen. Months later, Leo sent word from Palestine.
Moritz Hacker's version: When Leo as deported, the Germans first let him stay over at a pension. The following morning he had to report to the Nazi Gestapo. Moritz remembers, however, seeing Leo already on the next or on the following day back in Diepoldsau, and he brought two Swiss friends with him. Leo lived hidden in Switzerland untill he could leave with an illegal transport for Palestine.
This is the story of Leo Haker as told by a St. Gallen government official Valentin Keel on January 28, 1939 : We have deported 4 camp imnigrants, Leo haker amongst them. He is the one who made a False statement to the border police in which he Falsely implied Hauptmann Grueninger to be the one who approved the illegal entry of his relatives. For these false statements he is paying dearly now, as he has written a heart wrenching letter to the camp and has begged for re-entry, because the gestapo has REALLY punished him (poor guy :{ ).
I wonder how it was like for my grandfather, which I never met or seen. Sounds like he was a brave man with good values. I wish I had more stories about him.