Deaf Resistance in Nazi Germany

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German racial hygiene had a significant impact on the deaf population in Germany even before the Nazis came into power, though it Hitler took it to a whole other level when he came into power. Implemented in July 1933, the Law for the Prevention of Genetically Diseased Offspring allowed the government to forcibly sterilize those whom they deemed genetically diseased. Later it was amended to include forced abortions. In fact, it is estimated that a total of 300,000-400,000 people were sterilized. Once the Nazi party come into power, this grew to include euthanasia. There were many ways that the Deaf were reported to the government for sterilization, one example of this are the teachers of the deaf. Herbert Weinert, a teacher of the deaf from Dresden, while initially against eugenics and the sterilization of the hereditarily deaf, eventually came to be a big proponent of it later in his life. Weiner, like many of his colleagues, even went as far as reporting his students. In fact, in Horst Biesold’s book Crying Hands he states that, according to his research, “... educators in Germany’s special schools actively supported racial hygiene measures against deaf people;...” . There was even a training institute for Prussian teachers, having classes such as: “Eugenics,” “The science of human heredity and German race cultivation,” “The theory of human heredity as the basis for race hygiene,” and many more. Weinert knew that news traveled fast in the Deaf community and expressed concern over the matter. Weinert is just one of so many who held these beliefs and turned their students over to the regime to be sterilized and later killed. While everyone was up against huge stakes, there were a few people who proved to be formidable opponents to the Nazi rule when it came to the Deaf community.

Gertrud Jacob

Gertrud Jacob was a famous deaf person who resisted the eugenics sterilization during the Holocaust. Born in Gotha in 1904, Jacob, was able to speak and hear until she was almost three years old when a soccer ball struck her on the head. Unfortunately, because it hit her ear, it caused inflammation and caused her to go deaf. In 1936, she was trying to get her marriage certificate license but was denied because she was considered “hereditarily diseased” and was told that those who were hereditarily diseased where not able to get their marriage license. Though she had many friends and family to vouch for her and say that she was hearing when she was born, many health doctors, including Herbert Weinert, did not believe she was hearing and ruled that the sterilization continue as planned.

While trying to find a way not to be sterilized, she bought a law book and began to read and study it. She then came across a law that she knew would save her from her becoming sterilized, the Marriage Fitness Law. This law states, “ when the fiance has a foreign citizenship the law is not applicable.” She had already met her the man who would become her husband in 1931 at the Deaf Olympics in Nuremberg. He was from Czechoslovakia, which meant she was engaged to a foreigner. This saves her life, and she ended up having two healthy boys. Then, in 1982, she was widowed.

Karl Wacker

Karl Wacker was a deaf employee of the City Bank of Stuttgart, who was accused of being an active member of the Nazi Party on September 17, 1945.

During the American occupation of Germany was when Wacker was dismissed from his duties at the city bank. The main reason that leads to this conflict started when Walker’s response to question number 15 on a questionnaire that was completed days before his relieved of his duties. On this question Walker answer that due to the law of sterilization, his family and himself experienced restrictions on its freedom of movement.

The American Military Government then started to have doubts about Wacker's loyalty to his social democratic convictions. Wacker’s references were not pursued by the American Military Government and like mention resulted in his condemnation as an active Nazi Party member and the termination from his employment. Wacker did not agree with this decision and went ahead to appealed the occupation authority’s decision, and the Third Appeals Chamber of Stuttgart exonerated him on July 5, 1948.  In other words, Wacker offered active resistance to the best of his ability as a Chairman of the Association for the Welfare of the Deaf in Wurttemberg-Hohenzollern. Karl Wacker opposed the work of the Superior Heredity Health Court in Stuttgart but also try to protect those who were prosecuted under the sterilization law. In 1938 Wacker was sent to an explanatory circular about the law for the Prevention of Offspring with Hereditary Diseases. Wacker did not agree with the sterilization of the deaf people and decided to write a letter to the Superion Hereditary Court in which they reacted sharply. They argue that this process was a “perfectly harmless operation”.

Karl Walker lived in fear at the end of the war between August 7, 1938; he was under Gestapo supervision. Even though Wacker fear for his life, he continued supporting deaf people.

Otto Weidt

Another person who resisted the Nazi regime was a blind man named Otto Weidt. Born in 1883, Otto worked as a wallpaper hanger until age 39 when he lost enough of his sight that he was unable to continue. It was at this time that Weidt set up a workshop for the in Berlin Mitte, where he employed many Jewish blind, deaf, and mute adults to manufacture brooms and brushes. Between 1941 and 1943 almost all of Berlin’s Jewish population were deported to camps across Germany. During this time, Weidt fought tooth and nail to keep his workers safe. Even going to far as when the Gestapo had arrested some of his workers, going down to the assembly camp and using bribes to get them out. This is just the tip of the iceberg of what Otto Weidt did; he was indeed an advocate for the disabled Jewish in Berlin at a time when doing so could get a person killed.

Herman Sommer

Herman Sommer was a 37-year-old, a father to 6 healthy, hearing children, was sent a letter in the mail October 12, 1939, requesting that he get an examination at the University of Audiology Clinic in Keil. On February 24, 1940, the University Clinic of Keil delivered their opinion that said Herman Sommer was hereditarily diseased. On April 18, 1940, the Hereditary Health Court wanted Herman to make an appearance in the justice building in Schutzen Wall in Keil for the Hereditary Health Case. Herman did not let all the letters intimate him. Herman sent a letter to the representative of the Fuhrer, Dr. Leonardo Conti, who was appointed Reich Physician Leader in April 1939. The examination clinic had said that Herman is deaf on both ears, his sense of balance was in order, and no evidence of for adventitious. On June 12, 1940, his appeal against the decision of the Hereditary Health Court of Kiel was dismissed.

Conclusion

One of the first issues the German Deaf faced during the Nazi regime was the Law for the Prevention of Genetically Diseased Offspring; this was the beginning of weeding out the “undesirables” and the disabled. Herbert Weinert, a racial hygienist and teacher of the deaf from Dresden, was one example of many who at first resisted the “Sterilization Law,” then later became a stalwart supporter. While there was resistance to the Sterilization Law, many were not fortunate enough to be spared from the effects of the law. One example of a person who was able to resist the German law and come out on the other side still whole was Gertrud Jacob who was able to find a loophole of sorts to circumnavigate the law. While there were people that opposed the sterilization, as well as people who supported this violent act. We hope to have shown a few of the people who were courageous enough to stand up for their rights in the face of considerable political backlash.

Per MFD, moved content from Draft:Heroes and Villains of Deaf During Nazi Germany, please merge

Heroes

Gertrud Jacob

Gertrud Jacob was a regular woman who was Deaf, she didn’t do anything wrong but was immediately convicted by the Nazis. She is a very important advocate in Deaf History because of the resistance against the sterilization law. She was actually born Hearing but she mentioned during an interview in London during 1983 about her life during the reign of the Nazis, also by stating she had no connection to hereditary Deafness, but was classified as heredity deaf since she became Deaf.

During the times of May 1933 to January 1934 Gertrud Jacob worked as an au pair on a big estate in Belgium. An au pair at that time was usually a woman who would do housework or childcare in exchange for a room. At that time in her life, she was working in Brussels, Belgium; which is why the Nazis didn’t ask nor demanded her to get sterilized. Gertrud was asked to come back for two reasons, one was that her parents wanted her to come back and the other was that she was having issues with her personal relationship.

Later on, she voluntarily went to the Health Administration office on her own, mainly to discuss if she could obtain a marriage fitness certificate. Mainly so if she could go anywhere that requires to leave Germany she can have it in her pocket without having any trouble from the Nazis. She was pretty smart about trying to obtain it before things got worse and she could plan ahead. Getrud even wrote to her teacher regarding questions, but without her knowing that sending that letter was a trap. She sent a letter to her senior teacher named Herr Wienert explaining and also giving him a statement from her father explaining that she became Deaf from an accident when she was two years and nine months old. In which stated “Gertrud, who was born on December 11,1904, in my home on Dietrich Eckhardtstrasse 64, was a hearing child and lost her hearing through an accident. While on her way home in the company of her mother, Frau Jacob, the child was struck on the head by a soccer ball kicked by youngsters playing on Mykoniusplatz. The child’s face was very swollen and Gertrud was immediately treated by the ear specialist, Dr. Rosenbaum.” However she obtained a letter back from her teacher stating being that young and becoming Deaf wasn’t good enough and needs a certificate stating by a medical profession stating that she becoming Deaf instead on carrying the gene of deafness. Mainly so she could obtain her Marriage fitness certificate, also at that time without obtains a marriage fitness certificate those who didn’t have it wouldn’t be able to marry nor travel outside the country of Germany. She tried to leave aboard again to work as an au pair but the Nazi authorities said she couldn’t leave until after her sterilization. They even made sure her passport was red flagged so she couldn’t exit the country.

Later within the year of 1938 she obtained a letter from the court stating she must attend regarding her sterilization. They were trying to prove that she was considered a person with hereditary disease, however she claims that her cousin in which she named him A.K. lost his hearing due to repeated amounts of ear infections. Even though she came from a Hearing family the court denied her request and demanded a sterilization because of her one cousin A.K. that he became Deaf. They didn’t mention about how he obtained it but the court stated because of him she was connected to Hereditary Deafness. The court system at that time wasn’t fair and only decided their judgement call based on only evidence they wanted to hear.

Being denied by the court Gertrud quickly sent out an appeal because she said there was still a chance to do so, by sending an appeal to the superior hereditary health court. She wasn’t going to stop and unlike many others she was one of the few that had a voice and to try to stop her sterilization. She presented to teachers and professionals about receiving a statement so the courts to understand that she wasn’t born Deaf, since the courts only believe statements from teachers and medical professionals.

However one day she bought a book that explained the laws during 1938 in Germany explaining about the Marriage Fitness Law. It stated that if a citizen of Germany is marrying someone with foreign citizenship that the law does not apply to that specific couple. During the interview she gave that during 1931 she met a man at a Deaf Olympics that was held in Nuremberg. The man was from Czechoslovakia, in which she didn’t know that would be her future husband. He knew some German which kept keeping in contact better, so when she received the summons she had to write to her future husband but at that time was a close friend. He knew all about the sterilization and the loophole of the law, came down from in which Gertrud's family as well of her husband agreed about the marriage so Getrud could have kids. They were able to move to Czechoslovakia and live and raised her children, however when her husband was about to pass he told her to never leave Czechoslovakia. He wanted her to be safe because they both thought if she goes back to Germany that they would sterilized her, so since he save Gertrud from sterilization she fulfill his wishes of never leaving.

Nazi Eugenics was the ideals of the Nazi party of who was physically fit to reproduce offspring without any type of defects. Their definition of defects of those who classified as blind, vision impaired, deaf, schizophrenia, and weak physically. They conducted one specific act to make sure those who were not worthy enough in the Nazi’s eyes to reproduce. Under this Act more than 400,000 people were forced to be sterilized. Hitler concluded that Germany was weak in which why he either killed off the who weren’t physically fit or sterilized to make sure those individuals wouldn’t pass their genes to their offspring. On July 14, 1933 they passed an act known and the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring so doctors had to most importantly had to report women who carried physically fit genes, but women over 45 years old didn’t have to be reported. If doctors didn’t comply with this act then they would be fine. In 1934 they had Health courts to help people appeal against their summons of stopping the sterilization, when it first started they had 4,000 individuals only 441 people were saved from sterilization. Lastly, they had a law passed Nuremberg laws where if two people want to get married they must get tested to make sure they didn’t have any hereditary diseases. They both were carefully examined especially their family history to make sure their ancestors didn’t have any diseases to pass on to future offspring.

August Veltmann

August was the only deaf person to awarded a papal order of merit. His order of merit is an award, for notable work in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. He became the chairperson of the Catholic deaf association in Münster from 1924 until 1945. August received an honor for his courageous opposition to the Nazis and his determination advocacy on behalf of deaf Catholics in the Third Reich. He effectively communicated with some nazi about deafness and spared some. August received demands from REGEDE to join movement but got declined. His oppression came from REGEDE. REGEDE is the Reich Union of the Deaf in Germany. Someone personally reported him Gestapo. The eugenics endangered his relationship to Deaf community.

Karl Wacker

Karl Wacker was born on October 16, 1904. He was a Social Democrat but eventually was a member of the Nazi party. As a result, he was fired from the City Bank of Stuttgard. Eventually, the Third Appeals Chamber of Stuggard was able to determine that he was not an active Nazi Party member.

As chairman of the Association for the Welfare of the Deaf in Wüttemburg-Hohenzollern, Karl Wacker fought for fellow deaf that were being asked to be sterilized. The Health Court maintained that sterilization was harmless and did not stand for resistance to the law. Although the Gestapo was watching him, Wacker continued to help the deaf.

Villains

Oskar Rönigk

Oskar Rönigk was the founder of the Homberg Institution which was meant to have teachers help Deaf students obtain an education. During his time as a principal, he was known to be very strict and report deaf students to the health authorities to sterilize them. Rönigk not only reported current students he also reported former students. He had letters sent out to parents regarding of their Deaf children. Rönigk wanted to know more information regarding the child of who else was Deaf in their family or what other diseases they may have. Once they found out more about the child’s genetic history, Rönigk believed that all educators and doctors should comply with the health authorities to make sure they were sterilized. He wanted to make sure that all current students and those who graduated were sterilized, in which he would give current and old documents to the health authorities to make sure anyone who attended the Homberg Institution were surely sterilized.

Gotthold Lehmann

Gotthold assumed a dual position in 1924. Six years later he reported that the training program had twenty-eight candidates and that “the admissions register, which was begun in 1874,” had reached candidate number 487.5. He was responsible for making proposals for future university courses to the Prussian state ministry for science, art, and public education and for supervising payments to the institute’s faculty. He proposed eugenics-related topics for participants in the first-year program: “introduction to the theory of hereditary” and “exercises in the science of hereditary.” His proposals were accepted by the Prussian state ministry and then the training programs were canceled by the ministry for 1933-1935 and 1938-1940. Lehmann became the principal and director of a deaf teacher training program, proposed that several eugenic-related topics should be used in the instruction of the teachers for the deaf. The curriculum that he invited was in close affiliation with that of the Nazi regime and use of sterilization. He was the member of the national socialist teachers confederation, and strongly encouraged parents of his deaf students, through various forms such as letter writing, to consent to their children’s sterilization. He would still the anxieties of the parents by arguing that the experience of sterilization could be positive and rewarding. Two years later, Gotthold nominated Schürmann for a university-level teaching position. Since August 1, 1932, Lehmann emphasized that Schürmann had been a member of the Nazi party.

Werner Thomas

Werner Thomas was a stormtrooper for the German Army. He created new signs for Nazi terms.As president of the Berlin Deaf Athletic Association, Werner Thomas made a concerted effort to have deaf participate in Hitler Youth. In the Newsletter of the Berlin Death Athletic Association, he said, "There our youngsters will be trained in iron discipline, comradeship, and self-sacrifice." Werner Thomas joined in the persecution of his fellow deaf. He told other deaf "let your girlfriend go, she's too good for you! You're not pure and you're even hereditarily unfit." During the Holocaust, there was a "'euthanasia' program -for the murder of intellectually or physically disabled and emotionally disturbed". The program would thus include deaf individuals. Werner Thomas prescribed to this thinking by informing on deaf and defending Nazi Eugenics.

References

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