Abegg, Elisabeth (1882–1974)

Early critic of Hitler's Third Reich who rescued countless Jews in Berlin and has been honored for her work during the Holocaust. Born on March 3, 1882; died in 1974; grew up in Alsace; earned a doctorate.

Elisabeth Abegg was born on March 3, 1882, in more tolerant times than those on her horizon. She grew up in Alsace (now a part of France) when it was a province of the German Reich, but moved to Berlin after France reclaimed the disputed border territory in 1918. In Berlin, she became involved with the relief work of the Quakers, who, true to their Christian beliefs, were among the first to provide food and medical assistance to the German populace after the November armistice of 1918 was signed. These experiences strengthened Abegg's commitment to the Quaker faith and instilled beliefs that would mark her life.

Abegg earned a doctorate and became a history teacher at the prestigious Luisenschule, an all-girls' school. Her career suffered with Hitler's rise to power after 1933 when she became increasingly disparaging of the Nazi regime. Transferred to another school because of her outspoken criticisms, by 1940 she was denied the right to teach because of her continued refusal to either accept or advance the Nazi party line.

Throughout the 1930s, Germany's Jews suffered the systematic loss of fundamental human rights. By 1939, as persecution and degradation became the norm, they had no shred of legal or moral protection. In September 1941, all Jews in the German Reich were ordered to wear a Star of David on their clothing when appearing in public. Germany's Jews were either working as slave laborers or being deported to the Eastern territories to be annihilated as part of Hitler's "Final Solution" of the "Jewish Question."

Refusing to remain uninvolved, the 60-year-old Elisabeth Abegg began to actively rescue Jews. Though responsible for her ailing older sister Julie and her 86-year-old bedridden mother, both of whom lived with her in her home in Berlin's Tempelhof district, she used her apartment at Berliner Strasse 24A (now Tempelhofer Damm 56) on countless occasions to provide temporary shelter for Jews hiding from the Nazi dragnet. Creating an extensive rescue network consisting of her Quaker friends as well as former students, she saved the lives of dozens of Jews who were sheltered either in her own apartment, which consisted of three and one-half rooms, or in temporarily empty adjoining apartments. She continued these activities at serious risk, especially considering that several of her neighbors at Berliner Strasse 24A were fanatical Nazis who suspected her of disloyalty because she refused their requests to fly the Nazi flag.

Abegg found safe and permanent hideaways in Berlin, East Prussia, and her beloved Alsace for Jewish refugees. Selling off her jewelry, she used her remaining wealth to raise enough funds to finance the successful escape into Switzerland of several of her most endangered charges. Concerned that the Jewish children were missing an education, she tutored them at her home. Almost daily, she spent long hours traveling by streetcar and subway to visit her wards at their secret locations, bringing food, money, and forged identification papers. Charlotte Herzfeld , a girl whose parents had committed suicide on the eve of their "resettlement," was saved by Abegg. She wrote Abegg many years later: "You were there—calm, serene, courageous…. I re gained trust, I sensed warmth, I felt safe. You reminded me of my mother's calmness, warmth and equanimity."

On Abegg's 75th birthday in 1957, a group of individuals whose lives she had saved published a commemorative booklet to honor her. And a Light Shined in the Darkness contained a number of moving testimonials, including that of Hertha Blumenthal : "With Fräulein Dr. Abegg was revealed the truth that a life of love for one's fellow human beings, together with respect for others, is the most elevated and eternal value…. Her rectitude, straightforwardness, and endless love will always be the model … upon which I pattern my life and will come into play whenever anyone needs my help."

sources:

Dick, Lutz van, ed. Lehreropposition im NS-Staat: Biographische Berichte über den 'aufrechten Gang.' Frankfurt am Main: Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag, 1990.

Grossman, Kurt R. Die unbesungenen Helden: Menschen in Deutschlands dunkelsten Tagen. 2nd edition, Berlin-Grünewald: Arani Verlag, 1961.

Keim, Anton M., ed. Yad Vashem: Die Judenretter aus Deutschland. Mainz: Matthias Grünewald Verlag, 1983.

Leuner, H.D. When Compassion was a Crime: Germany's Silent Heroes, 1933–1945. London: Oswald Wolf, 1966.

Schilde, Kurt. Vom Columbia-Haus zum Schulenburgring: Dokumentation mit Lebensgeschichten von Opfern des Widerstandes und der Verfolgung von 1933 bis 1945 aus dem Bezirk Tempelhof. Berlin: Edition Hentrich, 1987.

Schwersenz, Jizchak, and Edith Wolff. Jüdische Jugend im Untergrund. Eine zionistische Gruppe in Deutschland während des 2. Weltkrieges. Tel Aviv: Bulletin 45 des Leo-Baeck-Instituts, 1969.

Und ein Licht leuchtet in der Finsternis. Festschrift für Elisabeth Abegg, die in ihrer Wohnung Tempelhofer Damm 56 eine Vielzahl jüdischer Mitbürger versteckte. Berlin: Freundeskreis, 1957.

John Haag , Associate Professor of History, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia