Leica and the Jews in WWII

[bdial]

A friend of my wife's pointed me to this;

LEICA AND THE JEWS
The Leica is the pioneer 35mm camera. It is a German product - precise, minimalist, and utterly efficient.
Behind its worldwide acceptance as a creative tool was a family-owned, socially oriented firm that, during the Nazi era, acted with uncommon grace, generosity and modesty. E. Leitz Inc., designer and manufacturer of Germany 's most famous photographic product, saved its Jews.
And Ernst Leitz II, the steely-eyed Protestant patriarch who headed the closely held firm as the Holocaust loomed across Europe, acted in such a way as to earn the title,
"the photography industry's Schindler."
As soon as Adolf Hitler was named chancellor of Germany in 1933, Ernst Leitz II began receiving frantic calls from Jewish associates, asking for his help in getting them and their families out of the country. As Christians, Leitz and his family were immune to Nazi Germany's Nuremberg laws, which restricted the movement of Jews and limited their professional activities.
To help his Jewish workers and colleagues, Leitz quietly established what has become known among historians of the Holocaust as "the Leica Freedom Train," a covert means of allowing Jews to leave Germany in the guise of Leitz employees being assigned overseas.

Full story here;
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...517548298265914.111221.517515864935824&type=1

 

[fotch]

Makes one proud to own a Leica.

 

[Jeff Kubach]

I've heard about that story.

Jeff

 

[ntenny]

Some of the text seems to be taken from http://www.overgaard.dk/leica-history-page-2.html, maybe with permission. There's also a link there to a _Financial Times_ article, but it's behind a paywall; and I found a roughly contemporaneous story in the _Grauniad_ (http://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/feb/10/secondworldwar.germany).

It looks like there may have been a little flurry of articles shortly after Frank Dabba Smith's essay was published and Leitz was given a posthumous award by the ADL in 2007. Unfortunately I think the book is now out of print.

-NT

 

[BradleyK]

Not sure if "proud to own a Leica" is quite my sentiment here, Fotch. Maybe just the notion that some people, irrespective of the circumstances at hand, will do what is morally right, regardless of (possible) consequences to them selves.In that regard, Leitz, when so many others turned away, is to be commended for his fortitude and humanity.

 

[~andi]

This is also briefly mentioned in this documentary (german):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWwarnnM71A

 

[Double Negative]

More here too - Leica History - The Freedom Train

 

[AgX]

What is not made clear in those stories is that it was not only about people getting out of Germany but also getting them into a foreign country.

 

[bdial]

You make a very good point AgX. In many cases, getting into a country was possibly more difficult than getting out. By providing a purpose and documentation trail it made entry a routine matter.

 

[AgX]

Yes. Those stories, especially the hints at Schindler and the hints at prosecution put the emphasis on escape. But in those years emmigration of jewish people was actually encouraged.

 

[AgX]

The problem with such topics is that historic matters are hard to evaluate from the hindsight of a younger generation, that general knowledge on history is rather limited, that iconic titles as "freedom train" easily make it into media and that evidence is hard to find.

 

[CatLABS]

The problem with such topics is that historic matters are hard to evaluate from the hindsight of a younger generation, that general knowledge on history is rather limited, that iconic titles as "freedom train" easily make it into media and that evidence is hard to find.

That sounds awfully similar to what David Irving and Fred A. Leuchter, Jr. said about death camps in Germany and Poland... And i often think, when the last holocaust survivor dies, not so many years from now, who would believe such a thing ever happened in reality? As we live in a visual world today where most if not all imagery is manufactured, it would be a hard stretch to try and make someone believe what actually happened with evidence that is hard to find.

 

[AgX]

I have no problem sharing an oppinion with anyone if I feel right on it.

 

[CatLABS]

Yes. Those stories, especially the hints at Schindler and the hints at prosecution put the emphasis on escape. But in those years emmigration of jewish people was actually encouraged.

Jews were encouraged to emigrate, but without any possessions or money held in banks.

 

[AgX]

Nationalsocialists tried to gain much of the possessions of Jews leaving Germany, with taxes and restrictions rising over the years, finally ending at total restriction.
Together with the encouragement to leave this is one of the many contradictions in the politics of that time.

Furthermore, most Jews probably had no sufficient money for emigration nor a savehaven anyway.

Also many emigrations were illegal due to immigration restrictions thus further complicating keeping of possessions.


Things are often more complicated than they seem...

 

[E. von Hoegh]

Yes. Those stories, especially the hints at Schindler and the hints at prosecution put the emphasis on escape. But in those years emmigration of jewish people was actually encouraged.

And it should also be borne in mind that the U.S.A. actually turned more that a few Jewish refugees away. We're far from being the saints we claim to be...

 

[ntenny]

The problem with such topics is that historic matters are hard to evaluate from the hindsight of a younger generation, that general knowledge on history is rather limited, that iconic titles as "freedom train" easily make it into media and that evidence is hard to find.

I'm going to assume you're talking about the narrower scope of evaluating Leitz's actions and their context, rather than anything broader. (If I'm wrong about that, please don't tell me, as it'll only harm the discussion to go there.)

Anyway, I think this is kind of true, in that in an environment where records could be absent or falsified in the first place, where many things necessarily happened sub rosa, people have lots of motivations to edit their personal histories, and trails of evidence were disrupted by the war and subsequent upheavals, it's always hard to know who really did what, much less why. It wouldn't surprise me if some aspects of the story, like the number of people affected or the "every one with a new Leica around their neck" detail, were enhanced after the fact.

But the evidence here seems to have been good enough for Smith to publish the book, for serious journalists to treat it as serious history, and for the ADL to recognize Leitz's actions. So while it's a fair general criticism you make, this instance strikes me as not a particularly big example of the phenomenon.

-NT

 

[mgb74]

I am often somewhat skeptical of claims such as the Leica Freedom Train as we want to both forget and burnish history. But this one is valid. As ntenny points out, the Anti-Defamation League recognized Leitz's contribution some years ago.

Emigration was allowed in the 30s but, in the later part of that decade, leaving money and possessions behind. To complicate matters, many Jews emigrated to countries later occupied by Germany - so no safe haven. And as pointed out by other posters, many countries (including the US) had strict limitations on immigration. As a result some Jews tried to emigrate but were turned back and ending up in Germany or in countries later occupied by Germany.

 

[removed account4]

.. And i often think, when the last holocaust survivor dies, not so many years from now, who would believe such a thing ever happened in reality? As we live in a visual world today where most if not all imagery is manufactured, it would be a hard stretch to try and make someone believe what actually happened with evidence that is hard to find.

even after the last survivor dies there will always be a collective memory of these things.
history revisionists will do their best to say things didn't happen, or embellishers will
make better ... but in the end, the seed of truth will always be there ...

 

[AgX]

I wish I could share your optimism.

And even if truth (even in all its complexity) would always be there: History is repeating itself, just different.

Thus I often wonder what the use of (my) bothering with historic matters is...

 

[CatLABS]

That seed of truth is now covered by rolling grassy fields. No sign of mass murder there. Collective memories are as short as personal ones and have a tendency to fade in direction of mass media projections, even now, this (and other mroe recent) truth are hard to seed. 10 years from now it will be even harder.

When the last of the soldiers to liberate the camps is gone, the last person who whitnessed the trials is gone the last second generation offspring is gone (not long in to the future now) these stories will be no more then a bad horror movie that "is only possible in holywood" type of thing. There is nothing that can avert that.

 

[CatLABS]

I wish I could share your optimism.

And even if truth (even in all its complexity) would always be there: History is repeating itself, just different.

Thus I often wonder what the use of (my) bothering with historic matters is...

+1. Not much more then a curiosity, or passing interest. Like Freud and Marcuse said there is no learning from past mistakes.

 

[AgX]

And even if truth (even in all its complexity) would always be there: History is repeating itself, just different.

Thus I often wonder what the use of (my) bothering with historic matters is...

Maybe just for realizing this.

 

[ntenny]

When the last of the soldiers to liberate the camps is gone, the last person who whitnessed the trials is gone the last second generation offspring is gone (not long in to the future now) these stories will be no more then a bad horror movie that "is only possible in holywood" type of thing. There is nothing that can avert that.

If only we had records of the events of the past in a good documentary medium: something difficult to falsify, preferably visual, and something that would outlast the human lifetime and serve as a kind of ongoing witness. It would even be OK if it were only in black and white, I think.

Wouldn't that be useful?

-NT

 

[removed account4]

i hope it won't all be forgotten, cause we're pretty much doomed if it is ...