KAROLINA (Page4) - A Story by Leonard Dreifuss

 

KAROLINA’S QUEST

 

Hitler had made living for Jews throughout Germany a nightmare and their only hope for survival was escape. The greatest hope for escape was the United States.

 

Escape for German Jews in 1937 meant securing visas from Stuttgart. To get a visa. they had to get permission from the United States testifying that they would not be a burden on the Government. This required a sworn statement and a bank account by a relative in the United States to back it up. They were then issued a number and were called as the quotas opened up.

 

Letters began flooding the United States from Jews in Germany searching for relatives in the States to give them a source of escape from Nazi Germany. Thirty years had passed since Karolina arrived in the United States – hard years which included a devastating depression starting in 1929, with Joe being out of work for most of those years. Jeanette and Beatrice were married and Leonard held a WPA job with the city of New York.

 

Not only did letters from Karolina’s family begin to arrive (from brothers, nieces and nephews, who never had kept in touch with her before) but also letters from complete strangers who by coincidence of a similar name, “Dreifuss” or “Dreyfuss”, thought they could be related, all requesting affidavits to come to the United States.

 

The situation was serious, and Karrie knew it. Affidavits were needed but with no money in the bank, how could she support any affidavit to make it stick. At that time, the only support of her family was Leonard, who was working on a work relief program.

 

Karrie was aware that if she could convince friends or relatives to sign support affidavits, her family in Germany would be able to emigrate to the United States, but these people would have to expose their bank accounts to support the affidavits. Knowing what we know now, and realizing how urgent the situation was, it is difficult to understand the attitudes of Jews who were approached by Karrie for support affidavits. Excuses such as “the German Jews were unkind to the Russian-Polish Jews during the pogroms, so why should I go out of my way to take the responsibility of their not becoming a public charge?” Also “German Jews forgot they were Jews, and now Hitler is reminding them, so why should I help them?”

 

I’m talking about Jews with money who, in each refusal, literally and actually killed another Jew! Hitler didn’t do it all himself.

 

Karrie did have people who listened. Beatrice’s in-laws had a business in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and they volunteered to sign several. Karrie had other good friends who came to her aid. With each letter which arrived, Karrie ran, wept and ranted, until an affidavit was signed and sent to Stuttgart.

 

One by one the refugees came, with no money, without direction and with little hope, their lives destroyed with their loved ones left behind. Karrie welcomed each refugee as they arrived and made her home the first for her refugee relatives. The Dreifuss home became a stopping off place for German refugees until we could give them orientation as to employment, customs and transportation, as well as a crash education in rudimentary English.

 

Leonard found himself with many different sleeping partners (male cousins) while others were placed in homes of friends. Karrie became now the familiar “Tante Karrie, who carried the burden, which eventually reached about thirty refugees. Tante Karrie often remarked, “I dreamed of returning to Germany for thirty years to see my family; instead, God saw to it that I would be here to receive my family in the United States.”

 

Epilogue

 

The years passed. Karolina was no longer young - she was tired - so tired! Of those relatives who received no affidavits, some were able to go to South America; others dispersed elsewhere, but most were lost to the holocaust.

The relatives Karrie brought over have never been a burden to this country; instead they became successful and outstanding citizens who were proud to be Americans.

On October 13, 1963, Karolina Hess Dreifuss passed away leaving a legacy of life and hope for those assembled at her grave site each year on the anniversary of her death.

I imagine even she knows that the lives one leaves behind is the hope for the future and one can only try to contribute a little. Karrie contributed a lot!

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