Resistance of the Heart: Intermarriage and the Rosenstrasse Protest in Nazi Germany

by Nathan Stoltzfus

Drawing on previously unknown Berlin records and interviews with survivors, a study of the 1943 Rosenstrasse protest explains how hundreds of Gentile spouses of Jews rounded up by the Nazis faced down Hitler's genocidal policy and the SS to secure the release of their loved ones.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War II, Holocaust, Germany, Politics

386 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1996

About the author

Nathan Stoltzfus is an associate professor of history at Florida State University noted for his work on protest during the Nazi era.

Reviews

[Desi A · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a "traditional" academic monograph (not necessarily written for a wider audience) from the mid-1990s, and I don't remember how I found out about it, but it has been on my to-read list for a long time. A few observations:

--This is the first time in a long time that I have read a monograph like this in one sitting without it being split up by other fiction reads (I am listening to other books, but I did not read anything else while I read this) and it didn't lull me to sleep at night and I often stayed up later than I should have while reading.
--All that being said, it really, really would have benefited from a good editorial treatment as it was frequently unnecessarily verbose and convoluted.
--All THAT being said, this was a deeply engaging book that I thought was so well done in its analysis
of a historical event and it unknowing relevance to the present day.

The Rosenstrasse Protest was, itself, a short-lived event in March 1943 in Berlin during which German spouses (mostly women) of Jewish husbands protested *publicly* for the release of their spouses who were bound for deportation to Auschwitz (or possibly Terezin, and from there, to Auschwitz). Amazingly, this protest *worked* and approximately 1,700 Jews were released by the Gestapo/SS, and as a result, survived the war, living in Berlin. (<--This is the fact that made my head spin and caused me to add this book to my list). (Another fascinating fact: approximately 30-40 Jews who were already at Auschwitz were released and *sent back to Germany.*)

This study is an examination of the larger context that led to this seemingly miraculous event and the reasons and implications and deeper and broader than one would imagine and Stoltzfus provides a very compelling analysis. He spends a lot of time in the beginning looking at the National Socialist theory of power and the importance of the idea of popular support for their racist ideas and policies (or the appearance of support) (and this is where I think the writing really would have benefited from a good editor) and how that theory in particular ended up creating confusion and competing ideas about what the policy toward intermarried Jewish-German couples (as well as so-called Mischlinge).

But the reason why their theory of power ended up getting them in a bind over this is because for the most part, despite official encouragement and real material, economic, and social hardship, German spouses of Jews did not divorce their partners and by doing so offered support and protection to their very-endangered spouses throughout the entirety of the 12 years of Nazi power. It was this devotion to one's spouse--and to the traditional institution of marriage--particularly by intermarried Germans in Berlin, of which there were a good number, caused the Nazi to hesitate in their efforts and desires to expel (and ultimately murder) intermarried Jews.

In early 1943, when they decided not to hesitate anymore, the distress (and profound courage) of individual intermarried Germans coalesced into a collective public protest that caused Goebbels et al to be concerned enough that they blinked (within the context of the recent disastrous defeat at Stalingrad and shift to Total War). (Their plan was to "deal with the problem" after the war, but their After the War did not come to pass.)

Stoltzfus concluded with a really interesting exploration of the question of "resistance" vs opposition (vs doing nothing or going along) and the evolving theories of who may be counted as having "Resisted." His conclusion is that irrespective of theories and classifications, the individuals who remained married to Jews throughout the Nazi period and who strove to protect and save them were extraordinarily strong and courageous individuals, even if they were acting out of small/self-interest. Interestingly (though in retrospect, unsurprisingly), the Rosenstrasse protests were not widely acknowledged or celebrated as acts of resistance in no small part because they point to the possibility that Germans *could have* resisted/blocked/stalled/complicated/otherwise have made it difficult for the Nazis to implement their murderous ideology of racial superiority.

[Alexander Seifert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells the history of the Rosenstrasse protest. The protest is of historical significance because it represented the only mass German protest against the deportation of Jews during the period of Nazi rule. The protestors, mostly German women, protested for nearly a week for the release of their Jewish husbands, and in the end, the government folded and released the men. On top of that, the government even recalled a few individuals who had already been deported out east to Auschwitz.

The book, written I believe in the late-80s and early-90s, is the result of the author’s efforts to research the protest, the rise of National Socialism, and the nature of protest. At a time when there was little academic (or social) interest in this protest, the author sought out sources and stories of the individuals who lived in Berlin at the time and been impacted by the rise of the Nazism. The anecdotes at the end note that there was some difficulty ‘following leads’, and I believe that speaks to a reluctance on the part of many Germans at the time (and continuing) to accept that their culture as a whole was complicit in the Holocaust. After all, this was the only protest against the deportations, and it succeeded. The author begs the question at numerous times whether or not other social pushback could have had an impact on the progression of the Holocaust as many of this book’s first few chapters deal with how much the Nazis (and Hitler) relied on perceptions of public support and how much the public was willingly to almost readily ostracize Jews. There are many instances of how every day Germans took enthusiastically to the social outcasting of Jews, which the author highlights was an important first step on the eventually path to genocide.

The book itself is woven throughout a variety of viewpoints that are built off of interviews the author conducted with survivors of the protest (which include both civilians and a prominent subordinate to Goebbels, Leopold Gutterer). The author will occasionally jump to these various individuals across what is roughly a ten-year narrative that starts around the time of the Nuremberg Laws (1935) and concludes in the aftermath of the Rosenstrasse Protests (1943), with some time spent ‘beforehand’ to showcase how a few of the couples met and became married in the face of growing aversity toward mixed couples in Germany. Over the course of the text, the author highlights the various advancements in the Nazi Final Solution and highlights how the various couples and officials adjusted and adapted to the situation.

At times, this book feels deeply personal, especially when the author lets the emphasis be placed onto the handful of couples that he interviewed for the book. Many of the women have surprisingly profound remarks to make as they reflect upon the Nazi period, yet there are parts of the book (particularly near the end) where I feel like the author gets a bit bogged down by delving into some more abstract concepts like the nature of protest and varying degrees of noncompliance. While I am someone who can wholly adore/love a more ‘opaque’ academic text, I felt like this book could have leaned a little more into the angle of the humans that formed the core of the author’s research. The book abruptly ends their stories, while offering only scant details about the rest of these individuals lives.

Nevertheless, this book is very good, and I liked it a lot. With one or two exceptions, it strikes a great balance between telling an approachable human story and providing an academic evaluation of an important and (at the time) previously under-analyzed historical event. The more that I read about this period of German history, the more cynical I grow when it comes to society and part of that is because, the deeper you go, the clearer it becomes that even an event as terrible as the Holocaust was one that didn’t unfold in secret, nor did it happen without a public that was either supportive or simply apathetic to what was unfolding in the countryside.

[Ellie Midwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m in awe. That’s all I can say after reading this phenomenal historical study. It takes such guts to go against a tyrannical government so the actions of these brave German women standing up for their Jewish husbands truly worth admiration! The sheer power of their love and desire to save their loved ones from imminent death made Rosenstraße protests the only successful protest during the Nazi government reign that resulted in victory. And the book resonates particularly strongly today, with the new war raging in Europe and dooming so many innocent people to suffering, starvation and, in worst cases, annihilation. Please, read these first accounts of the Rosenstraße protests’ survivors and let them serve us all as an inspiration to go against tyranny in any way we can. Love shall always prevail! Sometimes though, it needs fighting for.

[Edward Weiner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a fun book. I did not enjoy reading it. However, I learned a great deal about a brief episode in history and the limits of autocracy. Definitely glad that a book club assignment made me read it.

[Lauren M.]

Simply incredible. I agree with another reviewer that the interviewees' stories cut off a little too abruptly at the end, but I found the topic so moving and compelling that I'm sticking with a 5-star rating.

I never learned about this topic before and had never even heard of the Rosenstrasse protest; exploring the complexities of intermarriage in general during WWII was eye-opening. It was also relevant for me on a personal level, and I now feel an even deeper connection with the topic.

[Elizabeth Leonard · Rating 5 out of 5]

The power ordinary people have to effect change is extraordinary. Let us learn and never forget!