Jens Michelsen reads Elsa Davidsohns report entitled “Meine Vergangenheit“ [“My Past“] (1999), which is archived in the archives of the Research Center for Contemporary History under call number FZH-Archiv, B_D 004 (Elsa Davidsohn and Senta Levy), 32, and Elsa Davidsohn comments the reading. M Jens Michelsen : “After Palestine became Israel in 1948, indeed, the taxes were much higher than with the British, and so we decided, Senta and I, to go to Hamburg in 1958, because it was Senta's birthplace and we had prospects to get an apartment“, yes. Oh, yes. So it was mainly for such financial reasons that that you went? D Elsa Davidsohn : Yes. M Jens Michelsen : Or were you also, uh, worried that it was too much stuff… D Elsa Davidsohn : Also in terms of language, also in terms of language. M Jens Michelsen : In terms of language, too, mhm. D Elsa Davidsohn : You couldn’t really understand, theater or concerts or… M Jens Michelsen : Mhm. D Elsa Davidsohn : We were already too old. M Jens Michelsen : You were already too old. Yes, yes... And something like concerts and theater, that was important to you? D Elsa Davidsohn : Exactly M Jens Michelsen : Yes… M Jens Michelsen : Exactly M Jens Michelsen : Yes… So did you go to Haifa for concerts and theater? Or where did you go? D Elsa Davidsohn : Oh, we did not have time. M Jens Michelsen : Didn’t have time… D Elsa Davidsohn : We were completely secluded. M Jens Michelsen : I see, yes… D Elsa Davidsohn : No, no time and no money. M Jens Michelsen : Yes… D Elsa Davidsohn : He-he. No, that was... And that’s why we did it. M Jens Michelsen : Yes, yes, I see… So you hardly had any friends and such? D Elsa Davidsohn : Oh, yes, we did. M Jens Michelsen : That you did indeed… D Elsa Davidsohn : At that time, we were in the lodge, in the B‘rithloge B'nai B'rith This probably refers to the B'nai B'rith-Lodge. M Jens Michelsen : Ah yes, that’s where you went? D Elsa Davidsohn : Friday evenings, yes indeed. M Jens Michelsen : Ah yes. D Elsa Davidsohn : Inside the KJ or KJ The abbreviation probably refers to Keren Kayemeth, the Jewish National Fund is the plural?… M Jens Michelsen : Yes… D Elsa Davidsohn : We did have friends there but did not get out much. M Jens Michelsen : Did you also maintain those contacts, later, when you were in Hamburg, or not so much? D Elsa Davidsohn : Nah. M Jens Michelsen : No? D Elsa Davidsohn : They have all died off in the meantime. M Jens Michelsen : Yes… M Jens Michelsen : Let me read on: “I have retired here.“ D Elsa Davidsohn : Yes, yes. M Jens Michelsen : At the age of, I'll just do the math… D Elsa Davidsohn : 55! M Jens Michelsen : … 50 years. D Elsa Davidsohn : 55! M Jens Michelsen : “At 55 years… and managed the household. Senta went to work for the administration and had a very hard time learning the German laws after 18 years.” Ah yes. M Jens Michelsen : “But she made it. Through the restitution, we were able to buy a condominium.” That’s this one? Or... ah, yes. “And a new car every two years.” Fantastic! D Elsa Davidsohn : He-he. M Jens Michelsen : Yeah, that is great! Uh-uh. “We took wonderful trips until Senta became ill and unfortunately passed away on January 22, 1999. She had retired at 60 and died at 85. I forgot to say that my, yes, that my mother, my mother-in-law, my oldest brother with his wife and daughter, who was 17 at the time, uncles, aunts, cousins were deported from Berlin and went missing in the... in the East.” But you wrote one more word in between… D Elsa Davidsohn : With, I believe. M Jens Michelsen : Nah, you just [wrote]: “were deported and...” D Elsa Davidsohn : I don’t know. M Jens Michelsen : You don’t know? D Elsa Davidsohn : “…and were gassed probably! Or how do you say?” M Jens Michelsen : Yes… Yes… D Elsa Davidsohn : Ah, my glasses… M Jens Michelsen : “were deported and..." D Elsa Davidsohn : I’ll take yours, maybe I can see with them. M Jens Michelsen : Yes, take a look. Does that work? D Elsa Davidsohn : No! M Jens Michelsen : No. Doesn’t work? He-he-he. D Elsa Davidsohn : He-he-he M Jens Michelsen : Good. Then take yours, will you? D Elsa Davidsohn : “and...” I don’t know what I wrote there either... He-he. M Jens Michelsen : “deported and went missing.” D Elsa Davidsohn : You don’t know either, probably, yeah… M Jens Michelsen : There is another word in between, yes. D Elsa Davidsohn : “and according to the report,” something like that. M Jens Michelsen : Oh, according to the report! Yes. D Elsa Davidsohn : Yes: “went missing in the East" M Jens Michelsen : Ah, yes. These were, yes... were indeed really quite, quite a lot of persons from your family. And you don’t know where, where they were killed? D Elsa Davidsohn : Yes, my mother, I got one of those things here! M Jens Michelsen : Hmh. D Elsa Davidsohn : Uh, she apparently ended up in Minsk. And the others were in Theresienstadt. M Jens Michelsen : Ah, yes. Abridged: conversation about the mother’s maiden name and history of relatives M Jens Michelsen : Yes, and now you write, “But I only learned that,” that is, about the death… D Elsa Davidsohn : Yes. M Jens Michelsen : ...of your relatives? “But I only learned about that some years later.” Yes, here. “Since in that year, July 1942, I got mail about everybody from the Red Cross. By that time, Berlin was judenrein [literally, 'clean of Jews'].“ Yes, as they said, yes. “My...” Ah, yes. “My other two brothers married, but without children, then died in America. So I was left alone as the youngest.” Yes, yes. “Hamburg, August 30, 1999. Elsa Davidsohn." D Elsa Davidsohn : Exactly two years ago, right? M Jens Michelsen : Yes, almost exactly two years. Yes… D Elsa Davidsohn : How time flies… M Jens Michelsen : Yes, it flies... You did also… D Elsa Davidsohn : I scribbled it down like that! M Jens Michelsen : You wrote it down like that, right? D Elsa Davidsohn : I think it did not even take a quarter or half an hour. M Jens Michelsen : Yes, yes. Yes, you... That is why it makes sense to ask a little bit more. May I take this with me and copy it? That would be very nice, because… D Elsa Davidsohn : Yes. M Jens Michelsen : Now we do have recorded the second part on tape, but… D Elsa Davidsohn : Heh! M Jens Michelsen : Um, that um, is better after all when you have the written template. Yes, that, yes... Yes, now you have been living in Hamburg again for 43 years? D Elsa Davidsohn : Yes. M Jens Michelsen : Yes. Did you feel comfortable in Hamburg relatively soon? Or did it take a long time? D Elsa Davidsohn : Well, my goodness, at first I did... would, I wouldn’t have gone back to Berlin anymore. M Jens Michelsen : Why? D Elsa Davidsohn : Because I would have seen in every person a Nazi that smashed up my apartment. M Jens Michelsen : Yes… D Elsa Davidsohn : And she wanted to go to Hamburg. From the beginning, she said she was going to go to Hamburg. And we got a very nice apartment, from a cousin who went to America. And I felt very comfortable there. At first, it was very difficult. M Jens Michelsen : Yes? D Elsa Davidsohn : I saw a Nazi in everyone. M Jens Michelsen : Yes? D Elsa Davidsohn : Senta not so much, but me, yes indeed. M Jens Michelsen : Yes, of course. After everything you’ve experienced, right? Yes… D Elsa Davidsohn : But one got used to it quickly. All the people were always so nice to me, right? He-he. M Jens Michelsen : Was ni... quite nice then, the people, yes?