Life_under_Siege_The_Jews_of_Magdeburg_under_Nazi_Rule.pdf

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departure to Hannover. Gisela Kent described how her parents, who were never
prone to emotions, let alone effusiveness, reacted:
My mother was very, very emotional. They looked sad. My mother was crying
and my father trying to keep a stiff upper lip. He had his arm around my
mother and it was the last time I saw them. My brother just stared. I don’t
know; he was just standing there motionless. He was sixteen. He probably
didn’t quite realise. I mean we got on really well; it wasn’t as though he didn’t
care. And I remember my grandmother saying: “Must you really do this. It’s
so far away.” She couldn’t understand why I wanted to go.
They were there and a couple of friends. Then we got on the train, and Inge
and I, we started to cry, and the train only went to Hannover. I’m sure the
passengers got tired of us crying, and then we had to change trains. And that
was it. It was just goodbye at the station. 129
Inge-Ruth Herrmann’s mother reacted in a similar way. The young girl recalled
her mother physically collapsing on the railway station as the train pulled out. 130
This traumatic point of separation at the railway station would later also symbolise
the death of the young girls’ families and the majority of the remaining Jews of
Germany; all deported from railway stations, including that of Magdeburg.
Both very young and inexperienced in life, the two interviewees recalled their
mixed emotions of relief and fear when they crossed the German-Dutch border.
Gisela Kent expressed her feelings this way:
I was very apprehensive, not knowing what’s coming. I did feel a relief
because when we were still in Germany, we didn’t know if some Nazi was
going to board the train, or not. Once I was in Holland I felt I’m free. We went
through Hoek van Holland, got onto a boat, across to England. We landed at
Dover. 131
She also recalled possessing only RM 10 on her entry into the Netherlands and of
being given some money on arrival in London. She was later provided with a
cheque for the required £50 landing money for her entry into Australia. Her
129 Kent, op. cit., 12 January 1998.
130 Poppert, op. cit., 9 January 1998.
131 Kent, op. cit., 12 January 1998.