KIT Volume XX No 1 April 2008 -Reprint2

7/31/2019 KIT Volume XX No 1 April 2008 -Reprint2

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Keep In Touch NewsletterKeep In Touch NewsletterKeep In Touch NewsletterKeep In Touch Newsletter Volume XX No 1 April 2008Volume XX No 1 April 2008Volume XX No 1 April 2008Volume XX No 1 April 2008This Newsletter provides a forum for people who have lived in the Bruderhof, as well as their families and friends. Theopinions expressed are those of the writer and are not necessarily shared by the volunteers who produce the Newsletter._____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Contents

A Reminder for Our Readers 1Up Coming Gathering at Bulstrode 1Werner Friedemanns Life 1EuroKIT-Gathering at Klaashof 3

New Life in a Religious Community: 5Reflections on the lives of our ParentsKurt and Marianne Zimmermann 6Confrontation between theBruderhof and the German NationalSocialist Government 1933 to 1937, II 9Details about the Keep In Touch

Newsletter 12

Bulstrode Gathering on the last

Saturday in April - Invitation

By Andrew Harries

To all Ex-Bruderhofers and friends: I havebeen able to book the room we had last yearand a few times before at Bulstrode again, .The room is available from 10.30 am to 5.30pm. We have been asked that everyone sign inat reception upon arrival.

Date: Saturday, April 26th, 2008.

WEC International have kindly allowed us theuse of the dining room at the back and access

to hot water, so we can make our drinks. Wewill bring milk, sugar, tea and coffee. Werecommend that folks bring some foodalong to share.

Just as we did last time we can sit outsideon the veranda with access to the lovely

park. Please, no alcohol or smoking.

We suggest that people make a smallcontribution to a little fund we can give to thepeople there as a thank you for their kindnessin allowing us the use of the room andgrounds.

Please pass this on to others who don't receivethe Keep In Touch Newsletter.

A Friendly Reminder for our Readers

The "new Keep In Touch Newsletter, which was inaugurated lastDecember, is not affiliated with the former KIT-Peregrine version,although it continues that publication's tradition of serving its readershipby disseminating "news and views", along with reports andarticles provided to the editors by reader-contributors. (You will find theeditors addresses on last page.)

To support this effort, the editors and production staff must depend onreader contributions. We are very grateful for the subscriptions anddonations already received, but must remind our readers that for thisventure to continue, sustained funding is required. If you have notalready done so, we encourage you to do your part!

The suggested annual contribution, until we can better gauge actualcosts after the first full year of operation, is US$ 20, or UK 10, orEuro 15. Subscribing the email Newsletter would help us save printingand mailing costs We are planning three issues this year. The next twowill be published in August and December 2008.

For your convenience:

Readers living in USA can send a cheque or cash to Tim Johnson.Canadian residents are asked to pay only cash to him. If you want totransfer the money on a bank account, then please get into contact withTim. Address: Tim Johnson, 155 Garden Lane, Decatur, GA30030,USA. Tel: ++1-404-373-0633; Email: [email protected]

Those living in England can pay by cheques, cash, or bank transfer.

Please get into contact with Joy MacDonald for transfer details.Address: Joy MacDonald, Foxglen, Pinemount Road, Camberley,Surrey, GU152LU, UK. Tel: ++44-(0)1276-26938;Email: [email protected]

For Germany and other Euro-countries, Linda Jackson has opened aEuro-account in Germany: Volksbank Brggen-Nettetal EG, BLZ:31062154, Kontonummer 2201052010, Objektbezeichnung: KIT. Forother foreign currencies Euros can be deposited into the account using:IBAN: DE52 3106 2154 2201 0520 10, or BIC: GENODED1KBN.Linda asks all of you who transfer their money to send her a short note.Address: Linda Jackson, 7 Severn Street, Longridge, Lancashire, PR33ND. UK. Tel: ++44-7703-133369 or ++44-1772-784473; Email:[email protected]

Please clearly identify the money, however sent, as "KIT support".We very much hope that all of you will appreciate the April Newsletter.

The Volunteer Group:

Erdmuthe Arnold, Linda Jackson, Tim Johnson, Charlie Lamar,Anthony Lord, Joy MacDonald, Dave Ostrom

Werner Friedemanns LifeBy Erdmuthe Arnold

Werner Friedemann died peacefully January 9th, 2008 at the age ofninety-three in Bremen. Since his wife, Erna had passed away July 1st,2007 (see Keep In Touch No 3 2007), he had been longing to follow andbe united with her again. They had been together seventy years. Theymet for the first time on the Rhnbruderhof in 1934, were part of theyouth group on the Almbruderhof in 1935/36, and got married at theCotswold-Bruderhof in 1937.

Werner had become ill ten weeks before his death. He was cared forin the old folks home led by his granddaughter Andrea in Bremen-Rnnebeck. Daily during Christmas time, various ones of his eleven

children, twenty-five grandchildren and fourteen great grandchildrengathered in his apartment. Thus he was surrounded with love and peace.His daughter Anna Schultz also came from Canada with her husband tobe with him. They sang together Christmas songs. Communication withWerner remained until the last day. The departure was a very specialexperience for his whole family.

Photo: Werner 1994

The funeral service whichtook place on thecemetery grounds ofBremen-Grohne onJanuary 16th, was a

gathering of gratitude andhappy memories. Exceptfor Anna, all childrenwith their families werepresent. They all felt adeep thankfulness to havehad both parents for sucha long time.

Werner Friedemann jrexpressed gratitudetowards God, for leadingand sheltering the largefamily through manydecades, and through

difficult times. Hewelcomed many old friends and members of the Free Christian Churchwithin the Brethren movement. From England John Holland andWilliam Few (Wiegand) came, whom several of the Friedemannshadnt seen for more than forty years.

Marili Matthus-Friedemann, the oldest daughter, wrote in herreport (here freely translated into English):


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Keep In Touch ewsletter 2 Vol XX o 1 April 2008Together we sang many of the songs our parents loved most (Aufdenn die Nacht wird kommen, Ich bin durch die Welt gegangen).Irene accompanied us on her accordion. She had organized a slide showwith pictures from Primavera; this way fond memories from old timescame back.

The Service gave us an opportunity to thank those who had caredfor our parents during their last years, in a self-sacrificing, devoted way;especially Irene, her daughter Andrea, and our brother Werners wife,Brbel. They all were lovingly engaged in an effort to enrich our parentslife in their old age, and to make them feel comfortable. We do thankeveryone who visited our parents, who talked to them on the phone, or

wrote cards.We children are very grateful for all our parents did for us. Wealways shared an open house for guests and friends. We loved thesimple and uncomplicated atmosphere of our home. Mama had always acomforting heart for our problems; and with his mocking humour, Papawould always calm stressful situations down. Mothers understandingand pliability contrasted fathers sometimes nearly stubborn principlesin a superb way. They stood together in unshakeable love andfaithfulness.

We as a family look back on an adventurous and active past, butfrom now on, will have to do so without our beloved parents. From thebottom of our heart we want to thank them for their prayers,understanding, love and security. We know Papa and Mama are nowtogether with Jesus. They will be much happier there than they alreadywere on Earth.

Werners Religious Ambitions Began EarlyChristian Werner Friedemann was born in Liebert Wolkwitz in easternGermany September 30th, 1914, the last of nine children. Ten yearslater the family moved to Borna. As a schoolboy Werner loved to sing;he became a member of the church choir and learned to play thetrombone. At the age of fourteen he became an apprentice baker.Through his friend Gruner, he got to know the C.V.J.M. (ChristlicherVerein Junger Mnner / SCM, Student Christian Movement), and joinedthe group. So began his deep religious interests.

After his baker's apprenticeship, Werner was unemployed ; a fate heshared with most young people after World War I in Germany. He gotinto contact with the Mttlinger Christian community, which had begun

to live and work together on a farm in the outskirts of Eisenach. Theirlonging was to live as is described in the Sermon on the Mount. Thiswas the same community Wilhelm Fischer joined. In his report,published in the KIT Newsletter No 3, November 2005, on pages 15/16Wilhelm writes about that time.

1934 the community was at the brink of dissolution. The groupcontacted the Rhnbruderhof seeking urgent help. Hans Zumpe andGeorg Barth were sent to Eisenach on May 26th, 1934. Hans Zumpementions that trip to the settlement Ziegelwald in his report TheConfrontation Between the Bruderhof and the German National-Socialist Government 1933 to 1937. He was glad that four youngmembers came back with them to the Rhnbruderhof. (Wilhelm came aweek later.) Three of them got baptized: Werner, Wilhelm, andWaltraut von Schengel (Wiegand).

Werner set to work in the bakery. Soon a mishap occurred. A friendof the Bruderhof gave the community flour to bake bread. This was aspecial treat. Everyone watched Werner prepare the dough, and helpedheat the oven. But only green, wet fire wood was to hand. It wasimpossible properly to heat up the oven. In the end the bread loaveswere soggy, and inedible. To the great disappointment of the wholecommunity, the much anticipated bread most likely was fed to the pigs.This was an absolute nightmare for Werner. Feeling guilty as can be, hewanted to leave immediately, and go on mission to Africa. But then hegot to know and like Erna Steenken. So life looked bright again!

Like other German young men Werner had to leave Germany inMarch, 1935 to escape compulsory military service. He was sent to theAlmbruderhof in Liechtenstein. Unusual labour awaited him there.Often, several times daily, he had to walk down the valley to get theprovisions the community needed, and carry them up the mountain on

his back. No matter whether it was raining, cold or stormy, he had toclimb a steep grade with an altitude change of 1500 meters. Other workhad to be done as well.

At the same time the community experienced joyful events andmarriages. Risky outings up into the mountains with other young peoplewere fun. Soon Werner decided to join the Bruderhof. It had becomeclear to him that he had only the choice between a life in Nazi-Germany,

or to become a follower of Jesus Christ. Eberhard Arnold baptized himin July 1935 together with his friend Wilhelm, with Erna and three othernovices.

Soon after that, Liechtenstein was no longer a safe place for Germanmen under the age of twenty-five. So in February of 1936 thecommunity decided to start a new Bruderhof in England. All the men ofmilitary age were sent off to England in several groups, or on their own.Werner, Wilhelm and Gerd Wegner took the route over Switzerland,Italy, France to England together with their trip leader, Hans Meier.

Wilhelm reported many details about this rather hazardousadventure and also about the community achievements during the years

in England (published in the KIT Newsletter No 1 January 2006). Againhard pioneer work had to be done building up the Cotswold Bruderhofin Ashton Keynes, Swindon. After1936 many English people joined thecommunity.

Werner recalled especially fondly the visit of the two Hutterianbrothers, David Hofer and Michael Waldner. Before travelling toGermany, they stayed in the English community for several months.According to the book David Hofers Reise nach Europa 1937 (DavidHofers Trip To Europe 1937, published by James Valley Book Centre,Elie, Manitoba, 1990), they arrived February 9th, 1937. Werner andWilhelm were invited by the Hutterians to share a room. They weremost impressed to listen to the daily evening prayer of these religiousNorth-American brothers. Werner thought it a great failure that thistradition was not continued by the new European Hutterites. He alsotold me (2004), The brothers sensed clearly that our community wasbeing led in the wrong direction.

Later that year, on June 21st, 1937, Werner and Erna were married.Their first two girls were born in England. After World War II started,the brotherhood decided to emigrate.

Erna and

Werner on

the day of

their

engagement

on the

Cotswold

Bruderhof

Except for three people, the whole community left for Paraguay inseveral groups at the end of 1940 and in 1941. Under hard, tropicalconditions the next Bruderhof, Primavera, was built up in the centraldistrict San Pedro (120 kilometers north from Asuncin, and 50kilometers east from Puerto Rosario). For the next twenty years thisfarm- and forest-land became home to a whole new generation. Ninemore children were born to the Friedemann family. They lived in Ibatfor most of the years. The heat made it impossible for Werner to work inthe bakery. So he became the skilled cobbler of the community. Like

many Bruderhofers he acquired the skills to work in many departments.During the last years in Primavera, Werner worked in the wood

turnery in Isla Margarita, where all the wonderful bowls, candlesticks,vases and other items were made from tropical hard woods. They weresold in Asuncin, Montevideo, and in other cities of South America.Orders also came in from Europe and the USA.

[Continued on page 4]


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Keep In Touch ewsletter 3 Vol XX o 1 April 2008

KIT 2008 KLAASHOF- Hinsbeck, Germany. 11th - 14th July 2008 (for full details see newsletter, July 2007)

KLAASHOFhas been booked as the meeting venue for three days, from Noon Friday to Noon Monday, at a standard charge of

60.00 / 90.00 / $120.00 per person for weekend.

This includes the use of the premises, with a spacious open air area with lounge chairs, three evening meals and drinks (tea, coffee, fruitjuice, beer, wine etc.) throughout the day and evening. (Anyone visiting one or two days only, pro rata.)

This payment is required in advance. Please send Payment as soon as possible to:GB pounds - Linda Jackson,Halifax (KIT 2008), Sort Code: 11-18-11 Account Number: 20084612 Euros - Linda Jackson:Volksbank Brggen-Nettetal EG. BLZ: 31062154, Konto Nr. 2201052010, Objectbezeichnung: KITfrom other currencies Euros can be deposited into the account using: IBAN: DE52 3106 2154 2201 0520 10, BIC: GENODED1KBN$ US dollars). Tim Johnson checks or cash made out to Tim Johnson. Address: 155 Garden Lane, Decatur, GA30030, USA.Please let me know when you have put money into either the GB pounds or Euros account, thank you, Linda. (contact details below)I will send a receipt card, which will give you access to the premises and to drinks etc.Make cheques/checks/money orders payable to Linda Jackson or Tim Johnson respectively.

Anyone arriving early Friday afternoon will also be treated to a sample of Frau Klaass delicious freshly baked cake.We are arranging a visit to Venlo market on Saturday morning, and in the afternoon a horse and wagon ride, around the area - with beeron tap. On Sunday we thought a leisurely walk through the forest would be nice, maybe a climb up the tower in the forest, followed bylunch at the Waldesruh, a lovely hostelry among the trees. In between, there will be plenty of time to hang out and chat etc.ote, the area is flat, and bikes are readily available for hire. We hope it will be an enjoyable relaxing weekend with friends.

Where to stay:You will need to book your own accommodation. Anthony and Rita have arranged a special price at the following hotel:

Hotel JOSTE (about 1,5Km from Klaashof) Familie Germes, Wankumer Strasse 3, 41334 NettetalTelefon: 0 21 53 / 916 70 eMail: [email protected]: 0 21 53 / 131 88 Internet: www.hotel-josten.deTelephone Mr. Hans Germes and state clearly that you are booking as part of the KIT group.15 double @ 80,-- per Room/night, 4 single @ 65,--

YOUTH HOSTEL (this is a nice YH and very convenient can be reached by a short walk on foot through the forest.)They also offer single and double rooms with WC and shower. Bookable direct, NOT ON LINE.Jugendherberge Nettetal-Hinsbeck, Zirkus-Jugendherberge, Heide 1, 41334 Nettetal-HinsbeckTel: +49 (0)2153-6492 [email protected]: +49 (0)2153-89598 http://www.hinsbeck.jugendherberge.de

There is also space at the back of the Klaashof for a number of tents. Please contact Linda for details if you wish to camp.

This is a very popular holiday venue, and hotel/youthhostel places in the area are booking up fast. Please book asap.If you are unable to get a booking in either of the above, let me know, and we will try to locate a vacancy nearby.Flights There are many airports near Nettetal. (see July KIT,)

Linda Jackson, 7 Severn Street, Longridge, Lancashire, PR3 3ND. UK+44 (0) 1772 784473 +44 (0) 7703 133369 e-mail: [email protected]

Klaashof, Klaashof, part of the yard Herr & Frau Klaas prepare the BBQ

The tower wintery view from the tower a walk through the forest


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Keep In Touch ewsletter 4 Vol XX o 1 April 2008[continued from page 2]

The Wood Turning Troup in Isla Margarita 1959 having second breakfast.

From left: Steven Marchant, Werner Friedemann, Christoph Boller,

one of the Hssy twins, Simeon Braun and Karl Hundhammer.

In 1961 the years in Paraguay ended most abruptly. Primavera wasdissolved when five new brothers from the USA, and Heini Arnoldinvaded the Paraguayan community. Werner recalls Will Marchant,Bud Mercer, and Christoph Boller being the responsible persons in IslaMargarita and Ibat that year. The young people especially welcomedthe Americans. The wish to escape the isolation of Paraguay wascertainly one of their motives for doing so. However, without sufficientexplanation and justification, members were asked to leave. Togetherwith many other families, the Friedemanns were confronted with atotally incomprehensible situation. Interrogations about earlier yearsbegan in a very small circle. Werner was sent away for several monthswhile members of the New Brotherhood tried to persuade Erna to stayin the community by reminding her of her baptismal vow. She was toldthat only she and her girls could travel to the USA; her husband andsons were to be dismissed. Although Erna was treated with anti-depressants, she realized what was being asked of her just in time. Shedecided to stay with her family.

The Reasons for the Bruderhof Crisis of 1961Only more than ten years down the road was some light shed on whatactually happened in Primavera in 1961. At the end of 1972 theBruderhof sent several Round Robin letters to certain ex-membersaccusing Hans Zumpe of loveless leadership in the early forties. In oneof these letters, Georg Barth mentions the following members excludedby Hans in 1942: Hardy and Heini Arnold, Fritz Kleiner and EmmyArnold.

In 1944, fifteen members had been placed either under "the greatban (and) given over to the devil, or excluded for some time. Georgnamed Hardy, Heini, Hans-Hermann and their mother Emmy Arnold,Peter Mathis, Bruce Sumner, Hans Meier, Dorli Bolli and Lene Schulz.The spouses: Anni Mathis, Annemarie Arnold, Luise Sumner, Sekunda

Kleiner and Gertrud Arnold stayed on the Bruderhof with their children,but were excluded for some time; George and Gertie Vigar were alsodisciplined.

According to Georgs letter, the exclusion document from 1944was decided unanimously by the brotherhood, but Georg gave himselfand Hans Zumpe the blame, and repeatedly speaks about the lovelessand cruel way in which things were done. He and Hans supposedlywanted to extinguish the influence of the Arnold family, expelthem, and secure (our) own position of power.

Migg Fischli and Werner both told me that they were asked to takethe two older Arnold brothers to Rosario in 1944. So a punishment, longforgiven and forgotten according to Hutterite rules, appears to have hadserious subsequent repercussions. Heinis hour of personal triumph andrevenge, through the takeover of Primavera, had come at last. Since hisfathers death in November, 1935, Heini had been seeking the

leadership of the Bruderhof. The books about Heini Arnolds lifeconfirm his claim of leadership. Several of his attempts had failed andended up with Church Discipline, and not only for Heini himself. But atlast, after he became the Servant of the Word in Woodcrest in 1955, hefound allies in some of his new American brothers, who knew little ofHeinis history. They, for their part had another reason to close downPrimavera, with its costly hospital: Community Playthings, which had

begun to sell, and which they brought with them from the Macedoniacommunity. This enterprise became the capital investment for theBruderhofs flourishing economic future.

But could these reasons justify the cruel and harsh happenings of1961 when nearly seven-hundred people, often large families with littlechildren, were no longer wanted and sent away? Half of the firstBruderhof generation were left to fend for themselves, after twenty ortwenty-five years of communal work and life. By the selling ofPrimavera, Wheathill and Sinntal they were robbed of their part ofcommunal property and homelands, along with their dreams.

Georg Barths letter was only one of at least twelve 1972 Round

Robin letters sent to dismissed members. One was by Heini Arnold.Werner answered him on December 21st, 1972. He told him verypointedly that he just couldnt accept the special treatment of the peoplein power any longer. It was not Jesus Christ in the centre of thecommunity's faith, but the Servants. To underline his position, Wernerquoted a guiding principle by C. H. Spurgeon: We should treat a manlike a man, and God as God. Then we can go forward on our path. Weshould fear only God, nobody else, and nothing. Werner also remindedHeini that he had refused to talk to him when he came down to Paraguayin 1961. He suggested they both should forgive each other where everinjustice had happened. Although Werner went into detail in his letter,he only received a vague reply from Heini, in which he asks forforgiveness if he has hurt him or Erna.

A ew Start for the Family in GermanyBack to 1961: Without money, and without their knowing what to do inthis frightening and unhappy situation, the family found support in HansMeier (then living away from the community). He helped theFriedemanns get back to Germany by ship. They arrived in Bremen on avery cold winter day around Christmas time. The port was full of ice;the family shivered with cold in their tropical summer garments. Theyhad to find a place for thirteen people, and were allotted a smallapartment with two and a half rooms in the reception camp, Lesumerberseeheim. This cramped start was their next challenge. But asformer refugees, expelled from Nazi-Germany in 1936/37, Werner andErna got German Reparation Payments. They also were given thepossibility of making payments into the pension fund for the years theylived abroad. After two years in the camp they were able to finance asmall home. Aged almost fifty, Werner found work in a paper mill in

Bremen-Lesum. In spite of all the difficulties, he saw to it that all hiseleven children learned a profession. Some of them even managed to geta university degree.

It was of great importance for Werner and Erna to be part of aChristian community: to have a religious home. In Bremen they joined aBaptist congregation in Lesum. After growing a little older, andconfronted with severe ailments, they turned to the Free Church of theBrethren, where they felt welcomed in midst of their local group.

Getting Skills as Cobbler on the BruderhofBy Barnabas D. Johnson, January 9th, 2008

My father always spoke very fondly of Werner because in the earlyParaguay days Werner taught him how to be a cobbler. As a child, Ithought of my dad as a cobbler, both in Primavera and in Wheathill. He

Cobbler Werner Friedemann at work 1945 in Isla Margarita


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Keep In Touch ewsletter 5 Vol XX o 1 April 2008even had a little cobbler's shop in Forest River. He said his cobbler'sshop was a good place to bring a guest or someone else one needed totalk with you could hand them a simple but useful job, fix a shoe ortwo, and have a good, productive chinwag.

After my family was expelled, my father returned to the fulltimepractice of law in England. A few days after he died, in 1979, I visitedfrom America and noticed that at the back front of the car garage myfather had a sort of "cobbler's shop" where well, he had cobbler'stools, including a super-sharp knife that mum gave me and which I shallalways treasure. By all appearances, dad remained something of acobbler at heart until his dying day. I told this to Werner, about a decade

ago, and he was very touched to think how special he had always beenin my early memories and in my father's warmest recollections ofPrimavera. I'd guess my dad could make a klepper in his sleep! Onceacquired, one always treasures such a skill, and treasures even moreones teacher.

Dear Werner, rest in peace!

ew Life in a Religious CommunityBy Toby Neal, from the Shropshire Star

In 1949, when an orphaned German youngster,

and his two brother arrived in south Shropshire,they were too frightened to get off the bus. Afeature in the Shropshire Star of September 24th,

2007 begins with that sentence.

Keep In Touch asked the Editor for a reprintallowance, which thankfully, was granted. Lefthand a copy of seven year old Dieters passport

photo from 1949.

After a long journey, seven-year-old Dieter Holz and his youngcompanions arrived at their destination in the wilds of south Shropshire,to receive a greeting which was both memorable and terrifying.

We were met by people dressed in 19th-century clothes haircovered, long skirts, men with dark clothes and beards, recalls Dieter.We were frightened. They had to tempt us out of the bus with bars ofchocolate.

The youngsters from a childrens home in Germany had fetched upat the Bruderhof religious community in the Clee Hills, an austere andpuritanical society in which members were made to give up all theirpossessions for the common good.The Wheathill settlement, - Upper and Lower Bromdon, and CleetonCourt comprised about 500 acres of land with several farm buildings.

Dieter, an orphan, arrived in 1949 and stayed there until he was 16.He continues to live in Shropshire, at Brockton, near Shrewsbury.

His extraordinary story has been uncovered by historian PhilFairclough, of Shawbirch, Telford, as part of his continuing researchinto the post-war period in which Shropshire was the home of thousandsof displaced people from Europe and German prisoners of war.Fairclough is writing a book which will be called When Europe CameTo Shropshire.

Dieter lived in Pln, in North Germany. His father Arnold was in theGerman Army and, the last they heard of him, he was on the Black Seain Southern Russia. When Dieters mother died of cancer in May 1948,he and his two brothers and a sister were left orphans. They ended up ina childrens home near where they lived.

I am sure that our relatives would have housed us soon enough ifthey had been approached, recalls Dieter, who is 65. It all happenedvery quickly. A pastor from a church arrived and told us we were goingto England. The childrens home clearly knew all about it and let us go.At our age we just did not question it.

The three Holz brothers were among a group of ten which were sentby train to Hamburg, and then by cargo boat to Hull.

In Hull we were met by two members of the BruderhofCommunity, Guy and Eleanor Johnson. They were from the Wheathill

Bruderhof. We really did not know anything about this group and onlylearned about their beliefs as our time with them lengthened.Arrangements had been made with Corvedale Motors to take us in a

new green 29-seater bus all the way from Hull to Cleeton Court, whichis about 1,000 feet up in the remote Clee Hills. We arrived at 9.30pm asit was getting dark.For the disorientated new-comers, their first task was to learn English.

Photo: Dieter Holz today; he told Historian Phil

Fairclough about his years in Wheathill

We were kept at Cleeton Court for three months,only talking English in the class. It is ironic thatwhen I became 12 they decided we all should learnGerman again so as not to loose touch with ourroots.

We did the normal range of school subjects, and religious studieswas not pushed too heavily on us. After school and in the holidays weworked round the farm, looked after animals, picked fruit, sugar beet

and potatoes. It was hard work.We were very self contained and did not know much about the outsideworld except from the few outside workers who worked on the farm.

The Bruderhof was split up into various families. We were withAlice and Owen Humphries, who cared for two other children, Rogerand Daphne, and all of the ten Germans. The only problem was that ournew foster parents could not speak German.

Alice and Owen were wonderful Yorkshire people and treated usextremely well. We all slept in single-sex dormitories. It was warm andcomfortable and the food was good, mostly grown on the farm.Breakfast and supper were taken with our family, but the main middaymeal was taken in the hall at Lower Bromdon with the wholecommunity of about 200 people.

Dieter says the farm was becoming quite profitable when thecommunity leaders decided to sell it in 1961, ending the communitys

Shropshire connection after 20 years.It was a very austere and puritanical community. The head was

called Servant of the Word and he had considerable power over therest of us. It was only with his permission that you could marry. Hedecided who was to be admitted or who was to be asked to leave.

When entering the Bruderhof you had to surrender all yourpossessions. This even included womens engagement rings. All wassold, and the money went into a common account. If you were asked toleave you got nothing back.

InterrogatedIt seems to me they were obsessed with the idea that we youngsters

were about to have wild orgies in the dormitories if only! and couldnot be trusted to restrain our sexual urges. We were interrogated and

asked to confess to doing it. It was never explained, but afterAusschluss forced exclusion in a caravan for a few days beatings,and continual exhortations to confess, most of us agreed we had doneit and had to beg forgiveness by the brotherhood to be allowed back in.It was really quite crazy.

Dieter says that many things the community did for himself and hisbrothers were good, and most of the time they had a very happy and freechildhood. And when eventually given the chance to return to Germany,both he and his brothers decided to stay in England.

Wheathill

1945: The

back of

Lower

Bromdon


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Reflections on the Lives of our Parents

Kurt and Marianne ZimmermannBy Hans Zimmermann, January 2006

Introduction: This report was written in response to a strange,provocative and presumptuous letter addressed to the children of Kurt

and Annemaria (Marianne) Zimmermann by a certain Ruben Ayalafrom the Maple Ridge Bruderhof, Y. In his letter, dated ovember 25th,2005 he was telling us about his friendship and special relationship with

my mother, who died on April 13th

2005. At the time I had no idea whothis man was, or what his position on the Bruderhof might be. Keep in

mind that not one of my siblings living on the Bruderhof had thecourage or the decency to notify us living outside of the community.We werent permitted to visit our mother on her death bed, neither were

we invited to her funeral. Mr. Ayalas letter must have had the supportof, or it even might have been commissioned by Johann ChristophArnold and other Servants of the Word.To me Ayalas letter was like

rubbing salt into an open wound. The reader may draw his own

conclusion from my reflections, which may show some bitterness. But Ijust could not let such an affront be unanswered.

There was no reply. one was expected. Keep In Touch has editedthe letter slightly.

What Did they Stand For?Ever since the death of my mother I wanted to write something in hermemory, and in my fathers memory. Who were they, what did theymeant to us, and what did they stand for in "truth and honesty?" But itis impossible to write about them without also telling about theshameful way in which they were abused and exploited, by both HeiniArnold, and subsequently by his son Johann Ch. Arnold.

Kurt and Marianne in ew Medow Run September 1982

I know my mother would not have approved about what I will have to

say, as she was totally committed to the life on the Bruderhof. She gavethe Servants of the Word, and in particular Heini Arnold, all the benefitof any doubt. My father on the other hand, while also totally committedwas willing to challenge Heini when he felt that he deviated from whatthe original objective and spirit of the community was.

My mother always had a special place in her heart for single youngmen who languished in the Bruderhof. Among them, Hannes and DanielHabakuk, Friedel Sondheimer. Wolfgang Lwenthal studied musicunder my mother and became a prolific poem and song writer. Theremay have been others in the early years who I never got to know. Onething I do know is that she made a great impression on many people onthe Bruderhof, both children and adults. Maybe so much so that theArnolds felt threatened. We will get to that later. Like you, Mr. Ayala,many people have asked me to write about my mother, so here is my

story.

BackgroundBoth my parents were born in 1908, my father in June, my mother inNovember. My father had a difficult childhood. He grew up in Berlin;his parents had a hard time making a living. He became a carpentersapprentice, and was supposed to carry on this family tradition.

Zimmermann, after all means carpenter. He was of a rebellious natureand freethinking. As a youth my father experimented with communism,socialism and anarchism; he was rather gregarious, and not afraid tochallenge authority. He would have fitted in well with the Hippiemovement of the 1960s here in the United States. He had long hair andwore sandals and was on his way to India to get to know Gandhi. At thestart of that trip he made a detour to the Bruderhof. There he found abunch of people who were open minded and held visions of a life, livingas equals, and sharing everything as told in the Sermon on the Mount.Their enthusiasm infected my father In particular Fritz Kleinerchallenged him to give his all.

My mother, Annemaria Hilbert, came from a deeply religious familyof pastors and missionaries. Her father died early, and the family hadgreat difficulties making ends meet. My mother wanted to study music,which she did, and all the familys resources were dedicated to herstudies, with the idea that she would become a teacher, and in thatposition earn much needed money to support the family financially.Annemaria (called Marianne on the Bruderhof) was an accomplishedorgan player; she played violin and most of the wind instruments. Shewrote music, and had a keen mind. Until right to the end, intellectuallystimulating books about music, history and politics and autobiographiesof famous people were of special interest to her.

A job advertisement for a teacher caught her eye and she applied forit with the intent of earning money for her mother and younger siblings.Fate would have it that it was the Rhnbruderhof. She applied, got thejob, and somehow Eberhard Arnold got her to stay, teach, but notreceive any money for her services. My mother, too became infatuatedwith the early spirit of the community, and wanted to stay andexperience this new life. Eberhard took her under his wings and shedeveloped a close relationship with the elder Arnolds. My father alsogot this same special attention. This close bond left a great impressionon both my parents and they remained his lifelong supporters. So muchso, that they always had a framed photograph of Eberhard Arnold intheir bedroom. I never liked it. To me it was tantamount to worshippingthe individual, and it appeared to go against everything my fatherseemed to stand for.

Happy Times in PrimaveraAs a young child I loved and adored my parents. My father was a truenature lover. He loved working with wood. He would take us for longwalks through the forests and teach us all about the different kinds oftrees and plants. Sundays were never complete without a hike into theforests and campos of Primavera to go fishing or swimming. We alllearned to swim very early. Whenever we were on one of our walks hewould sing songs about the forests, and many of the old Germanwandering songs.

My mother was very much the same. She had a keen eye for nature.She would paint post cards of the many different wild flowers we had onour property in Primavera. She loved music, and all my siblings learnedto play a musical instrument; it was kind of expected, but she neverpushed us. She just tried to encourage us to do our best. Some of mysiblings became good musicians; my oldest sister Renate was good onthe violin and recorder, but Mathilde was a musical dud. Emmy wasvery accomplished on the recorder. Try as I might, my lack of fingerdexterity prevented me from reaching any acceptable level ofproficiency. I had no problem reading music and therefore became theofficial page-turner when my mother and my older sisters playedtogether. I just loved music, and hearing it turned me on. We all lovedto sing at home, for breakfast, Vesper [afternoon tea time] and thenagain before going to bed. I remember many of the German eveningsongs and lullabies, as there was always a baby to sing to sleep.

After myself there came Kurt and David. Of the two, only Davidplayed an instrument; he liked to play the recorder. Next in line cameAnnemarie and Christa. Both became accomplished violin players.Angelika was next. She fell into the period where my parents spentyears away from the Bruderhof, or were in and out, and again, in andout. She liked to play the recorder. My youngest brothers Eckehart andJohann Alison both played the clarinet in High school band in the USA.

So music was always a great part of our home life. Music was also whatmy mother contributed to the community in the early years, and duringall the years in Paraguay.

We always looked forward to Sunday evening family supper, whenwe sang many songs, and both of our parents would tell us stories abouttheir childhood and years as young adults. My father was rebellious and


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The Zimmermann family in Loma Hoby 1955/56.

outspoken, even as a child, and that got him into trouble at times. It wasreally interesting to listen to those anecdotes. My mother would tell us

about the wonderful summer vacations her family would spend at theBaltic Sea, which we call the Ostsee in German. Here her relatives had alarge property. She never told us, and we only found out recently thatthe famous rocket scientist Wernher von Braun was a close relative ofours. I gather they knew each other at that time. A high level ofintelligence was evident on my mother's side. This was her dirty littlesecret. She was not proud of the fact that Wernher was the father of theGerman V2 rocket with which the Nazis blitzed England. On the otherhand, Hardy Arnold would not hesitate to mention that he went to theUniversity with Wernher von Braun in Germany. I knew about this manalready as a young child, as Hardy Arnold followed the developmentsand theories of space exploration and would tell us about it. Would wehave been proud to be the relative of Wernher von Braun? Probably yes.Would we have looked him up once we were in the USA? Again

probably yes, especially my engineering brothers. My sister Mathildeknew about our famous relative, but she was too timid to tell us. Ialways wondered who that person was, but Mathilde was like a clam,which would not crack.

My father had a terrible industrial accident in our sawmill inPrimavera. The large flywheel of the lumber cutting machine hit hishead and he was in a coma for several weeks with a cracked skull and abroken jaw. He eventually recovered but was never quite the sameanymore. It affected his health for the rest of his life. He had frequentdizzy spells and his balance was a little off. Climbing ladders was nolonger possible. However this did not stop him; he remained astenacious and hard working as ever.

My mother remained influential in the school. She taught German,literature and, always, music. She was athletic and very active. One ofher great loves was to rehearse and lead the community choir. We hadmany music loving people in Primavera who would get together just tosing and play their instruments. The choir rehearsed cantatas by Bach,Schtz, Buxtehude and many others. It was a big event when weperformed parts of Hndels Messiah; the whole community looked

Kurt Zimmermann working in the sawmill

forward to this wonderful oratorio. Musical get-togethers werefrequently quite spontaneous. Anyone who wanted to joined us at our orsome one elses home especially around Christmas time. This was ourway of Christmas carol singing in Primavera. People sang from the heartand without inhibition.

My own relationship with my mother started to drift apart when Ibegan to question her uncompromising support of everything theBruderschaft decided, even when it was of questionable nature. Herstandard answer was, "You have to trust the Brotherhood." I becamesceptical.

The Closure of the Hospital and Loma 1960Things started to change in Primavera when it was decided to close thehospital in Loma Hoby, and to sell all the land from there west, plus thecattle to our neighbors the Mennonites. This was in 1960. Who wasbehind this? Again, a Brotherhood secret. This much I know: the pushcame from the United States Bruderhof. One of the new Americandoctors, Milton Zimmerman, was a moving force behind this. I wasaway from the community at the time, working on a large ranch inParaguay. My mother wrote that they were going to move back toGermany with most of the family. They wanted to see me before theyleft.

This, I certainly wanted to do, as my mother was a big influence onmy life. While our bond had lost its closeness, she neverthelesscontinued to talk straight to me. She also kept me supplied with books

from our library, she picked the subjects, as she wanted me to continueto be intellectually stimulated and keep growing. I left the job on theranch and returned to Primavera. I had only a few weeks with myparents and family before they left for the Sinntal Bruderhof in Germanywith all my youngest siblings from David on down. [Editors note: Theywere booked on the Over-Sea-Virgin flight of Varig, like many otherfamilies from Primavera and El Arado, August 1960.] All the olderchildren of our family stayed in Primavera.

Shortly thereafter things started to unravel in Primavera. Asuccession of Americans came from the USA [beginning 1961], acunning bunch of lawyers and others who blind-sided the folks downunder. Heini's goon squad had a plan to exact his revenge; they isolatedthe opposition and then picked them off one by one, neutralizing themor sending them away.

Closures of Primavera, Wheathill and SinntalWhen a good part of the damage had been done, our truck came backfrom Puerto Rosario one day with a big box. It was unloaded andopened, and out popped Heini, buck teeth first to the surprise andpossibly the dismay of many. It did not take them long to announce thatthe Bruderhof in Primavera would be dissolved and closed and all thewilling really the hand picked people, would either go to England,Germany or the United States communities. The rest, those deemedunfit or undesirable were sent away with little or no financial support.

Once Primavera was closed and sold, Heinis next move was toclose the communities Wheathill, in England and Sinntalhof, inGermany. This too happened in 1961. My parents, with their threeyoungest children were sent away to reconsider their commitment. Keepin mind, there was never a question of belief or commitment on the part

of my parents; this was Heini's way to let them know he would brook noopposition. Two years later, after much hardship, they were called back.This, however had such an effect that my youngest siblings had lost allappetite for the Bruderhof. [Editorial note: Kurt und Marianne joined theBulstrode Bruderhof during the year 1963, and travelled separately tothe States after its closure in 1964. They lived in Woodcrest.Only a yearlater Kurt was excluded for some time, and sent to Newburg, NewYork.]

Heini was on a mission to discredit anyone who had been inPrimavera during a time when he was excluded in the early 1940s by theBrotherhood. He had tried to gain control over the opposition of theother Paraguay pioneers. Heini felt it was his right to assume leadershipbecause the founder of the Bruderhof was his father, Eberhard Arnold.[Editors note: It is worth noting that Heini, though the middle child of

Eberhard successfully neutralized both his brothers and his sisters'husbands by removing them from positions they had held. They nolonger could control his excesses.]

People like my mother were no longer allowed to do what they haddone in Primavera. After my family returned, my parents had to showhumility, and be cut down to size, as we say in German: "Man hat sieabgesgt!"


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Keep In Touch ewsletter 8 Vol XX o 1 April 2008My parents however had a great deal of value to Heini because of theirclose relationship with Eberhard Arnold. Here is where I fault mymother. She let herself be used by Heini because of her completecommitment and dedication to the community life. She accepted thehumiliation of not being allowed to teach music anymore, or be activelyinvolved. My father, however voiced his displeasure about thistreatment, and openly confronted Heini. Besides this, there were otherreasons fabricated to send him away. My mother must have beendistressed, or the Bruderhof felt that if they sent her away together withmy three youngest siblings, she might turn my father around to acceptthe new way of life on the Bruderhof, "a la Heini Arnold."

The Exclusion was DisastrousMy parents were sent away to Monticello, New York in 1966, wherethey lived in a dinky little trailer on a wet and muddy field next to twolarge chicken coops. Here my father was to work collecting the eggs andcleaning out the droppings. This was very hard work. My mother triedher hand at it, as well collecting eggs. For her this was very strenuous,and she soon had to stop because of her ailing back. On top of this, thestench in a chicken coop makes a pig sty smell like French perfume.

My parents lived there in those cramped conditions for severalyears. The boys slept in bunk beds. My sister had no privacy; she had tosleep on the couch in what was the small living and dining room. Myfather was very bitter, and blamed Heini for putting them into thismisery. I had just been discharged from the Army when I discovered

them in these horrible conditions. They did not even have a phone. Thefirst thing I did was call the phone company and order a phone line. Inaddition, I had to buy a telephone pole which my brother Eck and I hadto plant. Only then did they install a phone. It was a party line, but atleast now they could communicate with the rest of the world. Mymother had the nerve to say that compared with other people they had itvery good. Yes, so good that it eventually put our father into thehospital. He never fully recovered again.

My father was unrelenting, and the stress on our mother was visible.So the Bruderhof took my mother and my youngest brother JohannAlison back. My sister Angelika moved to Schenectady, New York togo to college. My brother Eck stayed with my father another year beforehe moved to Rochester to start his college education in engineering.

By now my father was so sick, and needed constant medication. TheBruderhof moved him into an old age home in Liberty, New York to rot.[Editors note: Before that, Kurt must have been in Woodcrest for a shorttime.] He stayed for two or three years in Liberty. I visited himnumerous times there, and even took him to our weekend house inHunter, New York to give him a change of place. My brother Eck, bythen in Colorado took him out there for a week, something he reallyenjoyed. For that week they took him off all the medication and heimmediately felt much better.

My father was miserable. He wanted to be back with his wife andhis children, but Heini remained a thorn in his side. We were not in anyposition to help him on a permanent basis. When married, my sisterAngelika tried to keep him for a while, but by now my father needed fulltime attention, and it was dangerous to leave him alone in the house. Hehad become very forgetful. I tried to tell my father to forget his pride,say yes to everything the Bruderhof asked from him so that they would

take him back.Eventually, it must have been 1980, he could return, for which I was

very happy, because, like my mother, his belief in the communal lifewas never in doubt. It did not interest me to know what the conditionswere, but I can only imagine that he had to grovel in front of Heini. Thenext several years my parents lived in New Medow Run inPennsylvania.

Visiting Father for the Last TimeThe next and the last time that I saw my father in New Meadow Runwas either in 1991 or 1992. By then he was confined to a wheel chairand needed 24 hour attention. He could not do anything for himselfanymore. We pushed him around the property, and he showed us theplace where he hoped to be buried, under a beautiful big tree. He also

confided in me that Heini had called for him when he was on hisdeathbed to ask him for forgiveness. That did not surprise me: the lastact of a coward! In the meantime, however, he always called on myparents when someone had to praise the greatness of his father EberhardArnold, and the early days of the Bruderhof. Before that Heinicommissioned a book to rewrite the history of the Bruderhof, "TorchesRekindled" by Merrill Mow. My mother sent me the book; I have yet to

read it. I know my side to the metamorphosis of the Bruderhof. Weexperienced it first hand.

Seasons come and seasons go. Johann Ch. Arnold (JCA), theappointed leader of the Bruderhof through nepotism wants to make hismark. In March 1988, a new Bruderhof was opened in Germany, theMichaelshof in Birnbach, Westerwald. A faithful cadre was to bestacked on this Hof who could still talk about the beginning days. Whatabout sending the Zimmermanns? After all, they knew Eberhard Arnoldpersonally. In early 1993 it was decided to send both my parents, andsince my father required a 24-hour-attention, his son David, wife andchildren in addition to my sisters Mathilde and Annemarie were sent

along, also Jrg and Renate Barth, and some of their children as well.This time my mother objected, stating that it was unreasonable tosend our father to Germany in that condition.His illness, after all was soadvanced that he could die any day. My sister Angelika was very upsetand wanted to file legal action to prevent this travesty from happening. Ifelt it would be a waste of money, time and energy to do so, becausethese people did not really care what was right or wrong as long as itserved their interest.

Verena Arnold, JCA's wife, persuaded my mother to agree to it forthe sake of the rebuilding of a Bruderhof in Germany. My parents wereto travel as soon as possible to the Darvell Bruderhof in England whilemy father was still alive. He had no say in this. I guess they did not wantto ship a corpse. They were to stay there until living quarters wereready. We came back to our home late from vacation at the end of May,1993, and found a message on our phone that Papa had died a week agoin Darvell. That was very upsetting to me. I wondered how my motherwas holding up. We got the customary glorification by the Bruderhof ofany member who passed away, recounting my fathers last days and hissubsequent burial.

Several months later I received a letter from my mother; she wasstill in Darvell. The contents and the tone of the letter were verydepressing. Knowing that my mother was not in the best of health, Ifeared she might not last long herself. This scared me and I wanted tosee her one more time alive. I called my brother, Eckehart in Coloradoand asked him if he would like to join me on a visit. He, too was eagerto see mother, and so we let her know we would be coming in twoweeks, to which the Bruderhof agreed.

Our Encounter with Mother in Darvell

We had a surprise welcome at the Heathrow Airport; my old friendBastel Hssy picked us up. I was still smarting from losing our home inPrimavera where we had worked so hard together. I wanted to knowhow they could justify what was done; he must have felt ratherawkward, my putting him on the spot like that.

Mother was glad to see us. It seemingly gave her a great lift. Mybrother David, who was already in Germany came over to be there aswell. We spent several nice days together, including a day's trip toEastbourne and the Seven Sisters. Eckehart, Annemarie and I put ourrunning gear on and ran several miles from peak to peak overlooking thechannel way below. David drove my mother and Mathilde to a meetingpoint further down the coast. Mid October it was very blustery and cool.They dragged Mama to a stone outcropping, and I found her thereshivering, cold and nearly blue. I was worried and asked her if she is

cold and shouldn't we get her back into the van? She in her stoic waysaid, oh, I'm OK. I did not think so and insisted we get back into thevan, drive into Eastbourne, and have a warm lunch.

The outside Zimmermann siblings 1997 in Berlin, actively involved in the

Marathon September 1997. From left: Kurt, Eckehart, Angelika, and Hans

(the author of this article).


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Keep In Touch ewsletter 9 Vol XX o 1 April 2008After lunch, and feeling much warmer again, we drove back to Darvell.On the way home we sang one song after another, we had a great time.That evening after the communal meal in the dining room, movingpictures were shown of Palm Grove, the new community in Nigeria.

Later we got together with Bastel Hssy at my mothers and sister'shome. Here, for the first time we had an open and general discussionabout many subjects: Bruderhof life, and how it interacts with the rest ofthe world, social orders, and other matters. My mother raised a ratherinteresting subject. JCA had made supposedly a rhetorical statement,which was, "Now that we have black members, what does the rest of thecommunity think: Should we let them marry with our white daughters?"

My mother asked me what I thought about it? I told her that as aprinciple, no objections, however given how things work on theBruderhof, not a good idea. I said, JCA "will nur Eindruck schinden" meaning he wants to be politically correct, or at least appear to be. Mymother then asked me what I meant with that, and I shot back, Youknow very well what I mean, and the subject was dropped. We allknow only too well the disastrous consequences this social engineeringhad. To the best of my knowledge, JCA did not force one of his owndaughters to marry a Nigerian.

Mother Moved to Germany and Back to the USAWe stayed in England for nearly a week. It was another month beforemy mother and sisters moved to Germany to be "Poster Girls" for theArnold cult. The media was invited to watch eighty-year-old ladiesdancing German folk dances. Pathetic! We also know how theconfrontational attitude of the Bruderhof clashed with the localtownspeople which drew national media attention. After they hadvilified some of the locals as Nazis, and extorted zoning concessionsfrom the town, they pulled out of Germany again in 1995, deeming thepolitical climate too hostile. Some people, however think that theirbusiness prospects were not so promising, so the corporate main officepulled the plug.

Rather than sending my mother back to Darvell where my father isburied, she was sent back to the USA to be at the beck and call of JCA.As one of the few remaining members from the initial years of theBruderhof, she was an invaluable asset to him. This was anothershameful abuse and exploitation. When I questioned my mother aboutthis in a letter, she replied that she was totally dedicated to theBruderhof and would go to where she was needed: an obedient foot

soldier; we call this, in German, "Kadaver Gehorsam."At the same time the debate between KIT folk and the Bruderhof

was heating up. Any one who still had parents on the Bruderhof andwrote articles in KIT, or was associated with it, received a letter fromtheir respective parents stating that they no longer could visit them even in sickness or at time of death. This is, again one of the twistedperversions and cruelties of the Bruderhof. I received my obligatoryletter from my mother to this effect. I replied to her that I did not believeshe wrote that letter of her own accord, and that she was dictated to doso. No denial on her part would make me think otherwise. As expectedthe denial came; what could she do? An old widow fights against theBruderhof corporate office?

To my mother's credit, we remained in contact on a steady basis,exchanging letters and cards for holidays and birthdays. I was grateful

that she was able to stay in contact that way. She remained remarkably

Together with her inside daughters Marianne celebrated her 90th

birthday 1998. From left: Christa, Annemarie, the jubelee, Mathilde, Emmy

and Renate

lucid until the end, and her letters had content, albeit at times very much"Bruderhof speak". She kept up with the news, and had a keen sense ofwhat was going on in the world right to the end.

We last saw each other in June of 2002, when I made a trip to NewYork and my wife Bettina asked to see her. Mother had been sick, offand on, and by now was confined to a wheel chair. We always marveledat the way she came back again and again. We had a nice visit. We metat a restaurant on the Hudson River. My brother David and his wifeAnnie also came down. We had a good and long talk, knowing that thismost likely would be the last time. My mother always had high hopesfor me, meaning that I'd become part of the Bruderhof. I'm afraid therewas too much of my father in me, and independence, especially spiritualindependence, was too important for me.

Mr. Ayala, what I did find very disturbing and interesting was yourcomment about how the Bruderhof kept my mother from going to hergrand daughters wedding. It was the ultimate cruelty some one couldinflict on an old grandmother. It seems so petty and inhuman that untilthe very last day the Bruderhof has to let you know who is in control,

and whose orders have to be followed.We children will retain fond memories of our parents for what they

gave us and what they stood for. Our wish would be to have spent moretime with them as adults, with more open exchanges of ideas; ideaswhich would have been beyond the confines of Bruderhof ideology. Asdo my other siblings who are not on the Bruderhof, I feel lucky that wewere able to cut ourselves loose.

By the time I received notice of my mother's death, well after herburial, I had already accepted the fact I would not see her again. Even ifI had been invited to go to the funeral, I would not have gone. I hadalready made peace with my mother with the understanding that we hadour differences. To me death is part of life. We feel sorrow when aperson dies, but can, at the same time be happy if it was a life worthliving. For my mother, who died April 13th, 2005, life had a meaning,

and this is what kept her going. We should all be so blessed.

The Confrontation between the Bruderhof and the German

ational-Socialist Government 1933 to 1937 Part 2By Hans Zumpe

THE SCHOOL AD CHILDRES HOME

UDER THREAT OF CLOSURECivil servant Huetterot dealt with the letter; he was a man one could talkto. Unfortunately he did not promise to read the enclosed document, buton the contrary, tried hard to convince us that we must change if we

were to avoid dire consequences. We asked what consequences he wastalking about, and Huetterot actually gave us the information we wantedto hear. He said that the school and the childrens home must be closeddown, guests must be banned, and you may no longer engage inpropaganda; all that is in the past!Now we knew which way the wind was blowing. We tried to point outseveral areas where common ground could be found with the new

government, but he just answered: Yes, but what about the protocols?He had extractedsections of the confiscated protocols and put themtogether accordingly. We studied the results. Huetterot had very carefully cut out sections of two or three lines at a time, and nowread to us something that we had once mentioned in conversation, thingslike predator of the state, Awaiting the Kingdom of God inMarxism, and the like.

Hans Boller and I also had been asked to look around in Kassel, tosee what the chances of selling the Bruderhof would be in the event wehad no other option. We spoke to the C.V.J.M.-Secretary, Paul Herzog.[C.V.J.M. stands for Christlicher Verein Junger Mnner / SCM, orStudent Christian Movement.] But he was quick to take leave of us assoon as he heard the Gestapo was interested in us. We also went to theGovernor [of Hessen-Nassau], Freiherr von Mombart. He received us in


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Keep In Touch ewsletter 10 Vol XX o 1 April 2008Hans Zumpe, 1931, the author

of this documentation

his big SA uniform, standingbefore us, arm raised insilent Nazi salute. When weasked for advice, he said ithad nothing to do with him;the matter was in the handsof the Gestapo.

The first thing we did on

our return was to try to get ateacher from outside, in thehope we would then be ableto keep the school. In a letteron the 22nd of November weasked Dr. Kellner, the localeducation officer in Kasselto put one of the authorityscertified teachers at ourdisposal. In the days thatfollowed it soon became

clear to us that we would have to close the school and the childrenshome, and take other appropriate action. We made the decision to takethe children to safety. As long as our future in Germany was in danger,the children entrusted into our care could not remain on the Bruderhof.

These separations were painful. Hans Boller drove to Kassel withLuise [Kolb later married to Bruce Sumner] and Erna [Steenken latermarried Friedemann], Georg [Barth] took Edgar Zimmermann toNrnberg, Marie [Eckardt] took Rudi [Hildel] to Fulda, I took HelmuthBreitstein to Hanau and Liesel [Wegner later married Arnold] toDarmstadt. We had to find accommodation for the children somehow.Before their departure we met in the kitchen for an extremely sadBrotherhood meeting, made even more so because it was right at thebeginning of Advent. Every one of us who knows what this time meanson the Bruderhof, can well imagine how we felt that year.

ESTABLISHIG COTACT WITH OTHER COUTRIESWe would need to do a lot more travelling. Hans Meier went toSwitzerland, and from there wrote to the Hutterites in Canada and to

Hardy Arnold in England. We hoped that with help from abroad wecould avoid the worst. Hans Meier tried to find out if we could establishourselves and the school in Switzerland. At the same time he madeenquiries about Czechoslovakia and the possibilities of settling there.

I went to visit various German Mennonites, for example ChristianHege in Frankfurt am Main. We had hoped to find a connection throughthe well established Anabaptists, and jointly to fight the government forconcessions in respect of our Faith. These visits were a greatdisappointment to us. Christian Hege, the joint publisher of theMennonite Encyclopedia was a very timid little man. During my visit heendured extreme agony because someone might have heard us or seenus together. He did speak a lot about his ancestors, but he didn't reallylook like someone who was prepared to be a martyr.

A visit to another group was also fruitless. On the 12th of December

I was sent to Karlsruhe to visit Professor Unruh, the most importantMennonite in Germany. He had lead the emigration of the RussianMennonites into Paraguay. Unruh, however, was fully convinced thatNational Socialism was right. The five hour discussion was extremely

OTES BY THE EDITOR: Hans Zumpe presented a condensedversion of this report during meetings in Primavera on 26th and 28th July1945 for the 25th anniversary of the Bruderhof.

While quotes from Eberhard Arnold and newspaper clippings etc. arereproduced verbatim, the Hans Zumpe report has been edited usingmodern terminology, but eliminating none of the content. More aboutthe history of this account and its translation into English can be foundin the Introduction to Hans Zumpes Report from 1945 in the Keep In

Touch Newsletter No 3 Dec. 2007, page 8. There also begins the firstpart of this report.

Comments in angled brackets [ ] are explanations by the editors.

SA: Nazi Sturmabteilung/BraunhemdenSS: Nazi Schutz-Staffel/Schwarzhemden

unsettling. Unruh said repeatedly, that all German Mennonites werebehind the new government, and were even prepared to do militaryservice.

BRAVE WORDS BY THE THEOLOGIA, KARL HEIMWe stood all alone. That became clear in the days that followed.Eberhard Arnold often said: If we disappear, no one will even notice!Karl Barths periodical Von der Freiheit des Evangeliums [Freedomin the Gospel] encouraged us at the time. He wrote decisively insupport of freedom of speech for which he was later expelled fromGermany. There were still some very brave men around. We were very

grateful for the expert opinion presented by the professor of theology,Karl Heim, on the 26th of November, 1933. They were very brave wordsduring those days. His expert opinion is reproduced here in its entirety:

I have kept in touch with Eberhard Arnold, son of the deceased churchhistorian in Breslau, since his student days. I have seen the personalsacrifices and hard farm labor the founding of a growing communityhas cost him. In these hard times establishing this farm in the heart ofGermany has been achieved only by dint of sheer hard work. The earlyChristian community of goods, which is practiced on the Bruderhof, inaccordance with the Hutterian Brothers of the time of theReformation is much older than any political communism, and hasabsolutely nothing to do with the latter. On the contrary the activebrotherly love that reaches out every year to hundreds of financially andemotionally poor compatriots, giving them a home and work for

however long is needed has contributed more to overcome politicalcommunism at the core than anything that is happening today toovercome Marxism.

From what I have heard, the plan is to dissolve the Bruderhof, becauseits members live together according to Franciscan ideals. True toHutterian tradition, each member individually refuses to take part in anyform of violence, which of course includes military service. Dissolvingthe Bruderhof in haste would result in quite a number of farmingfamilies being left penniless out on the streets and forced to emigrate, asthey are without private means. According to their religious vows theycannot deviate from their lifelong commitment and the rules of theircommunity. For foreign policy reasons alone, I would consider suchforceful measures unwise. If the Germany of today were to force theseselfless people to emigrate, it would result in tremendous damage to

Germanys reputation abroad. Furthermore, for the following reasons, Icannot see any legitimate reason to take such drastic measures:

1) the Bruderhofs early christian community of goods has no moreto do with political communism than the co-operative communityorganization of the Brdergemeine [Brothers Community alsoknown as Herrnhuter]. The Bruderhof is just the expression for areligious bond.

2) The rejection of military service, as practiced here, is a purelypersonal matter. The use of force by the state is explicitly recognized asessential. This stance has nothing to do with pacifism. If, for example,Catholic monks are allowed to abstain from military service, becausethey are bound by the vows of their order, it is difficult to understandwhy this exception cannot also be made in this case.

Landrat von Gagern, our old District Councilor, also remained welldisposed towards us. He now worked in the same position inMelsungen.

THE BRUDERHOF IS THE SUBJECT OF A

AUTHORITIES MEETIGOn the 1st of December we once again called on the authorities atKassel, only to find new problems had arisen. Some relatives of ourBruderhof members who could not understand our way of life, hadspoken to the authorities. Amongst them was the mother of Edith[Boeker, later married to Hardy Arnold] with the assertion that she hadbeen forcefully taken from her home. I found out from the personresponsible, senior civil servant von Kruse, that this could influence the

imminent decision of the authorities regarding the future of ourBruderhof.

It was terrible not knowing what the next day would bring astressful state of affairs which would last for a long time. So, again Iproceeded to the ice-cold Governor and at least managed to find this outfrom him: On the 11th of December a meeting between the Gestapo, theDistrict Councilors and the Governor was to take place to discuss


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Keep In Touch ewsletter 11 Vol XX o 1 April 2008everything. Mombart also said that if we wanted to give him someinformation for the meeting, we could do so.

We put together an extensive memorandum, Material for theMeeting about the Bruderhof and posted it on the 6th of December.Apart from the clarification of various misunderstandings and theexplanation of our positive attitude towards the state, we were very openin setting out the things about the new regime that filled us withconcern.Because of this, the petition was of even greater importance,reaching far beyond the Bruderhof. In Germany there had not beenmany who so openly denounced what had become the basic principlesof National Socialism. The relevant section of this petition reads as

follows:From the standpoint of our faith, and in this positive context, ourstrictly confidential and normally closed brotherhood meetingsexpressed yet again the innermost Christian based concern in thefollowing points. We are at variance with the government but begyou not to confuse our outspokenness with hostility. From thecommitment to our faith we dearly love and honor all the men of thegovernment.

"1.) The present governments demand for the primacy and absoluteauthority of the state and the rule it exerts over its people through theimposition of its ideology gives us cause for serious concern. Such asituation inevitably brings a community which is bound to Christinto the most difficult conflict of conscience, because obeying Godand the Kingdom of Heaven must be our first priority.

"2.) Faith is a necessity for the life within the community; thisfreedom of conscience seems to be at risk, endangering the freedomof conviction which asks nothing more than for us, his followers, tolive by the best, the purest spirit of Jesus Christ, who for us is theonly leader, master and liberator.

3) Freedom of speech and education are of the greatest importanceto the apostolic mission of Jesus Christ; without these we cannotsurvive. For this reason, all faithful Christians must obey the call ofGod, without looking to the left or to the right. We ask you to clarifyto what extent this will still be possible in Germany.

4.) So we are facing an extremely difficult and tormenting moraldilemma concerning whether or not todays reigning national

movement, the elevation of the individual and the state with itscommands should stand above God and His word, above Christ andthe Holy Spirit, when all those called to Christianity must honor Godabove all else and must obey God before man.

5.) In particular the appearance of the absolute belief in the purityof the Aryan blood, especially of the Nordic type, arouses Christianconcern that the divine measurement of justice and equity towardspeople with other blood is violated.

6.) Finally, history has warned us over the centuries, that in spite ofthe best intentions of the responsible leader, any harsh judgmentimposed by the state will affect the guilty, the partially guilty andalso the innocent. Most of all the innocent representatives of the loveof Christ and his justice may feel the full force of the punishing fury,even though the actual intention of all this severity was to be

directed at the evil and corruption, in which these Christians had nopart whatsoever.

From our hearts we beseech you not to judge us as unfriendly, eventreacherous or inflammatory, nor think of it as merely possible.Please recognize as the absolute truth burning and concernedlove as the foundation and the reason for this stand. It is the love thatseeks for truth; the love from the heart that strives to believe andhope for all that is good and right and is prepared to suffer anyhardship arising from this; the love from the heart that embraces alladversaries, and has a genuine willingness to be taught andenlightened by Gods word and truth, wherever representatives oflimited human understanding have gone astray.

In this memorandum we also informed them about having heard rumors

that the Bruderhof would barely last for another four weeks. If this wasthe case, we asked them to give us time to wind up our affairs in peace,particularly as it would otherwise be impossible to adequately meet theobligations concerning our creditors.

In the middle of December we submitted more petitions. They weresent to the Prussian Minister of Culture, Bernhard Rust, and to the ReichMinister of State for Agriculture, Dr. Darr. We drew attention to the

threatened dissolution of the Bruderhof. Both ministers were asked inview of the seriousness of this event to ensure that our property was notsplit up, but that our cultural achievements should be maintained. Wereferred to Emil Mller and his attempt to retract the land he had sold tous and declare it as a not saleable Erbhof [a family farm of small size].The Minister of State for Agriculture replied to our submission with afriendly instruction regarding the Reichserbhofgesetz [which cameinto effect 1933 by the National Socialists]. In the last paragraph Darractually confirmed that he understood one of our basic principles.

Darr explained: I will leave it up to you to lodge an application atthe "Anerbengericht" [a specific law court dealing with complaints

regarding the succession for farmland]. Let me note that the approval ofthe "Anerbengericht" is given on a voluntary jurisdiction basisaccording par. 37 of the "Reichserbhofgesetz." A real lawsuit fromwhich you want to abstain according to your principles is therefore notpossible.

FRIEDS WITHDREWDuring these difficult weeks of Advent we printed a note which we sentto our friends together with the pamphlet Light and Fire.

Here are the most important passages from this Adventsgru derArbeitsgemeinschaft des Bruderhofs [Advent Greeting from theBruderhof work community]:

This time it is not possible for us to send out a detailed Adventgreeting as we did for 1932 although we have an even stronger urge to

greet all those who participated in our inner striving during the pastthirteen years to live in the way the early Christians lived.

With fond thoughts and heartfelt thanks we turn specifically to you asfriends of the Bruderhof, who have enjoyed our publications in the past.Along with this brief greeting we enclose our pamphlet Light and Fire.We hope that this special edition of an important chapter from the bookInnenland will answer many of your questions.

Above all, this pamphlet can clarify the relationship of a communitybased on the creed of Christ to the historically important events oftoday. The subtitle of the publication reads: Das Weltgericht derWeltgeschichte und das sammelnde Licht der Gemeinde Christi [TheLast Judgement of World History and the Gathering Light of theCommunity of Christ]. This gives a statement of our creed, namely that

by the fire of Gods fury and judgement the power of order will be born,even while the light of Christs love will gather enemies in the unity ofthe community order of total love as an expression of the innermostheart of God. With this belief as our foundation, we continue to workand live as always, in the same way as the Hutterites did for fourhundred years.

Rhnbruderhof schoolchildren 1931 from left: Werner Helwig, Wolfgang

Loewenthal, Hnsel Helwig, Rudi Hildel, Uwe Hellwig, Jrg Barth, Marta

Kunzelmann, Inge Kunzelmann, in front of her Walla von Hollander, Eberle

Hellwig, Elfriede Braun, Roland Keiderling, Gertrud Braun, in front of her

Peter Keiderling and Rita Kunzelmann (private photo)

We hope to be able to stay in our beloved German homeland andcontinually renew the contact with our friends for whom our witness isimportant. May we be led together even more closely in recognition thatthe Kingdom of God is near. So we greet you again with the Adventwish for the fulfilment of peace!

We did not receive any answers to our Advent Greeting. It was clearthat people were retreating from us.


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Keep In Touch ewsletter 12 Vol XX o 1 April 2008CREDITORS DEMAD PAYMET

Of course the publicity of the house search in November had an effecton our creditors, who came in droves, all worried about their money. Iremember one in particular, who brought with him a very tall armed SS-man, who positioned himself in front of me in a threatening pose whilethe creditor demanded his money. I also remember the coal man who

came up the steps stuttering in agitation, the S S S S S S S has visitedyou He refused point blank to deliver any more coal to us anddemanded his money. That was in December, and our money had beenspent on the numerous journeys. We were short of heating fuel, andeverything else too.

To be continued in next issue

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ext ewsletter (planned for August): Please send your letters, articles, poems, etc., to Charlie or Erdmuthe. Contributions are welcomed.

The most convenient and less costing way to post the ewsletter is by email.

Contact details for volunteers who produce Keep In Touch:

Charles Lamar: receives/edits articles, letters, etc. Address: PO Box 460141, San Francisco, CA 94146-0141, USA. Tel: ++1-414-386-6072 -Email: [email protected] Arnold: receives/edits articles, letters etc, she makes the layout; address: Ostendstrae 22, 60314, Frankfurt, Germany.

Tel: ++49-69-444099 - Email: [email protected] Jackson: maintains address lists, sends out email newsletters, collects Euro donations. Address: 7 Severn Street, Longridge,Lancashire, PR3 3ND. UK. Email: [email protected] - Tel: ++44-(0)1772-784473 or ++44-(0)7703-133369Dave Ostrom: mails USA and Canada paper newsletters. Email: [email protected] Lord: mails paper newsletters for Europe and the rest of the world (Argentine, Brazil, Paraguay, Australia). Email: [email protected]

Please ote: If you need an enlarged printout of the Newsletter (size A3) please contact Linda.

Depending on which currency you use, please send your money to:

Tim Johnson: US$ cash or checks made out to Tim Johnson. Address: 155 Garden Lane, Decatur, GA30030, USA. Tel: ++1-404-373-0633; Email: [email protected] MacDonald: UK checks, cash or Bank transfer. Please check details with Joy. Address: Foxglen, Pinemount Road, Camberley,Surrey, GU15 2LU, UK. Tel: ++44-(0)1276-26938. Email: [email protected] Jackson: Euro checks, cash or Bank transfer. She has opened a Euro Kit account in Germany. Volksbank Brggen-NettetalEG, BLZ: 31062154, Kontonummer 2201052010, Objektbezeichnung: KIT. From other currencies Euros can be deposited into theaccount using: IBAN: DE52 3106 2154 2201 0520 10, or BIC: GENODED1KBN for foreign currency. Linda asks all of you, whotransferred their money to give her a short notice. Address: see her address above.

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