KIT Volume XXII No 1 April 2010

7/31/2019 KIT Volume XXII No 1 April 2010

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The KIT Newsletter editorial staff welcomes all suggested contributions for publication in the Newsletter from subscribers and read-ers, but whether a given submission meets the criteria for publication is at the sole discretion of the editors. While priority will begiven to original contributions by people with past Bruderhof connections, any letters, articles, or reports which the editors deem to beof historical or personal interest or to offer new perspectives on issues of particular relevance to the ex-Bruderhof Newsletter reader-ship may be included as well. The editors may suggest to the authors changes to improve their presentation.

Have you made your KIT Newsletter subscription/donation payment this year? Please find details on last page.

Contents

Letters to the Editor: 1. More about Lizzie Boller and herFamily, 2. Bessie Harries Memories 1Bulstrode Gathering in April 2010 1Remembering My Sister Elsie 2No Europe KIT-Weekend this Year 3My Cousin Elsemarie 4Das Zauberwort heit Vergebung 4The Magic Word is Forgiveness 5GlhwrmchenReim 5Glow WormPoem 5The Individual and Group Need 6

Memories of Cotswold and Primavera - Part 2 7The Confrontation Between The Bruderhof And TheGermanNational-Socialist Government 1933-1937Part 8 9Book Review: Not Without My Sister 13Contact Details of KIT Volunteers 14

Letters to the Editor:

More about Lizzie Boller and her Family

Miriam Holmes to Hummer, December 31st 2009: Dear KITstaff. A big thank you for the latest KIT with the Address List. Iappreciate all the work that you put in it, and eagerly readthrough the issue.

I would like to correct some factual information about LizzieMaendel as reported in KIT:

Actually her mother Rachel died in Forest River when it wasa Bruderhof.Also, seven of Rachel's ten children joined the Bru-derhof initially. Besides Lizzie Boller, David Maendel, who wasmarried to Anna Waldner; Sarah, who was married to Pete Ho-fer; Jake Maendel, married to LizzieWaldner; Josh Maendel,married to Else Pleil; Hardy Maendel, who may have committedsuicide in 1972 about a decade after he was sent away fromNew Meadow Run; and Adina Maendel, who, as an orphan, waslooked after by Pete and Sarah Hofer in Oak Lake.

Some were sent away during the early 60's others stayed untilthe bitter end. I do not know which ones who stayed are stillalive.

KIT: According to a note by Lizzies son Mike Boller onlythree of those family members named above stayed: Lizzie, Daveand Sarah. Mike also corrects the cause of Hans-Ulis death: Hedied of a burst blood vessel or aneurism in his neck in 1972.

Tim Johnson to Hummer, December 31st 2009: Another correc-tion is that Lizzie was actually aged 73, not 75, when she died. Iremember her well from the first time I saw her, Susie and Doro-thy, all surnamed Maendel, but from different (albeit inter-married and related) Maendel families at Forest River. Hans Ulicould hardly be described as a "Bruderhof youngster" by the time

of their Summer 1956 engagement and wedding, as he was about30 to Lizzie's 20 or perhaps 21 at the time. I do recall the oddtrio of Heiner Kleiner, Jerry Marchant, and me, singing "Sah einKnab ein Rslein stehn..." at their engagement or "Polterabend".Lizzie's mother, Rachel Basel, died February 4 th, 1957, at ForestRiver, where she was indeed a member of the Bruderhof faction,in very good standing!

Bulstrode Gathering in April 2010

By Andy Harries

To all Ex-Bruderhofers and friends: I have been able to book theroom at Bulstrode, which we had last year and a few times be-fore, again.

Date: Saturday, April 24th

2010

The room is available for us from 10.30am to 5.30pm. WEC In-ternational have kindly allowed us the use of the dining room at

the back with access to hot water so we can make our own drinksthere. We will bring basic milk, sugar, tea and coffee. Pleasebring some food along to share. Just as we did last time we cansit outside on the veranda with free access to the lovely Bul-strode Park and grounds. Please do not smoke indoors. No alco-hol and no littering anywhere.

We will have a collection for a voluntary contribution whichwe can give to the people from WEC International as a thank youfor kindly allowing us the use of the room and grounds.

I will put out a sheet of paper at the reception for everybodyto sign on arrival. This is a legal requirement in case of fire. Ifyou enter through the main front door, the reception will be onthe right. Also on the right are toilets.

Please pass this information on to others who might be inter-ested in joining us on our day at Bulstrode.

For what it's worth, in any "correction", I don't think the termsuicide should be applied to her youngest brother, Hardy, thoughit may have been just that. The circumstances are actually quitemurky, and certainly reflect very badly on the Bruderhof, butHardy had quite severe physical and mental health problems, andthough the circumstances of his death were looked into exten-sively by several people (including one who had no Bruderhofconnections, but had got to know Hardy in Pittsburgh), the earlyreports of suicide were not definitively confirmed. Perhaps that's

irrelevant, however, to the tragedy of his death. As another Pitts-burgh Non-Bruderhofer who knew him commented to me, thetragedy was that he died alone!

Bessie Harries Memories

Bette Bohlken to Hummer, January 21st

2010: Andy Harries, Ienjoyed reading the story of your Mom, with all the nice photosin the last KIT Letter! I remember when your parents came. Yourmother had a green silk or velvet dress, which we Kindergartenchildren loved to touch and feel with our little hands. It felt sosoft. My sister Heidi was soon friends with your sister Jennie.That friendship remained intact all of Heidi's life.

Your mother taught us English nursery rhymes as well asoutdoor circle games. I remember:

Jack Sprat could eat nofat, his wife would eat no lean,

And so between the two of them, they kept the platter clean."

I also remember this childrens dance:


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Keep In Touch Newsletter 2 Vol. XXII No 1 April 2010

"Here we go loobiloo, here we go loobily,

here we go loobiloo all on a Saturday night!

Put your right foot in, put your right foot out,

shake it a little a little, and turn yourself around."

My mother was sick at the time after Kilian was born so noone came to pick me up in the evenings. Before going home toher own family, your mother would clean up the Kindergarten.Then she would hold me by the hand and take me home to our

dear Margot Savodelli (later married to Cyril Davies), and mybrothers and sisters. On the way we would sing. I remember hersaying: "You are such a good little girl!" I understood what shewas saying even though we were brought up speaking German.This made me feel so good, somehow accepted. No one ever saidsomething nice, or praised us when we were children, so thisgave me a warm feeling I remember to this day. It felt specialwalking along the dark path under the trees with her from theKindergarten to the old grey cottage where we lived on theCotswold Bruderhof.

I can add most of the childrens names to the photo in the lastKIT on page 8: They arefrom left to right:

Rachel Mason, Johnny Mason, Eberhard-Claus Arnold in

front of Dorli Bolli; then Martin Dyroff (?), Bette Zumpe, Ben

(Bdja) Zumpe and Hansli Martin in front of wagon. The child-ren sitting on the wagon are Gabriel (Gabi) Arnold, the girl withcap I do not know, David Hssy, another girl with cap, and Ki-lian Zumpe. The last one must be one of the Kaiser children.

Gertrud Wegner-Braun is the other woman taking care of us.

Remembering My Sister ElsieOctober 5th

1949 to January 10th

2010

By Susanna Alves

Hildegard Elsa Maria, the eighth child of nine, born in Paraguayon October 5th, 1949, was small and agile as a baby. At sevenmonths she already managed to stand, and at nine months tookher first steps. Soon she was climbing all over the place. She wasa tomboy, incredibly energetic, always on the move. Some bit ofhers had to be in motion at all times. If Mother scolded her impa-

tiently, So sit still for once, for goodness sake!, shed freeze toa tiny sitting statue but if you looked beneath the table, youdsee that she was still wiggling her toes. It was impossible for herto keep still.

Already early on she made her personality well known. As aseven-month old little jack-in-the-box in her crib, it so happenedthat she knew well how to stand up, but not how to sit downagain. When shed get tired on her thin little legs, shed start tocry. Someone would come and sit her down, but immediatelyshed stand up again and beam at you with a huge smile. And sothe game went.

Now it wasnt only her wails because she didnt know how tosit herself down, but also other naughty habits, with which she

made herself quite disliked among the carers at the Babyhouse.I decided then to take her under my wings. And thus began a

relationship between the two of us which would last for six dec-ades. I was ten years older than her, old enough to understandwhat was going on. Whenever I could, I would try and protectElsie, be that at home with Father and Mother, or in the child-rens departments where she spent her day.

I often went to pick her up from Kindergarten after the siesta,to bring her home for our vesper [the early afternoon tea]. Everyso often shed appear with a bulging cheek.

Whats that in your mouth?Meat. I cant swallow it.The children always had to eat up and leave their platters

clean.Now she was finally allowed to spit it out. Shed had it in her

mouth for the last three hours. It was totally bleached, tough, andfibrous. I felt so sorry for her.

She was lean like a boy, she also liked to behave like one,always barefoot, always on the go, a true tomboy.

She had a big mouth and cheeky tongue. Her voice was loud andshe loved to climb and to sing.

In November 1959 when Elsie was ten years old I wrote thefollowing in my diary:

Else-Maria is often quite reserved, she daydreams with dark

eyes which makes me wonder what deep things might be goingon inside her; or the way she can laugh so endearingly, and her

tomfoolery; or her tomboyish ways! In that she seems to be tak-

ing after our mother!

She is like a riddle to me.

Her hair is blonde and straight and she wears it open. Her

grey eyes can sometimes become very dark, nearly black, when

she feels something deeply, be that pain or anger. Or they can

sparkle greenish like those of a cat, especially when she is hap-

py, or is being purposely cheeky. She turned ten on the 5th

Octo-

ber.

As a small child we often teased her because she could never

sit completely still. Even if it was only her large toe that moved,

or the corners of her mouth shed turn down imperceptibly, shesimply couldnt remain still.

She was frequently found high up in tree tops which she loved

to climb, she also rode passionately, did gymnastics and could

do twelve consecutive pull-ups when she was only six or seven

years old, without getting tired.

At mealtimes she always demanded the biggest and best

piece. She could also quarrel endlessly!

She was a good observer and could differentiate well during

conflicts between siblings. She couldnt bear injustices! She nev-

er was as cuddly as Miggeli [her younger brother Paul by four-

teen months] but she always had a deep desire to be loved and to

love in return.

Sometimes Id find her sitting with eyes not fixed on anythingin particular, her pupils large and dark. Then Id ask myself:

what is going on in that little head?

Spatuni is the nickname I gave her. She always laughs at

it, imitating me when I say it, but I know that she loves this name,

because she understands what I mean by it.


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No Europe KIT-Weekend this Year

By Joy MacDonald

There was some discussion at Friendly Crossways in August2009 regarding the future of the KIT weekend gatherings. Thisquestion had also been raised at our annual picnic day at Bul-strode in 2009, and a majority, more than twenty-five people, felt

that if we could continue our Spring Bulstrode visit that wouldsatisfy them more than a long weekend.

Personally, I have greatly enjoyed our KIT weekend gather-ings, whether at Friendly Crossways, in England or Germany,and have attended as many as possible, but Im no longer able toorganize the UK-Gathering, though Id be happy to support andhelp out anyone who felt able to do so. So, no Europe KIT week-end is happening in England during 2010, but everyone is morethan welcome to join our KIT Bulstrode day on Saturday 24 thApril [details see page 1 in this Newsletter].

If coming from a distance, lets arrange ways of hiking, orsightseeing, or just visiting with friends in the UK.

We had a swing at home and whenever Elsie sat on it, shed beovercome by an urge to sing. I remember vividly how shedshout rather than sing the line of a Christmas carol she particular-ly loved: O-du-Meigo, o-du-Meigo, singen Englein so fein...(Oh-du-MeigomeaningOh Du mein Gott), while flying high-er and ever higher on that swing.

Father had built her a bar for gymnastics because she loved todo physical exercises. She was a real daredevil, and impossibleto control.

In mid-1959 the family moved from Paraguay to Uruguay,then in 1960 to Germany, and finally in 1961 away from theBruderhof community and to Switzerland, into a totally new cul-ture. It was truly a radical change of worlds for the whole family.

By then I already lived in Brazil, having left the Bruderhof inearly 1960. Thus for the next five to six years my contact withthe family, with Elsie was kept alive by correspondence. But theconnection remained strong.

In December of 1964 I visited my family in Switzerland forthe first time. Elsie was now fifteen years old, a young woman.She continued as cheeky and rebellious as ever, and was by nowfollowing her own secret paths. Many years later she told me ofher adventures of those times. I will let them go without enter-ing into details.

She was impossible to control. Our parents had terrible prob-

lems with her. But she was good in school, very promising. Andthen there was this creative side of hers possibly awakenedthrough her close contact with our uncle Hans Fischli, the artist,painter, sculptor, architect which now emerged. She was trulyartistically highly gifted.

Sadly, she didnt follow through with this gift and its possi-bilities. Her revolt against all social norms and regulations droveher constantly into rebellion, and she was only seventeen yearsold when she became pregnant. That was in 1967.

In more or less the last minute she married the father of thechild. Barely three weeks after the wedding on December 30th1967her much beloved son Andreas was born.

Sadly, her marriage lasted only about two years, when she re-

turned home with little Andreas to stay with our parents whowere now living in Oberrieden.

Now began another completely new chapter in her life. Withher business training she soon found a job, as she had to go earna living to keep herself and her small son Andreas. But she wasonly twenty years old, an age in which one likes to go out, for

dancing, flirting, dating, all those things that a young woman ofthat age likes to do. Those were times full of conflict for her andour parents.

From 1966 I began to visit our parents in Oberrieden regular-ly every year or two, always in company of my own little daugh-ter Andra, about one-and-a-half years older than Andreas. Sobegan a brotherly-sisterly relationship between Elsies son andmy daughter, which intensified from 1975 when I came to Swit-

zerland to live there with Andra. As I too was a single mother atthat time, I too had to go out to work, and during the day, Andraand Andreas stayed in the care of their grandmother (our motherHilde).

At weekends Elsie would get her excursion fever. Repeatedlywed spend the Saturdays or Sundaysor bothwith the child-ren somewhere along the river Sihl, or at the various lakes in thearea, on the shores of Lake Zurich, on the Pfannenstiel hill, inGermanys Black Forest, in the towns of Schaffhausen and Neu-hausen, at the lake Greifensee there were always new destina-tions to explore. When Andra began to get interested in cookerythere were whole family outings with Grandpa and Grandma andwonderful picnics. During these outings there was always a lot to

laugh about and plenty of opportunities for tomfoolery.Elsie was the natural star of the party. We often went to eatout with the children, and were soon well known. It happenedagain and again that Elsie could begin laughing because of somefunny remark or joke, and her laughter was so contagious that thewhole restaurant would break into peals of laughter, although no-one apart from ourselves knew what it was about. Elsie was a rayof sunshine, someone with whom spending time was a real joy,wherever and whenever. She had a fine sense of humor, shequickly saw the funny aspects in many everyday situations, andshe had a gift for awaking enthusiasm and carrying along allthose in her company. She was the born entertainer.

Her many personal experiences sadly included also some

great disappointments. She began to withdraw ever more. It sad-dened me because now that golden spark of hers was beginningto fade and go out. She started to screen herself off. Her job andthe stress at the office weighed heavily upon her. Shed go outless and less after work with friends and colleagues, somethingshe used to love doing in earlier times. She hated her computer,didnt want to know anything about new gadgets like mobilephones. She absolutely hated the telephone and everything thatintruded into her quiet world and living space which she occu-pied with her beloved cats, unless it was invited and desired. Shebuilt barriers around herself, invisible but very perceptible.

By now I was living for a while already in England, and shecame once to visit for a week. We enjoyed the time together, she

let herself be spoiled, and once again we had plenty of opportuni-ties to laugh a lot and uncontrollably.

I also visited repeatedly in Switzerland, where my daughterwas now living, which allowed me to remain very much in con-tact with Elsie, despite her newly chosen solitary way of life.

Of course we were not always at peace with one another, sheand I. We had our quarrels, our fights. In occasional family dis-putes where all present members would have their say, and theoutcome wouldnt be according to Elsies convictions, she couldget quite cross and wrap herself in offended silence. But after awhile shed loosen up again and any old excuse would suffice tobring her back, and everything would run along once more inpeace and happiness.

She had a gift of swearing madly. During such moments Ialways remembered little Elsie in Paraguay with her big andcheeky mouth, because she never lost that aspect of her charac-ter.

She often used me as a lightning-rod and continued doing soalthough from 2005 I was now living in Argentina. Shed call me


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schen, die mir und unserer Familie bel mitgespielt haben, sam-melten sich an. Ich kam mir vor wie ein verwundetes Reh. Alles,was mir einmal etwas bedeutet hatte, war verschwunden, verlo-ren und mir Wertvolles vergraben.

Gott sei es gedankt, ich bin zu der Erkenntnis gekommen,diesen Mll und Schutthaufen Gott abzugeben. Das Zauberwortist Vergebung. Als ich vergab, ging es mir tatschlich viel bes-ser. Die Gefhle waren zwar noch vorhanden, aber mir ging es

besser und ich fhlte mich frei! Auerdem stellte ich fest, dassich nicht der Richter bin, sondern Gott allein!Mit dem Vergeben habe ich ganz klein angefangen, indem

ich erst einmal denen, die mich am meisten verletzt hatten,vergab. Das ist nicht leicht, aber es geht. Vieles kam immer wie-der hoch, aber ich sagte mir: Du hast verziehen.

Ich lasse mir meinen Frieden jetzt nicht mehr rauben. DerBruderhof ist selber verantwortlich fr das, was er tut und musses einmal vor Gott verantworten.

Vergessen wir aber nicht unsere schne Kindheit, die wir inPrimavera hatten. Ich habe so viele schne Erinnerungen, dielasse ich mir nicht nehmen. Ich hoffe, dass es Euch auch gelingt,die Vergangenheit bei Gott abzugeben.

Ganz herzliche Gre an alle, die den KIT-Brief lesen!

Translation by Linda Lord Jackson:

The Magic Word is Forgiveness

By Marili Matthus, nee Friedemann

Dear friends! I have the urge to write to you. I would like to givethose who were sent away from the Bruderhof some helpfulhints, and perhaps also courage to forgive the Bruderhofs beha-

GlhwrmchenReim von Marili Matthus-Friedemann

Hinterm Urwald die Sonne langsam verschwand,

die Quellwolken zierte ein goldenes Band.

Dieser Anblick war wunderschn,

der ganze Himmel schien zu glhn.

Sobald die Sonne entschwand,

herrschte Dunkelheit im Land.

Der herrliche Sternenhimmel war nun zu sehn,

aber auch kleine Kfer, leuchtend schn!

Glhwrmchen wir diese Kfer nannten,bei denen im Flug zwei Lichter brannten,

die direkt hinter ihren Augen lagen.

Fr uns Kinderein Objekt zum Jagen!

Wir hinter den Glhwrmchen her hetzten,

und sie dann in ein Glas reinsetzten.

Wenn abends wir zu Bette gingen,

die Kfer zu leuchten anfingen.

Taschenlampen hatten wir dort nicht,

so gaben die Kfer uns ihr Licht.

Doch Tags darauf wir sie in Freiheit setzten,

damit sie uns abends wieder glhend ergtzten.Sie flogen kreuz und quer umher,

ihr nchtliches Gefunkel erfreute sehr.

Lange ists her, lngst vorbei

diese Zeit in Paraguay.

vior towards us, regardless of the reason for being sent away. Ihave realized we accumulate many things in our lives goodthings, as well as things that can damage us.

Negativessuch as rage, anger, bitterness, irreconcilability damage us. Thats how it was for me. I carried loads of such gar-bage around with me. It was a great burden. Personally I wentthrough some very painful experiences even before I was sentaway. I could not understand them, and had difficulty processing

them. I no longer understood God, and even less, the Bruderho-fers.

The pile of garbage in my heart grew. I accumulated insults,lies, injustices, humiliation and images of people who had treatedme and our family badly. I felt like a wounded animal. Every-thing that once meant so much to me disappeared and was lost;everything precious to me was buried.

Thank God I realized I could unload this pile of junk andgarbage onto God. The magic word is forgiveness. Once I couldforgive, I really felt so much better. Although the feelings werestill there, I felt better. I felt free! I also realized that it is not Iwho am the judge, but God alone!

To achieve forgiveness I started, very gradually at first, by

forgiving those who had caused me most pain. This is not easy,but it is doable. Many things resurfaced again and again, but Isaid to myself: 'You have forgiven.'

I will not allow my freedom to be taken from me again. TheBruderhof is personally responsible for what it does, and mustanswer to God one day.

But lets not forget the wonderful childhood we had in Pri-mavera. I have so many wonderful memories; they can never betaken from me. I hope you too are able to offload the past intoGods hands.

Warmest greetingsto all who read the KIT-letter!

Little Glow WormsPoem by Marili Matthus-Friedemann

Behind the jungle the sun is sinking,

Cumulus clouds, gold rimmed are blinking.

This is such a wonderful sight

The glowing sky turning to night.

As soon as the sun has gone

We know that darkness had won.

It's a wonderful sight, the star studded skies

Enhanced by small beetles with glowing bright eyes.

Glow Worms, their name as far as we knew.Two bright lights could be seen when they flew,

Above their eyes they were shining bright.

For us children the hunt is in sight.

In a frenzy the Glow Worms we chased

Caught in a glass with excitement and haste.

Then at night when we went off to bed

The beetles glowed bright yellow and red.

We didnt have torches to give us a light,

We had little Glow Worms all through the night.

The next day we woke up and set them all free,

At night to delight us again possibly.Hither and thither they flew at their leisure,

Their nightly glowing gave us much pleasure.

Its a long time ago, a long time gone by Those times in Paraguay.

[Poetic translation by Linda Lord Jackson]


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The Individual and Group NeedBy Dan Thorn

Introductory Note to KIT readers by Tim Johnson. As most KIT

Newsletter readers are aware, KIT has been in existence for over

twenty years, and has become something of a flagship for efforts

by former Bruderhofers to maintain connections, exchange news,

and generally "keep in touch" by means of what might bedescribed as "virtual communities". In addition, aided by mod-

ern electronic media, other networks of former Bruderhofers

have provided forums for participants with particular interests,

or sometimes responding to the needs of different generations of

leavers.

In late January of this year there was spirited discussion in

"the Hummer", about questions of "self" versus "church", as

interpreted in Bruderhof teachings and practices. The recounting

of the long-term consequences of Bruderhof education and

socialization practices led to much discussion of the historical

underpinnings of the Bruderhof call to sublimate "self" to

church, and the suffocating effects on individuality and self-

esteem from long exposure to these Bruderhof social norms. Thequestion of the primacy of church over the development of

normal human relations among young adults, and the arbitrary

ways power has been exercised by church leaders in forcing

long-term or permanent separation of young would-be couples

was clearly seen as being particularly toxic in its effects.

Numerous cases were cited, and several perspectives were

presented.

Dan Thorn, a relative newcomer to the Hummer, offered a

personal perspective which other Hummer participants felt

would be of wider interest. He was invited to submit a slightly

edited version for publication in KIT, along with some

background about his own experiences in the Bruderhof, to

provide some context. We are pleased that he agreed to do so.

My way of joking is to tell the truth. It's the

funniest joke in the world.

~ George Bernard Shaw, in John Bull's Other Island

I am not a theologian. I spent considerable time thinking aboutreligion while in the Bruderhof, but I never learned more than thelittle I thought necessary at the time to make the personal deci-sions before me at that moment. I figured enough of my time had

been exhausted by religion. But setting aside ones own personalconvictions about God, there are also fascinating questions about

religion simply because it has been such a large influence in his-tory in the progress of events and the development of ideas.

Christianity, broadly speaking, is associated with western ci-vilization, the growth of democracy, and the progressive empo-werment of the individual at the expense of the state. Of coursethe Bruderhof has established an organization which is exactlyopposite to this trend. Christianity is thus associated with polardevelopments: the valuing of the individual and the destructionof the individual. Undoubtedly there are dissertations written on

just this contradiction sitting in the Harvard Divinity School li-brary.

Fortunately dilettantes are people too, so I am relieved of the

need to acquire an exhaustive understanding of an issue: dab-bling in a topic of interest is enough to reach some workableconclusion. In this case, I think the rule of moderation is appro-priately applied. Failure is found at either pole, in either extremeindividual action at the expense of the group (you cannot yell firein a crowded theater) or in always elevating the group interestat the expense of the individual (see: Bruderhof). The correct

balance between these extremes does not have a defined answer;it is just a constant balancing act.

The Individual Expected to Die to Herself

The Bruderhof is quite open and transparent in its beliefs, its ex-pectations and its demands. Every individual is expected to die toherself. This message was preached and enforced daily in mul-tiple ways. In fact, while the outcome was touted as joyful, theprocess was always plainly described as painful with no effort atsugar coating the difficulty. Indeed, I can say it was torture. Isuffered enormously as my personal sense of self was strippedfrom me, as any individual power I had was condemned, and asthe years of my development into an adult were defined by non-development. This process was not a sideshow; it was the show.They stated the thesis at the outset: you as an individual areworthless, and then proceeded to educate with this goal in mind.

I think it goes without saying that this is a polar extremity,and of course I understand anyone reading this knows all this be-fore I write it. However, why is it that I or anyone else submits tothis painful process of individual abuse? In my case, and I thinkmore generally as well, the answer lies in the appeal of the un-derlying idea. I was told I would find joy in the end, that I wouldfind Jesus, and that my sacrifice was for a goal of infinite value. Iboth trusted this guidance (for a time) and of course, I was alsocrushed daily by the power of guilt and fear. The real power inthis process however, is not that it was done to me so much as Idid it to myself. I was not murdered, so to speak, I committedrevolutionary suicide.

The truth of the matter is that it was not the leadership thatsacrificed my individuality, it was I. I willingly sacrificed myown power in pursuit of an ideal: living for Jesus and the King-dom of God. Of course, the problem, as I came to see it was thatin fact I was only sacrificing myself to the Bruderhof and to theleadership who represented the community. The connection be-tween the Bruderhof with its leadership and Jesus and the King-dom of God turns out to be somewhat wobbly and blurry. Onemight say that the joke was on me.

This is why I reacted so strongly to the list of broken en-gagements [shared on the Hummer]. Not because I was shockedby some nefarious act of the leaders (though no one is innocenthere), but because I was shocked at the power of an idea in pur-suit of which individuals would follow such a course of actionand pay so great a price.

Of course I left. I now believe the Bruderhof is a failed idea,not because I devalue the sacrifices of individual members, butbecause I believe the link between the purpose of their sacrifice(the Kingdom of God) and the intermediary of that purpose (the

Bruderhof) is so shaky. I was shocked and saddened by thepointless sacrifice, and of course it felt personal because I sawthe cost I had paid for similar actions.

I remain hesitant to miss-assign blame and cause here to theBruderhof leadership: I think the power of this idea, death ofself, is held onto strongly by many individual members and inthat sense the leadership is a reflection of the members.

Learning About Myself

If you have read this far you are no doubt wondering why I havebothered to write what you all know already. And unfortunatelyfor you, I have mostly written this for my personal edification.Matriculating to adulthood in the Bruderhof is not so dissimilar

to matriculating from high school having never learned to read. Idid not learn the language of self during the normal formativeyears where this is normally taught in modern society. Thisshows itself in the most mundane places, (what music do I like?)and in the most personal places (how do I balance my individual-ity in a marriage, getting what I need while accommodating mypartner?) and in the most practical places (how do I want to make


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a living?). I am writing this as part of my self education. For,in one of the ironies of my life, a big part of me comes from aplace that asked me to die to self.

I suppose, someone who graduated unable to read could beangry, and undoubtedly his anger would be met with some un-derstanding. However, he still would not know how to read. Per-sonally, I would recommend focusing on trying to learn how toread. And it turns out that learning late in life may not be so bad,

for as some wag noted with the corrupted Shaw quote, educa-tion is wasted on the young. I am quite happy to be learningabout myself now, and as always, I am indebted to everyone onthis forum for participating in my schooling so generously.

Background Information to my Commentary

Geoff and Molly Thorn moved to Woodcrest in November of1980. I remember the precise day because it was the day after thepresidential election and they later told me they had had to delaythe move until after they had voted for Reagan. They never leftWoodcrest and five years later they were baptized and acceptedas full members. I was nine years old then, interestingly, theywere my current age in 1980.

My two older sisters, Laura and Sarah, were eleven and thir-teen at the time, and all three of us moved to Woodcrest alongwith our parents. Laura and Sarah are both baptized membersnow. I became a novice member sometime in either 1991 or1992. My sisters' lives have been shaped by the policy of theBruderhof only to allow members to marry members and not al-low remarriage. The ratio of marriageable men to women at theBruderhof had become quite unbalanced in favor of young men.This imbalance resulted in my sisters, and many other youngwomen who grew up in the community needing to make a mo-numental choice if they decided to remain and become baptizedmembers. Simultaneous to making a lifetime commitment to thecommunity, they would be making the decision to take on anoth-er enormous personal sacrifice as many would never find a matewith whom to share their lives.

My sister Sarah has not yet married. My sister Laura marriedBasil Ebong during the communitys brief involvement with e s-tablishing a mission outpost in Nigeria. Basil and Laura had ason Roland (originally Roy) before the communitys Nigeria ex-periment failed. Subsequent to the failure of the Nigerian mis-sion, Basil and Lauras marriage failed, as did each of the mar-riages between all the Bruderhof women and the Nigerian men.Basil and the other men no longer live in the community.

My parents told me that my Dad had had a conversion expe-rience while earning his Masters in social work at Loyola State

in Chicago. There was a campus Christian group called the Na-vigators which first my Dad, and later my Mom became involvedwith. Christianity from then on became a focal point of theirlives. They became active with the charismatic movement, which

prominently featured speaking in tongues. As a kid I rememberhearing my Dad several times speaking in tongues. I heard aflow of unintelligible words.

Apparently many intentional communities were started dur-

ing the 1970s by people who interpreted the Bible as revealingthat the first Christians had lived in community. My parents be-came interested in this movement, and in 1976 joined LogosCommunity which was an intentional charismatic Christiancommunity of ten or so families started by Peter Teerling nearGrand Rapids Michigan. My parents learned about the Bruderhofwhile at Logos, and made the decision to move to Woodcrest fol-lowing a summer visit, and presumably further dialogue and cor-respondence with someone at Woodcrest.

My Dad had developed a strong conviction in a literal inter-pretation of the Bible and a strong belief in Jesus. He has consis-tently expressed to me that the reason he joined the Bruderhof isthat he became convinced that the Bruderhof was the true and

best means of living out the literal teachings of the Bible in dis-cipleship of Jesus.

I remained skeptical of each of the propositions that attractedmy Dad and Mom to the Bruderhof. My becoming a novice onlyserved to reinforce that skepticism. In the summer of 1994 it be-came mutually clear to me and the Brothers that each of us had aview of the world that was unlikely to change, so I was giventwo banana boxes in which to pack my clothes, an address of alandscaper north of Boston who would give me a job, $100 so Icould buy a train ticket, and then dropped at the Amtrak stationin Poughkeepsie NY. I was able to stop at Pleasant View on theway and hold my five month old nephew for the first and onlytime I ever saw him.

The trip to Boston was uneventful, although I was temporari-ly perplexed when I could not squeeze my banana boxes full ofplaid shirts and suspenders through the turnstiles at Penn stationin New York City. I have continued to live in the Boston areaever since I left.

In what I understand to be a result of routine Bruderhof pro-tocol, I have had only limited ability to maintain friendships orfamily relationships with those who choose to remain at thecommunity. I miss being able to share my current life with thepeople who were such a large part of an impactful and formativefourteen years I called the Bruderhof home.

Memories of Cotswold and Primavera Part IIBy Bessie Harries

Bound to Paraguay, February 1941 on the liner Avila Star

The military just took over if they wanted to. They were suspi-cious on account of our many German members, so we had toleave; but where to go? That was a very difficult question. Wetried many places, but were not wanted. Finally, with help fromthe Mennonites, we were permitted to go to Paraguay. We werewarned to be prepared for snakes, mosquitoes and other tropicaldangers. We should wear long sleeves and boots as protection.Our doctors, Cyril Davies, Margret Stern and Ruth Land looked

up all the information they could and procured what medicinesthey could, especially for Malaria.

The first group sailed on a Blue Star liner in November 1940.We sailed in February, 1941 on the Avila Star. My mother andsisters came all the way to Kemble Station to see us off. We wereone-hundred and fifty-eight people, including many children and

nine babies in baskets, including Ruthie, who was six monthsold. Avila Dyroff was born on the boat increasing the number toone-hundred and fifty-nine. We had first class accommodationand were the only passengers well cared for. Our cabin wasclose to Sylvias and Clare, and in some way we shared a suite orwhatever you might call it. The ship was going to South Americato fetch meat for England as the usual supplies from Australiafor instance were difficult to obtain. Without cargo the boatrolled a great deal. We had to go North via Island and avoid the

usual route because of the U-boat danger. We were in convoyand had to have our life jackets always with us and were not al-lowed to undress at night. On a signal everybody had to gatherfor a lifeboat drill with their life jackets on. Together with thecrew the officers had to check that everybody was on deck. Noone was to be left in the cabins. For the first week we had to


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wear our life jackets day and night: The Sea was full of subma-rines.

We experienced a terrific storm, but were not torpedoed that was a wonderful protection. Mealtimes were often exciting,as the tables would tip and everything start sliding. During theworst storm one could not remain on deck as the boat tipped somuch that chairs turned over and the deck was almost under wa-ter. In our long, well equipped cabin the baby basket would slide

from one end to the other. When possible, we met in the loungein the evenings and sang together.Of course we had to care for the children. Andrew actually

fell from the top bunk and hurt his lip, which became infected.There was a paddling pool for the children, but the doctor or-dered it emptied as various children had infections. The childrenloved to run the length of the ship. They needed constant super-vision as there was a tempting railing which they loved to climbon. Balls and caps were thrown overboard, sometimes intention-ally, sometimes not. I was often with the Kindergarten group andhad various occupations for them. We mothers had to bathe andcare for our own babies. As already mentioned, there were nineof them, often brought on deck in their baskets lined up in a

row. The officers were all very friendly and very fond of the ba-bies. Once, in a terrible storm the baskets started sliding. We hadto get the babies indoors fast.

The top deck was probably out of bounds since it had no rail-ings, at least, it was probably not meant for children. But ourchildren went up there once or twice and I remember fetchingthem down. Half way through the morning the stewards broughtaround hot soup, during the first part of the trip when we were inthe northern Atlantic. In the afternoons they brought tea and tea-cakes, even up to the decks.

We sailed through a very extensive area of the Sargasso Seain the north Atlantic. It was an incredible sight when we gotthere. The water was quite still and a mass of green plants sea

weeds like lettuce grew so densely that the ship had to workhard to get through, inch by inch. Even big steamers could hardlyget through.

We found the heat very trying we were not prepared forsuch weather. However we finally reached Buenos Aires wherewe had to stay in the port for a day or two not a pleasant expe-rience. Then we went to a hotel until we boarded the river stea-mer. This seemed primitive after the Avila Star. We travelled upthe river Paraguay through a flat countryside, the trees and vege-tation mostly being unfamiliar. The river itself is not very deepand rather sluggish.

In Asuncin the capital of Paraguay we went onboard areally primitive barge. We were given galletas (very hard little

rolls), tin plates and cups, and bunks on the deck. A thunders-torm broke out in the night and all the women and children wentdown into the hold. We lay on the floor, which naturally slopedfrom the top to the bottomit was hard not to slip. Ruthie in herbasket slid down too! The men on deck were drenched. Rain inParaguay usually came down in sheets. Many of us were notfeeling well, including Moni [Barth], who tried to keep us freefrom infection with the use of yellow soap. Finally we reachedPuerto Rosario, where we managed to cross on a plank to land.

Mennonite Hospitality in Friesland

Mennonites came with their covered wagons, and we crowdedinto them. We could hardly move in the wagons. We spent one

night in the barn of a German farmer sleeping on the hay. Al-fred Gneiting had given out blankets and he also found food forus. The next morning we climbed again into the wagons andreached the Mennonite village of Friesland, where several broth-ers and sisters met us. Alfred was the storekeeper and producedfood from somewhere. Moni was the nurse, very much so, al-

though she wasnt young anymore. The Mennonites lent us theirschoolroom, and some families gave up their bedrooms for us.That was a tremendous help. We had a welcome meal on the ve-randa of the schoolhouse with proper bread and yerba mate, pro-vided by the Mennonites. It was a real treat to sit at a table for ameal. Hans Meier had bought some beds; many sisters and child-ren slept on them in the schoolhouse.

I had Kindergarten in the mornings often; we had crayons

and paper. The little ones slept on wooden frames with canvasfixed over it, the babies in their baskets. We grownups slept inthe schoolhouse on wire mesh beds without mattresses and cur-tains. When it was cold, it was bitter cold. Some brothers slepton the veranda, but many went up to Primavera to dig a well,which was very difficultthey had to go very deep and ran intobad gasses. Others set to work to build the first Halle a largebuilding with holes for doors and windows and no partitions. Thefamilies were separated by sheets; there was some kind of canvasover the window holes.

The only meeting I remember in the village was at Eastertime. Hans-Hermann called us together and we sat outside in acircle and thought of the meaning of Easter. I have a very clear

memory of this event.The Mennonites were very helpful, but after some weeks theyneeded their schoolhouse. So finally we all moved up to IslaMargarita. The brothers had also erected the gallop hut [Gallop-Htte built up in one day] here we cared for the children andgrownups, who had contracted what we thought was Trachoma-a painful eye disease. Later we were told that this disease wasnot Trachoma. However we had constant eye troubles in thosefirst years as well as many other sicknesses for instance tropi-cal sores, sand flees and worms under the skin. Dear sister Trau-tel Dreher, who suffered at times from severe Asthma, spentevery afternoon caring for the childrens various troubles. Theywould wait their turn and she patiently and lovingly dealt with

each one. Some children, I remember two of Sophie Lbers li t-tle girls lay with both eyes closed all day. I worked there withDorli Bolli and others often till 7:00pm, and then went to care forRuthie, who was seven months old. Susie Fros also often camelate to her little boy, who was not at all well. Many grownupshad similar troubles, also Malaria. I dont ever remember anyonecomplaining.

It was not far to the wood where the very tall orange treesgrew. I went with a group of children to pick oranges. The child-ren wore straw hats with nets hanging shoulder length to protectthe eyes from little flies. Boys climbed the trees and threworanges down for us to catch and we took them home. We all hadto wear straw hats with muslin Veil to protect us. The tiny flies

swarmed especially in the morning and evening. At 5 or 5.30pm

The Baby House had a fairly big roof porchphoto from 1945


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they were most busy and bothered the children having supper.For some time we had our meals out of doors, till a tent wasfixed up for rainy days.

The babies were in a building with a fairly big roof porch.We had practically no suitable food for them until the brothersmanaged to make a fine meal from corn. We had some milk fromthe Mennonites but the older babies suffered most of all and wewere very sad to lose little ones, mostly between nine and eigh-

teen months. There was no calcium in the soil and nursing moth-ers had to eat broken up eggshells. I remember us eating break-fast all together outside tomato puree in enamel plates. Manysisters had jaundice and dysentery. I dont remember any reme-dies except caa (alcohol) for tummy troubles, some black oint-ment for inflammation and water in which orange tree leaves hadbeen soaked for sore babies. I expect there were more remediescertainly there were later.

We were very thankful that we were all together and that noone had been lost on the dangerous journeys across the ocean.That was truly a miracle twelve different groups crossed fromEngland at a time when the sea was infested with U-boats andships were continually being sunk. We mostly crossed in Blue

Star boats. Every one of them was later sunk.It was in this first year, 1941, that Heini was so seriously illand called us all to repentance. I remember very well gatheringoutside his hut and hearing him speak, although he was so ill.Sometimes we just walked round his hut quietly or sang. I amstill sad and conscious-stricken that, although I felt the warmthand urgency of his words, they did not go deep enough with me.How thankful I am that he recovered in spite of all he wentthrough, physically and in his heart and soul. The heat was terri-ble and we had no fans or other help. The sisters would some-times fan him with their aprons; that was out of doors of course.Heini had records from Handels Messiah and would listen overand over again to I know that my Redeemer liveth, as well as

to choruses like Hallelujah. Sometimes Llewelyn, then calledCyril (his first name) would have watch with Heini. One day hehad a message saying that Heini wanted him. When he arrived hefound that it was Cyril Davies who was needed. So Heini said itwas confusing having two Cyrils, would one mind being calledby his second name? That one was Llewelyn.

Our family moved to Loma Hoby

Early in 1942 we moved to Loma Hoby where we lived in a sim-ilar Halle. At one end was an unwalled [no partitions] area,which was used for the Kindergarten. We sang German morningsongs, played games and enjoyed stories. The kitchen tried hard

The Harries family 1945, probably shortly before Llewelin left for

England. From left: Jenny, Llewelin, Ruth, Anthony, Gwendolyn,

Bessie and Andy

to provide good food for the children, but it was very difficult.Mandioka [manioc] was a staple food, fried for breakfast (in thekitchen); otherwise just boiled. Gradually this improved and wegrew citrus fruits, bananas and rosella. Apples would not grow.Once when Llewelyn went to Asuncin he brought home a spe-cial treat for the family an apple! Marmonen [papayas] werealso grown and very much appreciated. A great attraction for thechildren was rodeo: pretty wild horses were rounded up in an

area near the Kindergarten. This was such a wild, often cruel af-fair: so I always tried to avoid it for the children. We often wentinto the woods, later the school wood and watched the mon-keys or found some sand to play with. I found the heat very try-ing, but the children didnt seem to be at all troubled by it.

Later on I worked in the kitchen, which was a sort of shelterwithout walls sometimes wind and sand or rain would blowright through. The childrens dinner had to be ready by 10:00 or10.30am; that was sometimes quite difficult and Lini Fischerwould help me. I learned also from her, for instance how to makethe spinach palatable. We had a big old-fashioned stove with afew rings. It was very hard to get the ovens hot enough; oftenthe wood was damp, although the brothers stacked it behind the

stove to dry. The kitchen and the dining room were in the origi-nal building Rutenbergs house. When the oranges were ripethey were a welcome addition to the diet. For months we had nobread, at other times we had bread made with corn very heavyand often with whole corn kernels in it. However we could putour honey on it! We used enamel bowls for our food and I re-member making honey pies in them for the children. They hadmate and later milk to drink. Anyone who was sick could have acup of tea with a little caa. Hot and cold water and breakfasthad to be fetched from the kitchen.

Sometimes there was translation for Brotherhood meetings. Iremember meetings out of doors during the first months, some-times in the woods. One Sunday morning our Gwendolyn Ann

was taken into the Gemeindestunde in the wood. Georg Barthhad the meeting and read Eberhards words about the childlikespirit. Later on we would meet in a tent and then in a room,which had been a library and became the dining room. By thelight of paraffin lamps we did our mending and made our name-tapes during the meetings. At home we had a small jar containingsome kind of oil with a wick in it. This had to be kept some-where where it could not be knocked over!

I remember a Gemeindestunde when a solemn grandfatherfrog went right down the middle of the room a bit distracting!The cicadas and other insects held concerts in the evenings andas soon as one lit a lamp at home various insects would fly in andbuzz round and round the light, so that it was almost impossible

to write. In any case writing was very difficult because of theheat. We were certainly very fortunate to have a country wherewe could live together during those war years, but I found theheat and hot winds very trying and was always grateful for a coolevening or night.

The houses were very simple. The floor was of mud and therewere openings in the walls for windows, but no glass, only a kindof canvas blind. At first we had beds with a wire spring but nomattress and the little children like our Andrew, who was two,slept on little bedsa frame of wood with material fixed over it.Later we had mattresses filled with luffas, husks or whatever wasavailable. We all had mosquito nets, as mosquitoes were mosttroublesome. Quite a number of people had malariabut none of

our family. A large cupboard in our home served as a wall be-tween us and the children.

When Christmas came we received a green enamel mug eachand a sugar bowl and a jug of the same colour and a table! Thatwas wonderful. Gradually things improved and we fetched friedmandioka and syrup and hot yerba mate from the kitchen for


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breakfast. We always had lunch and supper together, afterputting the children to bed. One of us mothers had watch andwent round with a stable lantern. We sang with our children at

bedtime, mostly German songs like Guten Abend, gute Nachtoften accompanied by a chorus of insects outside.

The first song I remember singing on the Cotswold wasTorches together (Fackeln zusammen). Others were Das Talliegt offen da, Herz und Herz vereint zusammen, Ich will

dich lieben,Wer leuchtet uns denn bei der finsteren Nacht, Strahle herab, Sag Gott, warum man Dich hier find,Schnster Herr Jesu, Herz lass Dein Sorgen sein, andmany, many more, especially the Christmas songs, also EnglishCarols like Green growth the holly.

The nights were often beautiful and cool in Paraguay and agroup of us would go from house to house singing on ChristmasEve and Advent. Der Mond ist aufgegangen fitted very wellduring the beautiful moon light nights in Paraguay. Bessie Harries at Evergreen about 1965

The Confrontation Between The Bruderhof And The German

National-Socialist Government 1933 to 1937Part 8By Hans Zumpe

REGISTERING MEN BORN BETWEEN 1900-1905

With heavy hearts we decided that the affected individualsshould remain in Germany this time. We had already lost somany of our work force we didn't know how we could continueto run the Rhnbruderhof. We certainly didnt want to give theauthorities grounds to dissolve the community by neglecting thefarm. This would surely have happened if we reduced our num-bers even more than we had already. If it did have to come to anend, it should be for our beliefs. We knew only too well whatwould happen if we didn't have staying power. We saw what hadhappened to other movements who had resisted the demands ofthe state for years, only to be destroyed in the end.

Here is an example from a German newspaper of that year. Iquote it because the Allied historians of 1945 wanted to make theworld believe that ever since 1933 everyone in Germany was incomplete agreement with the new system, this with total disre-gard for the Concentration Camps. On the 20 th of June the paperreported from Stuttgart under the heading, Dissolved andBannedthe Seventh-Day-Adventist Reform Movement:

The Wrttemberg Political Police Office reports the localgroups of the sect Seventh-Day-Advent-Reform-Movement,existing in Wrttemberg and based in Iserhagen, was dissolvedand banned by the Political Police Office. Their assets wereseized. The Reform-Movement, a splinter group of the un-

banned Community of the Seven-Day Adventists based in Ber-

NOTES BY THE EDITOR: Hans Zumpe presented a con-densed version of this report during meetings in Primavera on26th and 28th July 1945 for the 25th anniversary of the Bruderhof.

While quotes from Eberhard Arnold and newspaper clippingsetc. are reproduced verbatim, the Hans Zumpe report has beenedited using modern terminology, but eliminating none of thecontent. More about the history of this account and its translationinto English can be found in the Introduction to Hans Zumpes

Report from 1945 in the Keep In Touch Newsletter No 3 Dec.2007, page 8, which also contains the first part of this report.Comments in angled brackets [ ] are explanations by the edi-

tors.

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

lin are pursuing goals under the guise of religious aims which goagainst the ideology of National Socialism.

The followers of the sect refuse to do military service or touse the German Salute. They openly declare that they do not rec-ognise any national homeland but rather are internationallyminded. They see all human beings as brothers. For this reasontheir dissolution was necessaryfor the protection of the peopleand the state!

Following another refusal [of military service] we had toreckon with the likelihood of imminent closure, so we wrote ac-

cordingly to the Hutterite Brothers in America asking them tocontact the German Consulate in Winnipeg and let them knowthat basic decisions about our future in Germany would soon bemade.

We answered summons to register for military service [on the26th of September] with this letter to Mayor Zeiher:

With reference to your call up for all male persons bornbetween 1900-1905 to register for military service, we wouldlike to inform you that there are five members on the Bruderhofwho fall into this group: Fritz Kleiner, Karl Keiderling, ManfredKaiser, August Dyroff and Heinz Bolck. However these mem-bers all state that due to the religious convictions of our HutteriteBruderhof they are unable to do military service and are there-fore unable to complete the formalities.

The authorities are aware of our position with regard to mili-tary service. You yourself, sir, made reference to this in an ex-planation to the Administrative Court in Fulda on the 10th ofJune: The Bruderhof Community, on behalf of its members, de-cline all participation in military service. We still stand firmlybehind all statements we made and sent to the authorities in1933. These statements focus on our religious beliefs. They arein no way hostile to the state. We also repeat our objection to thelabel of Communism being applied to our Christian Brother-hood life. Your statement in the letter of June 10 th that the Bru-derhof once called themselves Nobel Communists is also incor-rect. We never gave ourselves that name. However, all rebuttalswe have to make in reply to your letter of the 10 th of June will besent directly to the Administrative Court in Fulda.

Today we are dealing with the question of military servicefor our members born in the years 1900-1905: We request here-with that you and your superiors delay the pursuit of the enrol-ment for the time being. Please postpone dealing with this issue


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and any related measures. The reason for our request is that weare expecting that the authorities in Berlin will be making a fun-damental decision, regarding the attitude of the Bruderhof to mil-itary service in the near future. [This] could be of great sign i-ficance for the future of our Rhnbruderhof. The fate of the fivebrothers born in the years for which enrollment is now required,could also depend on this decision.

From the above mentioned application sent to the Adminis-

trative Court in Fulda, I quote the following:To maintain that our ideology is based on communism is to-tally wrong and we therefore strongly reject this term, which hasbecome synonymous with Russian communism; and it has abso-lutely no resemblance to what we stand for. Even the Secret Po-lice in Kassel confirmed through their leader Dr. Htteroth thatthe Bruderhof is not a communist organization. This was saidafter the police raid on the 16th of November 1933. It is also nottrue that the Bruderhof called itself Nobel Communists; al-though we do know that this term was used to describe us in thevillages nearby. However, we always refuted this when we heardit, even in the earlier time of the previous government. But it iscorrect that the Hutterian brothers live in a Christian community

of goods; as is also the case for instance in monastic communi-ties. As far as we know, no monastic communities have everbeen described as communist. It is also correct that Bruderhofmembers individually refuse to take part in military service forthe same religious reasons as the Hutterian Brothers in America.As we have already informed the Mayor of Veitsteinbach in ourcommunication of the 14th of September, we are awaiting a fun-damental decision on the military service issue from the ReichsAuthorities; we requested total exemption from military servicefor members of the Hutterian Bruderhof.

Incidentally, it is not correct that all members of the Brude r-hof, who fall within the eligible age range for military service,were sent to Silum. On the contrary, we must call your attention

to the fact that at present there are five members here on theRhnbruderhof, Post Neuhof, Kreis Fulda, who have been calledup for military service, and who are here awaiting the decision ofthe higher authorities.

While these letters were being written, manoeuvres of Ger-man troops took place all around the Bruderhof. Those wereworrying days for the Geschwistriget [Hutterian term meaningsiblings, i.e. brothers and sisters] who were left behind. Therewas a risk of billeting. But the Rhnbruderhof was spared that.

PURCHACE OF ASHTON FIELDS FARM

After this it was a necessity to expand the English Bruderhof inall haste. We decided to stop leasing [Ashton Fields] when six

months were up and to buy the farm outright. We needed moneyto do this, so we undertook many journeys. During this campaignI learned to tell the difference between a German and an Englishbank manager. During my previous loan dealings with the Com-merz- and Privatbank in Fulda, the director, Hosang usually be-rated me, because once again I was asking for something. I tookthis in stride, and usually got at least some of what I asked for.However, it was different altogether with Gillet, (I think that washis name) the Quaker and bank director in Oxford. He said very

politely: You know, I am your friend, but one does not do fi-nancial deals with friends! We received nothing. But we didmanage to secure the necessary mortgage from another source,so on the 23rd of October 1936 the purchase of Ashton Fields

Farm was completed.On the 26th of October an important discussion took place at

the Home Office. We left with the assurance that we would re-ceive entry permits for any other members who came to England.We started building, because it was apparent that the wholecommunity would soon be reunited in England. At that time we

Soon Cotswold would be uniting all Bruderhof members.

had no direct postal contact between the Rhn- and the Cots-wold-Bruderhof. All mail was diverted via the Almbruderhof. Inour letters to Germany, Cotswold was never mentioned, we justreferred to our Bruderhof.

After the purchase of the farm, I returned to the Rhnbruder-hof to report back to the Brotherhood there. On the 7th of Octo-ber another house search had taken place. In particular, corres-

pondence between our Bruderhofs was confiscated. So I went offto the Gestapo in Kassel to find out what was going on. Conver-sations with the Gestapo were always interesting. One couldnever find out much, but the officials were always most surprisedthat we visited them voluntarily to make enquiries. They always

brought this up. My question was answered with another: Whyshould anything be going on? You are still doing rather well. Tellme, how are things on our Bruderhof? He took out a map ofEngland and asked: Where exactly is our Bruderhof? For amoment I was speechless, but I quickly composed myself be-cause at that moment only honesty could help. Oh, its here, Ianswered, and showed him the exact location. He was complete-ly satisfied with that. Another official, who was unknown to me,

came in. I was introduced to him thus: Hey, this is one of themfrom the Bruderhof in the Rhn, those know-it-alls. [diehren da oben das Gras wachsen.] If something like a Conscri p-tion Law is to be enacted, they know about it in advance, and bythe time it becomes law, they have all disappeared!

Once the German officials knew the details of our place inEngland, and our position there was secured, we established di-rect postal and telephone communication between the Rhn- andCotswold-Bruderhof on the 15th of November. This was a greatrelief.

Meanwhile the German Consulate in Zrich wrote many let-ters enquiring as to the whereabouts of the 1914 and 1915 yeargroups, and whether they were still in residence at the Almbru-

derhof. Arno simply wrote: They have departed in the mean-time!

At the end of November, 1936, again dark clouds were ga-thering over the Rhnbruderhof. We were foreclosed on a se-cured mortgage balance, [Hauszinssteuerhypothek] with a de-mand for repayment of 15,000 Reichsmarks in fourteen days. It


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was a so called irredeemable mortgage, which had beengranted 1928 to build a house. But it had been funded by thestate and now there had been a change of regime. All of a suddenthe total became due in full. One surreptitious attack on ourhousehold followed another. The intent of it all was to get rid ofus. Because of our ideology we were no longer welcome in Ger-many.

We tried to parry this latest attack and went out in search for

funding. We actually found someone in England who made15,000 Reichsmarks available to us. But then we asked ourselvesif we should really be putting more money into the Rhnbruder-hof. In the end wouldnt it all be taken from us? We found agood way to get round this. By now the Cotswold-Bruderhof wasin the process of construction, and we needed a large variety ofthings. So we put a different angle on it: We will use the moneyto go shopping. Arnold Mason bought the entire print shop fromthe Rhnbruderhof, as well as the kitchen range, the washingmachine etc. That way the Bruderhof received currency, withwhich to pay its debts, and we had something to show for themoney.

We met in Frankfurt am Main. Arnold with the power of at-

torney of the Cotswold-Bruderhof was the buyer, and I, as execu-tive member of the Rhnbruderhof, the vendor. We first put out afew feelers to see how this could be put into practice, and visitedthe Foreign Exchange Office in Frankfurt. There we frankly ex-plained the situation that the Rhnbruderhof needed money, andthat our English venture was not averse to sending some of itsmoney to purchase necessities from the Rhnbruderhof. Theywould pay in foreign currency, if this would not cause us anyproblems with the authorities.

Arnold Mason had the cash in 100 notes with him andshowed them to the Foreign Exchange Commissioner at the ap-

propriate time. He thought this was a great idea, and didnt thinkthere would be a problem. We phoned the Rhnbruderhof right

away to let them know. The print shop equipment was packed

This stove was bought from the Rhnbruderhof. Ria Kiefer in the

Cotswold Kitchen [Both photos: Friedemann-Photo-Album]

up, and everything was loaded onto a long distance freight train,and dispatched. In Fulda we only paid off a small amount of themortgage for the time being, as our friendly official, Polster ofthe District Administration told me that the fate of our Bruderhofwas once again being decided on in Kassel.

We took the opportunity to make further inquiries as to thelikely outcome of this judgement. I again visited our attorney Dr.Eisenberg in Hanau. He had found out that a Labor Camp wouldbe opened at the Rhnbruderhof. Arnold Mason and I also vi-sited Sondheimers [the parents of Friedel]; they still lived inGelnhausen, and could not see any possibility of us continuing to

live in Germany. The old Legal Adviser Sondheimer said: Theywill destroy you financially. The foreclosure of the mortgagedoes not come from underlings, it comes from the top. That is anever ending spiral, and in the end, when you have paid every-thing, you will have to leave the country anyway! Without adoubt he was quite right.

I would like to add that already earlier, in the summer of1936 we had been unexpectedly issued with a foreclosure notice

on a secured mortgage balance of 8000 Reichsmarks. A compul-sory auction, ordered by the authorities was only averted througha great deal of effort on the part of our attorney, Dr. Eisenberg,and by paying the debt off in instalments. In a letter from theDistrict Administration in Fulda, which was not intended for us,the real reason for these measures becomes apparent. This letterwas brought to our notice by our friend and attorney Dr Eisen-berg on July 10th 1936. Here is an extract of what he wrote to usfrom Hanau:

During the visit by your Mr. Hans Meier I already indicatedthat now is our last chance to stop the auction, but you will needto do everything you can to give good reasons. A certificatesubmitted by the opposition and held in the court records by the

District Administration in Fulda, makes it clear that your pres-ence is not welcome. The certificate reads as follows:Fulda, the 23rd of May 1936. There is not the slightest

public interest in the retention of the Bruderhof. In fact the oppo-site is the case. Signed Dr. Burkhardt

This certificate was intended for Dr. Selig [NS-Lawyer]. Ibeg you urgently for your opinion on this.

The stance of the authorities also affected our acquisition ofmoney. Friends in Switzerland had said they were ready to sub-mit the money that had been blocked from coming to ourRhnbruderhof. It was a sum of 36,000 Marks which we couldhave received, partly as a gift and partly as a loan if the ForeignExchange Office had authorized the transfer. However, this au-

thorization, which was granted daily to hundreds of applicantswas not given to us. All applications by our Swiss friends to getthe money to us were turned down without explanation. Instead,the Foreign Exchange Office conducted a house search, eventhough we had undergone numerous house searches in the past,but the inspection showed we had not evaded any currency regu-lations as they most likely suspected.

I risked a trip to Melsungen to see our old friend von Gagernwho was still the District Councillor there. He welcomed mewarmly and advised us to, Make sure that you get a satisfactoryoutcome, and leave Germany as fast as you possibly can! Youcan no longer live here in accordance with your faith!

Arnold Mason and I went on to Kassel, visiting various au-

thorities without being able to find out anything much. We alsowent to Dr. Jerschke, the deputy Senior Civil Servant, who had atthe time made us aware of the Conscription Law, and told uswhat to expect. Our eyes were once again opened as to the direc-tion from which to expect the next onslaught from the state.

The Department of Culture in Fulda had lodged numerouscomplaints against us, in particular, that the Bruderhof land wasnot being cultivated properly. This was their excuse to make ap-plication for alternative uses of the Bruderhof property, for ex-ample as a Labor Camp. The seriousness with which Dr.Jerschke viewed the situation became clear from his words:Well, I dont suppose you will be put out on the street right inthe middle of winter. He then promised to find a way forward

that would be easier for us. Jerschke was a very warm heartedperson, but one sensed that the Senior Civil Servant had no sayon the matter, and the decision would rest with the Gestapo. Hegave me a tip for Berlin, and also gave me the opportunity to putseveral things in writing that seemed to be important via a letterto him. Here are some extracts:


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Hitherto our community has abided by the decision of the Prus-sian Agricultural Minister, as sent to us by the Senior Civil Ser-vant on the 1st of July, 1934 according to which the state authori-ties will not wish to look for a reason to close the Bruderhof. Inappreciation for this decision we have continued the cultivationof our land until this day. ... If, in the event of a further inspec-tion of our affairs, the authorities were to consider a change tothat decision, we would like to draw attention to the following:

The Bruderhof in the Rhn is the only means of livelihoodfor its residents, currently sixty five people, amongst which areeleven families and twenty two children. All these members ofour community have given all their worldly goods and all theirenergy to this work. They would be completely destitute in theevent of a change of use for our communal property. Our Bro-therhood finds it hard to deal with the foreclosure by the districtof Fulda on a secured mortgage balance of Reichsmarks 15,000which is to be paid within fourteen days to avoid enforced sanc-tions. Our request for deferment, or payment by instalments wasanswered with the information that a decision about the Bruder-hof would be made in Kassel. We would like to use this opportu-nity to request that manageable repayment conditions be granted,

if the Bruderhof is not allowed to retain the mortgage.Our community is impoverished, since here in Germany wenow have no income. The Bruderhofs abroad, who have sup-ported us substantially during these years, will continue to do soto the best of their abilities, so the shortfall at our Rhnbruderhofcan be met. However, we would be grateful, if these donationscould be used to improve our circumstances rather than for pay-ing back the mortgage.

If the Department of Culture in Fulda, or any other authori-ty, can prove any lack in the agricultural development of ourBruderhof land, we would ask for the advice and help of our au-thorities. Here and now we declare our intention to put into prac-tice all recommendations to improve the cultivation of our land

even more, provided we have the means to do so.Together with Arnold Mason, I then went to the AgriculturalMinister and to other authorities in Berlin. From all the informa-tion gleaned, it appeared that we would be left in peace for a fewmore months. Apparently nothing would happen regarding theBruderhof until the Reichs Resettlement

To be continued

Book Review: Not Without My Sister

By Ruth Lambach

If I could have participated in the past KIT Gathering at FriendlyCorssways in 2009, I would have brought along a book I re-viewed for the Communal Studies Journal. This would have beenmy contribution to the discussion during that weekend. I thinkthere are striking similarities in how this group operated and howthe Bruderhof operated. I think of this especially when I remem-ber Lizzie Boller who never was planted at any one hof and Icould never see her. Here it is:

Not Without My Sister: The True Story of Three Girls

Violated and Betrayed

Kristina, Celeste and Juliana

Harper Collins Publishers Ltd., 2007,ISBE-13-978-0-00-724807-0,416 pp. hardback and paper

This book is one of several written by individuals who have es-caped from a Christian communal group formerly known as theChildren of God. Other books include Jesus Freaks: A TrueStory of Murder and Madness on the Evangelical Edge (2007) by

Don Latin, Heavens Harlots (1998) by Miriam Williams, andThe Children of God: The Inside Story (1984) by Deborah Davis(oldest daughter of David Berg, who founded the organization in1968. Other names by which the group has been known areTeens for Christ, Revolution for Jesus, and Family ofLove. The movement has also broadcast under the name ofMusic With Meaning and Music Con Vida. Most recentlythe group has been designated simply as The Family and on

their website they go by The Family International boasting oftheir Christian fellowship in ninety countries. Members of TheFamily attended the Communal Studies Conference held in Es-tero, Florida in 1995.

This is a first-hand factual account of the lives of three sistersborn into the group who were constantly on the run, prepared toleave a city, a country or even a continent at a moments notice.Often they fled at night. They were moved blindfolded to variousplaces, changed their names and identities and were raised incommunal situations in groups of children rather than by theirparents. Parents appeared to have little personal responsibility forthe welfare of their children so it was surprising that there wasactually quite a tight relationship between one of the sisters and

her biological father who kept her but let the other two youngersiblings leave with the mother.

The sisters lives are each told individually but the storytellervoice is strangely consistent. I kept looking for the actual authorwhose name never appears in the book. At the front of the bookthere is a disclaimer which I found strangely reminiscent ofShakespeares the lady doth protest too much. It states: TheAuthor asserts the moral right to be identified as the author ofthis work. But who actually is the author is never revealed. Itwould appear to me that when three sisters tell their stories therewould be a noticeable change of voice as each story emerges.Nonetheless, each story is compelling in its own way and theyare woven in and out in alternating chapters so that one gets a fi-

nal comprehensible story triggering disgust, revulsion, anger andrage at the exploitation of the young and the perversion of oth-erwise positive values taught in the Bible such as love and com-passion.

The book disturbed me enough to take a look at the websiteof the Family International in order to see what surface struc-ture the agents of this highly structured, driven agenda were hid-ing behind. As expected, they are very sophisticated and this Ihad already surmised from reading the book in which things suchas passports, cash, identity changes and travel preparations werecarefully and efficiently crafted. Among the members of thegroup there must have been very clever, almost criminal typeminds, quickly planning escapes from the outside world that was

always threatening to encroach on their illegal and abusive life-style.

The sisters grew up wary of the outside world. Were I notpersonally a second generation utopian seekers daughter and es-capee into the so-called normal world of the 20th century urbanAmerican scene, I would be shocked that sensible adults couldbe so deluded as to create an insular world in which to bring upthe next generation.

I recommend this book to all who have been held captive in ahigh intensity religion. It is sure to trigger memories and provideopportunities to confirm the wisdom of their decision to leavewhatever overarching power might have held them captive. Ifeven a fraction of the horror of abuse of power, control, rape, in-cest, kidnapping, false imprisonment, torture, child slave labor,prostitution, money laundering and medical neglect of its mem-bers, is true, this is a devastating and cautionary tale.

The old clich about power corrupting absolutely rings true.Through these stories one can observe how David Berg akaMoses David or Mo (along with his wife and closest henchmen)


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assumes more and more power as he increasingly indulges hispersonal unbridled lusts and imposes irrational dictates upon hisfollowers; and they unwittingly, because they idolize him, takehis pronouncements as the truth. His edicts are printed and publi-cized as the Mo Letters. Music, sex and every normal humanemotion are distorted and used in the service of demanding totalunthinking devotion to the cause; the cause of winning souls forChrist.

Memories from my own life in another communal societyunder the leadership of another crazed man, Heini Arnold and hishenchmen, who lorded it over the destruction of thousands oflives, separating husbands and wives and children from theirfamilies and sending them away empty handed and often totally

unprepared to live in any world other than the sequestered, insu-lar life theyd been committed to for their entire lives. This wasthe story of what happened in the Bruderhof aka The Society ofBrothers in the early 60s. They too have now changed theirname and are called Christian Communities International with asophisticated web site.

This story about three sisters and their escape from abuse atthe hands of Christians is a sad part of the history of this interna-

tional evangelical group known as The Family International.While the actual perpetrators of crimes against innocent childrenmay never be punished, stories like these go out to warn every-one about the dangers of groups that set themselves outside ofthe law or above the law in pursuit of the will of God.

Contact Details for the Volunteers Who Produce Keep In Touch:

Charles Lamar: receives/edits articles, letters, etc. Address: PO Box 460141, San Francisco, CA 94146-0141, USA. Tel: ++1-415-386-6072 - Email: [email protected] Arnold: receives/edits articles, letters etc. and formats the issue; address: Ostendstrae 22, 60314, Frankfurt am Main,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 US and Canadian paper newsletters. Email: [email protected] Jackson: mails paper newsletters for Europe and the rest of the world (Argentine, Brazil, Paraguay, Australia). Email:[email protected]

Your annual contribution for the KIT Newsletter 2009

The suggested annual contribution is US$ 20, UK 10, or Euro 15 for three issues. The next issue in 2010 is planned for September.

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. In any case, checks should be made out to JoyMacDonald personally, and not to KIT (as Bank rules have changed). 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 brief notice, see her address above.

Email subscribers: Please let Linda Jackson know that you have received the KIT Newsletter ([email protected]). Also please let herknow if you have changed your preferred email address.

All other subscribers: Please let Linda Jackson know of any errors in address, or change of address: 7 Severn Street, Longridge,Lancashire, PR3 3ND. UK.

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KIT Volume XXII No 1 April 2010

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Transcript of KIT Volume XXII No 1 April 2010