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Laureen Nussbaum

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Laureen Nussbaum
Nussbaum (2014)
Born
Hannelore Klein

(1927-08-03) August 3, 1927 (age 97)
Frankfurt, Germany
Alma materUniversity of Washington[1]
Occupation(s)Linguist and writer
Known forScholar, Holocaust survivor, Anne Frank scholar
Spouse
Rudi Nussbaum
​
​
(m. 1947; died 2011)​
Children3

Laureen Nussbaum (born Hannelore Klein, August 3, 1927)[2] is a German-born American scholar and writer. She is best known for being a Holocaust survivor, and as a scholar and childhood friend of the famed memoirist Anne Frank. Nussbaum is frequently consulted on Anne Frank works and literature.

Nussbaum was a professor of Foreign Languages and Literature at Portland State University. After retirement Nussbaum now lectures on the Holocaust, Anne Frank and her experience during World War II.[3][4][5] While at Portland State, she also became the head of the German section of the Foreign Language Department.[6] Nussbaum's publications on 20th-century German literature and literature written in Dutch by German refugees are often referenced in academia.

Friendship with Anne Frank

Nussbaum was born Hannelore Klein in Frankfurt, Germany. As Germany became increasingly hostile toward Jews, Nussbaum's family moved from Frankfurt to Amsterdam in 1936. In her new neighborhood, Nussbaum met Anne Frank.[7] Nussbaum's family and the Frank family had been friends in Frankfurt, though Nussbaum had not known the Frank children at that time. Nussbaum became closest to Anne's sister Margot. While growing up together, Nussbaum remembers Anne as "vivacious and smart", though the two were not particularly close.[8] In fact, Nussbaum was "rather indifferent" about Anne, considering her a "noisy chatterbox" and "a shrimp".[9]

After Anne and most of her family were killed, Nussbaum remained close to Otto Frank, Anne's father and the only surviving member of Anne's immediate family. Otto was the best man at Nussbaum's wedding to Rudi.[7]

Nussbaum has written about the fact that Anne Frank rewrote a large part of her spontaneous diary entries with the intention to publish an epistolary novel based on her diary.[10] While clear that "Otto should be congratulated for probably being the first to publish a document from the Holocaust," she has criticized him for combining Anne's two versions of her diary into one without explanation.[11]

Of the memory that she keeps of Anne, Nussbaum stated in 1995 "Memory easily fools you and my memory is coloured, inevitably, by the fact that she has become so famous. I always found her lively and keen, but would never have thought she would turn into this icon. I am afraid the icon has become, for some people, a source of income and the person Anne is obscured by this. She stands as a symbolic figure upon whom the world can heap both its guilt and its commiseration."[12]

Holocaust

The Klein family moved to Amsterdam in 1936 to escape the increasing antisemitism in Germany. However, when the Nazis invaded the Netherlands in 1940, Jews were barred from many public places and in 1942 were forced to wear yellow stars on their clothing to denote their ethnicity. At the time of the invasion Nussbaum was twelve.

The Klein family was able to elude deportation because they were only part Jewish, claiming that Mrs. Klein was not Jewish at all. After that claim was accepted by the German authorities, only Nussbaum's father had to wear the yellow star on his clothing. The rest moved about society without issue. This is the subject of her book Shedding Our Stars: A Story of Hans Calmeyer and How He Saved Thousands of Families Like Mine published in 2019.[13]

Nussbaum first met her future husband Rudi Nussbaum in Amsterdam, and acted as liaison for him while he was in hiding. Rudi hid for four years before the war ended, at first living with Dutch peasants, then in the countryside, and finally in the Klein home. The two married in 1947, two years after the war had ended. Of the experience Nussbaum stated "I would not have chosen, at the age of 13 or 14, a deep sense of obligation that someone was dependent upon you. But in all situations in life, you have to rise to the occasion. We decided the other person was decent and worth it."[14]

Life in America

In 1955, Nussbaum, along with her husband and children, spent a year in Indiana, where Rudi did post-doctoral research.[14] Together Nussbaum and Rudi had three children; two sons and one daughter.[15] Upon settling in California in 1957, Nussbaum changed her first name from Hannelore to Laureen.[2]

In 1959, Rudi gained a position at Portland State University and the family moved to Portland, Oregon.[14] While teaching part time at the same institution, Nussbaum acquired her Ph.D. and eventually a full time position in the Foreign Languages and Literature department, where she became Professor Emerita in 1989.[16]

On July 22, 2011, Nussbaum's husband Rudi died after taking a fall in the Amsterdam Airport while the two were on holiday. After his funeral, he was cremated in Holland. The funeral was followed by a memorial service at the University Place Hotel and Conference Center in Portland.[17]

In literature

Nussbaum is published on a number of topics in multiple languages. Some key works include:

On Anne Frank 

"Anne Frank," in Women Writing in Dutch.[18]

"Anne Frank, The Writer," in Mit den Augen eindes Kindes: Children in the Holocaust: Children in Exile: Children under Fascism.[19]

"Anne Frank: From Shared Experiences to a Posthumous Literary Bond," in Oregon English Journal.[20]

"Anne's Diary Incomplete.  How Important are the Five Withheld Pages?" In Anne Frank Magazine.[21]

"Anne Frank," in Anne Frank: Reflections on Her Life and Legacy.[22]

On Bertolt Brecht

The Image of Woman in the Work of Bertolt Brecht.[23]

"The Evolution of the Feminine Principle in Brecht's Work: Beyond the Feminist Critique" in German Studies Review.[24] 

"The Evolution of the Feminine Principle in Brecht's Work: An Overview" in A Bertolt Brecht Reference Companion.[25]

On Writings by Concentration Camp Survivors 

"Drawing Conclusions from a Sojourn in Hades: The Work of Gerhard Durlacher, an Auschwitz Survivor" in The Bulletin of the Center for Holocaust Studies.[26]

"Three Concentration Camp Accounts by Teenage Survivors: A Comparative Analysis," in Autobiographische Zeugnisse der Verfolgung.[27]

"Anne Frank and Gerhard Durlacher, Two German-Dutch Writers: Parallels and Contrasts," in The Low Countries: Crossroads of Cultures.[28]

On Georg Hermann

"Afterword," in Georg Hermann, Unvorhanden und stumm, doch zu Menschen noch reden. Briefe aus dem Exil an seine Tochter Hilde 1933-1941[29] (a volume she also edited).

"1926: Georg Hermann," in Yale Companion to Jewish Writing and Thought in German Culture 1096-1996.[30]

"A Sampling of Georg Hermann's 'Letters about German Literature,' published in Het Algemeen Handelsbad 1921-1926," in Georg Hermann: Deutsch-Jüdischer Schriftseller und Journalist 1871-1943.[31]

Other

"Witness Grete Weil: An Intensive Summer Graduate Seminar," in Shedding Light on the Darkness: A Guide to Teaching the Holocaust.[32]

"Confrontations in the New World. Grete Weil's 'Happy,' sagte der Onkel (1968)" in The Sophie Journal.[33] 

"The German Documentary Theater of the Sixties: A Stereopsis of Contemporary History," in German Studies Review.[34]

Nussbaum's work has also been referenced in dozens of books, such as:

  • Anne Frank: The Biography by Melissa Müller[35]
  • Anne Frank Unbound: Media, Imagination, Memory by Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett and Jeffrey Shandler[36]
  • Bertolt Brecht: Centenary Essays by Steve Giles and Rodney Livingstone[37]
  • Between Sorrow and Strength: Women Refugees of the Nazi Period by Sibylle Quack[38]
  • Constructing a Sociology of Translation by Michaela Wolf and Alexandra Fukari[39]
  • German-Jewish Literature in the Wake of the Holocaust: Grete Weil, Ruth Klüger, and the Politics of Address by Pascale R. Bos[40]
  • The Child's View of the Third Reich in German Literature : The Eye Among the Blind by Debbie Pinfold[41]
  • The Woman who Knew Too Much: Alice Stewart and the Secrets of Radiation by Gayle Greene[42]
  • Theaters of Justice: Judging, Staging, and Working Through in Arendt, Brecht, and Delbo by Yasco Horsman[43]
  • Winter Facets: Traces and Tropes of the Cold by Andrea Dortmann[44]
  • Women Without a Past?: German Autobiographical Writings and Fascism by Joanne Sayner[45]

A 2019 memoir, “Shedding Our Stars: A Story of Hans Calmeyer and How He Saved Thousands of Families Like Mine,” written in collaboration with Karen Kirtley, focuses less on Nussbaum's relationship with Anne Frank, and more on Hans Calmeyer, the German official who saved the Klein family.[46]

References

  1. ^ "Remembering Anne Frank". Oregon State University. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  2. ^ a b "OSU HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL WEEK 2014" (PDF). Oregon State University. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  3. ^ "Lecture: Laureen Nussbaum, "The Legacy of Anne Frank"". Portland State University. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  4. ^ Hall, Bennett (24 April 2014). "Holocaust survivor to share memories of Anne Frank". Corvallis Gazette-Times. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  5. ^ "Upper School assembly with Holocaust survivors Laureen and Rudi Nussbaum". Catlin Gabel. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  6. ^ GDR Review, Volume 34. Verlag Zeit im Bild. 1989. p. 11.
  7. ^ a b "Holocaust survivors speak at Nestucca". 9 March 2011. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  8. ^ Powers, Lenita (February 16, 2006). "Friend of Anne Frank tells her own story". archive.rgj.com. Gannet - RGJ.com. Archived from the original on April 24, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  9. ^ "Laureen Nussbaum Video | Interviews". OV Guide. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  10. ^ "There are different versions of Anne Frank's diary". Annefrank.org. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  11. ^ Lee, Carol Ann. "The Hidden Life of Otto Frank". Harper Collins. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  12. ^ Lambert, Angela (5 May 1995). "Anne Frank: after the diary stopped". The Independent. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  13. ^ Nussbaum, Laureen (2019). Shedding Our Stars: The Story of Hans Calmeyer and How He Saved Thousands of Families Like Mine. Berkeley: She Writes Press. ISBN 9781631526367.
  14. ^ a b c Duin, Steve (17 October 2011). "Rudi Nussbaum and his wife, Laureen: A couple who rose to the occasion". Oregon Live. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  15. ^ "Rudi H. Nussbaum Obituary". Oregon Live. 16 Oct 2011. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  16. ^ "SATURDAY, APRIL 5" (PDF). Millersville University. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  17. ^ "Oregon PSR Honors the Memory of Dr. Rudi Nussbaum". PSR. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  18. ^ Women writing in Dutch. Aercke, Kristiaan, 1959-. New York: Garland Pub. 1994. ISBN 0815302312. OCLC 28965768.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  19. ^ Mit den Augen eines Kindes : children in the Holocaust, children in exile, children under fascism. Hertling, Viktoria. Amsterdam: Rodopi. 1998. ISBN 9042006234. OCLC 44019245.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  20. ^ Nussbaum, Laureen (Spring 1999). "Anne Frank: From Shared Experiences to a Posthumous Literary Bond". Oregon English Journal. XXI: 5–10 – via https://oregoncouncilofteachersofenglish.wildapricot.org/Oregon-English-Journal. {{cite journal}}: External link in |via= (help)
  21. ^ Nusssbaum, Laureen (1999). "Anne's Diary Incomplete. How Important are the Five Withheld Pages?". Anne Frank Magazine: 24–27.
  22. ^ Enzer, Hyman Aaron (2000). Anne Frank: Reflections on Her Life and Legacy. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 9780252068232.
  23. ^ Nussbaum, Laureen Klein (1977). The Image of Woman in the Work of Bertolt Brecht. Xerox University Microfilms.
  24. ^ Nussbaum, Laureen (May 1985). "The Evolution of the Ferminine Principle in Brecht's Work: Beyond the Feminist Critique". German Studies Review. 8 (2): 217–44. doi:10.2307/1428641. JSTOR 1428641.
  25. ^ A Bertolt Brecht reference companion. Mews, Siegfried. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press. 1997. ISBN 0313292663. OCLC 33405433.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  26. ^ Nussbaum, Laureen (Spring 2005). "Drawing Conclusions from a Sojourn in Hades: The Work of Gerhard Durlacher, an Auschwitz Survivor". The Bulletin of the Center for Holocaust Studies. 9 (2): 5–8.
  27. ^ Autobiographische Zeugnisse der Verfolgung : Hommage für Guy Stern. Stern, Guy, 1922-, Feilchenfeldt, Konrad., Mahlmann-Bauer, Barbara, 1954-. Heidelberg: Synchron. 2005. ISBN 3935025505. OCLC 59080194.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  28. ^ The Low Countries : crossroads of cultures. Broos, Ton J., Bruyn Lacy, Margriet., Shannon, Thomas F. Münster: Nodus Publikationen. 2006. ISBN 3893237119. OCLC 71723022.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  29. ^ Nussbaum, Laureen (1991). Georg Hermann, Unvorhanden und stumm, doch zu Menschen noch reden. Briefe aus dem Exil an seine Tochter Hilde 1933-1941. Mannheim: persona verlag.
  30. ^ Yale companion to Jewish writing and thought in German culture, 1096-1996. Gilman, Sander L., Zipes, Jack, 1937-. New Haven: Yale University Press. 1997. ISBN 0300068247. OCLC 35990275.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  31. ^ Weiss-Sussex, Godela (2004). Georg Hermann: Deutsch-Jüdischer Schriftseller und Journalist 1871-1943. Tübingen: Niemeyer. pp. 73–86.
  32. ^ Lauckner, Nancy Ann (2000). Shedding Light on the Darkness: A Guide to Teaching the Holocaust. Berghahn Books. pp. 158–173. ISBN 9781571812087.
  33. ^ Nussbaum, Laureen (2015). "Confrontations in the New World. Grete Weil's 'Happy,' sagte der Onkel (1968)". The Sophie Journal. 3 (1) – via https://escarpmentpress.org/sophiejournal/article/view/2682. {{cite journal}}: External link in |via= (help)
  34. ^ Nussbaum, Laureen (1981). "The German Documentary Theater of the Sixties: A Stereopsis of Contemporary History". German Studies Review. 4 (2): 237–255. doi:10.2307/1429271. JSTOR 1429271.
  35. ^ Müller, Melissa (1999). Anne Frank: The Biography. Macmillan. ISBN 9781429978897.
  36. ^ Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, Barbara (2012). Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, Jeffrey Shandler. Indiana University Press. ISBN 9780253007551.
  37. ^ Giles, Steve (1998). Bertolt Brecht: Centenary Essays. Rodopi. ISBN 9789042003095.
  38. ^ Quack, Sibylle (2002). Between Sorrow and Strength: Women Refugees of the Nazi Period. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521522854.
  39. ^ Wolf, Michaela (2007). Constructing a Sociology of Translation. John Benjamins Publishing. ISBN 9789027292063.
  40. ^ Bos, Pascale R. (2005). German-Jewish Literature in the Wake of the Holocaust: Grete Weil, Ruth Klüger, and the Politics of Address. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9781403979339.
  41. ^ Pinfold, Debbie (2001). The Child's View of the Third Reich in German Literature : The Eye Among the Blind. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780191554193.
  42. ^ Greene, Gayle (1999). The Woman who Knew Too Much: Alice Stewart and the Secrets of Radiation. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 9780472087839.
  43. ^ Horsman, Yasco (2011). Theaters of Justice: Judging, Staging, and Working Through in Arendt, Brecht, and Delbo. Stanford University Press. ISBN 9780804770323.
  44. ^ Dortmann, Andrea (2007). Winter Facets: Traces and Tropes of the Cold. Peter Lang. ISBN 9783039105403.
  45. ^ Sayner, Joanne (2007). Women Without a Past?: German Autobiographical Writings and Fascism. Rodopi. ISBN 9789042022287.
  46. ^ Burack, Emily. "Anne Frank's friend writes about German official who saved thousands from camps". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2019-11-25.
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