Lives Reclaimed: A Story of Rescue and Resistance in Nazi Germany by Mark Roseman

Abstract

Reviewed by: Lives Reclaimed: A Story of Rescue and Resistance in Nazi Germany by Mark Roseman Gerald J. Steinacher Lives Reclaimed: A Story of Rescue and Resistance in Nazi Germany. By Mark Roseman. New York: Metropolitan Books, 2019. 332 pages. $30.00 (cloth). What are the possibilities and limits of a group of decent, idealistic people when their democratic society is overtaken by a totalitarian dictatorship? How can they remain true to themselves and others under such new and extreme circumstances? These questions are at the core of Mark Roseman's new thought-provoking book, Lives Reclaimed: A Story of Rescue and Resistance in Nazi Germany. This is the story of a remarkable German group with about 200 members called the Bund (the league). They shared a left-leaning philosophy that promoted life in community, caring for others, a passion for nature, hiking and gymnastics, and a strong belief in the ultimate progress of history towards a better human society. Trapped in Nazi Germany, the group members assisted each other during the hardships of war and persecution but also showed empathy and support for others outside the group. Ultimately, their ideals made them risk their own lives to save the lives of others. The questions of how and why they did this are at the center of Roseman's book. The Bund's origins go back to the immediate aftermath of World War I and the first German democracy with its hopes for a [End Page 391] better future. Artur Jacobs was one of many who shared the optimism and vision for a different society. In his late 30s, this high school teacher believed in the power of education to fight nationalism and warmongering and to bring about social justice and international understanding. An outspoken advocate for education reform, Jacobs soon joined a group of similarly-minded educators. In 1924, their organization officially came into being: Bund—A Community for Socialist Life. During the years of the Weimar Republic, the group flourished, experimenting with new ways of living. Some elements of the Bund were reminiscent of sects, advocating limits to personal freedom and private life in a number of ways. For example, the group intervened in marriage decisions. Like the later communes of the 1960s, Bund idealists rejected many "bourgeois conventions" and embraced liberal body culture; however, "free love" was not on the agenda. As Roseman points out, in the late 1920s the group was more like a socialist-inspired secular version of a monkish order, with a strong focus on physical exercise and working out in nature, than a political group. But unlike some orders, the Bund did not retreat from the world. On the contrary, it hoped to actively shape and contribute to a better future. The majority of its members were women, most of them living in the Ruhr region, which at the time was the heartland of the German steel and coal energy industries. Companies like Krupp, Thyssen, and Mannesmann maintained their headquarters there. A significant minority of the group were of Jewish background or had, like the Bund leader Artur Jacobs, a Jewish spouse. During the Nazi years of brutal persecution, this would turn out to be a significant test for this group of idealists. When Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor in January 1933, the Nazis gradually dismantled what was left of the Weimar democracy and the constitution became an empty shell. The anti-Nazi opposition from socialist and Christian forces was soon crippled. The Bund too was weakened, and the active membership shrank to perhaps just below 100. Despite all this, the inner core did not give in, kept together, and stayed faithful to their beliefs. [End Page 392] To this day, the Bund stands out as one of the few oppositional groups never discovered and dismantled by the Gestapo. This was due undoubtedly to luck and also related to the group's nature. The majority of its members were female, and the Nazis minimized the threat posed to their regime by women. The group also did not engage in traditional resistance activities such as producing leaflets, publishing underground newspapers, painting protest messages on walls and sidewalks, and committing sabotage acts or assassinations. For...