The Children of Nazi's
In the documentary, we learned about Monika and her father, Amon Goeth. She is, of course, not the only surviving legacy of High up Nazis who have strong feelings about their fathers. One is Nikolas Frank, whose father was Hans Frank. He was 4 years old when he saw children his own age, in dirty, ripped clothing with bones protruding. His mother claimed that "No one makes a better corset than Jews in the ghetto." He learned after the war that his father had gassed nearly 2 million Jews, and immediately understood the evil of his father's actions. His whole life, his mother and father had been violent, cold, and distant from him. This might have helped him in separating a father figure from the awful events Hans Frank played a role in. One child of a Nazi, Edda Goering, is not a clear minded about her fathers role in the atrocities of the war. Now in her late seventies now, Edda is still proud of her last name. She grew up a celebrity, due to her father (Herman Goering, the creator of the Gestapo and highly decorated Nazi official). She had a life of luxury, and she continues to try and get back some of her father's old property that was confiscated during the war. She maintains her love for her father, his love for her, and his innocence. Lastly, there is Josef Mengele. He was only one when the war ended, and never met his father, the infamous "angel of death", Dr. Mengele. His mother and stepfather told him his father was dead, and when he was told at 16, his father continued to try and contact him through letters and hand-illustrated childrens books. While Rolf was opposed to fathers beliefs, he traveled to South America on a fake passport to try and get to know his father better. They discussed what Mengele had done, and Rolf maintained his disgust at his fathers actions, yet never betrayed his fathers location.
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Hermann and Edda Goering. The picture of them together sold nearly a million copies.
It is interesting to think about the sense of obligation people often feel towards family members even when they do not approve of their beliefs or actions and even when they are not actually close. Even when his father had not actually been part of his upbringing and after he had learned of the horrific things his father did, Rolf Mengele still remained loyal to him because he was his father. What exactly is it that can make a person feel connected to another person just because s/he knows they are related, despite any other factors or considerations? Many would expect any children of those who committed the atrocities of the Holocaust to feel ashamed- even if just about the fact of who their parents are, even if they may know they could not control their parents' past actions. Yet, the way people like Edda Goering have confidently defended perpetrators like her father illustrates yet another example of how people sometimes convince themselves of fabrications, even when many other people may try to convince them to see the truth using clear evidence, based on emotions rather than logic.
ReplyDeleteI think it interesting how different reactions people have to their parents when they found out what they in the Holocaust. Although it's one's parent and we have loyalty to them, most of the children never knew their parents and have only learned of the horrors they committed. I find it shocking that some of these children still support their parents and their name when they know what is stands for and the atrocities committed by it.
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