Bottrop: The moving story of Paul Kleinberger and his diary

Bottrop: The moving story of Paul Kleinberger and his diary

Bottrop, Deutschland - In a remarkable step, the Jewish Museum Westphalia acquired the diary of Paul Kleinberger, born in Bottrop in 1915. This diary comprises 1933 to 1938 and impressively documents the experiences of young Paul in a time of serious social changes. The Jewish family Kleinberger had the foresight to train their children in pragmatic professions in order to escape a life in their homeland and emigrate to the British Mandate of Palestine.

The family went on this challenging journey during the threats of National Socialism. In 1933, Paul spent a few months in Lithuania, where he took part in a "Hachschara" school. There he not only received practical training in the locksmith, but also lessons in the Hebrew language and knowledge of the country in which he later wanted to emigrate. He held his experiences during this time, his thoughts about religion and identity, as well as his worries about his parents in Bottrop.

an important document

Although the diary includes less than 100 pages, it is of great importance to understand the effects of National Socialist persecution on the identity of young people. Paul Kleinberger's records offer insights into the inner world of an growing man, whose life was shaped by the events of his time. The challenges and fears of a boy who strives for a better future will be alive in these pages.

dr. Kathrin Pieren, head of the Jewish Museum of Westphalia in Dorsten since 2020, will lead the upcoming events around the diary and its topics. Born in Switzerland, she has 17 years of experience from Great Britain, where she supervised a collection in the Jewish Museum of London. Your expertise will make a decisive contribution to illuminating the relevance of the Kleinberger experiences in the context of Jewish history and identity.

Together with the event in the series "Bottrop city history (s)", organized by the city archive, not only is the personal history of Paul documented, but also reinterpreted a piece of local history. The importance of such events cannot be emphasized enough because they help to keep awareness of past injustices and to preserve the memories of those affected.

For further insights and details on this fascinating project, I recommend the reporting on www.bottrop.de to follow. There is also information about the further design of the events that will deal with the topic of Jewish identity and historical perception.