Klaus Langer

Klaus Langer

Klaus Langer was born on April 12, 1924 in Gleiwitz, Germany (Present Day Gliwice, Poland.)

His Parents were Erich and Rose Langer.

In 1936 they left Gleiwitz and moved to Essen.

He began his Diary after his Bar Mitzvah in March 1937 and recorded the unfolding discrimination against the Jews of his town in the 1930s.

He wrote about his and his Family attempt to flee Nazi Germany following Kristallnacht (The Night of Broken Glass) when the Germans carried out an Anti-Jewish Pogrom in Germany and Austria on November 9-10, 1938.

The Germans destroyed 1,400 Synagogues and 7,000 Jewish Businesses.

The Germans forced all the Jews to pay the “Judenvermögensabgabe” (Jewish Capital Levy) for the damage done during the Pogrom.

All Jewish Insurance Money went to the Germans as did the Equivalent of $7 Billion US Dollars in 2026 Money paid by the Individual Jews themselves.

The Germans murdered 2,000 Jews.

The Germans arrested 30,000 Jewish Men and sent them to Concentration Camps (including Klaus’ Father.)

 

Klaus Langer’s Diary:

November 28, 1938

On November 23, Father came home and immediately began to work on the emigration process. The only two countries to which Father’s pension could be transferred were Chile and Palestine. By his calculation, his income would not be enough to make a living in Palestine and the question then arose whether he would be able to supplement his pension. There was also them question whether the Nazis would continue to send his pension abroad. As an amateur musician it was almost impossible to make a living in Palestine because of the many other Jewish musicians who had emigrated there. In Chile the situation was somewhat better and it would have been possible to live there on the pension … Father had to give up hope for emigrating to Argentina. He is now hoping to get a business license for Palestine. It would be best if we could all go to Palestine.

 

December 14, 1938

According to the new law, Jews are allowed to take only essentials with them when they emigrate. The new regulation requires rehabilitation to the German Government for the destruction caused over Kristallnacht.

 

December 19, 1938

Regarding the emigration of my Parents I have the following to report. First came two refusals from Argentina for lack of letters of credit. We don’t have an affidavit for the US. India requires firm employment. Father is now trying to go to the Peru and Uruguay Consulates. However nothing further.

 

January 5, 1939,

My Parents had to all but give up hope for South America. However, India is still an open possibility. Their chances for emigrating to the US also are very slim because they have a very high waiting number – 25,000.

Note:

Klaus Langer was able to flee Nazi Germany on September 2, 1939 (the day World War 2 started) for Neutral Denmark.

He  emigrated to British Mandatory Palestine (Present Day Israel) in January 1940 (before the German Invasion of Denmark in April 1940.)

His Parents were not able to leave Germany.

His Mother died on September 8, 1941.

His Father was deported on April 21, 1942 to the Izbica Libelska Work Camp in German-Occupied Poland where he was later sent to the Death Camps and murdered.