Once We Were Yekkes

A family history reflecting a 300-year history of Jews in German-speaking lands, exploring stories about amazing individuals, Jewish village life, the lives of Protected Jews, urbanization and assimilation, antisemitism, Kristallnacht experiences, the fate of Jews in the Holocaust including the deportations and concentration camp experiences, and the efforts to flee Europe.The story of the author's ancestors takes us from East Prussia to Hamburg, Berlin, Hannover, Wuppertal, Leipzig and many small German towns and villages, such as Ibbenbüren, Fröndenberg, Körbecke, Varel, Güsten and Jever.The author tells the stories of relatives like writer and librarian Dr Werner Kraft, Jakob Buchholz who fought at Waterloo, and banker and philanthropist Julius L Isenstein, and explores the lives of many relatives, including rabbis, teachers, house painters, butchers, merchants, dentists, cattle dealers and at least one innkeeper across three centuries.This is the second volume of the author's family history, and explores the methodologies and processes used by the author to research his family history.