Jerusalem – “Suddenly, at the age of 18, my life was turned upside down. To learn, out of nowhere, that your father was a Nazi officer – it’s hard to describe the shock.” The 67-year-old Didi Henke still finds it difficult to speak of the moment she learned that her father was a senior SS officer.
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Following the earth-shattering discovery, Henke decided to move to Israel and dedicate her life to the State and the wellbeing of Holocaust survivors.
Henke learned of her father’s past by chance, during her studies at university in Germany. “In one of the courses we were asked to learn about the history of our cities,” she recounted.
“I searched information sources in the university’s archives, and all of a sudden, I found out that my father was an SS officer, who, among other things, was in charge of energy in the city. I was shocked. It felt horrible. I went to talk to him, but both he and my mother refused to cooperate.”
The fact that her father showed no remorse for his actions led Henke to cut ties with him: “I took him out of my heart and I decided to dedicate the rest of my life to Holocaust survivors, in hopes of rectifying what my father did.”
Fell in love with Israel at first sight
Henke made her first visit to Israel in 1978. She fell in love with the country and returned to it 52 times. In 1987, when she retired, she decided to move to the Jewish state. At the time, her parents had already passed away, and her siblings, who remained true to their father’s Nazi upbringing, barely kept in touch.
Since 1990, Henke has been a volunteer at the Yad Sarah organization and has been aiding Holocaust survivors. “Some of them had a hard time with my German accent, but with time, we created good relations, and I even have friends who are Holocaust survivors,” she said in the fluent Hebrew she has acquired over the years.
Henke currently lives in Jerusalem. She says life in Israel and her volunteer work give her much joy. “I belong to the second generation of Germans. We should also be held responsible for what happened there,” she said.
On Tuesday the Ministry of Social Affairs held a ceremony honoring Henke and 1,500 other foreigners who arrived in Israel this year to carry out volunteer work. The volunteers, many youths coming from Germany, Holland and Italy, have been living in Israel for several months now and have been volunteering in various fields.
Speaking at the ceremony, Welfare and Social Services Minister Yitzhak Herzog said: “At the end of their stay in Israel, the volunteers become loyal ambassadors of the State of Israel.”
I can’t believe it;, We are facing an immense threat from from Islam, all over Europe and America, and we’re still busy with WWII. Yes, the threat from Isalm is real and dreadful.
We must do Tshuvah, and really improve our caring and sincere love for every Human Being (Tzelem Elokim). Only then, can we hope that HKB”H will reward us Middoh Kneged Middoh, and never again, bring on any Sinnah from other Nations toward us.
The love and caring must be Real, not putting up a show and call it Kiddush Hashem.
A very heartwarming story: a lesson in personal responsibility. Now I pass the baton over to all you naysayers & cynics.
We are no more constrained by the bad deeds of our ancestors than we are by the good ones. We often say of a nazi “y’mach sh’mo.” I think I like this better, though… instead of the name being erased, the nazi is erased; the name is reformed and, though g’milut chasadim, is remembered for good. Redemption is a wonderful thing.
What an amazing woman. May G-d continue to bless her in all her heartfelt endeavors with strength, determination and joy.
we should admire this lady , time ago a friend while in Israel visited a Yeshivah and saw a tall blond man with peyes and his father was an SS and he became a ger tzedek and learned in a Yeshiva
Wow. What an incredible woman. It’s so refreshing to see someone take responsibility not only for their own actions or inactions, but for that of others — not something she is required to do.
Back in early 80s I took an English Literature course in Brooklyn College with a Professor who had a very heavy German accent. I was a bit spooked and wondered if I should drop the course. Spoke to someone in registrar’s office who told me not to worry. Turns out his father was a Nazi (dont recall if he was an officer). This professor was even in the german Boy Scouts (or whatever it was called). We read Dante’s Inferno and used that book as a platform to talk about the role of his father and country in the Holocaust and what level of Hell he thinks his father is in.
I’m not sure why she’s “responsible” for her father’s actions, but taking it upon herself to try to “make-up” for those actions despite her lack of responsibility to do so, is certainly quite admirable and impressive.
In Buchenwald where I had the pleasure to spend between age of 16-17 the finest contigent among prisoners were the Germans , 99% non-Jewish one, a communist named Will Sell saved my life . I had swallow after the American arrived some poisonous substance and he advised milk and rice. Later in Italy I needed antibiotics for infection from Concentration Camp the kind AJDC did not provided it and luckily my relatives and one in England paid for the antibiotic and shipped it to me. Matter a fact to AJDC in Europe we were a nuisance commodity helpful keeping their job and fine living but otherwise useless.
Like we learn from Chazal, the Grandchildren of Haman became Gerim and learned Torah. Apparently, children can have a goodness in their nefesh that their parent was not able to utilize.
However to fulfill akeres hatov. In Italy in Milan resided a Jewish family, named Zippel and they searched hospitals for survivors whom they helped out of their pocket. Of course AJDC lived off the fat of American Jewish funds
beautiful story! while children are not responsible for their parents sins i feel tht they are required to not repeat the same behavior.
i admire her for going against her parents and family …must have been hard to cut off from them.
the sad part is where she says her siblings cont. with the nazi upbringing..
Shindler was also of course German. I theorize that people like him and this lady were sent as messengers of HBH to perform their good deeds. I believe we should judge people by their own merits and not by where they come from.
Amazing that this lady could feel/see the truth. But her siblings remain the same as her parents. Why? What did she see/realize?