Allgäu - Leo Hiemer tells how he started researching Gabi, what resistance he encountered and how other Nazi crimes came to light.
The traveling exhibition “Beloved Gabi. A girl from the Allgäu - murdered in Auschwitz “is currently touring the Allgäu and can be seen in Oberstaufen from October 24th. The exhibition is based on the research of the freelance director and author Leo Hiemer. Born in Maierhöfen in 1954, the studied historian - known for his cult film "Daheim die Leut" (1985) - critically examines his homeland in the Allgäu in many of his projects. In 1994 his award-winning film "Leni ... must go", which is based on Gabi's story, was released. In 2009 he resumed research. This resulted in his book “Gabi (1937-1943). Born in the Allgäu. Murdered in Auschwitz ”, the traveling exhibition and the play“ Die Jüdin und der Kardinal ”, which premieres on October 26th at the theater in Kempten.In an interview, Leo Hiemer tells how he began researching Gabi with the help of his mother, what resistance he encountered and how the “Remembrance Café” with contemporary witnesses brought to light other Nazi crimes in the Allgäu.
How did you find out about Gabi and her tragic story?
Hiemer:
“I found out the story in 1987 from the newspaper. At that time a dispute arose over a memorial plaque that the "Gabriele Memorial Circle" wanted to have attached to the church in Stiefenhofen. The article was about the fact that a girl named Gabriele Schwarz, who was born in 1937 in the Allgäu and grew up on a farm in Stiefenhofen, was brought to Auschwitz and murdered at the age of five. I was puzzled, I couldn't imagine how that was possible. And: My grandparents come from Stiefenhofen, my mother grew up there, so of course I asked myself whether she knew the girl, she was born in 1933. The answer was yes. It already pulled the floor from under my feet. She always envied Gabi because she was dressed so nicely and because of her beautiful curls.But when asked why she never said anything, my mother said: 'People don't want to hear about that anymore'. "
And so began the research for your feature film "Leni muss go"?
Hiemer:
“Not quite.
At the beginning there was a one-hour radio feature.
That's why I went to Stiefenhofen with my mother.
I wanted to speak to contemporary witnesses, the neighbors, the daughters of Gabi's foster parents and so on.
But nobody wanted to tell anything.
My mother helped build trust with small talk about the past.
And at some point even photos were taken from the attic.
The feature film 'Leni ... must go' - Leni, not Gabi, because it is not a documentary - of course could not reproduce the full complexity of the real events.
The storylines are simplified. "
There are 25 years between the 1994 feature film and her book "Gabi (1937–1943) - Born in the Allgäu - Murdered in Auschwitz", which was released in 2019.
What had happened in the meantime, why did you pick up Gabi's story again?
Hiemer:
“After the feature film, the case was settled for me.
In 2008, a teacher from the secondary school in Kempten approached me with an unbelievable archive find.
It was about Gabi's assets, securities worth 3,000 Reichsmarks, which, as was customary, were transferred to the Reich's main treasury after her murder.
The Jews were not only murdered, they were also robbed, the property confiscated.
And all these files are still there.
'Now I want to know everything too,' I thought. "
What are the very detailed yet atmospheric depictions in the book based on, is it all fact-based?
Hiemer:
“Yes.
It's been a lot of work, and I've worked on it for ten years with interruptions.
Four years of pure research and then another two years to write the book.
There are witnesses who were on the same train to Auschwitz, there are numerous documents, I really tried very hard and had the ambition to prove everything. "
After the radio report, the film, the book and the exhibition, you have now written another play: “The Jewess and the Cardinal”.
Why did you choose this form of processing?
Hiemer:
“The reason for the play was Cardinal Faulhaber's diaries, which have only recently become accessible. You have to know: He was a very prominent and influential personality. Gabi's mother Lotte came from a wealthy Augsburg family. She married Wilhelm Eckert in 1933. He knew Faulhaber from the First World War and had good connections with him. For example, on Faulhaber's recommendation, the couple could marry Catholic. Wilhelm Eckert died after only one year of marriage. Lotte was baptized with letters of recommendation from Faulhaber in 1937, then she tried to flee to the USA with her daughter with his help. I found 14 encounters with Lotte in his diaries. And I asked myself:What do I do with the story? The line 'the Jewess and the Cardinal' kept going through my head and one day it was clear: It's a play, it has to be on the stage! "
So “The Jewess and the Cardinal” sheds light on another facet of the fate of Gabi and her mother and focuses on the Catholic Church?
Hiemer:
“These 14 encounters between Cardinal Faulhaber and Lotte are almost reminiscent of the 14 Stations of the Cross.
In the room there was also the question: 'What did baptism mean for the Church?'.
Here the line was loyal to the regime.
Only the 'good Germans' were baptized, so no leftists, anarchists and so on.
Gabi's mother had recommendations from the cardinal for ecclesiastical institutions in the USA, but met with resentment as an unmarried woman with an illegitimate child and as a Jew.
There was clearly a Catholic selection.
Because of that, the escape failed. "
You spoke a lot with contemporary witnesses.
How do you assess the process of coming to terms with the Nazi past in the Allgäu - also from the public side in the cities and municipalities?
Hiemer:
“With contemporary witnesses you often only encounter defenses.
That is understandable.
The questions about what happened back then tear open old wounds, bring out trauma again, you expect something from people.
Often it is also relatives who resist.
But that changes over time.
I would say that it is now generally accepted that one deals with the Nazi era.
In the Allgäu, however, we have a Nazi scene that should not be underestimated.
In the villages there is often the protective claim 'there was nothing with us'. "
What are your next projects, will you continue to work on this topic?
Hiemer:
“While researching, we came across other stories; there was also a memorial café at the exhibition locations.
For example, a case of denunciation in Unterthingau came to light.
A landlady was arrested and murdered, the whole thing covered up as suicide by the Nazi authorities.
But a project also has to be financed.
It doesn't work without money. "
Thank you for the interview!
Current dates and locations of the traveling exhibition, the exhibition catalog and further information are also available at www.geliziertegabi.de
Play "The Jewess and the Cardinal"
The world premiere of “The Jewess and the Cardinal” puts Leo Hiemer's new play about the role of the Catholic Church in the Third Reich in a modern media environment.
The Theater in Kempten (TiK) is opening the Acting Subscription 2021/22 with this premiere on Tuesday, October 26th.
Leo Hiemer's documentary work places director and theater director Silvia Armbruster in a modern media environment with music and dance.
The piece is choreographed by Anna Vita, the long-time ballet director at the Mainfranken Theater in Würzburg;
The musical direction is from the Allgäu musicians Rainer von viel and Michael Schönmetzer.
Five performances can be seen in the city theater until October 31st.
The piece is based on the diary entries of the Munich Cardinal Faulhaber. Based on this authentic material, Leo Hiemer also makes the dubious balancing act of the church between defense of the faith and loyalty to the regime tangible in the encounter between two people who could hardly be more different. After the film “Leni… must go”, the book “Gabi. Born in the Allgäu. Murdered in Auschwitz ”and the exhibition“ Beloved Gabi ”, the filmmaker Leo Hiemer takes another look at the fate of Gabriele Schwarz, the little girl from the Allgäu who was murdered in Auschwitz.
Together with the City Museum Memmingen, the theater in Kempten is organizing a themed week for the premiere of “The Jewess and the Cardinal”.
In 2021 the anniversary “1700 years of Jewish life in Germany” will be celebrated.
The play begins, followed by Leo Hiemer's film “Leni… must go” on October 30th (theater workshop, 7 pm).
The thematic end of the thematic week will be with the matinee “VerVolkt” on Sunday, 11 am, in the TheaterOben, where the film “May contain traces of Nazis” will be shown, followed by a panel discussion and guided tour of the exhibition.
The performance dates of "Die Jüdin und der Kardinal" are:
• Wednesday, October 27th | 8 p.m.
• Thursday, October 28th | 8 p.m.
• Friday, October 29th | 8 p.m.
• Sunday, October 31st | 8 p.m.