The Nazi Officer’s Wife: How One Jewish Woman Survived the Holocaust, by Edith H. Beer, is a unique look into the repression wrought on her by the Holocaust. The memoir actually reads like a novel, not a memoir. She wrote it at her daughter’s request, as a legacy to leave to her.

Edith Beer nee Hahn and her family lived in Vienna, Austria, and were a middle class family. Beer had a nice childhood, and didn’t lack for anything. She was a law student, and at the moment she was due to sign up for her university degree exams, she was rebuffed and refused permission to take them due to her being Jewish. The Jews were denied rights, were considered less than human, and were moved to ghettos. From that point forward life as she knew it changed dramatically, including that of her relationship with her boyfriend, Pepi. Pepi plays an important role in the memoir, not only as Hahn’s boyfriend, but part of her support system.

In order to save her mother, Beer let herself be sent to an asparagus slave labor camp, where she literally worked herself to the bone. There was little food to be had, for all the work she did. She was told that as long as she worked there her family would be safe. While there she was able to receive letters and packages which kept her informed of her family. The letters also kept her relationship with Pepi alive. Through the struggles and harshness of the slave camp environment, she never lost faith or hope that there would be a positive end to all the adversity she was surrounded by.

In forthright and concise writing, Beer manages to depict slave camp life on the asparagus farm extremely vividly. The harsh temperatures, the demeaning and difficult work conditions, the extremely long work hours (six and one half days per week), and the verbal abuse received would be enough to quell any hope in most individuals. Beer exercised her strength and courage, and kept a positive outlook. It proved invaluable to her survival.

After working at the asparagus farm, she is transferred to another slave camp working at a different job in a paper factory. She is allowed to visit her mother in Vienna, but once she arrives, realizes that her mother is going to be sent to Poland. She also sees Pepi, and their meeting is secretive, as he won’t let her stay at his house with his mother. She realizes that he won’t marry her, and that there is no hope for a romantic relationship.

Amidst the depressing hours and days, there are few sparks of illumination that Beer holds dear. There are one or two individuals who do have a heart, and who do their best to make life a little easier for her, and some times for her peers. Those individuals demonstrated courage of their own, for the gestures they made, they made at risk to themselves, also.

From this point forward, the story takes on a different twist, as Beer decides to go into hiding. She is given false documents with a false identification, and makes her way to Germany, where she finds room and board in exchange for seamstress duties. She has taken on an entirely new identity. It is at this point in time that she meets Werner Vetter, who is a member of the Nazi party. He is an artist, and is employed at an aircraft paint factory, as an overseer. After courting a few times, Beer eventually moves in with him, and they eventually marry (under her new identity). It was a difficult decision for her, but one she felt would help her to survive. He is aware that she is Jewish and living under an assumed name. They have a daughter together. Their marriage eventually sours, and they divorce.

The Nazi Officer’s Wife is infused with such vivid images, and with so much deceit, but deceit that is necessary in order for Beer to survive. It took extreme courage and strength for her to live the way she did. The pages are illuminated with the numbing and defining experiences she has had. She is honest in her telling, and doesn’t necessarily focus on blame. Beer’s desire is instead to bare the truth of her own story and survival, and that she does, in compelling fashion. The story line is dramatic, reads like a book of intrigue, and is one filled with poignancy and hope, filled with inspiration. Edith H. Beer writes with forcefulness, ever cognizant of the facts, and the necessity to evoke the straight facts, truthfully. I read it straight through, and couldn’t put it down. I highly recommend it to everyone.
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I personally own and have read this book.

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Monday August 10, 2009 – 20th of Av,5769