Jacob Handwerker

On New Year’s Day I bathed in the 5 degree Ostsee (Baltic Sea) during the Anbaden in Heiligenhafen.  One century earlier and 500 km to the East, my grandmother Charlotte Louise le Coutre may have also done things like this in Rugenwalde. (now Darlowo, Poland).

Charlotte Le Coutre

On January 1, 1924 Charlotte was barely seven years old and living a quiet and innocent life.  She was an active young person and loved swimming and rowing in the Ostsee.  Her father Paul was a doctor and kept an office on the main square.  Paul also loved doing handstands on the sand.  A love of the sea ran deep in the le Coutre family.   Some of my ancestors were ship captains in the Ostsee and one was lost at sea during a voyage to South America. 

By the spring of 1938 Paul understood what was unfolding in Germany.  Therefore, he made arrangements for his eldest daughter to seek a more secure and peaceful future in America.  On August 20, 1938 my grandmother sailed from Hamburg and never saw her parents again.  She was lucky to be part of the final voyage of the steamship “MS St. Louis”.

I applied for German naturalization in 2011 but I was rejected because my grandmother married an American citizen.  When my mother was born the German constitution only allowed citizenship to pass through the father.

Words can not express my gratitude to Felix and Isabelle Couchman.  Their tireless efforts have helped many people to bring closure and healing with the past.  Having the opportunity to share my grandmother’s nationality means a lot to me.  I’m grateful the German government is continuing to work on reconciliation issues like this. 

I also want to acknowledge the kind and unwavering help of Ms. Alwine Teller.  Ms. Teller works in the BVA and processes applications like mine.  She has been so supportive through this process.

My mother has also been recently naturalized to honor her late mother's memory.  A Stolperstein is also being installed in Berlin this year for my maternal great-grandmother, Anna.  Stones already exist at the same location for her brother and his wife and child.

Thank you for listening to my story.  May more people experience healing and peace through your reconciliation efforts.