Ursula Lewandowski

Here is Ursula Lewandowski’s story and testimony as presented by her son-in-law, Tad Kelly, and two of her granddaughters, Emily and Julia, at an event at the Bundestag in June 2023

Good afternoon. My name is Tad Kelly and I live in Denver, Colorado in the United States. These are two of my daughters, Emily and Julia. We are honored to be with all of you today. I am here because my mother-in-law, Ursula Lewandowski, received her German citizenship as a result of the changes to Article 116 under the Basic German Law. I am a member of the Article 116 Exclusions Group and, on behalf of Ursula and her family, I undertook the historical research and documentation necessary for their citizenship applications. As a result of this process, my wife and all of my three daughters also received their German citizenship.

To give you a sense of Ursula’s story, her grand-daughters would like to read you a portion of the statement that Ursula provided with her German citizenship application.

Ursula Lewandowski receiving her German citizenship in 2020. The German Honorary Consul General in San Diego drove to Ursula’s home to personally present it to her.

Julia:

“I, Ursula Lewandowski, was born on October 13, 1932 in the free State of Danzig to Erich and Regina Lewandowski. My parents were both born in the Eastern territories of Germany, and my father was proud to have served in the German army during World War I. After moving to predominately German-speaking Danzig following the Treaty of Versailles, he opened a successful leather tanning and butcher supply business. He also became active in the Social Democratic Party until 1933, when the National Socialist Party of Danzig took control of the city government. Given our Jewish heritage and my father’s opposition to the National Socialist Party, life for us grew increasing dangerous, until finally, in July 1939, our family fled Danzig - abandoning our home and my father’s businesses - to the relative safety of my grandparents’ home in the countryside.

Emily:

However, in early September 1939, soon after we arrived, our new home sustained a direct hit from a bombing raid carried out by the invading German Air Force. My parents decided that we needed to flee once again. After leaving behind my maternal grandparents’ destroyed home, we made our way to the south of Poland, to Trieste, and later to Rome. My family then traveled to Portugal where – after a month’s-long delay – we boarded a ship for Rio de Janeiro, arriving there in September 1940. I was seven years old.

On July 4, 1950, I met my future husband, a United States Navy pilot, who was on duty in Brazil, at an American Independence Day celebration. In February 1951, he proposed to me, I accepted, and we moved to San Diego, California. Several years later, on September 16, 1955, I was naturalized as a United States citizen. Now, at age 85, my real hope is to finally acquire my German citizenship. Thank you for your consideration.”

Tad:

That was in 2017, when Ursula first applied for German citizenship. Although Ursula always considered herself to be German and spoke German as her mother tongue, until the amendment to Article 116, which we are commemorating this afternoon, was passed, she had been designated as a member of one of the so-called “excluded” groups. But, suddenly, with the new amendment, there was hope. Unfortunately, by the time that Ursula – now 87 years old -- reapplied under the new law, her health had begun to deteriorate quite rapidly and, with it, the chances that she would live to see her German citizenship granted.

At that time, I spoke with Felix and Isabelle to let them know about Ursula’s worsening physical condition to see if anything could be done given the priority that was being offered to “first generation” applicants - because so few of them like Ursula were still alive.

Then, like a gift from heaven, on October 13th, 2020, on Ursula’s 88th birthday, she received an e-mail from the German consulate in Los Angeles informing her that her application for German citizenship had been approved. The e-mail began as follows, “First of all Happy Birthday!!! (With three exclamation marks!) We wish you all the best and we are pleased to give you the good news on your birthday!” Can you imagine Ursula’s joy?

Only a few weeks after that, on November 15th, 2020, Ursula passed away peacefully in her sleep. But, with the help of so many, her dream had been realized.

So, who are the heroes of this happy-ending story and scores of others like it? Well, first and foremost, Felix and Isabelle. It is difficult to overestimate the extraordinary nature of what the two of you have accomplished for so many of us. And, the personal sacrifices that you both made along the way are matched only by the dogged persistence that you brought to this righteous endeavor. The legacy of your selfless efforts on behalf of thousands of many-times dispossessed victims is truly historic. Each of us will tell our children - and they theirs - how two individuals took it upon themselves to bring some modicum of justice to a very dark chapter in history. We, our parents and grandparents, as well as all of the generations to come are forever in your debt.

And, who are the other heroes of this story?

Tad auf Deutsch:

Wer sind nun die anderen Helden dieser Geschichte? Felix und Isabelle würden sofort sagen, dass die Gesetzesänderung nur durch die unermüdliche Unterstützung von Deutschen auf oberster staatlicher Ebene möglich war, im Auswärtigen Dienst, in den Ministerien sowie auch vieler privater Unterstützer in der Bevölkerung. Ich möchte einen Moment Zeit nehmen, um nur einige dieser bemerkenswerten Menschen zu erwähnen.

Zunächst möchte ich unserer Gastgeberin für die heutige Veranstaltung, Filiz Polat, Mitglied des Deutschen Bundetages, danken, einer langjährigen zuverlässigen Freundin der Arbeit der "Article 116 Exclusions Group". Ihre unermüdliche Hilfe im Gesetzgebungsverfahren war entscheidend für die erfolgreiche Verabschiedung der Änderung.

Hans-Günter Löffler hat sich als damaliger Leiter des Rechts- und Konsularreferats der Deutschen Botschaft in London als erster Vertreter der deutschen Regierung mit Felix Couchman getroffen. Von hier nahm die von Herrn Löffler geförderte konstruktive Beziehung zwischen der deutschen Regierung und der Exclusions Group, ihren Anfang.

Dr. Felix Klein. Felix Couchman kontaktierte Dr. Klein, den Beauftragten der Bundesregierung für jüdisches Leben in Deutschland und den Kampf gegen Antisemitismus, im Dezember 2019; innerhalb weniger Tage wurde ein Treffen in Berlin vereinbart. Dr. Kleins Beteiligung an dem Prozess, der schließlich zur Reform des deutschen Staatsangehörigkeitsrechts führte, kann nicht hoch genug eingeschätzt werden.

Staatssekretär Andreas Michaelis traf sich als Deutscher Botschafter in London im August 2020 mit Felix und Isabelle. Er ermutigte sie offen, einen Beitrag zu leisten zur Formulierung des neuen Gesetzes, das gerade begann, Form anzunehmen.

Stefan Schlüter, Diplomat im Ruhestand mit fast 40jähirger Erfahrung im Auswärtigen Amt. Herr Schlüter hat sehr eng mit Felix und Isabelle zusammengearbeitet; sein umfangreiches Wissen, seine Expertise und seine Erfahrung waren während der Gesetzesnovellierung von unschätzbarem Wert.

Und schließlich Botschafter Miguel Berger, der erst vor zwei Monaten eine Veranstaltung mit Mitgliedern der "Article 116 Exclusions Group" in der Deutschen Botschaft in London ausgerichtet hat. Seine fortwährende Unterstützung der Bemühungen von Felix und Isabelle, insbesondere im Hinblick auf die Hauptziele der Versöhnung und des Brückenbaus, war von wesentlicher Bedeutung, da sich die Beziehungen der Gruppe zur deutschen Regierung auch in Zukunft weiterentwickeln werden.

Wir danken Ihnen. Ich danke Ihnen allen aus tiefstem Herzen.

Ich möchte nicht versäumen, die Hunderte von Beamten aller Verwaltungsebenen sowie die Mitarbeiter der Deutschen Botschaften in aller Welt zu erwähnen, die der erste – und oft auch der einzige – persönliche Kontakt für die häufig unentschlossenen und besorgten Menschen sind, die ihre deutsche Staatsbürgerschaft nach Artikel 116 beantragen. Die Bedeutung dieser Personen in der "ersten Reihe" kann gar nicht hoch genug eingeschätzt werden. Juliane Busch in der Botschaft London, Stefan Starina im Generalkonsulat Los Angeles, und Alwine Simone Teller im Bundesverwaltungsamt sind nur drei herausragende Beispiele. Alle diese vermeintlich "normalen" Deutschen leisten eine Arbeit, die alles andere als normal und gewöhnlich ist.

Jedes Mal, wenn Sie sich für die Änderung des Gesetzes eingesetzt haben, war das ein Schritt für die Versöhnung. Jedes Mal, wenn ein Botschaftsbeamter mit einem Antragsteller zusammentrifft, ist das eine Chance zur Versöhnung. Als meine Tochter Alexandra die deutsche Botschaft in London aufsuchte, um ihre Einbürgerungsurkunde entgegenzunehmen, wurde sie von Marlen Sulzer empfangen und in einen besonderen Raum eingeladen. Dort überreichte sie Alexandra ihre Urkunde und entschuldigte sich bei ihr im Namen der deutschen Regierung. Beide waren in Tränen aufgelöst. So fühlt sich Versöhnung an.

I would like to conclude by acknowledging a final group of heroes who may not even think of themselves as heroes. This group includes Ursula and every other person who has applied for German citizenship under Article 116 of the German Basic Law – some of whom are here with us today. Most of these individuals don’t speak German, and many have never set foot in Germany – and perhaps thought that they never would.

It is important to remind ourselves that the decision to apply for German citizenship under Article 116 is not an easy one. Most of those who are eligible were victims – or descendants of victims - of almost unimaginable Nazi persecution. The lucky ones – like Ursula and her parents - survived by escaping. So many others – like Ursula’s grandparents - were not so lucky.

For those victims or their descendants to consider applying to become a citizen of a country that once persecuted them, in most cases, is a gut-wrenching decision. Even those whose initial motivations may have been more practical in nature are soon overcome by the complicated emotional dimension of the citizenship application process. Discussing it with other family members and conducting the historical research necessary to provide the required application information inevitably involves reliving or unearthing a period of time that many feel is too painful to examine. Many families become angrily divided about even applying for German citizenship. 

We must respect those who say “Never!” Absolutely. But we must also encourage those who say, “Maybe. Perhaps, I am ready to open up that window to the past that I have kept shut for so long.” And, what of those - like so many of you here this afternoon - who actually took the step of applying for German citizenship? Despite many years of rejections – especially prior to the passing of the amendment to Article 116 - you pressed on, driven by your sense of justice and your sense of righteousness. Yes, but also by your willingness – perhaps even desire - to explore the possibility of reconnecting with your past or your family’s past in a more direct way.

Your presence here, today, at this event, in this building – speaks volumes about your hopes for the future. I am awed by your courage, your vulnerability, your optimism, and your determination.

This is what reconciliation looks like. Reconciliation is not about denying the past. On the contrary, reconciliation is about acknowledging the past – but together. And, that is exactly what we are doing here today – every person in this room – acknowledging the past while taking the next step in reconciliation - together. Thank you very much.