Jews were part of the social and economic life of Cottbus. Many Jewish men had fought for their country in the First World War. In the 1920s and 1930s, however, anti-Jewish sentiment became increasingly apparent in Germany. Nevertheless, many Jewish Germans did not take seriously the danger posed by the National Socialists – even when the violence against Jews openly erupted on "Crystal Night".
Robert Exiner and Joachim Boin survived the Holocaust. But they and their families suffered badly under the Nazi dictatorship. In retrospect, it is difficult for them to understand that many Jews too long underestimated the danger posed by the Nazis.
Watch their testimonies, then read the short biographies.
Robert Exiner was born in Berlin in 1916. He was the only child of a Jewish family. His father ran a tailor shop. Robert Exiner graduated from high school in 1934 and then went to Cottbus to be trained at a local textile college. In Cottbus, Robert Exiner felt the growing influence of the Nazi Party. When Australia agreed to take in 150 technical experts in 1938, Robert Exiner was also granted permission to immigrate - after five years he was naturalized. Part of his family was deported, some relatives committed suicide, only a few managed to emigrate. The interview with Robert Exiner was recorded in Melbourne in 1998 by the USC Shoah Foundation.
Joachim Boin was born in Berlin in 1922. His mother was Jewish. In the early 1930s his family moved to Cottbus. When Joachim Boin's father refused to separate from his wife, he was put into a labor camp. In 1938 Joachim Boin witnessed Kristallnacht ("Crystal Night") in Cottbus. Shortly thereafter, he returned to Berlin to go into hiding. In 1939 Joachim Boin was arrested and taken to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. He had to do forced labor in road construction. In 1942 he was transferred to Buchenwald concentration camp, later to a labour camp near Krakow, where he managed to escape in January 1945. After the war, Joachim Boin was reunited with his family in Holland. He emigrated to Palestine, later to the United States. The interview with Joachim Boin was recorded in Lincoln (Nebraska) in 1996 by the USC Shoah Foundation.