The black granddaughter of a notorious Nazi concentration camp killer has penned a searing memoir about how he would have killed her because of her race.
Jennifer Teege, a German-Nigerian author, was shocked to discover that her grandfather was Amon Goeth, commandant of the Plaszow concentration camp during the Second World War, who was played by Ralph Fiennes in Schindler’s List.
Her book, Amon: My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me, documents her torment over the link with her bloodthirsty relative who would have regarded her as ‘subhuman’.
Notorious: Goeth was played by Ralph Fiennes, right, in 1993 blockbuster Schindler’s List
Goeth was a sadist who revelled in the misery of inmates at the camp in Nazi-occupied Poland – in the film Fiennes portrays him shooting at prisoners on their way to forced labour just for fun, while he also drank wine while watching guard dogs tear people to pieces.
Ms Teege, 43, is the daughter of a Nigerian student and the German daughter of Goeth, who was hanged for war crimes in 1946 but went to his death declaring his loyalty to the Nazi cause.
Later she stumbled upon a book her mother had written about Goeth, known as the ‘Butcher of Plaszow’, and decided to explore her own family history.
Jennifer Teege
Mother: Goeth’s daughter Monika, pictured, gave birth to Ms Teege after an affair with a Nigerian student
Family: Monika pictured as a small child with her mother, Goeth’s mistress Ruth Irene
‘It was like the carpet was ripped out beneath my feet,’ Ms Teege said. ‘I had to go and lie down on a bench. I called my husband and told him I couldn’t drive and needed to be picked up.
‘Then I said to my family that I did not want to be disturbed, went to bed and read the book cover to cover.’
She had seen Schindler’s List – the story about a German businessman based near Plaszow who rescued Jews working for him during the war – while studying in Israel and made no connection then to Goeth.
She said: ‘Even though my birth name is Goeth, it wasn’t written out on the screen so when I heard it in the film it didn’t even occur to me that there could be a link.’
Trial: Goeth was executed after being convicted of war crimes but remained devoted to the Nazi cause
Mother-of-two Jennifer was visited by her grandmother Ruth – Goeth’s former secretary who gave birth to Monika in 1945 – as she was growing up. ‘Now I know that, as I have black skin, he would have seen me a subhuman like the Jews he killed,’ she said.
Since embarking on her journey of discovery she has visited the ruins of Plaszow, outside Krakow, and seen the house which still stands outside it where her grandfather lived as master of life and death.
She is estranged from her mother, now known as Monika Hertwig, who gave interviews to an Israeli documentary team in 2010 in a film about the lives of children of Nazi killers.
Ms Hertwig stood outside the house where her father lived and said: ‘My Nazi father shot women with babies in their arms from this balcony, I am tormented by how much of him is in me.’
Childhood: Monika Goeth with her grandmother, Agnes Irene
Ancestors: Mrs Teege’s mother aged 18, top, and her grandmother, bottom, at Plaszow concentration camp
Ms Teege added: ‘My mother was absolutely unable to cope with her own history. And she wanted to protect me by keeping me in the dark about it.
‘Once I learned about my family’s past, I had to make a conscious decision to live in the here and now.’
She calls her story ‘gripping and original,’ and says she hopes that people weighed down with guilt about their family pasts will draw inspiration from it.
‘My story is about the fact that it’s possible to move beyond repression to gain a kind of personal freedom from the past by finding out who you really are,’ she said.
By ALLAN HALL
Trust Nija men with their confidence and donations. I agreed with Segun that she needs to research her father’s side. She may get more joy from this but first need to forgive for being given away. I assure her that her father did not mean to abandon her as this is not the nature of Africans especially Nigerians.
She is automatically our queen if she reaches out to us.
Need assistance on this please let me know. My name is Dr Ajibike Salako-Akande. I am a physician researcher and a business woman in the US.
Good luck.
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Dear Jen I seen your interview on Deutschland TV here in the US. Not only are you Beautiful but also a very brave women. I seen the movie Schindler’s List by mistake. What I mean is that I went to the movies because I was bored and pick out that one to see. It was frightening. I might be wrong about it being a mistake. I geuss I wanted to see it but not really. Anyway I spent time in the US Army and at the Cooke Barracks in the town of Gerp. I don’t know the correct spelling of the town, but I had always felt close to the German people. I hope you find peace. It’s Not Your Fault! GOD BLESS/ Bro. AL Morman Church
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She looks more like Goeth than her mother.
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I think Jennifer should find out who her father was.At least she has her mother family history,she may found out that the good nature and kindness she has comes from her father side.This would give her finally closure and some joy that after all,something good may come from bad things.
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What about jennifer father? Only little was said about him. Did jen make any effort to find out about him? Is he dead or alive? Please jen try and investigate your dad side. After reading your story i was touch by what you went through. I see you as my sister. You are one of us. My name is Robinson A Onyema. Nigerian.
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