Research Symposium

BIO

Hello! My name is Paige Coker, and I am from Macomb, MI. I am a junior majoring in International Affairs, and I am also working on my US Intelligence Studies Certificate. After completing my degree, I plan to attend law school and hope to practice International Law. I enjoy historical research and having the ability to see how the history of the world has shaped our world today.

Civil Courage in Action: Identifying the Courageous Women of the Rosenstrasse Protest

Abstract

During the time of the Nazi regime, interfaith marriages, especially between Jewish men and non-Jewish women, were outlawed. As the Gestapo increased their power in the city of Berlin, over 7000 Jewish men were arrested. In the end of February and beginning of March of 1943, hundreds of non-Jewish wives initiated the Rosenstrasse Protest, in an act of civil courage to save their Jewish husbands from being deported and killed. This protest continued for several weeks as women to fought for their husbands’ releases. Because of the overwhelming growth and power of the protest, the Jewish men that were detained were eventually released. The courageous acts of their wives and family members have often gone unspoken about and their genealogical pasts forgotten. To commemorate these courageous acts and to bring to light the familial connections, our research team has put together a genealogical database accompanied by a series of biographies. This database begins with protesters from the Rosenstrasse Protest, cases of intermarriage, civil courage, and women’s resistance. From there connections are built as the rest of their genealogy and family history is compiled. Once completed, the comprehensive database and the accompanying biographies will (a) be used to further contribute to the historical studies of Germany during the Nazi regime and (b) serve as an online resource for descendants to find lost family records and build their own genealogical history.

Keywords: History, Holocaust, Civil Courage