Rudolf Küstermeier

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Rudolf Küstermeier (born February 9, 1903 in Bielefeld ; died December 4, 1977 in Tel Aviv ) was a German resistance fighter against National Socialism and a journalist . In 1933 he was one of the founders of the Red Shock Troop resistance group . After his liberation from the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945, he became the first editor-in-chief of the newspaper Die Welt in 1946 . From 1957 he was the first German correspondent (for the DPA) in Israel .

Life

Early years

Coast Meier first attended a teacher training college. Subsequently, he studied history, economics, philosophy and journalism in Münster , Freiburg and at the School of Political Science in Berlin . He was assistant to the economics professor Gerhart von Schulze-Gaevernitz , and at the same time he was already working as a student trainee journalist for renowned newspapers. He also took part in socialist student organizations.

Social democratic publicist

He was a social democrat and was close to the “young right wing” in the party. Among other things, he wrote for the Neue Blätter for socialism and the trade union theory organ Die Arbeit . Similar to Walter Pahl, he was particularly concerned with the political and social role of the middle class . He was one of those who campaigned within the SPD for rapprochement with the middle classes. In 1931 he published the essay The Proletarisization of the Middle Classes and the Realization of Socialism in Die Arbeit . Even if it takes a long time, these groups must be brought to see their real proletarian existence. As the historian Michael Prinz judges, this recipe was unsuitable for attracting employees to social democracy. In the Neue Blätter he published a study in early 1933 - The middle classes and their political path - about the affinity of the middle class to National Socialism. The proximity of large parts of the middle class to the NSDAP since 1930 was undeniable for him, but he warned against assuming political homogeneity in this group. Even in the SPD there are members of this social class.

time of the nationalsocialism

Because he did not agree with the SPD's attitude towards National Socialism, a discussion group was set up around him at the end of 1932, from which the Red Shock Troop resistance group developed shortly before the start of National Socialist rule . From April 1933 onwards, the group distributed an illegal magazine under this title in various German cities and neighboring countries, which appeared in 27 editions by the end of 1933 and last had a circulation of around 1,500 copies. Küstermeier and his up to 500 colleagues advocated a new beginning for the left beyond the SPD and KPD . The group was open to opponents of the Nazi regime from different political camps. Küstermeier also worked as an editor for the regime-critical weekly newspaper Blick in die Zeit . He was responsible for business, sports and miscellaneous.

Küstermeier was arrested at the end of November 1933 and sentenced by the People's Court to ten years in prison at the end of August 1934, along with a few other leading members of the Red Shock Troop . The trial against "Zinn und Comrades" was the second trial before the special court. Hermann Göring personally is said to have ordered the relocation by the Reichsgericht Leipzig. Küstermeier was subsequently in prison in Brandenburg . The resistance group he co-founded continued to exist in two branches until 1944 without his intervention. Küstermeier and other imprisoned members of the resistance group as well as their families were supported by an aid fund of the resistance group with clothing, food, money and books. This aid fund was supported by Küstermeier's wife Elisabeth (later Eberhard), among others. After serving his sentence, he was released in 1943, resumed illegal activity, and was arrested again just a few weeks later. This was followed by imprisonment in the Sonnenburg and Sachsenhausen concentration camps . At the beginning of February 1945 he came to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp on one of the ambulances . He was one of the few who survived the ambulance transports. In the concentration camp he worked as a clerk in the sick block. He later published a report about his time in Bergen-Belsen.

post war period

After the liberation from National Socialism , Küstermeier was editor-in-chief from 1945 to 1946 of the newspaper Die Welt, which was largely co-founded by the British occupation authorities . He was recommended by Derrick Sington , who worked as a British control officer with the world . He succeeded Hans Zehrer , burdened by his past in the Third Reich , who had to give up his post shortly before the first edition appeared. Küstermeier's editorials reflected his high moral standards. In 1949 he wrote “The world was founded with a political purpose, not for the sake of business. It only makes sense as the big superordinate newspaper, which is essentially and can be a second newspaper, because it informs more comprehensively and reliably than other newspapers, because the matter is above the effect, because it is serious right down to the presentation. " In 1950, the Küstermeier, who suffered from the consequences of his imprisonment, resigned after the newspaper had to accept significant circulation losses and internal disagreements had arisen.

In 1951 he founded the peace initiative Action Peace with Israel together with Erich Lüth and others . In press articles Israel was asked for forgiveness and peace. He wrote in Die Welt on September 1, 1951: “Before we can expect Israel to take a corresponding step, we must do something to facilitate this step. The call to help with such action goes not only to our government, but to everyone who feels responsible for the task of restoring peace and cooperation between Germans and Judaism. ”He was one of the first personalities to campaigned for a rapprochement between Germany and Israel. This action had a considerable response from the public and was supported by numerous politicians. The action may have contributed to Israel accepting Konrad Adenauer's government declaration of September 1951 on reparation as a prerequisite for further negotiations.

Küstermeier was the first German journalist to work permanently in Israel since 1957. He was the DPA correspondent until 1968 . There he reported, among other things, on the trial of Adolf Eichmann and witnessed his execution.

In Israel he was honored with the Carl von Ossietzky Medal in 1963 . In the same year he received the Theodor Wolff Prize from the Federal Association of German Newspaper Publishers . The Israeli-German Society awards a Rudolf Küstermeier Prize.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Franz Osterroth : The Hofgeismarkreis of the Young Socialists. In: Archives for Social History 4/1964 p. 565
  2. ↑ Peter Lösche / Franz Walter : On the way to becoming a People's Party? Die Weimarer Sozialdemokratie , In: Archiv für Sozialgeschichte 29/1989 S. 118
  3. ^ Michael Prinz: Change through Persistence: Social Democracy and "New Middle Classes" from a Historical Perspective . In: Archive for Social History 29/1989 pp. 69, 70
  4. ^ Friedrich Lenger : Middle class and National Socialism. For the political orientation of craftsmen and employees in the final phase of the Weimar Republic . In: Archives for Social History 29/1989 p. 179
  5. ↑ Rudolf Küstermeier: The Red Shock Squad. Berlin 1972. ( PdF file )
  6. ↑ Christoph Hemker: Forbidden 60 years ago. The weekly magazine Blick in die Zeit . P. 17 PdF file
  7. ↑ Dennis Egginger-Gonzalez: The Red Assault Troop. An early left-wing socialist resistance group against National Socialism. Lukas Verlag, Berlin 2018, ISBN 978-3-86732-274-4 , pp. 153, 163 ff.
  8. ↑ Dennis Egginger-Gonzalez: The Red Assault Troop. An early left-wing socialist resistance group against National Socialism. Lukas Verlag, Berlin 2018, ISBN 978-3-86732-274-4 , pp. 179–205
  9. ↑ Christoph Hemker: Forbidden 60 years ago. The weekly magazine Blick in die Zeit . PdF file p. 19
  10. ↑ Eberhard Kolb : Bergen-Belsen 1943-1945 Göttingen 2002, p. 120
  11. ↑ Derrick Sington: The gates are opening: authentic report on the English aid organization for Belsen with official photos and a review by Rudolf Küstermeier . Reprint Berlin, 1995.
  12. ↑ Chritian Sunday: British teacher . In: Berliner Zeitung April 1, 2006
  13. ↑ Der Spiegel 2/1950
  14. ^ Timeline: German-Israeli Relations , at DIG Berlin
  15. ↑ Fritz Singer: Served the belief in a better world. On the death of the social democratic journalist Rudolf Küstemeier. In: Social Democratic Press Service 232/1977 December 5, 1977 PDF file
  16. ^ Markus A. Weingardt: German Israel and Middle East Policy. The story of a tightrope walk since 1949. Frankfurt am Main 2002, p. 81
  17. ^ Nazi criminals: This is how Eichmann's execution went 50 years ago
personal data
SURNAME Küstermeier, Rudolf
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German journalist and resistance fighter
DATE OF BIRTH February 9, 1903
PLACE OF BIRTH Bielefeld
DATE OF DEATH 4th December 1977
Place of death Tel Aviv