Born and raised in Berlin, Robert Behr lived with his mother, Lily, and his stepfather, Dr. Alfred Hamburger. His parents divorced when he was young. Like many German Jews, they were loyal patriots. Both Robert's father and his stepfather fought for Germany in World War I. Bob was only ten years old when the Nazis gained power in January 1933. Surviving the Nazis became his focus for the next twelve years. He and his family lived through growing threats to their very lives until the end of World War II. The Nazis instituted the Nuremberg Laws which stripped Jews of their German citizenship. Male Jews had their middle names changed to Israel; females had theirs changed to Sarah. These names would clearly identify them as Jews, and they were required to carry identity papers bearing these new names. More publicly, Jews were required to wear a yellow Star of David sewn to their outside clothing. This made it easy for the Nazis to discriminate against Jews and to make them targets of abuse. Jewish children were expelled from public schools. Bob's parents were able for a time to send him to a boarding school in Sweden. The Nazis put new banking rules into effect, restricting the exchange of German money into other currencies making it impossible for Jewish families to pay tuition. The school was forced to close. Recognizing the growing danger to Jews living in Germany, the Jewish community in Sweden offered to keep the children until it was safe for them to return. This presented Bob's family with a terrible dilemma. Would Bob be safer in Sweden? What if they never saw him again? Ultimately, Bob's mother decided to bring him home to Berlin. The rioting and plunder of Kristallnacht occurred on November 9th and 10th of 1938. Like thousands of other Jewish men, Bob's father was arrested. He was sent to Buchenwald concentration camp but was later released. Bob's family was evicted from their apartment. The Jewish Community Service helped them find two rooms in an elderly Jewish woman's apartment where they stayed until Bob's parents were arrested by the Gestapo. Two days later, Robert was also arrested and sent to Theresienstadt concentration camp. Lilly was assigned to work in the laundry, and Alfred to work in the hospital. Young Bob had the disheartening job of transporting bodies for burial. When the war was over, Bob's family began restoring their lives. Bob immigrated to the United States but his family stayed in Germany. When he enlisted in the US Army, he asked to be assigned to Berlin so he could care for his mother. His fluency in German made him a very valuable resource. He was sent to Berlin, where he interrogated former Nazis. Today he volunteers at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum since 2001.Bob believes it is very important to educate future generations about the Holocaust. "I want to inform the world of what can happen if you live under a dictatorship which detests your very being," he says. "We [Holocaust survivors] are dying out, and we need to prevent future holocausts."
About the Author: Gretchen Mohr is pleased to share the remarkable and inspiring life of Mr. Bob Behr with you. She currently attends North Scott High School in Eldridge, Iowa. She is active in dance and competes in numerous competitions (including tennis and dance). She is involved in choir as well. Gretchen has enjoyed competing at the state level in National History Day and was ranked ninth in the nation in 2009. In the future she would like to pursue a career in law.