Atlanta Donauschwaben

Trentoner Donauschwaben Nachrichten

Vereinigung der Donauschwaben

127 Route 156, Yardville, NJ 08620

Surely one of the most eagerly anticipated

dates on our club calendar is the trip to

the Donauschwabenowned

mountain resort

called “Crystal Brook.” We know lots of members

reading this column have fond memories

of great ski and dancing weekends undertaken

by our club many years ago. Chuck, Gary,

Franz, Ray, Barby, Mike G, Monika, the Fisher

girls, the Wesleys and so many others were all

part of the scene back then. Well the same

wonderful folks still run the place and boy did

we enjoy ourselves a few weeks back!

Twentyfour

merry Donauschwaben

members made the 3 ½ hour trip to this very

scenic part of New York. They included: Joe,

Caroline, Brittaney, Josef, Greta, Mike, Denese,

Nicole, Lyla, Mary, Steve, Melanie,

JoAnn, Hans, Anna, Luisa, Christina, Bob,

Kim, Sofi, Emma, Nick, Tony and Pat. We

were received by Margaret and Hans, the owners,

and Wendy, the daughter in law, who’s

also a big part of the business. Since this is an

allinclusive

type resort, the 160 dollars per

person (room, board and tips included) carried

you right through to Sunday afternoon without

having to pay for anything beyond the occasional

adult beverage. Clearly, this is a good

deal and we all found the idea of never having

to go anywhere but to the ski area quite a plus.

The entertainment featured musicians who

played both American and good old German

standards. Locals of German and

Donauschwaben extraction came to the lodge

each night to make things even more festive.

What a great time!

We could go on and on with the superlatives,

but let’s face it, readers of this newsletter

also like a bit of controversy and intrigue.

Unfortunately, even the most creative and

imaginative interpretations of the weekend

yield few problems or negatives. Okay, okay,

there was the time Schnitzel, the owner’s Labrador

Retriever, went missing right around the

time “Schnitzel” was the featured dish. We

know this sounds a bit far fetched but it seemed

everyone took a special interest in locating the

dog prior to entering the dining area!

On a more serious note, one of the

other things that stands out in this writer’s mind

is the story the matriarch of this resort, Margaret,

told a small group of us that weekend. She

related how she escaped from the Soviet

Army’s onslaught on her Donauschwaben town

in Romania in 1944. Apparently her dad was

the mayor and had to flee for fear of his and his

family’s life (they always shot the leaders first).

Along the way west, Margaret became separated

from her family and try as she might,

couldn’t find any of her relatives. A great deal

of time passed before she suddenly saw her

family’s horse in the distance. She said to her

fellow travelers, “that’s my horse”. “No way”,

they said, “you are mistaken”. Sure enough,

however, the horse was her’s and, through it,

she found her parents. It was quite a riveting

story we won’t soon forget.

So now the ski season is winding to a

close with better

weather just

around the corner.

Pretty

soon we’ll be

traveling to the

Pines and then

heading up the

Delaware river

for camping

and canoeing.

Good times are

ahead, please

plan on joining

us!

pork, beef and sometimes veal.

meats

grilled (here in the States) or

cooked in a stew.

region of Germany.

Nuremberg, Germany.

more spices and contains paprika,

borrowed from the Hungarians.

Bratwurst capital.

S. maker of “Brats”.

WWI and WWII.

We have finished printing our “Donauschwaben Memories”

book. It is a collection of past newsletter articles written by

members and friends about our heritage. Some of the articles by

our Adam Martini and Andy Franz have already been published

Jim Lieblang for his articles. The cost is $10.

We will send copies to the Family History Library in

Salt Lake City, UT and the AKdFF Library in Singelfingen, Germany.

The club is looking into purchasing new, lighter picnic

table. Anyone who would like to purchase our existing tables

should contact Steve Brandecker at 6096683305.

**************

A special thanks to the Schnieder’s for their donation to

have our Memorial Garden at the Lady of Lourdes Cemetery

renovated by their grandnephew of Kuppek Landscaping. Details

and photos of the renovations to the memorial will be featured in

an upcoming newsletter.

***

This year’s Treffen is in Mansfield, OH again. We are

planning to team up with the Philly Donuaschwaben and rent a

bus for the trip west. The event will be over Labor Day Weekend.

If you are planning to attend and are interested in utilizing

the bus, let any officers know so we can make arrangements.

***

The first meeting for the Atlanta Donauschwaben was a

decidedly informal affair. It was held in the DVHH

(Donauschwaben Village Helping Hands) coordinator’s home in

Acworth GA, on the northwest side of Atlanta. We had a full

house with some 18 plus showing up for the get together. It was

a super meet and greet for the many who have worked so hard to

research and chronicle their Schwowisch heritage. The areas represented

ranged from those whose ancestors hailed from the Banat,

Batschka (hey, that’s me) and Schwaebisch Turkei, as well

as some Volkdeutsche who were originally from the American

Aid Society in Chicago and transferred down to the Atlanta area.

The interest seemed to be there from this small but very

well versed group. The amount of historical knowledge in the

room would fill a library and was a refreshing sight for any who

hold our culture in high regard. Unfortunately yours truly is decidedly

a bit like the slow student in these affairs, but thanks to

cousin, Dennis Bauer, my mom and some late night emails to my

brother, Hans, was able to cram enough info about my own genealogy

to at least make some educated sounding small talk.

(hey that’s how I got through college!). Seriously though, it was

an enjoyable evening with plenty of maps showing all the small

villages and locales. It was also great to hear the tales of how

everyone’s ancestors came to this country and where they settled.

In typical Schwowisch fashion, the food offerings

would have fed a group much larger than the one present. Ranging

from traditional fare to German baked goods from a local

bakery, everything tasted just as good as it looked. I know this

from personal knowledge (hey, I have to assure the authenticity

don’t I?). This endeavor will no doubt do damage to my already

expanding waistline. It would appear that regardless of the location

we Schwobs always eat well.

We did discuss the formation of a new club down here

in Atlanta but that was more a side show, the real event was a

celebration of the areas and regions of the “old country” and a

sharing between those in attendance of the knowledge they possess

in this regard. It was truly something I have never experienced.

This was all the more surprising since the majority were

are people, who on their own and with no structure to guide

with lost relatives or who just want to find out where they

came from. The South, generally, was not an area where our

forefathers came to in the 50’s. Rather it is an area where our

German culture slowly “migrated” to from the areas of heavy

immigration in the northeast and midwest.

So by that very fact

the dynamics of a club down here in the South would no doubt

be a much more unique organization than what you might expect.

Having said all that, this experience so far has given

me a deeper understanding of the Donauschwaben culture and

it’s simply that our culture comes more from the heart then the

head or even pedigree. I had the benefit of experiencing the culture

firsthand as both parents and grandparents grew up in the

traditions and passed them on to my siblings and I throughout

our formative years. Here in Atlanta, this is more the exception

then the rule. The majority of the attendees did not have the

same experiences but, they seem to hold the same passion for

the culture, if not more. The DVHH group has dedicated countless

hours in the research and preservation of the culture both

collectively as well as individually. I was educated by everyone

in the room that day and was asked very pointed questions

which indicated a profound knowledge in this regard. It was an

uplifting experience.

In closing I would add that I am still at a loss to how

the Atlanta DS club will ultimately take shape. However, our

first meeting showed that at the very least we were able to come

together as a group. I see this as a step in the right direction and

a good way to get Southern Schwobs involved in the greater

Donauschwaben USA family. There’s no doubt we will all be a

PAGE 2 TRENTONER DONAUSCHWABEN NACHRICHTEN VOLUME 7 ISSUE 2

My name is Lena Jefferson but back when I was on the SS America it was Magdalena Distl. I was 10 years old back on

March 4, 1950 when my grandparents, my mother, (my father was killed in the war), brother (age 5) and I boarded this ship in La

Havre, France to sail to a new life in America. This was by far the best part of my life up to that point. I was born in 1940 in Backi

Brestowatz, Yugoslavia, having to leave my homeland back in fall of 1944 during the war and living in Austria as "Displace Persons"

until my greatgrandparents

sponsored our trip to this country. We left Austria on March 1, 1950 via train through Switzerland

and spending the last evening in a bombed out train station in Paris before heading for Le Havre. We boarded the SS America on the

morning of the 4th. To be able to travel together at the same time, my mother, brother and I were first class passengers with my

grandparents being what I now know is tourist class. We were the only civilians in the first class accommodations as the rest of the

passengers traveling that way were all military.

I think one of my best recollections is the fact that most of the adults were too sick to enjoy the food and the fine dining. I

know in our case, my brother and I were the only ones to see the inside of the dining rooms. I remember that the stewards soon discovered

that most of the food they had to offer us, we had never seen. They could not give us enough to eat. Anything and everything

they had left over was offered to us. Most of the fruits such as bananas, watermelons, cantaloupes, we had never even seen

much less alone tasted. My brother had never tasted ice cream and told them that he did not like it as it made his tongue cold. I had

only tasted it once in my lifetime. Little things like that come to mind. Since my mother never came up and since I could not be in

the room with her without getting seasick myself, the dining area was our escape. Only problem, we did not speak a word of English.

Being children without adult supervision also held some restrictions. Therefore, I never realized all that this beautiful ship had to offer.

I did not realize that until the memories came back when going on a Carnival Cruise a few years ago and then it all came back .

As stated above, since most adults were too sick to enjoy everything this ship had to offer.

There were usually only children at our table, my brother and I, another boy and his sister. Most of the people came up on

the deck as we passed the Statue of Liberty. We docked in New York on the morning of March 11, seven days after sailing. We were

one day late getting into New York due to a storm that basically took us back a full day instead of forward. The United States Immigration

Office processed us through Ellis Island and after intense questioning and searching, had our passport stamped as

"Approved".

After spending a few days in New York with relatives, we visited Philadelphia again seeing relatives and arrived in Dayton

OH (where I live now with my husband) on March 16, 1950 for a grand reunion between my grandmother and her parents whom she

had not seen since 1920. Two years later, my mother remarried here in Dayton OH and it turns out that my stepfather is the uncle of

the two children sharing our table on the SS America. Small world to say the least.

I cannot wait to show these pictures to my mother who is still alive and doing very well. Will have to tease her about being

able to see the ship that she was not able to see when we were on it. I have told her about it and she described our stateroom just as

you show it in the pictures. This trip was the beginning of my life in the USA. I have been back to Ellis Island several times since it

has reopened as a museum and also the Statue of Liberty as I travel in that area as Regional Sales Manager for a manufacturing company

with headquarters here in Dayton.— Lena D. Jefferson, Dayton OH, August 30, 1999 (Permission granted to print)

*******

The February 15, 2007 issue of the Family Tree Magazine Online

Newsletter listed the Donauschwaben Villages Helping

It notes “Stop at the Danube Swabian Society site if you’re seeking German roots

in Hungary, Romania and Yugoslavia”.

Source: Linda McKenna— Donauschwaben Villages web list, 15 February 2007.

A Great job to those involved with the web site (including our own, Dennis Bauer, Ray

Martini and John Feldenzer). Representatives of the DVHH will also be present at the

PAGE 3 TRENTONER DONAUSCHWABEN NACHRICHTEN VOLUME 7 ISSUE 2

recovery from a broken foot.

long time club member now living in North Carolina, on his

recent surgery.

go out to the entire Mattes family and their friends.

of North Port, FL. Alfred was born in Palanka, Yugoslavia and

was a member of the GermanAmerican

Society of Trenton.

to Mitzi, her daughters, and to the entire family for their

loss.

Two Philadelphia members of our PhillyTrenton

dance group are set to marry this April. First to go will be

best to these fine people!

2007 Homecoming Queen! Lyla was crowned on

Homecoming Day at HHW football field in November.

In addition Lyla was selected as the Hamilton

West School Board representative for the school year.

She attends the monthly school board meetings and

participates in the discussion, bringing news and viewpoints from a

student perspective. Keep up the great work Lyla!

“business law” in a Statewide

competition sponsored by Future

Business Leaders of America. The event featured 1800 high school

students from around NJ competing in many categories. She will be

part of the NJ high school delegation competing at the National

Competition in Chicago in June.

MakeoverHome

Edition”. A

single mother of four was recently

selected to have her home (71 Colbalt

Ridge Drive East) razed and

rebuilt by the popular ABC TV

show. The home was demolished on

3/9/07 and completely rebuilt

(larger) by 3/13/07. The neat part is

cast during their stay in Levittown, PA (picture of demolition) and

watch the whole project from their back window. Look for the episode

to air on channel 6 at 8 pm, Sunday, 6 May 2007 and see if

you can pick out the Bauers.

The Club is looking into ordering more men’s Donauschwaben vests this year. Many new members

have expressed an interest in purchasing one and some of us older members can not fit in ours anymore (no

names mentioned). Please contact a Club Officer if you are interested in one. The price has not been determined

yet. The more we order, the cheaper the cost would be.

PAGE 4 TRENTONER DONAUSCHWABEN NACHRICHTEN VOLUME 7 ISSUE 2

train and stopped for the night somewhere

in southern Hungary. My job

was to find dry wood so that my grandmother

could cook supper. My friend

and I (he had to the same job I did) set

about looking for the wood that would

fuel the allimportant

fire. As fate

would have it, my buddy found a cigarette

and that’s where our problems

began. Instead of looking for wood,

we just sat and smoked which made us

late in getting back.

Right away my mother questioned

me as to where I was for so long

and at the same time smelled the smoke

on my breath. This prompted her to

ask: Did you smoke? I answered “no”.

Again she asked: “Did you smoke a

cigarette?” Again I answered “no”.

That’s when the questioning stopped

and punishment began! A couple of

smacks followed by three good whacks

was my reward for not telling the truth.

My punishment was far from

over however! I was then tied to the

wagon wheel for two hours in full view

of everyone. Her explanation for such

drastic measures, “You are punished

not just for smoking but for not telling

the truth”. Believe me, this made a

lasting impression on me!

In addition to my mom, there

was a second person responsible for

my choosing not to smoke. This was

my soccer coach in Austria. His saying

was, “If you smoke you don’t play

soccer” Since my life at the time revolved

around the game of soccer, this

had a big influence on my decision to

forego the cigarettes.

I often

think about these

two experiences

and am thankful

to both my

mother and my

coach for making

the difference.

Thanks to them I

have never had to “kick the habit”!

Zwei Personen danke ich heute noch warum

der Zigarettenteufel mich nicht beherscht

hat.

Auf der Flucht von Jugoslawien, unsere

Wagenkollone blieb irgendwo in Südost

Ungarn stehen für den Abend, meine Arbeit

war trockenes Holz zu suchen, damit

die Großmutter Nachtmal kochen kann.

Mein Freund der auch die selbe Arbeit

hatte fand eine Zigarette, anstatt Holz zu

suchen, rauchten wir die Zigarette, daß

natürlich unsere Suche verlängerte. Meine

Mutter wartete schon auf mich mit Fragen

wo warst du solange und warum so wenig

Holz und zur gleichen Zeit hat sie den Zigarettenrauch

an mir gerochen.

1. Frage: hast du geraucht? Natürlich

meine Antwort war nein.

Nocheinmal die selbe Frage: hast du

geraucht? Wieder die falsche Antwortnein

Mama.

Keine Frage mehreine

links ans Ohr,

eine rechts ans Ohr und drei tüchtige

Schläge auf den Hintern und dann die

schlimste Strafe, meine Mutter band mich

an das hintere Wagenrad für 2 Stunden,

das alle die vorbei gingen mich sehen konnten.

Die Erklärung meiner Mutter war:

deine Strafe ist nicht nur fürs Rauchen die

Strafe ist auch weil du mich angelogen

hast.

Die zweite Person war unser Fußball

Trainer in Österreich, sein Motto war:

entweder du rauchts oder du spielst

Fußball, mein Leben war Fußball, so ließ

ich das Rauchen.

Ich denke oft an diese Ereignisse und ich

danke Beiden heute noch für ihre Hilfe das

ich kein Raucher wurde.

I am thankful to two people for

not becoming a smoker. The story begins

as we were fleeing Yugoslavia in a wagon

Congratulations to Kathleen and

Adam Martini on again qualifying for the

AAU National Championship for Tae

Kwon Do held this year in Fort Lauderdale,

Florida. Kathleen brought home a

of a very large field of contestants. The top

eight places advance to the national championship

and will be invited to Junior

Olympics, and the Atlanta Schwobs did it

for the second year running. Both will be

heading to Nashville, TN. This weekend to

compete in the Southeast Regional Tournament

and later this summer heading to

South Carolina for a warm up before the

big National event.

Kathleen also received the studentathlete

award for South Forsyth Middle

School varsity girl’s basketball. Although

it was Kathleen’s first foray into

that sport, she succeeded in balancing both

the athletics and the books, maintaining a

4.0 average in her AP (advanced placement)

course of study.

Adam finished second in the annual

oratorical contest for the South Forsyth

MS, and will be the alternate for the

regional contest held in Atlanta this year.

Congratulations to both, they must take

PAGE 5 TRENTONER DONAUSCHWABEN NACHRICHTEN VOLUME 7 ISSUE 2

By Andreas Franz

(translation from German by newsletter

staff)

I , Andreas Franz, immigrated to

this country in December of 1955. Countrymen

Josef Wolf and Valentin Beer

picked me up in New York City where I

had landed and took me to Trenton, NJ.

There I met my sponsors, the Berner family,

who were neighbors of my grandparents

back “home”.

One Saturday, Ferry Berner took

me to the former German club in Trenton

called “Aurora”. Many of the members

there were from Palanka just like me.

There I met Herr Josef Spildener who took

me under his wing and became a lifelong

friend. It was through him that I met the

Schöns – the two brothers from Palanka.

Back in the 1950’s there were

many folks in Trenton who hailed from

Palanka. Two such people were Michael

Schön, age 98, and his brother, Josef, age

99 . They are quite possibly the oldest

Palankaers alive today. I found their stories

Michael Schön, a man of considerable

height and strength, was a hardworking

farmer and family man. His life

story is a familiar one to most of us. In

1944 he was conscripted into the German

military even as defeat seemed all but inevitable.

He survived the maelstrom and

he ended up in Russian captivity. He survived

this too and was then released and

sent to Germany in 1947. His family however

stayed at home in Palanka only to be

interned in the dreaded camps set aside for

the Donauschwaben.

Michael found work on a farm but

really wanted to return home to Palanka.

He eventually received information about

his family and found out that his wife Resi

and her family, as well as his brother Josef,

had escaped from a camp and ended up in

Austria. Michael then joined his extended

family in Austria and lived there for four

years before they all decided to go to

America. Through a church organization,

a sponsorfamily,

was located and after a

long journey by sea the Schoen’s finally

arrived in New York City. Unfortunately

the sponsor family who

had guaranteed

the US government they would house the

Schoen’s and find them employment was

nowhere in sight!

They were then placed in an old

hotel, given a subsistence grant of two

dollars per person and told to wait and

see what would happen. Nothing happened

for an entire month! Michael

grew impatient and heard from an acquaintance

that there were many Germans

in Trenton, even folks from

Palanka. Without knowing a word of

English, Michael boarded a bus headed

for Trenton. Once there he managed to

board a local bus and began looking for

“Haesli”, a name given to him by another

acquaintance. Unfortunately, the bus

driver couldn’t communicate with him

and it wasn’t long before he was forced

to get off.

Dropped off in the middle of

“nowhere”, Michael had no idea where

he was or where he needed to go! As

fate would have it, Michael then saw a

guy in a nearby crowd that looked familiar.

“That looks like a Schwob”, he

thought. Sure enough, he called out to

him in German and got a friendly reply.

It was through this chance meeting, that

he met the Haesli’s and other Palankaers.

These countrymen found a new sponsor

for the Schön’s and that’s how they came

to Trenton – nine in all and

began their

new life in America.

As with all of our Donauschwaben,

each one found work. Michael and

his oldest son worked first in a bakery

and then in a steel mill. He told me his

thoughts about these early years: “You

know, Andreas, we worked 62 hours a

week and did quite well for ourselves.”

His eyes sparkled and he chuckled at the

thought this

year!

Michael built a good life for

himself and his family here in the Trenton

area and remained active in his retirement

right up until two years ago when

his knees finally forced him to rest. His

story is one of courage and determination

for which I have great admiration.

Josef, the oldest of the two

Schön brothers, (is now) 99 years of age.

Already at an early age, Josef demonstrated

great will power, something that

is still in evidence today. As the first son

of an established farming family he was

expected to take over the fields. Yet

much to his father’s chagrin, he had no

desire to become a farmer. Rather he

decided to learn how to be a businessman

(Kaufmann). It was a difficult choice,

but one he followed through on with

great energy. At the early age of 14, he

entered an apprenticeship in an unfamiliar

town and proved to be an excellent

pupil. In 1932 and at the age of 25, he

opened his first business in Palanka. Everything

went well up until that fateful

year, 1944. It was then that he found

himself serving in the Hungarian military.

His wife Theresia and his infant

son, however, found themselves in the

camp at Jarek.

Josef and Theresia were then

separated from each other for what surely

must have seemed like an eternity. They

were apart from 1944 until 1948 during

which time they endured hardships and

tragedy they would never forget. First

and foremost was the death of their son

and only child at “Jarek”, one of a number

of “internment” camps where many

Donauschwaben perished. It is still

something they think about today.

(Continued on page 7)

PAGE 6 TRENTONER DONAUSCHWABEN NACHRICHTEN VOLUME 7 ISSUE 2

By Andreas Franz

(translation from German by newsletter

staff)

They then began a new life in

Germany, but soon decided to immigrate

to America. In 1955, having waited quite

some time for a visa, Josef and Theresia

finally arrived at New York harbor and

then went on to Trenton, NJ. The entire

trip was painstakingly planned by Josef

and went off without a hitch.

Josef came to Trenton because his

brother, Michael, was already there as

were so many other Palankaer countrymen.

His sponsor was Frau Feldenzer who was

also from Palanka. He and his wife were

quickly employed at a nearby factory as

were many other Donauschwaben. Money

saved from working in Germany meant

that a house could be purchased in a relatively

short period of time too. While

work in the factory wasn’t great, it did give

him job security until his retirement 17

years later.

What amazed me about Josef is

that he is among the very few people I

know who never used a car! It’s just about

unheard of here in America. He went on

foot to work, to the store and wherever else

he could go, just as they did in Palanka.

His ways were and are the “old ways”.

His very real connection to the past helps

put things in perspective for all of us.

Josef and Theresia have returned

three times to their hometown of Palanka.

“How did you like returning there?” I

asked. “Very nice” he said, “we went all

over the place talking to anyone we remembered.”

When I told him I have no

intention of ever returning to Palanka he

gave me a rather puzzled look. I told him

my memories of 1944 made returning

“home” too painful.

My last question to Josef: “Was

it better here or in Palanka?” He answered,

“It was nice back home but it was

better here.”

2006.

*******

Looking forward to GermanAmerican

Day 2007 and 2008

IrishAmericans

have St. Patrick’s

Day, MexicanAmericans

have Cinco de

Mayo and ItalianAmericans

have Columbus

Day. Not wanting to be left out, GermanAmericans

will have a retooled and reenergized

way to celebrate GermanAmerican

Day on October 6, 2007 and everyone is invited

to participate! We have much to celebrate

and this is why!

of the first German families to America, after

which approximately 8,000,000 inhabitants

from Germanspeaking

countries followed,

will be celebrated next year on October 6.

This gives the GermanAmerican

community

the perfect opportunity to showcase 325 years

of contributions made by the immigrants and

descendents of Germanspeaking

countries to

many aspects of American life.

These innumerable contributions to

the American mosaic have been well documented.

In his 1993 GermanAmerican

Day

Proclamation, President Clinton proclaimed:

“All of us can take pride in the accomplishments

of German Americans – as soldiers and

statesmen, scientists and musicians, artisans

and educators. It is fitting that we set aside

this special day to remember and celebrate

how much German Americans have done to

preserve our ideals, enrich our culture, and

strengthen our democracy.”

Many may remember the way the

GermanAmerican

Tricenntenial was observed

in 1983, when the academic, educational, musical,

cultural, historical and business sectors

collaborated to offer a rich variety of programs

and events commemorating these contributions.

the German American Day Celebration Committee

will recreate this model this year, using

it as a dress rehearsal for the celebration in

2008. Organizations like the University of

Pennsylvania, the GermanAmerican

Chamber

of Commerce – Philadelphia, the German Society

of Pennsylvania, the GermanAmerican

Committee of Philadelphia, Historic RittenhouseTown,

the American Association of

Teachers of German – Philadelphia Chapter,

the Immanuel German School, Immanuel Lutheran

Church, Netzwerk Philadelphia and the

Concordia Trust have already enthusiastically

committed to sponsoring events. To this end,

a diverse and innovative calendar of events is

being planned for the weekend of October 6,

2007 concentrating in Center City Philadelphia,

but also including the neighboring counties.

The calendar of events for October 57,

2007 is expanding and to date includes:

sponsored by the GermanAmerican

Committee of Philadelphia

school students of German, sponsored by

Kind is an international communicator

who escaped from the former East Germany

to the West in 1960. As a German

teacher at the New School in New York

City, Uwe Kind developed SingLing, a

language learning technique based on

familiar tunes, which he later refined as a

graduate student at Harvard University.)

German School

products and foods

Netzwerk Philadelphia and the German

Society

sponsored by Historic Rittenhouse Town

German Society

of German folksongs”,

sponsored by the German Society

the German Society. (The internationally

renowned Viennese choreographer will

share her background, style and dance

philosophy through a moderated discussion,

dance video and demonstration by

Jeanne Ruddy Dance dancers. Ms. Linke

unites in her dance both her origins in the

historic German dance tradition and the

development of contemporary German

dance theatre.)

Society

Immanuel Lutheran Church

Chamber of Commerce –

Philadelphia

of Pennsylvania

the Liberty Bell Wanderers and the

United GermanAmerican

Committee to

benefit the National Heritage Center in

Washington, D.C.

For more current and detailed inform

a t i o n , p l e a s e v i s i t www.

GermanAmericanDay.org. Please mark your

calendars and hold this weekend open, so you,

too, can participate in the celebration.

Benjamin Franklin may well have

PAGE 7 TRENTONER DONAUSCHWABEN NACHRICHTEN VOLUME 7 ISSUE 2

Es war einmal ein liebes kleines

Dorf, Neudorf wurde es genannt,

es lebten lauter Schwaben dort, ihr Fleiss

war weit bekannt.

Sie waren glücklich und

zufrieden, sie hatten keine Not,

Dann kam der Krieg, mit ihm Hass und

Tod.

Väter und Söhne rückten als

Soldaten ein, Viele von ihnen, kehrten

nicht mehr heim. Tod, vermisst und

unbekannt ruhen viele in einem fremden

Land.

Die Front kam immer näher, wir

konnten es ja nicht ahnen,

wir wurden bedroht von Bomben und

Partisanen.

Deutsche Soldaten marschierten

in Neudorf ein. Sie wollten uns Schwaben

befreien. Angst erfüllte das einst so

friedliche Dorf, Wir müssen weg, wir

müssen fort.

Die Sirenen heulten, wieder war

Fliegeralarm, Mütter nahmen ihre Kinder

in den Arm. Sie liefen hinaus, es ging ja

ums Leben, Wann wird es wieder Ruhe

und Frieden geben?

Schrecklichste Erinnerung an jene

Nacht, Eine Bombe hat acht Menschen

umgebracht. Grosseltern und Verwandte

suchten viele Stunden, Aber sie habe nur

Stücke von ihren Lieben gefunden.

Auch vier Kinder wurden dabei in

Stücke zerfetzt, das ganze Dorf trauert, alle

sind wir entsetzt. Tiefflieger bedrohen den

Leichenzug, als man acht Menschen in

einem Sarg zu Grabe trug.

Eines Tages ging der Trommler

durchs ganze Dorf. Packt eure Sachen, wir

müssen fort. Niemand weiss, wielang,

wohin, wir haben Angst, wir müssen

fliehn.

Am 20. Oktober 1944, zeitig in

der Früh, diesen Tag vergessen wir

Neudorfer nie. Pferde und Wagen standen

bereit, der Abschied, der fällt uns allen

nicht leicht.

Hinaus zum Tor, ein letztes Mal,

beladene Wagen standen schon überall.

Dann haben wir unser Neudorf verlassen,

wir fuhren durch fremde Dörfer, auf

endlosen Strassen.

Dann überquerten wir die Drau,

bei Dolji Miholjac war es genau.

Da hat es schon die ersten Pannen

gegeben, Räder brachen an den schwer

beladenen Wägen.

Die Pferde zogen mit ihrer

ganzen Kraft, viele blieben stecken in

dem Morast. durch Ungarn führte der

grossen Schwabenzug, diesmal aber in

die entgegengesetzte Richtung.

Nach Wochen erreichten wir

Österreich, im Burgenland da ging es ja

noch leicht. Doch später, die Berge, es

wurde schon kalt,

von den Strapazen gezeichnet, waren

Jung und Alt.

Nach sechs Wochen

anstrengender Fahrt im Böhmerwald

hiess es dann endlich Halt. Freundlich

wurden wir nur selten aufgenommen,

geht wieder zurück, woher ihr

gekommen.

Heimatlos, es tat so weh,

wir konnten vieles nicht verstehn.

In den Städten herrschte Hungersnot,

nur mit Lebensmittelkarten, bekamen wir

Zucker, Fleisch und Brot.

Am 7. Mai 1945 war der Krieg

dann endlich aus. Wieder packten wir

zusammen, wir wollten ja nach Haus.

Doch an der Jugoslawischen Grenze

wurde uns klar, dass der Abschied am 20.

Oktober von Neudorf für immer war.

Die Einreise hat man uns

verwehrt, als Flüchtlinge wurden wir

staatenlos erklärt. Heimweh, es war kaum

zu ertragen, keine Antwort auf so viele

Fragen.

Mehr als sechzig lange Jahre

sind seither vergangen, mit viel Fleiss

haben wir neu angefangen. Jede Arbeit

haben wir mit Freude gemacht, unser

Fleiss uns wieder bescheidenen

Wohlstand gebracht.

Es geht uns doch gut, wir sind

zufrieden, wie ginge es uns jetzt, wären

wir daheim geblieben? Daheim wie wir es

auch nach fünfzig Jahren immer noch

nennen, unsere Gedanken, jede Gasse und

jedes Haus noch kennen.

Neudorf, mit Wehmut denken

wir heut an dich, unsere fruchtbaren

Felder, volle Scheunen, alles blieb bei dir

zurück. Der Krieg hat uns unsere Heimat

und alles genommen, nur als Besucher,

können wir jetzt zu dir nach Neudorf

kommen.

Nur ein Gast bist du jetzt im

eigenen Haus, alles schaut so anders, so

fremd und traurig aus. Unsere Kirche, wo

wir uns versammelten zum Gebet, sie

wurde abgerissen, wem stand sie im

Weg?

Doch die Zeit, sie heilt die

tiefsten Wunden, wir sind dankbar, wir

haben eine neue Heimat gefunden.

In vielen Ländern und Dörfern sind wir

jetzt verstreut, all unseren Toten sei jetzt

diese Stille geweiht.

Neudorf, auch nach sechzig

Jahren denken wir gern an dich,

Heimat, wo wir geboren, ganz vergessen

werden wir dich nicht. Ihr Neudorfer, wo

immer ihr eine neue Heimat habt

gefunden, in Gedanken sind wir heute mit

euch allen verbunden.

Wir Neudorfer vertrauen auch

weiter auf Gott, wir wünschen der ganzen

Welt Frieden, mehr Verständnis und

Liebe, weniger Hass und Not.

In diesem Sinne, mach ich mit

meinem Gedicht jetzt Schluss und schicke

allen Neudorfern einen ganz besonderen

Gruss: Bleibt alle noch recht lange

gesund, allen Kranken wünsche ich eine

gute Besserung !

Euch allen und euren Familien,

Gottes Segen und viel Glück, dass

wünscht euch.

PAGE 8 TRENTONER DONAUSCHWABEN NACHRICHTEN VOLUME 7 ISSUE 2

TRENTONER DONAUSCHWABEN NACHRICHTEN

PAGE 9 VOLUME 7 ISSUE 2

please. That is the date for the 3rd Annual Trenton Donauschwaben/

GermanAmerican

EuroAmerican

Auto Show.

Last year we had over 120 car entries. This year we

hope to top that number. Our AutoKlub committee had it’s first

event meeting 11 January 2007. We held our second joint meeting

with our cosponsors

at the GermanAmerican

on 22 March

*******

The Audi V8

powered R8 prototype has won five Le

Mans victories. It has returned in a 2007 Lola LMP1 race car. It

will be entered under the Swiss Spirit flag. Good luck to the Audi

team!

*******

We know many Trenton Donauschwaben readers have

been staying up late at night wondering which group of drivers

are the best and which are the worst. While surely all of us have

our own personal candidates for this award, a few researchers

turned to some “real” science – astrology to

find out the truth.

A study in England of some 150,000 accidents revealed that

Scorpios. There’s no doubt that the value of this information

plus four quarters will give you a dollar. But, the next time you

hand over the keys of your Ferrari to a friend, you just might

want to get out that astrological chart!

****

In 1974 VW introduced the Scrirocco sports coupe. It

had a 16 valve, 2.0 lter engine and could hold its own against

many of the best 2door

cars out there.

Well, VW will introduce

a new version in 2008

called the IROC (middle letters

appeared at the Paris Auto Show.

A real pocket rocket, it is the

length of the VW GTI, but 1.5

inches wider and 3.3 inches

lower on 18 inch wheels. It will be powered by one of three

power plants, a twincharged 1.4 liter/210 hp four, a turbocharged

2.0 liter/240 hp four or a 3.6 liter, 280 hp V6.

Source:

*****

On behalf of the Trenton Donauschwaben and the GermanAmericans

of Trenton, we wish to thank our friends at the

Cannstatter for advertizing our 7 July EuroAmerican

Auto Show

in their Spring 2007 issue of their newsletter. We hope their

members stop by for a fun afternoon. I know many of our Trenton

Donauschwaben AutoKlub members plan on entering our

cars in their show on 11 August 2007. Danke Schön!

Have an extra $106,000 lying around the house? Then

this Beamer is for you. The 2006 BMW M6 Coupe is powered by

a V10, 5.0L, 500 hp engine with a seven speed manual transmission.

Although it is a coupe and not a true sports car like the

Viper, Porsche Turbo or Corvette Z06, it will do 060

in 4.4 seconds

and 200 mph. Truly a “Tour de Force”, Ja?

******

The European Union wants Germany to set a speed limit

on their autobahn in order to help reduce emissions and pollution.

As expected, the Germans kindly refused to place a

speed limit on the super highway. Although known for their environmental

concerns, a speed limit?

Nein Danke! That is one “right” the Germans will never

give up, “The need for Speed”… ..… Ja?

**************

Look for the Porsche Panamera to be available in show

rooms in 2009.

The Panamera is a four door sedan with a lift back rear

hatch. It will be powered by a 3.5 liter, 300 hp Volkswagen V6,

or a 4.5 liter, 350 hp Porsche V8. A souped up version will have

a 4.5 liter, 560 hp Porsche Turbo.

Note: in order to prevent a foreign takeover, reports are out that

Porsche has purchased 30% of Volkswagen’s stock.**

The Donauschwaben AutoKlub welcomes Rick and Susan Jakober

who recently purchased a pristine 540i BMW sport sedan.

The svelte, V8 powered Autobahn cruiser was purchased at the

DiSomone dealership where another AutoKlub member, Colin

Huff, is employed. Word has it that while it's usually Susan who

drives the car, Rick is allowed access to it on the weekends IF he

keeps it clean and tidy. Nice going Susan!! :)

PAGE 10 TRENTONER DONAUSCHWABEN NACHRICHTEN VOLUME 7 ISSUE 2

Monika was an important part of our dance group and school for many years. We are delighted to have Monika

and her family back. Prosit!

Haesli). Anyone reading the local newspapers will know that Tom is a hardworking

and dedicated Hamilton Township Council

member. His efforts to reign in taxes in our club’s hometown of Hamilton have frequently made the headlines. While the club supports

good and honest politicians whether they are Democrats or Republicans (we are nonpartisan,

after all), we are pleased that one

of the best is now a member of our club. Tom recently announced his candidacy for Assembly and we urge all of our members to

look at his record and give him your consideration. Best of luck to club member Tom Goodwin!

PAGE 11 TRENTONER DONAUSCHWABEN NACHRICHTEN VOLUME 7 ISSUE 2

We look forward to the return of Andy Franz and the restart of our Adult German

to attend the one hour Wednesday evening classes (7pm) that feature instruction in German

language, history and culture. Don't miss this great opportunity! It is a most fascinating

hour all are sure to enjoy. Please call 6095866109

for information.

Also, Our German School for young people meets each Friday evening from 6 to

7 PM. Right now they are learning poems and songs in German. They are also practicing

their folks dancing. All interested children and young people over the age of 5 are cordially

invited to attend.

*****

We're looking to reinvigorate our weekly club night. Since the very early days,

this particular evening has been a time when adult members gather to interact in a

friendly "

gemütlich" environment

Whether it's playing pingpong

, talking about cars,

the news, up coming events or just relaxing with friends, we invite everyone to stop in

between 8 PM and 10 PM each Wednesday.

make this particular night a more important part of our club's schedule. These cordial

In an effort to give back to our hometown community the Donauschwaben recently decided to offer a German language

scholarship for students at the local high schools. Member Liz Tindall has been brought in to see the program through and will

make the details of this award available soon. It’s most gratifying that all of Hamilton’s student population has the option of learning

the language of our ancestors. We’re even more delighted to hear that the program is quite popular!

The scholarship is part of our club’s ongoing effort to promote Germans language education. We hope all eligible students

will enter the scholarship contest and wish them all the best.

Donauschwaben club members may recall Jen Soden at our dinner events sitting with the extended family of the late Otto

and Edith Kraus and her uncle, club member Eric Kraus. Indeed she was the granddaughter of Kraus's and was always cheerful

and friendly in conversation. Tragically she passed away at a very young age this past October of a heart attack. To commemorate

her memory, friends and family are holding a fund raiser at the end of April for the benefit of the American Heart Association

(AHA).

The event will be held on Saturday, April 28th at 2 PM at the Tall Cedars Picnic Grove in Crosswicks, NJ. Tickets are $25 ($15

for youngsters) and can purchased by contacting RaeAnn Corradetti at 6092527183

(raeann.corradetti@bms.com). We encourage

all of our members to consider supporting this worthy cause.

PAGE 12 TRENTONER DONAUSCHWABEN NACHRICHTEN VOLUME 7 ISSUE 2

To all of our members who do the work that always needs

doing, THANKS!! Whether it’s in the kitchen or out by the tables;

serving refreshments or baking pastries; selling tickets or cleaning up;

it takes many fine people a good many hours to make dinner events a

success. We truly have some of the finest club members anywhere.

Danke Schön!!

A great big THANKS!! also goes to all of our members and

friends who attend the club’s activities and purchase

our Club jackets, shirts, hats, etc. We appreciate your

support and look forward to seeing you again soon.

The club’s ski season began officially

with a trip to the fabled “Smuggler’s Notch”

ski area located in the Green Mountains of

beautiful Vermont. This is arguably one of the

nicest areas in the north eastern region of the

country. Mt. Mansfield looms large in this area. At almost 4400 feet,

it is the tallest mountain in Vermont and has the distinction of having

real artic tundra in and around its summit. Yeah, it can get pretty

cold… which is what our intrepid group discovered on their trip in

early March.

Four of the Donauschwaben’s best skiers, Ludwig Jakober,

Steve Brandecker, Bob Walter and Uwe Hundskopf braved sub zero

temps (how’s 22 below grab you?!) to get in some rather excellent skiing.

One of them said “It was great as long as you ignored the early

warning signs of frost bite” or something similar. This was not a trip

for the faint of heart. All four said they had a great time, however, and

Perceptive readers will note that the new guy on the block is a fine

new club member named Uwe Hundskopf. He recently joined our

club and has jumped right into our many activities. Welcome Uwe!

How many of our readers

remember that great skiing movie

“Downhill Racer” starring Robert

Redford? Well, forget that. With

very few exceptions, none of our

club members look like Redford’s

character on the black diamond

slopes. Wait a minute, we did say “veryfew exceptions” right? Well,

as it turns out, the club does have its own “downhill racers” and, no,

we aren’t talking about their condition upon leaving the ski lodge watering

hole either. We really do have some fine skiers who have made

annual ski outings a wonderful part of our club’s schedule. As to

whether one of our expert skiers, Herr Jakober, actually looks like