Stories Survive: Dr. Julius G. Mendel

This program’s original recording transcript is below. This transcription was created automatically during a live program so may contain inaccurate transcriptions of some words.

Sydney Yaeger (she/her): hi everyone, my name is Sydney Yaeger and i'm the public programs coordinator at the Museum of Jewish heritage, a living memorial to the Holocaust.

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Sydney Yaeger (she/her): Now, in its 24th year the museum is committed to the crucial mission of educating our diverse community about Jewish life and heritage, before, during and after the Holocaust.

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Sydney Yaeger (she/her): As part of that mission our programs are meant to illuminate the stories of survivors broader histories of hate and anti semitism through time and stories of resistance against injustice.

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Sydney Yaeger (she/her): Today we are honored to be joined by Dr Julius Mendel and Rebecca frank, Dr Mendel was born on August 17 1931 to a Jewish family in Germany.

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Sydney Yaeger (she/her): His father, Dr Herbert Mendel served in the German military during World War one and later became a Dr Herbert ran a successful medical practice where Julius his mother also worked as a laboratory technician.

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Sydney Yaeger (she/her): In late October 1938 Herbert was forced to close the practice and the family fled to Cuba, a month later.

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Sydney Yaeger (she/her): The mental spent two years in Cuba and emigrated to the United States in 1940.

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Sydney Yaeger (she/her): julie's went on to become a psychiatrist and has also donated over 20 objects to the museum related to his family's experiences in World War one and their escape from the Nazis.

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Sydney Yaeger (she/her): Rebecca frank, is the curatorial research assistant at the museum she received a BA in history and Jewish studies from cornell University in 2019 and an ma and Holocaust studies from the University of Haifa and 2020.

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Sydney Yaeger (she/her): During her studies, she interned at the United States Holocaust Memorial museum Yad Vashem, the Jewish museum and the ghetto fighters house museum.

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Sydney Yaeger (she/her): If you have questions specifically for our speakers during the program please put them in the zoom Q amp a box and we will get to as many as we can, at the end of the hour Thank you so much for joining us today and i'm now going to hand things over to becky and Jules.

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Rebecca Frank: Thank you so much Sydney so a few notes before we jump right into it today for today's story survive we really wanted.

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Rebecca Frank: Because Jules has donated so many objects to the museum's collection for him to speak about his story through the objects that he donated, so we are going to have photos of the objects on the screen for you.

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Rebecca Frank: In general, we are going to be moving chronologically with this story and with the objects that we speak about.

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Rebecca Frank: and have no a couple of these objects, are going to be on view in our upcoming exhibition the Holocaust what he can do, which opens for Member previews on June 30 so.

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Rebecca Frank: With that we'll start looking at the objects and talking about jewels His story Thank you Jules for being here with me today.

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Rebecca Frank: And we're actually going to jump back a little bit from before you were boring but to talk about your father's story and about his experience and the German army during World War one.

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Rebecca Frank: So on the left, as you can see, is this photo of Herbert with his army unit, right here, where I put my mouse is Herbert and then on the right is an iron cross that he received so Jules what what did your father tell you about this service in World War one.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: yeah I wish I could say he was a very brave guy but the land cross third degree that you're showing is apparently something that everybody who served.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: In the German army received at the end of the war pretty much like the rupture duck at the end of World War Two that everybody got when they when they were in World War Two so it's it's a nice looking thing but it's really doesn't doesn't indicate any bravery.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: The interesting thing about the whole thing his service at the age of I guess.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: He was a teen The interesting thing about it is that when the when the nurse bird laws were enacted in 1932.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: All professions, including the the judges the doctors.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: lawyers were disenfranchised and the only exception was made for Jews who served on the front lines.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: And my father, being a team was also disenfranchised and 1933 he could no longer practice medicine, but he sued the the Nazi regime.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Because he had papers that that showed that he had been on the front line he went around and got certificates from a number of his commanding officers, saying that.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: He was and so he won the suit i'd probably the only suit that anybody ever won against the Nazis and they unfortunately allowed him to practice for another I guess it was another 454 or five years.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Because otherwise it would have left much earlier so by 1938 the then the Nazis changed their mind again and, of course, as they always did they change the laws and even those.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Those military who served at the front lines could no longer practice their professions, I think that's what makes it very interesting that he had been in the army.

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Rebecca Frank: yeah did he did he tell me stories to you about his time in the army.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: No, like all fathers we didn't talk about those things.

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Okay.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: I don't think we'll wait till you get to have an adolescent boy you'll see they have other things on their mind.

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Rebecca Frank: Did you on what does it mean to you that your father had fought in the German army in World War one.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: You say that again.

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Rebecca Frank: What do you have any feelings about the fact that your father had fought in World War one.

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Rebecca Frank: reflecting on that.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: No, I know if.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: He if you want to know he never fought against against the United States or or England as an as an 18 year old he was active on the little the little resurrections along the border of Germany, there was some Communist uprising uprising and.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: The the army before it was totally disbanded had to find the had to fight the uprising on germany's border that's what he was involved and.

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Rebecca Frank: Where was your father born.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Where.

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yeah.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: A place called Porsche O s relieved sparrow s ch E which which changed between between Poland and Germany, depending on how the wind was blowing.

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Rebecca Frank: So, moving forward from his time in the army are these two photos of your father, with his Medical School for eternity, and this is him, where I have my mouse in this picture.

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Rebecca Frank: Yes, this is him in this picture.

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Rebecca Frank: Yes, and I think when looking at these it's really interesting to really see how assimilated he was into German life as a Jew during this time.

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Rebecca Frank: What do you think about this and did he ever tell you any stories.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: becky becky that's not entirely true, this is not, this is not a simulation, this is a Jewish fraternity.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: That had to be organized in order for these Jewish students to defend themselves, they were constantly being.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: challenged to duels and.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: They had to they had to do what the non Jewish fraternities do engage in doors i'd like to say that my father engaged in duels but he he didn't.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: I think they I don't know how i've never read much about it, so I don't know how they worked at, but I think there was certain of them were assigned to be the dual lists and to protect the honor of the Jews, but he certainly didn't want his face.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: scarred.

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Rebecca Frank: So this was a Jewish fraternity as Medical School.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Yes, this is all Jewish now, and in fact this particular for eternity I think the name was Casey I looked this up many years after.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: It was called a cartel convention that was the abbreviation for Casey and it became the American Jewish Casey for trinity.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: These people who, when they emigrated to the United States, especially in New York, would have annual get togethers these people were now, these men were now professionals and for the most part, I kind of.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Had annual get togethers in the United States called themselves the American Jewish Casey fraternity and I don't think it's extend anymore, this was many years ago.

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Rebecca Frank: You know if he stayed in touch with anyone from the his Medical School fraternity.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: say that again.

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Rebecca Frank: You know, he remained in talks with anyone from his Medical School fraternity.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Oh i'm sure oh yeah when they had get togethers years later, they would have you know they would know each other sure you have to understand the German university system.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: They didn't stay in one university they went from every year every two years, they changed again so when the school of a matriculated at.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: was not the school usually that they graduated from.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: They hadn't a multitude of.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: acquaintances.

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Rebecca Frank: Nice well moving forward to more about your father during Medical School this here on the left is his diploma from when he graduated in 1926 from Frederick William University in Berlin, and then on the right is his dissertation also from 1926 from when he graduated.

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Rebecca Frank: did he do you know how he decided to go to Medical School.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: When he decided to go.

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Rebecca Frank: Or do you know why he decided or how.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Is the Jewish boy I mean you know.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: What else does a Jewish boy do.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: No seriously.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: By the way, the the the the diploma the school that he graduated from is now closed humbled University in Berlin.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: and

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: And the dissertation was required in Europe in Germany for a doctorate degree, is no longer required it's not required in the United States.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: We all have to just spend four years of Medical School in the back row with our eyes closed and, fortunately, some of us got diplomas without a without a dissertation.

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Rebecca Frank: So this is jumping ahead a little bit, but you as well, are a doctor were you inspired by your father to become a doctor.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Well, he did tell me, I can do anything I wanted providing you i'm providing I went to Medical School first.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: that's a pretty strong.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: ancestry strong.

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Rebecca Frank: What kind of medicine did your father practice.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: He was a general practitioner.

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Rebecca Frank: So this is your parents at their wedding in 1930 how did they meet.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: My mother was a girlfriend of my father's.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: sister.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: And they thought the two the two girls thought it would be a good match.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: And you know it was.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: I mean, I think so.

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Rebecca Frank: and your mother worked in your father's office.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Well that's that's kind of a he was she was really a lady and that's an exaggeration, I must say that when when my father.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: open and practice open a practice in New York after after emigration my mother worked very hard in his office as nurse, but that was kind of unthinkable in in in Germany and Berlin when I think it was kind of unthinkable that a wife would would dirty her hands in the office.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: I should have corrected it when you send out the flyer but I didn't want to.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: mess you up.

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Rebecca Frank: Where was your mother boy.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: You know I don't i'm not sure, because she was you know the world World War one.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: changed she was born in 1906 but World War one changed so many borders, she was also probably born in that area between Poland and Germany, and I don't know exactly what what city.

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Rebecca Frank: This is a question for both of your parents, but were they religious growing up.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: i'm sorry becky one.

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Rebecca Frank: This is a question for both of you about both of your parents, but were they religious growing up.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Where they weren't.

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Religious.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Yes.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Well i'm not sure that women were region hate to be so sexist but i'm not sure that women in those years, especially in Germany were really.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: That religious my father was religious you've observed the holidays, he didn't spoke he didn't smoke on Chavez which.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Was amazing I thought he was he was a very heavy smoker but on Saturday, he that he would not light a cigarette and he he was wallet he was well educated in the religion.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: It came from a small town his father was the president of the congregation and so when he was very well educated and in the Jewish religion.

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Rebecca Frank: So this photos from 1930 and in 1931 you are born in Berlin.

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Rebecca Frank: And here, this is when you're already around six seven years old, is your report card from the Jewish school that you attended and on the left is you know the system for ranking your grades, and then on the right is your grade some your report card.

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Rebecca Frank: What do you remember about your childhood in Berlin.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Well, maybe I guess you know why it's a Jewish school yeah because.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: By 1935 Jews were not allowed to attend the schools anymore, and the Jewish the Jewish.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: congregations.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: organize their own schools, I guess, they did it in a hurry because within a one or two year period they had to hire teachers and get the school building started and so forth, so that's why it's a Jewish school I probably would not have been none of it.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: down to earth so called parochial school.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: I interestingly enough, I didn't meet an older and older school may years later.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: who told me who he was probably four or five years older and by coincidence, he had attended this the same school and he told me that when they let out his class.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: which was four or five years ahead of make the non Jewish kids waited outside to throw stones at them, because they knew the Jewish kids were coming out and.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: And they would talk to them and try to fight with them, I did not have any of that experience.

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Rebecca Frank: How old were you when you started going to school.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: How old.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Well, I guess, about five or six I was six and then I think the the report card only has one year and then have a period of another year in it.

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Rebecca Frank: yeah i'm asking, so you only ever went to Jewish schools, because he would have been too young.

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Yes.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Yes.

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Rebecca Frank: What else do you remember about your childhood in Berlin.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: And the school.

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Rebecca Frank: Just in general.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Well, I do remember it was a tough school, I mean you know i'm sure that the the teachers were were Jewish and the principal is Jewish but they had sticks and we you know we this was a tough.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: A tough thing you know you didn't talk oh you gotta you gotta switch on your back or something so it was frightening.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: frightening place for a six year old to go.

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yeah.

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Rebecca Frank: Not about school, but in general, what do you remember about your well your life was like when you were young in Berlin.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Where do you remember Berlin.

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yeah.

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Rebecca Frank: Any memories or anecdotes about not related to school, but just in general.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: You mean about the the regime, the Nazi regime or.

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Rebecca Frank: or just about your life what you know any first memories, you have when you were little.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Remember, I was a.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Very sheltered child, I mean.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Fortunately, I I you know I lived I lived with a.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: nursemaid.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: The whole time until until everything collapsed, of course, and.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: You know, as.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: i'm I would have been awesome child growing up growing up like that.

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Rebecca Frank: So.

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Rebecca Frank: Also in 1938 here's a photo of your father in his office in Berlin examining a patient.

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Rebecca Frank: And this has been the same year.

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Rebecca Frank: If i'm correct that he was no longer able to practice medicine right also in 1938 later that year.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: 38 I think they they again revoked as his license yeah.

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Rebecca Frank: You remember Do you remember when they revoked his license.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: No, no, well, I do remember that he had to sell you had to sell all the price he had to sell the the apartment he had to sell his practice he and you know the two for a pittance of what I was worth and and some.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: I do remember that and then that they talked about afterwards that you know the the.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Whatever was the SS officer, who is a doctor came in and said yeah i'll give you i'll give you two two marks for this place, you know it's all it's worth, in other words, they took full advantage of the need to to sell everything.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: I think he I think my father sold his car for another another proverbial dollar.

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Rebecca Frank: So here on the screen on the left is a synagogue ticket for the 1938 1939 high holidays, for your synagogue in Berlin, and you.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Know becky guard this with your life.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Because this is probably the last time that anybody unless there are other.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: mission cars, like that the synagogue and I think was destroyed, this is.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: This is.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: November.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: This is probably October.

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Rebecca Frank: Of 1938 so probably September and October.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: September, October so so by by.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: November, the place was.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: You know the synagogue was destroyed.

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Rebecca Frank: yeah.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: This is very, very valuable I shouldn't have given it to the museum.

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Rebecca Frank: You can see here to the.

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Rebecca Frank: Little marks showing which services that your family decided to go to So you can see, you know going to one day of Rosh Hashanah.

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Rebecca Frank: dread.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: I never looked at that closely obviously they didn't celebrate the second day.

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Rebecca Frank: One thing they didn't go.

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Oh.

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Rebecca Frank: And it has your address as well, and then actually on the other side is a Hebrew passage and then translated into German as well.

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Rebecca Frank: But you can see here that it's on the screen at the same time, with this booklet which was produced by Jewish German organization.

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Rebecca Frank: And it was really a how to booklet for immigration to the US, so you can see, already during this time, your family was starting to think about leaving and fleeing Germany, do you do you remember this time and maybe discussions of your parents of wanting to leave.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Well, they no longer had an apartment they had to they sold the apartment to the I guess to the doctor who's taking over the arian doctor who's taking over and.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: This is actually very interesting booklet if anybody speaks German because I looked at it, this brooklyn this booklet tells you how to behave in the United States, and one of the things that you're supposed to do in the United States is not speak.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: speak a foreign language in a loud voice, because people in the United States don't really like like it when people when when they overhear you talking in a foreign language.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: You know you're supposed to americanize yourself as quickly as possible.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Maybe we should maybe we should we should be reprinted at this point.

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Rebecca Frank: What did you did you want to leave Germany, when your parents told you, you were leaving what were your feelings about it, you would have been about seven.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: yeah I didn't know what they were talking about I mean really I, I have no conception of what they were talking about, I must tell you about my father since since.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: You showed his picture in later life, he would he would say he wanted to thank her Hitler.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: From the bottom was his heart for allowing him to live in this country and I kind of always agreed with them, because I.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: You know, when you come from there, and you realize the freedom that you have in this country it's it's unbelievable.

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Rebecca Frank: So circling back for just one moment to the synagogue ticket do you have any stories or memories about your synagogue in Berlin.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: I doubt that I went.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Over these synagogues the synagogues went on for children because I remember you know you go to the synagogue you were a high hat and you're dressing pretty much formal close, so I don't think this was a place for children.

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Rebecca Frank: about it.

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Rebecca Frank: So, moving forward, right here is an affidavit of support that your father's cousin jake Jacob Han had made for your father and your family from New York City September 12 1938.

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Rebecca Frank: And I think something that's really interesting about it is you can see where my mouse is.

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Rebecca Frank: That it says that if you know your father was to come to the United States that he is a physician, who believes he can improve his condition in this country his practice in Germany has been curtailed by reason of the laws of October 1.

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Rebecca Frank: So.

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Rebecca Frank: When did Jacob Han move to the United States and hide your father and him been in close touch.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Well, I may be permitted to tell you His story.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Please, as all as all lucky stories are.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: jack Khan.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Who is a first cousin of my father's.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: visited Germany in 1910 with his father.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: To to in 1910 to pay a visit to jack cons mother.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: If you if you follow it now, and my father, who is 10 years old and jack Han who is 10 years old play together and.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: and

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: that's the last that they had any contact the war came in people did other things and.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: and

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: When 1930s, I guess 3738 came around my father needed an affidavit of support he didn't know anybody in the United States, neither my father my mother knew anybody in the United States, so my father went to the central telephone directory and Berlin and looked up the.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: looked upon.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: In the telephone book of Manhattan.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: The, the only thing he knew about Han was that his.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: name was probably addy somehow my father knew that they call him addy.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Maybe it was a nickname and he saw Han ATT why and the Manhattan phone book and he wrote to addy Han and the Manhattan phone book saying a few other howdy Han who came to visit your mother with your father in 1910 and so forth.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Would you would you write an affidavit of support for me if you can remember well, it turned out to be jake jake upon was an attorney.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: And the phone book list them as ATT why his name was jack jake Jacob not addy, and this is one of those coincidences that.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: happen throughout many, many people.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: i've heard this over and over again that survival rested on just a coincidence, and that was one of those coins as.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: and

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: That fortunately was the also jack Han Han only have an office in Manhattan he lived on long island, and so it was just a lucky lucky thing that he happened to find the office so again i'm sure you've heard this over and over again.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: from other survivors.

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Rebecca Frank: Oh it's it's really it's an amazing story and i'm curious when you and we'll get we'll go through the whole story, but i'm curious jumping ahead a little bit is when you eventually did get to the United States did you did you meet him jack.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Yes, we we became we became jack actually met us.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: When we first arrived, and then we got quite close with this family.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: i'm still close with them and.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: and

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: When when.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: let's see when jack jack's this is jack writing the affidavit when jack son turns turn 75 or 8075.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: But 10 or 15 years ago you had a big party and everybody brought a present and I had this I had this affidavit framed.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: wow and I.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: I gave a little talk and and told told you, the people gathered why i'm giving this, and so forth, and I thanked him for saving saving my family's life, and this is.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: George His name was the son was George George, who is a big guy at this point quite well known lawyer his his tears started started him in his eyes is a very emotional thing, so if you asked me if I suddenly saw them afterwards, yes.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: We became quite friendly.

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Rebecca Frank: that's beautiful.

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Rebecca Frank: So.

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Rebecca Frank: These here are your pants is passports from November 15 1938 so you could see here is your mother and your father and they're both from the exact same date.

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Rebecca Frank: and, obviously, as we know, this is very shortly after crystal enough when these passports, where do you remember crystal not.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: just say that again vicki.

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Rebecca Frank: Do you remember crystal knows.

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Rebecca Frank: That night.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: No, I we were out of the country, I think.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Out of the country by a.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: few days, but the interesting thing about this passport.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Is that.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: You can't turn it over.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: The.

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Rebecca Frank: Not the ones, right here, though, the ones downstairs.

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The.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: The first names, you know were crossed out.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: And and Israel and Sarah we're now the first names, so this is, I always think of this as the omen of things to come before people lost their names and then, and then they have numbers assigned so you know, we should have known what was about to happen.

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Rebecca Frank: So.

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Rebecca Frank: These were issued in November of 1938 when did your family leave the country.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: must be the same week.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: wow we were out of there by we were out of there by them my toward the end of November 38.

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So.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: But it was the Nazis were in power enough.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: You know i'm not sure whether whether that was issued, I have to look at the closely, it may be that they were stamp that you left on the 15th as anybody looked at these.

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Rebecca Frank: We have the weekend, we can do more research into exactly what that date means.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Because because it may be that stem maybe an exit stamp.

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Right.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: It was.

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Rebecca Frank: yeah cuz then moving forward here are both of their Cuban Foreign resident identification cards and.

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Rebecca Frank: So here's your father on the left and your mother on the right.

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Rebecca Frank: How was it that you went to Cuba.

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Rebecca Frank: Why was it that your family decided to go there.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: decided.

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Rebecca Frank: Where, why is it that your family went there.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Well, because because you had to go somewhere else United States had a quota, you have to wait until your core your quarter number is up and you had to go somewhere and I guess savannah at that point was taking people and.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Only a year later, when the St Louis couldn't talk everybody was sent back at that point.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: And in 38 I don't I don't see any date but at that morning.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: December.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: yeah so.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: You know, so they register December six.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: yeah yeah I see December six so at that point they arrived, and you know Cuba was the one place, they weren't number of other places i'm sure you know, it was Shanghai and and South America, certain countries but Cuba seem reasonable place.

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Rebecca Frank: What do you remember about your journey to Cuba.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: well.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: You really getting me to talk with becky.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: You know, they were not allowed to take any money at all out of out of Germany, everything would be confiscated, so my parents went on a shopping spree they bought cameras and, in addition, they bought first class tickets.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Rather fancy Steamship the hamburger hamburger American line, the name of the ship was the order naco which.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: was a well known ship at that time and we traveled first class, I mean, I have a travel that will, for the rest of my life.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: There was a you know, a kindergarten for children, where where we played on the deck and supervised by a stored in a uniform and.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: All sorts of activities, the one thing that I do remember is that my and my parents told me this is that the captain said that was his ship and he doesn't go by the laws of the country, he was the captain of the ship and if they had.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Racial laws in Germany they didn't apply they didn't apply for his ship, and so the Jewish passengers.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Eight and first class dining room, you know danced away the night, whatever they did and.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: They never lived as well the roster it's like a fairy tale.

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Rebecca Frank: When you got to Cuba, did you go to school, there.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: That are where.

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Rebecca Frank: Did you go to school, when you got there.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Oh yeah I went to.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: yeah I.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: The first school, I went to was kind of a big inner cities school where we live, very briefly, for a while.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: And I didn't speak a word of a word of Spanish.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: And I had to be in a school where everybody spoke Spanish, so I guess the principal assign a young Polish girl my age who spoke Yiddish and by speaking gibberish.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: To me, which was as close to German is the time I was able to understand what was going on and and you know kids that age learn very quickly, and I must say, within six months, I was trialing well.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: You know, I was well, I was trilingual because I went to after that I went to an English school where we will we learn Spanish for half a day, and the same courses in English for another half a day so by the time we left Cuba, I was trilingual.

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Rebecca Frank: What other memories, do you have about your time in Cuba.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: It was good, it was good time, I mean I got friendly with some kids and.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: You know fam the family would take me on and we go to the beach and things like that, so my parents worked hard to make it to make a goal that actually my father worked as a doctor.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: He was he was he couldn't practice medicine.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: So, because he didn't have a license.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Sometimes it pays to do things sub Rosa.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: And I don't think I would recommend it to anybody, but a.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: very friendly Cuban doctor took a liking to my father and gave him prescriptions that he could use.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: And, and my father practice medicine among.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Recent emigres from Germany who wanted a German doctor and so he was able to make a you know some kind of living, are you i'm sure it's not the best kind of living, and you know Monday practice without a license today in New York he'd be he'd be arrested and spent 20 years in jail.

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Rebecca Frank: And you didn't hear that from me.

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Rebecca Frank: You were around you're between the ages of seven and nine, when you were there.

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Rebecca Frank: You were between the ages of seven and nine, when you were there in Cuba did your parents speak to you about the war, did you know that the war was ongoing.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Well, I knew I knew that the St Louis was waiting out my harbor.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: And couldn't Doc I also knew that my parents who knew a number of people on the on the St Louis when I hope to with these small boats that were circling circling the St Louis.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: To wave to them and shout to them, so I knew something was up, but you know, I was more interested in going to the beach.

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Rebecca Frank: yeah.

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Rebecca Frank: So here is when you are eventually getting ready to leave Cuba, this is your athlete David and Lou have a passport for all three of you for everyone, this is a very young jewels right here, and then both of his.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Parents not chief.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Yes, I figured out how the teeth came together, I don't know.

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Rebecca Frank: And so, when it was finally time to come to New York Do you remember that.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Oh, I sure do I lived in Cuba for two years in the tropics and we arrived in in New York.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: In December, and it was snowing.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: and cold.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: But, but it was nice.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: But it was sort of the end of the road, I thought.

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Rebecca Frank: what's your first memory from one you got to New York.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Well walking you know walking on broadway and was cold and the streets were big yeah it was a little different than Cuba time.

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Rebecca Frank: And what was your life like you know in those first few years in New York during the war.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: We lived in a in a walk up.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: I guess I should give a shout out to the Hebrew immigrant aid society, you know you come you come.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: To the United States penniless not knowing anything and.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: hi highest had a place on 68th street called the Congress house where the men and women lived separately separately, men and women were separated what you got you got.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: You got three meals, a day and you got a place to live, and I think you were allowed to stay about our month while while you look for a place to live look for.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Look, for some, employment, where you can make make some kind of living to pay the rent so they gave you a foothold and I think that's that's a wonderful thing i'm not sure if this exists today but uh but I gotta give a shout out to the Hebrew immigration side.

335
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yeah.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: you've heard of it.

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Rebecca Frank: yeah definitely.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: that's great.

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Rebecca Frank: And you can see here is your father's us alien identification card from 1942 so you had already been in the US for over a year, at this point.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: When he got this car no, we were we were enemy aliens, even though we were German and we were kicked out, we were at that point status, but we were.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: enemy aid aliens and and my parents had to had to give a had to hand in their expensive leica which they bought with the with the money that they had to buy the stuff and have to get rid of the money in Germany, so they had to give him, given all their optical equipment and.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Fortunately, you know we're able to live free Unlike some other people that were actually.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Put in you know put in camps, later on, because they were considered enemy aliens.

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Rebecca Frank: So then, here is a certificate for your father to be able to practice medicine in New York from October of 1942 you know, was it really difficult for him to be able to get that authorization to practice here in the United States.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Will in those years, the first thing you have to do is pass in English English show proficiency in English, so there was an English test first once you pass the English test, you took the state board.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Some people had a lot of difficulty.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: You know, once you fail, then you had to wait another six months partially my father passed the first time, so it was a relief and as soon as he passed why you know, then, then, then the place.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: was another interesting serendipitous story.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Somewhere in some newspaper.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: It was published that he had passed, his his.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: New York state board to practice medicine.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: And somebody read that who knew him from Europe, I think, might have been a form of patient who is now employed on long island.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: In a Community actually bayside bayside and Queens and who wrote to on and who said that if you're the same person that I knew we need a doctor.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: wow people all the doctors in this Community have been.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: drafted this was 1942 the doctors have drafted, we have no doctor, would you would you come look here and see if you can.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Practice here and becky and the rest is history.

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Rebecca Frank: Now, where did he opened his practice.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: permit.

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Rebecca Frank: Where did your father open his medical practice.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: in Versailles then Queens.

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wow.

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Rebecca Frank: So then, as we continue on to i'm going to ask you some questions about later in your life and.

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Rebecca Frank: we're going to open it up to questions from the audience, so I know many of you have written in with questions and then you feel free to keep on writing in.

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Rebecca Frank: I want to ask you, first so we'll just leave this affidavit up that we've already seen when we go over some of these conclusion questions, and I want to ask what do you remember about the end of the war.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: The end of the war.

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yeah.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: My God everybody my Asia remembers the end of the war.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: You know you, I can tell you that I can tell you exactly what I did the day of Pearl harbor, I can tell you what I did the end of the war, I mean those are memories that an old geezer like like all of us remember these days.

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Rebecca Frank: So what did you do the day of Pearl harbor.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: was a Sunday.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: I was a kid I was a you know, a Sunday about noon time and I was actually if you don't tell anybody, I was lying in my parents bed, while they were they were, I think, getting ready to you know they were doing their Sunday morning evolutions and.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: And suddenly everybody said where's Pearl harbor.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Nobody needs work Pearl harbor was.

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Rebecca Frank: Can you tell us a bit about your life growing up, and as an adult and you know deciding to you, yourself, become a doctor or psychiatrist and.

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Rebecca Frank: You know, moving forward throughout your life.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Thank you, what would you like to know.

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Rebecca Frank: It was a question from the audience so just just a bit about you know the rest of your life I know we have limited time, but if there's any anecdotes of things you would like to.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Share I I took I took a while getting getting to know what I wanted to do I I started out as a.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: As an internist pulmonologist the cardiologist and I wasn't I wasn't happy with those those areas, and then I found.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: psychiatry and I and my says the happiest and I was, I was a happy camper after that.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: I mean I I was successful in what I did is what i'm saying I would not have been that successful another special thing.

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Rebecca Frank: You keep in touch with anyone from Cuba after you last and once you got to the United States.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Go back.

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Rebecca Frank: No, did you keep in touch with anyone from Cuba.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: No really no, no, you never know some kids that I played with that somehow.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: I did hear from them afterwards, but some you know and not not for a while.

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Rebecca Frank: As an adult have you been back to Berlin.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Yes.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: The the.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: The Berlin municipal government.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Had a program where they invited.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: former residents of Berlin back.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: I at the time that I when my mother went after my father died was on a trip and then I I went.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: But I wasn't old enough they invited the old people first, so I went actually went with my wife and.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: I wasn't old enough, so what they did was they.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: They allowed me they paid for my hotel room my hotel but, but because I wasn't old enough for the whole shebang they they had to either buy my dinners myself, so I got I got a half a truck.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: And they didn't they didn't pay for transportation.

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Rebecca Frank: What What was it like for you being back there in Germany.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: It was difficult because I ran into.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: You know a lot of a lot of.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Germans who tried to deny what happened, you know in many the the thing was that I, I still speak fluent German, so I was able to understand what they were saying.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: sort of archie and other words.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: behind my back or.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: What they tried to so there was a stone this this goes back now 25 years.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: i've been back since, and since then the whole atmosphere has been totally different totally different.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: But early on, there were still people who are saying, for instance, one person said, you know this was all the Jews fault.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: What happened, I said, what do you mean the Jews for ISM yeah I said, the rich Jews ran away, they could have taken the poor Jews, but the rich Jews just just you know around it'll run away, they left the Jews, the poor Jews here.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: And then another place, you know, try to convince me how how much the Germans suffered when I you know when I question what I was able to kind of.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: play dumb and they would tell me how terrible terrible the war was for them, so it wasn't the first, if you asked me how the first trip when it had it was interesting that had bitter bitter parts to it.

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Rebecca Frank: yeah.

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Rebecca Frank: I think that's you know it's a transition, so one of the closing questions that I have for you is you know.

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Rebecca Frank: Speaking about that type of denial and about anti semitism experienced postwar and in today's day and age i'm curious what messages you have for future generations, and that people that hear your story.

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Rebecca Frank: What you would love their takeaways to be.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Well, I think I think one of the things that.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: impressed me when I kind of thought about what these what what you have on the show the show and tell apart, you know many of these things.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: If you think about it for total what was to come.

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yeah.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Much magnified first First they take away or your first name and then they take away a whole name, you know first of first they they.

419
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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Allow part of part some Jews to practice but not others and then everybody say you know it.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: When you have a totalitarian regime.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: And eats the whole thing each up after a while, if you know what i'm trying to say.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Be careful when you have a totalitarian regime, I guess that's my message.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Maybe the Ukrainians are are starting to learn this now to.

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Rebecca Frank: All to all thank you so much, it has been a pleasure getting to hear your story and to talk about it through the objects that you donated to the museum over many years and are there any last things that you'd like to say, before I hand it back to Sydney.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: No, I thank you becky your it's been it's been it's been interesting.

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Rebecca Frank: Thank you so Sydney back to you.

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Sydney Yaeger (she/her): yeah Thank you so much Jules this has been so interesting to get to listen to you and learn all about the objects that you donated and.

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Sydney Yaeger (she/her): We really appreciate you taking the time to be with us today and becky Thank you so much for putting all of these together and putting together these questions I I personally learned, so much so.

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Sydney Yaeger (she/her): Thank you.

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Thank you.

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Sydney Yaeger (she/her): And I.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: would like to keep in touch.

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Sydney Yaeger (she/her): Yes, for sure.

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Sydney Yaeger (she/her): And I also want to thank everyone.

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Sydney Yaeger (she/her): we're almost done, I just want to thank everybody who's out there, listening to us and let you all know that everything we do at the museum is made possible through donor support so to the.

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Sydney Yaeger (she/her): To those of you watching, excuse me, we hope you'll consider making a donation to support the museum or becoming a member and joining us for upcoming programs, which you can check out on our website.

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Sydney Yaeger (she/her): Have a great afternoon Thank you again to Jules and thank you becky and we'll see you all soon.

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Dr. Julius G. Mendel: Thank you all thanks, so all.