Walter Geismar: sharing his memories in a welcoming space

Anna Hirsh

brothers. His mother Anna (née Mertan) had converted from Catholicism to Judaism after her marriage to his father Ludwig, who had come from an observant Orthodox Jewish home. She was forced, however, to convert back to Catholicism during the Second World War.

As Hitler rose to power during the early 1930s, Walter experienced anti-Jewish prejudice, both from his teachers and from most of his classmates, who beat him regularly.

Walter’s brothers left Germany before the war. His brother Gustav was arrested in November 1938 on Kristallnacht, incarcerated at Dachau, but fortunately released through bribes. He escaped to the UK from where he was deported to Australia on the infamous Dunera. Despite deportation, Gustav embraced his new life in Australia and, after the war, was the key reason for the Geismars’ immigration to Melbourne. Richard, the middle son, had moved to New Zealand earlier in 1938, and was incarcerated during the war at Somes Island as an enemy alien.

In addition to its museum and education program, one of the crucial reasons for the founders to establish the Jewish Holocaust Centre (JHC) was to create a safe and welcoming space, a social environment for survivors to gather and to be able to talk freely about their experiences with fellow survivors who could truly empathise with them.

The late Walter Geismar was one such survivor who viewed the JHC as a community place, a welcoming home away from home. Walter first came to the JHC in need of some technical assistance from Testimonies Department Director, Phillip Maisel OAM. The two men soon became firm friends, sharing details of their experiences with mutual understanding. Over a period spanning 15 years, Walter visited on an-almost weekly basis, spending Tuesday afternoons talking with Phillip and other volunteers. Within a compassionate environment, he felt that he could speak freely about his experiences during the Holocaust. This not only provided him with release from his traumatic memories, but enabled him to forge new friendships. A thoughtful and generous man, Walter regularly brought chocolates and gifts for his friends.

We are very fortunate that Walter’s story was captured by Phillip’s camera, and that his testimony exemplifies the objectives of the JHC: to ensure that each recorded story presents the effects of the Holocaust on the individual, and also honours the memory of those who are no longer with us. In the Archives we have a collection of Walter Geismar’s artefacts, material proof of his experiences.

Walter Geismar was one of few Jewish people to have survived the duration of the Holocaust in Germany. Born in 1923 in Schrobenhausen, near Munich, he was the youngest of three

Meanwhile, for the duration of the war in Germany, Walter and his parents experienced constant hardships, hiding and relocating frequently. They survived through luck and with the assistance of people who opposed the Nazi ideology. Walter worked as a slave labourer in a battery factory and in metal fabrication, often escaping punishment through sheer Providence. At one of the labour camps, Walter fell in love with a girl named Ilse Nussbaum. Most of his friends, including Ilse, were deported from the labour camps to their deaths. Walter managed to evade these deportations, but lived in constant fear, along with the relentless bombings of Munich, in close proximity to where he worked. After the war Walter and his parents immigrated to Melbourne, where they were reunited with Gustav, who served as their sponsor.

I was fortunate to meet Walter late in October 2015, when he described his experiences with a quiet dignity. It was to be his final visit to the JHC, only months before his passing. He is survived by his wife, Judy, and his nephews and nieces. It was wonderful to meet recently with Walter’s nephew, his brother Richard’s son Godfrey, and with Godfrey’s children. They have very generously donated many photographs and provided the JHC with information that further illustrate the family history and experiences.

The Jewish Holocaust Centre was named as a recipient of a generous bequest from Walter Geismar. The Centre is grateful for his support, which will assist us in continuing our important work in Holocaust education and combatting racial intolerance.

For further information about leaving a bequest, please contact Reuben Zylberszpic: ReubenZ@jhc.org.au or phone: 9528 1985.

Dr Anna Hirsh is the JHC Archivist. She was assisted in writing this article by Phillip Maisel OAM, JHC Director of Testimonies, Godfrey Geismar, and Walter Geismar’s friend, Joelle Barnett.