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When Jennifer Teege, a German-Nigerian woman, happened to
pluck a library book from the shelf, she had no idea that
her life would be changed forever. Recognizing photos of her
mother and grandmother in the book, she discovers a
horrifying fact: her true ancestry. The daughter of a German
mother and a Nigerian father, Jennifer Teege was placed in
an orphanage when she was four weeks old and then adopted by
a German couple. It was not until her mid-30s that she
inadvertently learned of her family’s complex and unusual
history.
When she randomly picked up that library book which revealed
her biologic lineage, suddenly Teege’s whole sense of self
changed irrevocably. Recognizing photos of her biologic
mother and grandmother in the book, she discovered the
devastating fact that had been hidden from her – her
grandfather was Amon Goeth, the SS officer and concentration
camp commandant so chillingly and accurately depicted by
Ralph Fiennes in the film Schindler’s List. Goeth was
the Nazi who headed the liquidation of the ghettos in Tarnow
and Krakow, a man known and despised the world over as the
Butcher of Plaszow.
In her book, My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me, Teege
comes to grips with the realization that if her grandfather,
who began his mornings with random shootings of camp
prisoners from his balcony, had met her – a black woman – he
would have had no qualms about shooting her.
Amon Goeth was executed in 1946 after being found guilty of
war crimes by the Supreme National Tribunal of Poland.
Jennifer Teege embodies how the Holocaust and its history
continue to be relevant across the lines of genealogy, race,
and nationality.
For more information contact Sharon Lapitsky, Director,
Jewish Community Relations Council, Jewish Federation of
Greater Toledo at
sharon@jewishtoledo.org
The Sponsors
The Jewish Federation of Toledo supports and enhances the
health, welfare, education, spiritual life, unity and
continuity of the Jewish community of Toledo, the
surrounding areas and Klal Yisrael, the world community of
Israel with services and programming consistent with Jewish
values.
The Ruth Fajerman Markowicz Holocaust Resource Center of
Greater Toledo was established in 1980 and provides
information, materials, workshops, speakers, scholarships to
teachers, students and the general public. The resources
include books, periodicals, curricula, audio-visual
materials (oral histories) dealing with the Holocaust,
anti-Semitism and current events.
The Toledo Lucas County Public Library is the area leader of
information, education and inspiration. By providing an open
and equitable access to our collection, all of northwest
Ohio can enjoy “The People’s University” and the home to the
fifth largest collection in the state of Ohio.
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