Hans Georg Calmeyer
Encyclopedia
Hans Georg Calmeyer was a German
lawyer
from Osnabrück
who saved thousands of Jews
from certain death during the German occupation of the Netherlands
in from 1941 until 1945.
Calmeyer studied Law in Freiburg
, Marburg and Munich. In 1923, as a member of the Reichswehr, he took part in Hitler’s
attempted Putsch
. Later, he opened his law practice in Osnabrück where he enjoyed an excellent reputation as a lawyer.
In 1933, his license to practice law was revoked because of his activity and leaning towards Communist
lines of thought. Ten months later, his license was reinstated. He was a member of the Federation of the National Socialist German Lawyers, but not the Nazi party
In 1940, Calmeyer serving as a soldier and a member of an aerial defense intelligence unit., took part in the invasion of the Netherlands by the German Army. In 1941, he was active in the Reichs Commissioner's Office (Reichskommissariat
), which was in charge of all occupied districts in the Netherlands. While there, Calmeyer was appointed Director for the Interior Administration, which handled the Jewish Department, thus enabling Calmeyer, as an administrative lawyer, to clear "racially ambiguous" Jewish cases for the German occupational administration in The Hague
.
Unlike policy in Germany, people of Jewish descent could rebut being registered as "full blooded Jews" by documenting and proving ancestry through word of mouth and birth certificates to qualify as "half-Jewish", "quarter-Jewish", or of Aryan
descent. Calmeyer described in his own words, how he used his position: "To build a lifeboat." He accepted falsified papers of ancestry which documented the subject person as Arian or "half-Jewish". He also managed to offer hints and advice on various stratagems and excuses. Despite warnings from the Nazi regime, he persisted in his work.
Approximately 5,700 individuals were designated as doubtful cases through Calmeyer’s office, and at least 3,700 were spared certain death. Yet the decisions on "dubious cases" concerning the remaining 2,000 individuals were the equivalent of a death sentence, as they shared the fate of 140,000 Jews transported by the Germans to various concentration camps for extermination. Seventy-five percent of them died on the way to their final destination.
According to a description of Calmeyer by the German Bundespresident Johannes Rau
: "Calmeyer joined the ranks of human beings who helped, but who were also guilty of being caught up in the unjustifiable wrongdoings of the regime". His work was almost forgotten until a movement to honor him came about during the 1980s. On March 4, 1992, Yad Vashem
honored Hans Calmeyer posthumously with the title "A Righteous Man Among Nations". On January 2, 1995 the town of Osnabrück awarded Calmeyer its highest award posthumously: "The Moesermedaille". Present at the ceremony were his son, Dr. Peter Calmeyer, and the Ambassador of Israel
, Avi Primor
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
from Osnabrück
Osnabrück
Osnabrück is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, some 80 km NNE of Dortmund, 45 km NE of Münster, and some 100 km due west of Hanover. It lies in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest...
who saved thousands of Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
from certain death during the German occupation of the Netherlands
Battle of the Netherlands
The Battle of the Netherlands was part of Case Yellow , the German invasion of the Low Countries and France during World War II. The battle lasted from 10 May 1940 until 14 May 1940 when the main Dutch forces surrendered...
in from 1941 until 1945.
Calmeyer studied Law in Freiburg
University of Freiburg
The University of Freiburg , sometimes referred to in English as the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, is a public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.The university was founded in 1457 by the Habsburg dynasty as the...
, Marburg and Munich. In 1923, as a member of the Reichswehr, he took part in Hitler’s
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
attempted Putsch
Beer Hall Putsch
The Beer Hall Putsch was a failed attempt at revolution that occurred between the evening of 8 November and the early afternoon of 9 November 1923, when Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler, Generalquartiermeister Erich Ludendorff, and other heads of the Kampfbund unsuccessfully tried to seize power...
. Later, he opened his law practice in Osnabrück where he enjoyed an excellent reputation as a lawyer.
In 1933, his license to practice law was revoked because of his activity and leaning towards Communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
lines of thought. Ten months later, his license was reinstated. He was a member of the Federation of the National Socialist German Lawyers, but not the Nazi party
In 1940, Calmeyer serving as a soldier and a member of an aerial defense intelligence unit., took part in the invasion of the Netherlands by the German Army. In 1941, he was active in the Reichs Commissioner's Office (Reichskommissariat
Reichskommissariat
Reichskommissariat is the German designation for a type of administrative office headed by a government official known as a Reichskommissar...
), which was in charge of all occupied districts in the Netherlands. While there, Calmeyer was appointed Director for the Interior Administration, which handled the Jewish Department, thus enabling Calmeyer, as an administrative lawyer, to clear "racially ambiguous" Jewish cases for the German occupational administration in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
.
Unlike policy in Germany, people of Jewish descent could rebut being registered as "full blooded Jews" by documenting and proving ancestry through word of mouth and birth certificates to qualify as "half-Jewish", "quarter-Jewish", or of Aryan
Aryan
Aryan is an English language loanword derived from Sanskrit ārya and denoting variously*In scholarly usage:**Indo-Iranian languages *in dated usage:**the Indo-European languages more generally and their speakers...
descent. Calmeyer described in his own words, how he used his position: "To build a lifeboat." He accepted falsified papers of ancestry which documented the subject person as Arian or "half-Jewish". He also managed to offer hints and advice on various stratagems and excuses. Despite warnings from the Nazi regime, he persisted in his work.
Approximately 5,700 individuals were designated as doubtful cases through Calmeyer’s office, and at least 3,700 were spared certain death. Yet the decisions on "dubious cases" concerning the remaining 2,000 individuals were the equivalent of a death sentence, as they shared the fate of 140,000 Jews transported by the Germans to various concentration camps for extermination. Seventy-five percent of them died on the way to their final destination.
According to a description of Calmeyer by the German Bundespresident Johannes Rau
Johannes Rau
Johannes Rau was a German politician of the SPD. He was President of Germany from 1 July 1999 until 30 June 2004, and Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia from 1978 to 1998.-Education and work:...
: "Calmeyer joined the ranks of human beings who helped, but who were also guilty of being caught up in the unjustifiable wrongdoings of the regime". His work was almost forgotten until a movement to honor him came about during the 1980s. On March 4, 1992, Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem is Israel's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, established in 1953 through the Yad Vashem Law passed by the Knesset, Israel's parliament....
honored Hans Calmeyer posthumously with the title "A Righteous Man Among Nations". On January 2, 1995 the town of Osnabrück awarded Calmeyer its highest award posthumously: "The Moesermedaille". Present at the ceremony were his son, Dr. Peter Calmeyer, and the Ambassador of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, Avi Primor
Avi Primor
Avraham "Avi“ Primor is an Israeli publicist and former diplomat. From 1987 to 1993, he served as Ambassador to the European Union, and from 1993 to 1999 as Ambassador to Germany. After leaving the diplomatic service, he was vice-president of the University of Tel Aviv until 2004...
.