Promised New Zealand - Fleeing Nazi Persecution

Otago University Press, Dunedin, 2009.Crease to top right corner of front cover, shelf wear.

Why New Zealand? Some had heard of Australia, but New Zealand? For me it was absolutely the right decision - there was nowhere further away from Germany. - Hansi Silberstein. - Police hold placards in front of Jewish shops, emblazoned with the words Don't buy from Jews. Others put up signs to identify places where Jews are to be denied entry. Jewish shop owners are terrorized into relinquishing their businesses. Homes are visited by the Gestapo, who take family members away. The year is 1933 and this is life in the Fuhrer's Germany. In the ensuing years, it is clear, nowhere in Europe is safe. But how can people find a way to escape 'fortress Europe' and where are they to go? Promised New Zealand is the true tale of Jewish citizens who fled the Nazi terror in Europe for a safe haven on the opposite side of the world in New Zealand. This narrative skillfully interweaves the lives of 24 Jewish exiles - including Viennese philosopher Karl Popper, German author Karl Wolfskehl, and the youthful Peter Munzis - all saved by travelling across the oceans to New Zealand. The journey likewise brings others to this land from very diverse places, even from Dr. Mengele's experiment rooms at Auschwitz. Their stories could scarcely be more varied, and yet they have one common link: the desire to maintain as much distance from Germany as possible. Klier depicts the plight of these immigrants, fleeing to New Zealand, their promised land at the end of the earth. This book is a significant piece of world history, featuring vital stories that need to be told before they are lost to subsequent generations. It is the first English-language translation of Gelobtes Neuseeland, and it is the first time this important work has been published outside Germany...