DEAF HISTORY I N , T E' RNA T ION A L

----------------Newsletter __ .....:.-____________ _ issue number 5 1998 (July-December)

J§JJl@R!l

by

Dear Readers, it has been a pleasure to prepare this

Newsletter for you, and I hope you will enjoy it. Much exciting information, ranging from Ulf Hedberg's book tips over diverse infos and conference reports to the news that Gallaudet University will be ready to prepare the next DHI conference in 2000.

This Newsletter would have been even more-sided if there wasn't a language problem. I realized that the editor of the Newsletter, and in fact: the members of DRI face a major problem. All too many people aren't accustomed to writing in English, so this means that they are unable to publish in our journal. What can we do? I proposed to the Board to try and get money from advertisements so that the editor of the Newsletter could pay for translations of articles sent in. Please write your opinion to the editor.

Advertising would be a means for financing the necessary translations of your contributions. Would you accept advertis-ing in the Newsletter? Do you have concrete suggestions or offers? Do you know of anyone who would be interested in advertising in our Newsletter?

-1-

I'd like to welcome you to this issue and hope that you will contribute as actively to the next one (deadline January 15, 1999). It would make me very happy if you sent in details of upcoming events also, such. as conferences in the planning state, freshly started or future research projects, etc. The Newsletter can and should be used more and more for brand new information.

Wishing you a good time, until the next issue of the Newsletter,

Renate Fische r

i from

The summer has arrived for everyone except for the people who live in . the Southern Hemisphere, but they still have their own summer in a different season. I bet everyone will be busy with his or her own time to spend with family, travel on vacation or do research on Deaf history Issue.

There has been an international conference "Deaf People in Hitler's Europe, 1933-1945" held at Gallaudet University on June 21-24. You can read Dr. Schuchman's report in this issue of the Newsletter. It was a wonderful experience for everyone who attended the conference. At the end of the Banquet evening, it was hard to say good bye to new friends. The History/Government Department of Gallaudet University sponsored this international conference.

During the Conference, we had the opportunity to set up a meeting with DHI Bureau members; Ausma Smits as secretary (USA) and Jo.chen Muhs (Germany). Bernard Le Maire (Belgium) was unable to attend the meeting. However, in the meeting we discussed the preparations for our next DHI conference in the year 2000. Several Deaf people including students expressed their interest to become members of DHI and want to be involved with the next conference. So you can see their enthusiasm and excitement. We need their inspiration to achieve our goals.

I read a journal published by the Sveriges Dav Historiska Sallskap (Swedish Deaf History Society), where one can find different articles about local, regional and national news such as the history of Deaf schools, Deaf sport associations, and much more. The president of this Society is Per Eriksson, a well-known Deaf person in Sweden and whose interest in Deaf history led him to write

. and publish a book about Deaf history. The second journal I read was "Deaf History

Journal" published by the British Deaf History Society. Various interesting topics can be found in the table of contents, such as international news, historical notes, book reviews and a report on the Paris Deaf Heritage Tour. The former DID

-2-

President John Hay has contributed several articles in this journal. The Editor in Chief is Raymond Lee, who has authored several books. I found this very enjoying to read. Congratulations to Per Eriksson, John Hay and Raymond Lee for their wonderful contributions to the Deaf community.

I received a book entitled "Ett folk utan land" (A people without country) written by Birgitta Wallvik as a gift. This book is a wonderful overview about Deaf history from early ancient time to present. There is also a section focusing on Finnish Deaf History including Deaf schools, associations and much more. It is written in Swedish and it will be translated into Finnish. Hopefully, it will be translated into other languages too. Ms. Birgitta Wallvik is the current Chair of the by-laws committee of the DHI. Congratulations to Birgitta for her wonderful book.

Finally, I have good news to share with you all. Mr. 10chen Muhs (Germany) brought a copy of certain issues of "Der Geharlose in der deutschen Volksgemeinschaft". Why are they so rare? The newspaper originally called "Der Taubstummenfreund" was established in 1872. The issues I received cover the period from 1942 to 1945 during World War II. Deaf Gennans who subscribed to this newspaper destroyed almost all the issues in order to deny their support of the war and the Nazi regime. However, they overlooked this only copy and it is believed to be the only copy in the world. 10chen Muhs has the pennission . from the Landesverband der Geharlosen Berlin who was kind enough to allow the Gallaudet University Archives to make a reproduction on microfilm and make it accessible to scholarly research. Give our waving hands to Mr. Muhs and the Landesverband der Geharlosen Berlin for their courage and belief in supporting more research about Deaf people during the Nazi regime.

UlfHedberg

I . \ .

Hallo! Five years ago, I wrote a Swedish Deaf History book. At the beginning of September, my book

The History of Deaf People. A Source Book

will be translated in English and printed. The book has 128 pages and 73 pictures of people, maps, and hand alphabets from the year 1579 to 1880. Here is an example of the contents:

* The Evolution of the Swedish Word "Dev" (Deaf)

* Government Documentation * Ancient Egypt * The First Teacher of the Deaf * The Decline of the French Method * Abbe Sicard, 1742-1822, France * The World's First Professorship in Sign ·

Language

-3 -

I have shown the manuscript to two people from the Kenya Institute of Special Education and the Kenya Society for Deaf Children, Nairobi, Kenya. They have written to me:

Dear Per Eriksson. We have found your draft "The History of Deaf People. A Source Book" most useful for reference and training for teachers of the deaf in Kenya. Please let us know when it ... [will be] ... published as we may wish [to use it] in Kenya. Thanking you in advance. Best wishes.

The price of the book is 200 SEK (25 dollars). Additional charges for stamps, bankcharge and freight. The price is lower if you order several books at the same time. Contact me: address: Per Rantmastarg. 85

SE-702 25 Orebro (Sweden) fax: ++46 19 125302 e-mail: daufr@hotmail.com

I'

rn l.§)@@g j])@@Jff)J$. @ @lPJ@)JJ2! @ J.! @'g (J f§J

[§MJg@J})@17 :E ffJ JJ JJ c::::l JlffJl[j rn An International Conference developed by the Gallaudet University

History/Government Department in cooperation with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Washington, D.C. June 21-24, 1998.

A Report by Conference Co-Chairman

Introduction On Tuesday, June 23, deaf Holocaust

survivors told their stories, The audience, assembled in the Gallaudet University Kellogg Conference Center Auditorium, of nearly 300 individuals from Germany, Israel, England, Netherlands, Belgium, Hungary, and the United States, wept as Hungarian survivors Peter Farago, Miklos Klein, Judit Konig, and Klara Erdosi shared' their experiences ' at Bergen-Belsen, Ravensbruck, . and the Budapest ghetto. The stories were translated from signed Hungarian, to spoken Hungarian, to spoken English and

. German, to signed German, and American Sign Language.

Afterwards, many members of the audience told us, conference co-chairs John Schuchman and Donna Ryan,. that the conference was the most powerful conference they had ever attended. Community activist Marla Petal, co-curator of an early Holocaust exhibit, "In.der Nacht," said: "we left with our batteries charged, our missions focused, and a deep sense of relief that together we can unearth the rich histories of the deaf and Jewish-deaf, and even the Roma-deaf communities of Europe. These histories are both vibrant and tragic, and of vital importance for all of us."

Purpose and Content of Conference For the past four years, Gallaudet University

historians Donna Ryan and John Schuchman have been exploring the history of deaf people and the Holocaust. Their work has taken them to archives and survivors in the United States and Europe. Although their research is not complete, they agreed that it was time to bring together Holocaust scholars, deaf eyewitnesses, and individuals who have tried to preserve the history of deaf people through research as well as collecting videotaped testimonies and memorializing their experiences. In her welcoming remarks to the conference

- .4 -

. participants, Professor Ryan said: "This is not the first meeting to discuss these issues, nor should it be the last. We hope to stimulate discussion about what we do know and point toward new areas for research and exploration."

The conference began with two presentations on the historical context by prominent Holocaust historians, Professors Henry Friedlander and Robert Proctor. Friedlander, Professor of History in the department of Judaic Studies at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York and author of THE ORIGINS OF NAZI GENOCIDE: FROM EUTHANASIA TO THE FINAL SOLUTION (1995) pointed out that Nazi measures against disabled persons, including deaf individuals, were integral to their belief in the biological inferiority of Jews, Roma, and disabled persons. They began with forced sterilization, euthanasia of so-called "useless eaters," and eventually the "Final Solution." The following day, the conference met at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. At the Museum, Robert Proctor, Professor of the History of Science at Pennsylvania State University and author of RACIAL HYGIENE, MEDICINE UNDER THE I NAZIS (1988) reminded the audience that medical doctors, both in Germany, the United States, and elsewhere, supported eugenics practices that led to sterilization and euthanasia long before the appearance of the Nazi regime.

The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's co-sponsorship of the conference was a significant recognition of the place of deaf people in the Holocaust. German historians of the deaf community both spoke on the stage of the museum's Myerhoff Auditorium. Horst Biesold, author of CRYING HANDS soon to be released in English by Gallaudet University Press, spoke about his studies of the sterilization of German deaf people. . Vice President of the Berlin Association of the Deaf Jochen Muhs made it clear that deaf people were not simply victims when he described

(

the activities of deaf members of the Nazi party. After . a morning of lectures, conference

participants visited the Museum's exhibits. The day concluded with a moving memorial service in honor of deaf Holocaust victims and survivors. The ceremony, led by deaf Rabbi Fred Friedman of Baltimore, Maryland, took place in the Museum's Hall of Remembrance.

On Tuesday, the conference returned to the Gallaudet University campus for a day devoted to survivors. In the morning, deaf community historians Simon Carmel, David Jackson, and lochen Muhs spoke about their research. Carmel, a professor at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester, New York, spoke about his early contacts with deaf survivors in the 1950s and his subsequent efforts to collect videotaped testimonies. Jackson, the current President of the World Organization of Jewish Deaf and a researcher at the University of Bristol in England, spoke of his interviews with the deaf persons who as children were taken from the Berlin School for Jewish Deaf during "kindertransport" in 1939 to the London School for the Jewish Deaf. Following a brief description of the Berlin School by Jochen Muhs, John Schuchman introduced survivor and Berlin School graduate Henry Florsheim. Led through a series of photographs from the school by moderator Schuchman, Florsheim described school life and his subsequent contacts with Nazis prior to his emigration to New York in 1937. The morning session concluded with a moving presentation by Eugene Bergman, retired Gallaudet Professor of English, who described his experience as a person who lost his hearing during the Warsaw Ghetto and his subsequent incarceration in a slave labor camp.

In the afternoon, Hungarian survivors Peter Farago, Miklos Klein, Judit Konig, and Klara Erdosi told their stories. Using photographs, Schuchman and Ryan, who interviewed a dozen Jewish deaf survivors in Budapest in the summer of 1997, led the four survivors through their experiences. All four of the survivors attended the Jewish School for the Deaf in Budapest, known popularly as the Mexikoi Street school because of its location. Farago and mother were sent to slave-labor camp Bergen-Belsen. Separated from his mother, Farago who was ten years old used gestures to indicate that he was hungry. A fourteen year old Polish coda [hearing child of deaf parents] saw Peter and told him to stop using sign language. The two children worked polishing munitions until they were liberated in 1945. Peter only knew his Polish friend as "Pavel" and after liberation never saw him again. Miklos Klein described life as a member of a labor brigade before he was sent to Bergen-Belsen. A

- 5-

pnulu1;;l i:lpll Vi Ut;;C::U lU'-'U1V" . '" • • • _ • _ _ - - - - _"' ...

was shown to the conference. ' . ' Klara Erdosi was sent to Ravensbriick where . her hearing sister continually had to convince the guards that deaf Klara was capable of work. Eventually sent to a work camp near Leipzig, guards still refused to let Klara work in the slave-labor factory. Instead, she survived as a grave digger. When the female guards learned that Klara was a trained beautician, she worked on their hair when she was not digging graves. Finally, Judit Konig shared her experiences in the Budapest ghetto where she · was taken to the Danube river to be shot along with a thousand others. Shot three times, Judit survived. In conclusion, the audience stood in memory of the deaf Jews who died as a list of their names scrolled on the auditorium screen.

That evening, a closing banquet was followed by three exhibits: "In der Nacht," an exhibit commemorating deaf survivor Rose Feld created by Marla Petal, an exhibit of the art of David Bloch "Images of Isolation: a Deaf View of the Holocaust," and a video of a German play "On the Eve of the Golden Anniversary," provided by Gerhard Schatzdorfer of the Munich television net (Bayerischer Rundfunk) and comment by guest director Bernard Bragg. On Wednesday, the session with commentary by Peter Black, Senior Historian for the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, John V. Van Cleve, historian and Gallaudet University Press Director, and Ben Bahan, Chairman of the Gallaudet Deaf Studies Department. After the commentary, conference participants had a choice of eight workshops designed to solicit discussion about future directions.

Conclusion The entire conference was videotaped and the

Gallaudet University television department will soon announce its plans to sell and distribute copies of the video proceedings. Gerhard I

Schatzdorfer of the Munich television net also televised the conference and it is anticipated that a program will soon air in Germany. Professors Ryan and Schuchman plan to publish a book based on the conference within the near future. Most importantly, conference participants had the opportunity to network and meet others working on this topic and we look forward to new research. It is hoped that the next Deaf History International meeting will include one or two sessions on the topic of the Holocaust and Deaf People.

John S. Schuchman

I ;

(

(

A report by

Ten years after the Deaf President Now Revolution at Gallaudet University in March 1988, a semester-long "DPN 10" celebration took place in 1998, complete with a re-enactment march to the U.S. capitol. It consisted of a series of events centering around the themes of "academic, inclusiveness, and future thinking." Included were two fireside chats . with the University president, and several "Truth be Told" two-hour panel sessions. Many of the original DPN leaders in their varied roles shared experiences .and feelings. The impact of DPN was analyzed, with a session given to the international impact. Of particular interest to those interested in the historical aspect of DPN is that these revealings were videotaped for posterity, with valuable information that will be available to researchers.

The first fireside chat revealed what had transpired within the Board of Trustees meetings, much for the first time, as revealed by two Board members themselves. In addition to three of the four well-known student leaders, the "Truth be Told" panels brought forth infomiation indicating the magnitude of the kaleidoscopic parts of the behind-the-scenes movement: -> DPN MEDIA (just how did the protester-press relations develop, and the impact);

-> DPN INTERPRETERS (the essential role individuals had in communicating the respective views, and the fine line experienced between personal feelings and professional ethics); -> DPN DUCKS (the key roles in initiating and keeping DPN movement together, as told by seven Gallaudet alumni known as the "Ducks" themselves); -> DPN FACULTY (how the faculty came to support the student demands); -> DPN COUNCIL (how decisions and the different day-by-day, hour-by-hour challenges got coordinated) .

The above listing indicates that a full version of DPN history remains to be told. For the time being a videotape summing up the highlights of DPNlO at $24.95 will be available soon. If interested, contact: . PUBLICREL@Gallua.Gallaudet.edu or write to: Office of Public Relations, ATTN: DPN 10 Videotape, Gallaudet University 800 Florida Ave., NE Washington, DC 20002-3695 Ausma Smits

************************************* please address correspondence to:

**************************** deadline

DRI * NEWSLETTER c/o Prof. Dr. Renate Fischer Institute of Gennan Sign Language Binderstr. 34 20146 Hamburg Germany

fax: 49+40-58 40 32

e-mail: Renate.Fischer@sign-Iang.uni-hamburg.de

*************************************

- 6-

for DHI NEWSLETTER

no. 6:

January 15, 1999

****************************

i

(

I

I

( ,

In Newsletter #4, Bernard Le Maire gave the information that Antoine Dresse, co-founder of C.I.S.S., i.e. Comite International des Sports Silencieux 1 World Games of the Deaf, had passed away on February 13, 1998.

Bernard Le Maire has since then offered detailed information, for instance in the Internet, all of which unfortunately cannot be published in this Newsletter, for two reasons. First, it is too much information, the publication of which would necessitate a special issue of the Newsletter; second, refer backward to what I wrote in the introduction: How is it possible to translate all this information into English?

From the material Bernard Le Maire sent in, here you can see a photo of Antoine Dresse with his deaf wife Gabrielle from Paris, and read some details about his life.

For further information, please contact Bernard Le Maire who is also member of the Board of DHI, via: * fax: 322/426 2796 in Brussels, Belgium * e-mail: B-ernard.leMaire@electrabel.be

Antoine Dresse was born on August 1, 1902, in Belgium. He held a degree in agronomics from the Universite Catholique de Louvain and led a professional life for more than 50 years. He

- 7-

received an honorary doctor's degree from Gallaudet University, which was one from his many national and international awards.

As for sports, he excelled particularly in tennis and competitive running and won quite a few medals and awards in these disciplines between 1926 and 1939, among others at the World Games of the Deaf.

For 50 years, he was president of the Belgian Federation Sportive des Sourds, and as a 22-year-old participated in the foundation of the international committee for the World Games of

. the Deaf which he served in a leading position for more than 40 years, from 1924 to 1967.

Bernard Le Maire created the Robert Dresse Center in the early 1990s. (Robert Dresse, 1869-1951, was the father of Antoine Dresse, deaf himself.) This center contains the Belgian Deaf History Museum, situated at the

Liege Deaf Club 2, rue Waleffe B - 4020 Liege Belgium

The Robert Dresse Center will keep in good hands Antoine Dresse's c.r.S.S. belongings which can be used for further research. The editor, based on infonnation provided by Bernard Le Maire