Wiedereinbürgerung

My grandfather's half-brother, and my great-uncle, was Peter Kornicker, born in 1917 in Breslau to my great-grandfather Georg and his first wife, Herta (née Cohen). His mother died in 1919 when he was just a year old.

Peter was lined up to work in the family law firm, but with the situation in Germany growing increasingly difficult he left Breslau in 1937, travelling to the Netherlands to attend a Hachshara at Werkdorp Wieringermeer. Hachshara (or Hakhshara) is a Hebrew word meaning "preparation" and refers to a programme of vocational education that students would undergo prior to their emigration to Palestine. Peter underwent Ha'apala in 1939, reaching Palestine on the notorious "Death Ship" Dora. He later joined the Jewish Brigade and fought in the Italian campaign, before being severely wounded. On his return to Palestine he changed his name to Dan Karni, and despite his disability joined the Haganah – a Zionist paramilitary organisation that operated in defense of Jewish settlements in Palestine. He went on to serve in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), attaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

You can assume that his commitment to the Israeli state was unwavering and it's my understanding that the British administration's conduct during the Mandate caused some tension between my grandfather and his brother. There was a period following the end of World War II when my grandfather was serving as an NCO in the Royal Tank Regiment while Dan was an officer in the newly founded IDF. I don't know how unusual such a circumstance would have been, but it strikes me as somewhat extraordinary.

So in light of that I was very surprised when I came across a document contained in the Arolsen Archive that shows that Dan applied for renaturalisation (Wiedereinbürgerung) as a German citizen, in 1971.

Was this a genuine attempt at emigration? A fallback for his family in case the security situation in Israel deteriorated? Or could the application be part of an attempt to claim restitution from the German government?

It seems the application failed, as the text in the red stamp dated 1972 implies the search was completed with a negative outcome (ÜBERPRÜFUNG: NEGATIV).

The document also shows that by 1971 Dan believed his parents were murdered at Auschwitz, but my grandfather's prior attempts to confirm their place of death came to nought, and it's my understanding that their deportation to Auschwitz from Riebnig wasn't revealed until the Polish researcher Alfred Konieczny published his research in 1997.

With regards Wiedereinbürgerung, this is the provision I used in 2016 to obtain German citizenship. I have an idea that my command of the German language ranks among the very worst of all German citizens alive.