Tragedy whispers around the Jochen Klepper Plaque. This plaque stands as a somber reminder of a dark chapter in history. It commemorates the life and death of Jochen Klepper, a German writer and his family.
Jochen Klepper was born in 1903 in Beuthen an der Oder. He became a writer and journalist. In 1931, he married Johanna Stein who came from a Jewish family. This decision would ultimately seal their fate. They moved to Berlin where Jochen worked for the radio. He was dismissed in 1933 due to the political climate.
As the Nazi regime rose to power, the Klepper family faced increasing persecution. Jochen’s marriage to a Jewish woman placed them in grave danger. The couple’s older daughter managed to escape to England in 1939. Jochen was drafted into the German Army in 1940. This was a bureaucratic error because citizens married to Jews should not be drafted. He served in a supply unit before being discharged in 1942. He was discharged to tend to his wife.
In a desperate attempt to protect his family, Jochen Klepper negotiated with Adolf Eichmann. Eichmann was the head of Jewish affairs in the Reich Security Main Office. However, Eichmann ultimately refused to grant visas for the couple’s younger daughter. Facing imminent deportation and the horrors of the Holocaust, Jochen, Johanna and their daughter Renate made a heart-wrenching decision. On December 11, 1942, they committed suicide in Berlin. They turned on a gas valve.
Jochen Klepper wrote in his diary shortly before their death. His words were: “Tonight we die together. Over us stands in the last moments the image of the blessed Christ who surrounds us. With this view we end our lives.”
After their death, Jochen’s sister, Hildegard, gave the diary to the Allied trial against Adolf Eichmann. It was used as evidence against him.
Jochen Klepper’s diary entries were published in 1956 under the title “Unter dem Schatten deiner Flügel” or “In the Shadow of Your Wings”. Klepper wrote many hymns. Some of them became part of modern Protestant and Catholic hymnals. These include “Gott wohnt in einem Lichte” and “Die Nacht ist vorgedrungen”.
The Jochen Klepper Plaque serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of intolerance and hatred. It stands as a testament to the courage and faith of a man who stood by his family in the face of unimaginable adversity. His story is a powerful reminder of the importance of standing up for what is right. It is a reminder to fight against all forms of discrimination and persecution.