german-american journal | december '08/january '09

Berlin AirliftEs gilt das gesprochene WortThe Value of the Spoken Word

Current EventsPages 3-5

Volume 56, Number 6 December 08 / January 09

Member ProfilePage 6

Chapter NewsPages 8-9

Book Reviews0

SchoolsPages 12-13

FoodPage 13

CalendarPage 14

ObituariesPage 15

Christmas Greetings

Pages 7, 11, 15

By: Darlene Fuchs

St. Nicholas Day is celebrated on December 6th in Germany, which is one of the most distinctive children’s festival of the year. On the evening before the 6th, children place their newly cleaned shoes in front of the door in the hope that Sankt Nikolaus might fill them with nuts, fruits, chocolate, sweets toys and other little gifts. If the children have behaved well, their wishes will be fulfilled. Children who have caused mischief will receive only coal or a switch, which symbolizes punishment for their bad deeds.

Nikolaus was born in Patara, a city of Licia in Asia Minor (part of modern day Turkey), around 255-257 A.D., and died on December 6, 343. Little is know about his background, except that he came from an affluent family. When he was still a young man, Nikolaus heard of an honorable family who had fallen into poverty. The father had three young daughters, who were unable to marry because their father was too poor to offer a dowry. In desperation, the father resolved to deliver his daughters to a brothel.

When Nicholas heard of their plight, he came up with a scheme to assist this family. According to legend, the young Nikolaus tossed three packets of money through their window one night. This money was sufficient to pay for the dowry of the three daughters. The tradition of giving gifts on Christmas morning stems from Nikolaus’ act of charity.

Through stories and legends associated with him, he became known as the protector of children and the

anonymous bestower of gifts upon them. Over the centuries, the life and deeds of St. Nikolaus were celebrated on the 6th of December. By the Middle Ages, the observance had become a celebration of children and a day on which they received gifts. It was Martin Luther who sought to sever the connection between the saint and the gift-giving celebration for children, because in his Reformation theology, there was no place for the glorification of saints. Rather than abolishing the custom outright, Martin Luther replaced the persona of Nikolaus with that of the Christ child in his teachings, not Nikolaus, but rather now the baby Jesus, was attributed with bringing the children gifts, and not on the saint’s day but at Christmas.

The supporters of the Catholic Counterreformation did not quietly accept the diminishment of their saint. They responded by making Nilolaus a figure who visited families’ homes on his appointed day and stood in judgment over children. Knecht

Ruprecht is a servant and helper whose face is sooty from going down chimneys to leave

children’s treats. He carries the sack of presents slung over his shoulder and a rod for disobedient children. “Just wait until Knecht Ruprecht comes” is still a common warning in German homes as some children are threatened with being hauled off in Ruprecht’s sack.

In Germany Knecht Ruprecht comes in many forms: Krampus in Southern Germany, Pelzebock or Pelznickel in the North-West, Hans Muff in Rhineland, Bartel

or the Wild Bear in Silesia, Gumphinkel with a bear

in Hesse, Black Pit close to the Dutch border or Schmutzli in German-speaking Switzerland.

By: Darlene Fuchs - excerpts from German Consul General Drautz’ speech

After a short welcome to the dignitaries and veterans of the 1948/1949 Berlin Airlift, Consul General Drautz thanked the Freedom Museum and McCormick Foundation for organizing the event celebrating the Airlifts 60th anniversary. The Free-dom Museum opened is doors on April 11, 2006, and is the first museum dedicated to freedom and the First Amendment.

Although much has been said about this great humanitarian effort and historic event, Consul Gen-eral Drautz, as the representative of the German Government in Chicago, reminded us that we share not only the common value of freedom, but a long-lasting friendship.

He went on to acknowledge that the airlift vet-erans have become true heroes, not by bombing as many enemies as possible from their aircrafts, but by saving the lives of men, women and children with ”Operation Vittles”. Herr Drautz thanked the veterans for helping German people survive and pointed out that the airlift was instrumental as a dip-lomatic tool, to show the Soviets that the Western allies were standing by their commitment, which was to save freedom and the city of Berlin.

The “Hungerkralle”, Hungerclaw memorial was erected to honor the U.S. and it’s allies who gave their life in executing one of history’s largest hu-manitarian relief operations. Herr Drautz called the present veterans the true first heroes of the cold war, who planted the seeds of friendship in the hearts and minds of over two million Berliner’s and the German people, which still endures today.

He went on to remind us that friendship and co-operation is still needed in the future, as we face common threats to our freedom and democracy due to the many global changes. In closing, the veter-ans in attendance were presented with the German Friendship Award.

(Left to Right) Dagmar Freiberger, Bill Fuchs, Lt. Gail S. Halvorsen, Wolfgang Drautz, Alderman Schulter

SanktNikolaus

2 German-American Journal December 08 / January 09

Der Deutsch-Amerikaner

DANK National Executive Board

President: William Fuchs

1. Vice President: Erich Wittmann

2. Vice President: Donna Lippert

Treasurer: Maria Thompson

Secretary: Beverly Pochatko

DANK National Executive Office4740 N. Western Ave

Chicago, Il 60625-2013Call (773) 275-1100

Toll Free (866) 926-1109Fax (773) 275-4010

Office Hours:9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon.-Fri.

Look for us on the Web:www.dank.org

Editorial Staff

Darlene Fuchs, [email protected]

Harald Pitz, Editorial [email protected]

Margita Mandel, Editorial [email protected]

Stephen Fuchs, Layout & [email protected]

Beverly Pochatko, Chapter News Editor

[email protected]

Erik Wittmann, [email protected]

Eva Timmerhaus, Office Manager

For Advertising & Classifieds, Contact: Darlene Fuchs

[email protected]

General Information

- ISSN 1086-8070 - is published bi-monthly and is the Official Organ of the German American National Congress. Periodicals Postage paid at Chicago, Illinois and additional Mailing Offices.

POSTMASTER:Send address changes to:German-American Journal

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Mission StatementLiebe Mitglieder und Freunde!Dear Members and Friends,

The Oktoberfest time has ended and we are now looking forward to the Christmas Holiday season. I can’t be-lieve that as I walk through the shopping districts of Europe in early November, I can already see the holiday street decorations and lights in many areas. I guess we in the US have set a trend. I am writing this one day after the US presidential election and spent yesterday observing events on Times Square in New York. Quite a fes-tive gathering of folks anticipating the outcome of the election. It actually reminded me of New Year’s Eve. Something very noticeable to me was the high number of foreign visitors and press that were present to observe this history making event on one of the most famous town squares of the world. The foreign-ers almost seemed to out-number the Americans in the crowd. The high number of international tourists in New York is not unusual, but the interest displayed in our election results was striking.

As multiple giant TV screens showed election results from ABC, CNN and Fox News, cheers for Obama could be heard all night as if it was a sporting event. When it was clear that Mr. Obama would be the next President Elect, it was as if a New Year had begun, with loud cheers by Americans and the foreign tourists alike, along with fire trucks and police sirens. Yes, this crowd seemed one-sided but I was quickly reminded of how much interest there is in our political system by folks from all over the globe, and more so, how we are residents not just of the United States, but of the world. Since its founding, this great country has attracted many foreigners, both as visitors and im-migrants, looking to discover the wonderful things that the US has to offer. That was also apparent on the faces of the folks as they stared at the awe inspiring, flashy, and colorful scene in Times Square. Having come over as an immigrant from Ger-many in the 60’s, being there last night, while history was made, I was proud that I could say that this is my country. I am also very proud of my native German origin, and I feel lucky that I can visit Germany as often as I do; enjoying the great things it has to offer. Above all, I feel proud that we can share and enjoy the wonderful customs, contributions and heritage of both coun-tries. DANK allows us the ability to share with each other and display our pride in our German-American heritage, and that makes me proud to be part of the family of DANK.

I wish all our members and friends a most joyful and blessed holiday season, along with a festive “Prost Neujahr!”

President’s Corner

William FuchsNational President

Editor’s Column

Darlene FuchsManaging Editor

Der Weihnachtsmann Besuch

This is the story of a visitor I had last year just before Christmas.

I had just finished my work for the night and was preparing to settle into bed when I heard a rustling noise outside. I opened the front door, and to my surprise, Santa himself stepped out from behind a Christmas tree. As he placed his finger over his mouth, so that I would not cry out, I whispered, “What are you doing?”

The words choked in my throat, as I noticed the tears in his eyes. The “Jolly Old Soul’s” jolly was gone. Sadly he answered me with a simple, but puzzling statement, “TEACH THE CHIL-DREN!” What did he mean? Anticipating my question, and in the twinkling of an eye, he brought forth a miniature toy bag from behind the tree and stepped inside.

Santa reached into his bag and pulled out a FIR TREE placing it on the mantle. “Teach the Children that the pure green color of the stately fir tree remains green all year round, representing the everlasting hope of mankind.”

Reaching back into his bag he removed a WREATH and placed it on the tree. “Teach the Children that the wreath symbolizes eternal love. Real love never ceases it is one continu-ous circle of affection.”

Again he reached into his bag and pulled out a brilliant STAR. “Teach the Children that a star was the heavenly sign of fulfill-ment of a promised Savior for the world.”

He reached in again and pulled out an ANGEL placing it on the very top of the tree. “Teach the Children that it was the angels that proclaimed, in celestial singing, glory to the newborn King and peace on earth.”

Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a CANDY CANE and hung it on the tree. “Teach the Children that the candy cane represents the shepherd’s staff which helps bring back strayed sheep from the flock. The candy cane is the symbol that we are all our brother’s keeper.”

Next he pulled out a PRESENT from his bag and said, “Teach the Children that the wise men bowed before the holy babe and presented Him with gold, frankincense, and myrrh. We should give gifts in the same spirit as the wise men.”

Then he pulled out an ornament of HIMSELF gently hanging it on a branch. “Teach the Children that Santa Claus, (Der Weih-nachtsmann) generosity and good will which we need to share with our family and friends all year long.”

Santa looked at the tree and was pleased. As he turned to-wards me I noticed the twinkle was back in his eyes. “Remem-ber, he said, teach the Children the true meaning of Christmas, and do not put me in the center, for I am but a humble servant of the first Christmas gift,the babe in the manger.”

This year, may the meaning of Christmas be deeper, it’s friend-ships stronger, and it’s hopes for a peaceful New Year brighter.

NOTE: During this season of gratitude I would like to extend a personal “Thank You” to my editorial staff. Margita Mandel for the numerous hours she spends on proof reading all the articles, Beverly Pochatko for compiling all the chapter news, Erik Wit-mann in charge of membership, Herald Pits, Eva Timmerhaus, our contributors and Stephen Fuchs for giving the Journal an up-dated layout and design.

D.A.N.K., a society of German Americans today, was founded in 1959, and is active coast to coast,with the purpose of repre-senting all German Americans in the United States.

D.A.N.K., a non-profit organiza-tion, supports German cultural landmarks and events, spon-sors German American stu-dent exchanges and the study of the German language and culture. It promotes harmony and goodwill among German American clubs and societies across the United States.

D.A.N.K.’s cultural almanac, with its many programs and sug-gestions for local events and its D.A.N.K. Journal are the visual and communication links between its members and its corporate headquarters in Chicago.

D.A.N.K. also acts as an infor-mation center and exchange on a variety of subjects concerning the German American community at large We welcome your inquiries, contributions and donations for a United German America.

Benefits to belong to D.A.N.K.

D.A.N.K. was chosen by many be-cause of our leadership in repre-senting the interests of all German Americans on a national level.

D.A.N.K. has many Chapters across the United States of Amer-ica.

D.A.N.K. has over 30 Associated Member Societies.

D.A.N.K. offers German Lan-guage classes for both children and adults

Submission Deadline For The February/March Issue:

January 1st, 2009

DIE BRUECKE ZUR ALTEN HEIMAT

“Building Bridgesto Germany”

Visit our website, DANK.org, to listen to Live German radio from “Radio

Heimatmelodie” in Germany.

You will also find a list of additional live German radio stations that you can listen

to online for free.

December 08 / January 09 German-American Journal 3

AdventskAlenderGerman Christmas Calendar

The Weihnachtsmarkt, Gendarmenmark, in Berlin opens for the 2008 holiday season. Considered one of Berlin’s best Christmas markets remaining open through December 31.

In the comfortable warmth of the big craftsmen’s tent visitors have the rare opportunity to watch master craftspeople and artisans at work in their trade. Expert woodcarvers, flax-embroiderers, ivory-carvers, gold-smiths, toy-makers and more will be creating their wares live for market-goers to observe.

Besides the traditional Christmas specialties, such as Gingerbread, roasted chestnuts, mulled wine and punch, you will also find extraordinary gourmet courses pre-pared by Berlin’s top culinary talent.

Jugglers, dance groups, choirs, classic and Jazz musi-cians from Berlin, along with other international artists, offer an exciting and varied programs on all 38 days of the fair.

24. November

Andreastag, St. Andrew’s Day - The patron saint of Scotland has little to do with Christmas in Germany, but his feast day falls in the pre-Christmas season. In Ger-man, he lends his name to the x-shaped Andreaskreuz (St. Andrew’s cross, symbolizing his crucifixion), which is also the term used for German railroad-crossing warn-ing signs.

30. November

Grüner Sonntag, Green Sunday - This day gets its name from the green Advent wreath (Adventskranz) that is put out on the first Sunday following November 26. Each of the following three Advent Sundays also has a name: Kupferner Sonntag (copper), Silberner Sonntag (silver) and Goldener Sonntag (golden). The Advent wreath custom spread across Germany following the First World War.

30. November

Advent officially begins on the first Sunday after Nov. 26. Four Advent Sundays lead up to Christmas. The Ad-ventkalender, with its 24 windows, helps children count down to Christmas Eve (Heiligabend), beginning De-cember first.

Advent, Advent ...ein Lichtlein brennterst eins, dann zwei, dann drei, dann vierdann steht das Christkind vor der Tür.

01. Dezember

04. DezemberIn Catholic regions, the tradition of Barbarazweig

begins on the feast day of “Die heilige Barbara” (Holy Barbara).

The patron saint of miners, artillerymen and firemen, (St. Barbara, d. 306), has lent her name to an interest-ing Germanic Christmas custom that has its roots in pre-Christian pagan times. But, the legend of her martyrdom seems to have originated around the 7th century.

According to legend, Barbara lived in Asia Minor in what is today Turkey. Her father was the pagan emperor Dioscorus, an untrusting fellow who persecuted Chris-tians and kept his daughter a virgin by locking her up in a tower whenever he was away.

One day upon returning home, Dioscorus noticed that the tower where he kept his daughter under lock and key now had three windows instead of two. Puzzled, he asked her why she had added a window in his absence. Barbara confessed that she had become a Christian, and the three windows represented the trinity of her new faith. Incensed, her father commanded that she be tor-tured and beheaded.

Traditionally in the German-speaking countries, par-ticularly in Austria and the Catholic regions of Germany, a small cherry branch or sprig is cut off and placed in water on December 4th, Barbaratag (St. Barbara’s Day). This custom is known as “Barbarazweig” or “Barbara Branch.” The cherry branch (Kirschzweig) or other cut-ting is then placed in water and kept in a warm room. If all goes well, on Christmas day the sprig will display blossoms. If it blooms precisely on December 25th, this is regarded as a particularly good sign for the future.

On the night of Nikolausabend (“Nicholas Eve”) gifts are left for young children after they have gone to bed.

05. Dezember

Nikolaustag, the day of St. Nicholas, who is not to be confused with Santa Claus. On Nikolausabend, the eve of Dec. 6th, Sankt Nikolaus, dressed like a bishop, comes with gifts for the children. On the morning of the 6th, the gifts are eagerly opened. He is usually accompanied by an evil, demonic counterpart called Knecht Ruprecht. Dec. 6th is also the traditional date when local Christmas markets (Weihnachtsmärkte, Christkindlmärkte) open in the main square of almost every town in Austria and Ger-many.

06. Dezember

Thomasnacht, Thomas night, is on or near the date of the winter solstice (Wintersonnenwende). On Thom-asnacht traditional folks bake Kletzenbrot, a sort of fruit cake. Very few women today carry out another Thomas-nacht tradition: running outside and hugging a tree trunk to bring fertility and a good harvest in the coming year.

20. Dezember

Thomastag, St. Thomas’s Day. The Sunday before Christmas is the year’s longest night and shortest day. St. Thomas is commemorated on this day because he was the one apostle who, for the longest time, remained in the “night of unbelief and doubt.” In Westphalia, tradition was an opulent meal served in the belief that if you ate well on St. Thomas day, you could expect to do so all of the next year.

Dezember

Heiligabend, Christmas Eve is the most important time of the Germanic celebration. No waiting for Santa Claus to come down the chimney. The presents (from the Christkindl, Christ Child) are opened under the tree that night (an event known as Die Bescherung). Christmas dinner usually comes after that. In religious families, at-tending midnight Christmas mass (Christmette) is also a part of the celebration.

24. Dezember

Weihnachten. Germans get two Christmas days. The second is traditionally devoted to visiting friends and family and are known as the First and Second Christmas Day respectively. Goose is the traditional fare on the First Christmas Day, or perhaps rabbit or a roast. These are ac-companied by traditional German fare such as apple and sausage stuffing, red cabbage, and potato dumplings. The second Christmas day is usually a quieter time, a day for peaceful contemplation.

Dezember2526

Silvester, New Years Eve, in Germany is celebrated with fireworks and the usual parties and festivities. An unusual New Year’s custom in Germany is the annual TV broadcast of the “Dinner for One” sketch - familiar to all Germans. (see New Year Traditions)

31. Dezember

Neujahr’s Tag, New Year’s Day, is often a time of gift-giving for people who serve you throughout the year, such as the postman or the garbage-men.

01. Januar

“Twelfth Night” - the last of the twelve nights or days of Christmas. “On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...”

05. Januar

Heilige Drei Könige, “Three Kings Day” or Epiphany commemorates the arrival of the Three Wise Men (three kings) in Bethlehem. This is the end of the Christmas season in Germany. The last of the Christmas trees go in the trash and the “twelve days of Christmas” come to an end.

06. Januar


By: Darlene Fuchs

It never fails. Every December someone asks about the German Christmas pickle ornament that’s supposed to have a long tradition in Germany. It is a quaint tradition that nobody wants to claim.

The story says that a very old Christmas eve tradi-tion in Germany was to hide a pickle ornament deep in the branches of the family Christmas Tree. The par-ents hung the pickle last after all the other ornaments were in place. In the morning the first child to find the Christmas pickle would get an extra gift from Saint Nicholas. Or so the so-called legend goes. The first adult who finds the pickle traditionally gets good luck for the whole year.

Of course, anyone familiar with German Christmas customs can see the flaws in this “legend.” First of all, the German St. Nick doesn’t show up on Christmas Eve. He ar-rives on the 5th or 6th of December. Nor do German children open their presents on Christmas morning. That happens on Christ-mas Eve in Germany. But the biggest prob-lem with the German pickle (saure Gurke, Weihnachtsgurke) tradition is that no one in Germany seems to have ever heard of it.

The Lauscha Connection

There may be, however, a somewhat tenu-ous German connection to the glass pickle orna-ment. Glass Christmas ornaments were being pro-duced in Germany as early as 1597, in the small town of Lauscha, now in the German state of Thuringia (Thüringen). In 1847 a few of the Lauscha craftsmen began producing glass ornaments (Glasschmuck) in the shape of fruits and nuts. These Glaskugeln (glass ornaments) were made in a unique hand-blown pro-cess combined with molds. Soon these unique Christ-mas ornaments were being exported to other parts of Europe, as well as England and the U.S.

Today Lauscha exports glass pickle ornaments to the U.S.—where they are sold along with the “Ger-man” tradition story. The pickle ornaments are in-deed sold in parts of Germany, ranging from Höxter in North Rhine-Westphalia to Kissing in Bavaria. But does that prove it’s a German custom?

Two Mythical Stories?There are two other versions of the origins of the

Christmas pickle. One is a family story of a Bavarian-born ancestor who fought in the American Civil War.

A prisoner in poor health and starving, he begged a guard for just one pickle before he died. The guard took pity on him and found a pickle for him. The pickle by the grace of God gave him the mental and physical strength to live on.

The other, perpetuated in Berrien Springs, MI, is a medieval tale of two Spanish boys traveling home from boarding school for the holidays. When they stopped at an inn for the night, the innkeeper, a mean and evil man, stuffed the boys into a pickle barrel. That eve-ning, St. Nicholas stopped at the same inn, became aware of the boys’ plight, tapped the pickle barrel with his staff, and the boys were magically freed.

Berrien Springs calls itself the Christmas Pickle Capital of the World. They celebrate with an annual Christmas Pickle Festival held during the early part of December. A

parade, led by the Grand “Dillmeister”, who passes out fresh pickles along the parade route, is

the featured event. You may even purchase the Ger-man glass pickle ornaments at the town’s museum.

Regardless of where it came from, the Christmas tradition survives. Ornament manufacturers continue to make the specialty pickle decoration and enjoy perpetuating the myth of its legendary origins -- false though they may be.

New Year Traditions!By: Darlene Fuchs

Einen guten Rutsch! In many of the German-speaking areas

the change of the year is celebrated noisily and merrily. Guests are invited, there is eating, drinking, dancing and singing. Some participate in the popular custom of “Bleigiessen,” in which a small piece of melted lead is dropped into a bowl of cold water. From the shape you can supposedly tell your fortune for the coming year. At midnight, when the old year is almost gone and the new year is about to start, glasses are filled with champagne or wine, and toasts and hugs go with wishing each other “ein gutes neues Jahr”.

Dinner for One: a German New Year’s Eve Ritual

Every New Year’s Eve, half of all Germans will settle down in front of their TV sets on New Year’s Eve for what has

become an annual ritual - watching a 1963 English comedy sketch called Dinner for One, “Der 90. Geburtstag.”

Written by British author Lauri Wylie in the 1920s, it presents a morbidly funny story in miniature—The 15 minute sketch is performed by Freddie Frinton and May Warden, and was filmed by NDR in Hamburg in 1963. In the early 1970’s it became a regular part of the German New Year’s Eve celebration. Over the years somehow, it has become a cult classic in Germany -- to the extent that it is shown on dozens of regional channels at some point over New Year and NDR shows it six or seven times during New Year’s Eve.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, it is the most frequently repeated TV program ever. It has never been aired in the United Kingdom or the United States, and most of the English-speaking world is ignorant of its existence.

It is a sketch about a butler who gets riotously drunk while serving food and drinks to his employer, Miss Sophie, and her guests on her 90th birthday.

The running joke is that she sits alone at the table because she has outlived all her male guests who were her former lovers, so butler James has to drink their share of the wine and do all the toasts. Before each toast, he asks plaintively: “Same procedure as last year, Miss Sophie?” to which she responds: “the same procedure as every year, James.”

Christmas Pickle - “Weihnachtsgurke”Myth or Reality?

By: Darlene Fuchs

The figure of Santa Claus, known in Germany as “Der Weihnachtsmann” (literally: the Christmas man), is a direct descendant of Saint Nicholas, as can easily be seen from the formation of the name “Santa Claus”. The English name came directly from the Dutch variant “Sinterklaas”. Centuries-old North-ern European tradition also knew a similar figure - a bearded old man in a long, brown, hooded fur coat, who traveled on a reindeer-drawn sled. Carrying a staff and nuts - respectively symbolizing fertility - and non-perishable, substantial nourishment, this fig-ure from Lapland represented preparation for the long winter season ahead.

Many of the characteristics attributed to the mod-ern-day Santa Claus are easily recognizable in both the St. Nicholas figure and the descended from old Germanic folklore. The “Weihnachtsmann”, much like Santa Claus, is depicted as a jolly old man with a long white beard in a red fur suit, with a sack of pres-ents and a switch. On Christmas Eve he leaves gifts for the well-behaved children and punishes those who have been bad. He doesn’t arrive through the chim-ney, but rather slips in and out just long enough to leave the gifts, usually before the children can catch a glimpse of him. Depending on the German-speaking region, today it is either the “Weihnachtsmann” or the “Christkind” (Christ child) who leaves gifts for the children to open on eve of December 24th in Germa-ny. For those of you who have wondered where the name “Chris Kringle” came from, look at the German word Christkindle, “Christ child” and you will be en-lightened.

Children’s verse: Lieber guter Weihnachtsmann,Sieh’ mich nicht so böse an.Stecke Deine Rute ein,will auch immer artig sein.

Der Weihnachtsmann

Presented by

� 1 3 t h A n n u a l �

Christkindlmarket ChicagoNovember 27 - December 24, 2008

City of ChicagoRichard M. Daley, Mayor

In cooperation with

A Traditional German American Holiday MarketOpen Daily for Holiday Fun! Admission is Free!

Christkindlmarket Chicago is located at Daley Plaza –Between Washington, Clark & Dearborn Streets

For further information please contact us at312.494.2175 or visit www.christkindlmarket.com

Opening Hours:Mondays - Thursdays 11 am - 8 pmFridays - Saturdays 11 am - 9 pmSundays 11 am - 8 pmSpecial Hours:Thanksgiving Day, November 27 11 am - 4 pmChristmas Eve, December 24 11 am - 4 pm

Featuring: Traditional Ornaments & Toys � NutcrackersHandmade Clothing & Jewelry � Wood Carving � Music &Entertainment � Delicious European Sweets & Chocolates �Food, Glühwein & Beer � and much more!

Butler James has wowed German viewers since 1963


Feierlichkeiten zum 60. Jahrestag der Berliner Luftbruecke in Washington D.C.By: Werner Juretzko

“Zum 60.Mal jaehrt sich heute der Hilferuf des Westberliner Buergermeis-ter’s Ernst Reuter: Ihr Voelker der Welt schaut auf diese Stadt!”

Zitiert Frau Baerbel Simon, die Leit-erin der Berlin-Abteilung des “COLD WAR MUSEUM” in ihrer Ansprache waehrend der Feierstunde im Beacon House in Washington D.C., zu den Veteranen und Beteiligten Landesver-tretern an der einstigen Luftbruecke.

“Und die Voelker der Welt schau-ten auf diese Stadt und sie kamen. Sie kamen aus den USA, Gross Britanien, den Commonwealth Staaten und Frank-reich. Sie kamen mit Flugzeugen und Truppen um den Berlinern zu helfen.

Der Himmel war noch frei und nicht blockiert. Somit begann eine unglaub-hafte, logistische und humanitaere Mis-sion als die West- Allierten die eingez-ingelte Stadt aus der Luft versorgten. Elf Monate erhielt die Luftbruecke die Stadt am Leben. Am Ende siegte

die Luftbruecke, weil wir zusammen hielten - die West-Allierten, die Zivil-bevoelkerung, andere Nationen und die Berliner. Es war die Geburtsstunde unser heutigen Freundschaft. Berlin ist der Geburtsort unserer Deutsch-Ameri-kanischen Freundschaft.”

Geplant wird im kommenden Jahr, dem 60. Jahrestag, das Ende der Ber-liner Blockade, sinngemaes zu feiern. Die noch lebenden Vet-eranen mit den dankbaren Ber-linern, werden dieses welt-his-torische Ereign-is wuerdevoll begehen. Ohne dem grossen Einsatz der West-Allierten waere Deutschland nicht wieder ver-einigt.

Sixtieth Celebration of the Berlin Airlift in Washington D.C.

By: Werner JuretzkoTranslated By: Margita Mandel

For the 60th time the call went out by the mayor of West Berlin, Ernst Reuter: “People of the world, look at this city”!

This was quoted by Mrs. Baerbel Simon, leader of the Berlin Department

of the Cold War Museum, in her speech to the veterans and representatives of all countries, during the celebration in the Beacon-House in Washington D.C

“And the people of the world looked at this city and arrived. They came from the USA, Great Britain, the

Commonwealth States and France. They came with airplanes and troops to help the citizens of Berlin”.

The sky was still open and not blocked. With this began an incredibly logistic and humanitarian mission, as the Western Allies took care of the surrounded city by air. For eleven months the “Air Bridge” kept the city alive. At the end the “Air Bridge” won because we stuck together: the Western Allies, the civilians, other nations and the Berliners. It was the beginning of our friendship. Berlin is the birthplace of our German-American friendship, which lasts until today.

It is planned to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the end of the Berlin blockade next year. The veterans, who are still alive, along with the Berliners, will celebrate this historic event accordingly. Without the help of the Western Allies, Germany would not have been re-united.

More InfoThe Cold War Museum

Berlin Chapterwww.coldwar.org/BerlinChapter/

German-American Day Celebration on the National Mall

By: Gary Grassl

On German-American Day, October 6, about 35 persons gathered at the German-American Friendship Garden on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. They represented German American organizations in Washington, Virginia and Maryland. The ceremony was organized by the Association of German-American Societies of Greater Washington, D.C. (AGAS), with Gerhard Meinzer presiding.

After singing the national anthems of the Federal Republic of Germany and of the United States, the proclamation of the Mayor of Washington was read by a representative of the German-American Heritage Foundation, which is headquartered in the city. The proclamation of the Governor of Maryland was read by Dr. James Schaub, President of the German Society of Maryland. That of the Governor of Virginia by Dan Wolfe, President of the German-European-American Society, Norfolk. The three proclamations were handed to Cultural Attache Thomas Meindl for forwarding to Ambassador Klaus Scharioth. (This

year’s greetings by Dr. Scharioth to German Americans may be seen on the home page of AGAS. Here are also previous proclamations by the President, the mayor and governors.)

Participants came from far and near. The youngest person present was a newly minted German American a few days old. His parents and their two friends hailed from Bavaria. The oldest, 81-year-old Edgar Grunwald, drove 60 miles despite his recent knee operation. Robert A. Carle, the Chairperson of the Committee for the 400th Anniversary of Germans at Jamestown, arrived from Richmond. Wolf and Anne Marie Fuhrig came from Illinois to represent DANK (German-American National Committee). Merl Arp, Vice President of DANK, also honored us with his presence.

The National Park Service gave permission for the ceremony after being assured that it was not a demonstration and that no counter demonstrators were expected. After the event, most participants repaired to Cafe Mozart for lunch und ein gemuetliches Beisammensein.

Direct From BerlinBy: Darlene Fuchs

Evoking a nostalgic romance that has captured the imaginations of generations from all over the world, singer and bandleader Max Raabe and his 12-piece Palast Orchester performed music from the golden age of the 1920s and 1930s in Aurora at the Paramount Theatre, October 4th.

Max Raabe was perfectly attired in his faultlessly fitting tuxedo and slicked back hair, astounded the audience with an amazing old-fashionedness as he captured this timeless music with precision, urgency and irony. Max Raabe, a singer of incredible range, was met with thunderous enthusiasm.

Very anachronistically, as if from a far-away time, he sings “Kein Schwein ruft mich an” (“Why does no one call” aka “No pig call me”), “Heute Nacht order nie (Tonight or Never)”or “My Little Green Cactus”. The amazing thing is that he performs each song with such precise, dry, and down-to-earth perfection that the 80-year-old songs sound as fresh and impressive as they did at their very first performance. They are therefore not simply re-makes, well-performed old hits, or bittersweet

memories, but rather, wonderful new interpretations that reveal the timeless qualities of this brilliant music.

Founded in 1986 by the charismatic baritone Max Raabe, Max Raabe & Palast Orchester has been heard by adoring audiences in The United States, Shanghai, Paris, Berlin, Moscow, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Vienna, Amsterdam and Rome performing over 150 concerts a year.

Upon experiencing their concerts one is compelled to try put a finger on why this one-of-a-kind artist and orchestra is so successful. Is it the melodies? Is it the lyrics or the satire? Is it because of Max Raabe’s charming mannerisms? Perhaps it is because Max Raabe’s own brand of old-world style is not just a concert but a performance and an engaging art form from beginning to end.

A group of over 20 DANK members and friends delighted in the splendid performance of streetwise songs of love and loss, a longing for happiness and the fear of human relationships. Look for upcoming events at the Paramount Theatre, one of the Top 10 theaters located in the greater Chicago-land area.


National Board Member Profile: NATIONAL SECRETARY, BEVERLY ANN POCHATKO

By: Beverly Ann PochatkoNational Secretary

The spot light in this issue takes us to Erie, PA the birth-place of our National Secretary, Beverly Ann (Jant) Pochat-ko. Born in 1939, she was the second of three daughters, (Charlotte and Barbara) of Eva (Hartman) and William Jant. After her Grandma Jant died when she was 5, her parents bought the family home and she met her ‘forever friend’, Mary Jurino, now Mrs. Paul Schulz, of Virginia Beach, VA.

Bev attended Wayne School and talks fondly of Miss Elizabeth Pfeiffer in the 1st grade. (An extraordinary teacher, Miss Pfeiffer had taught her father and sister Char-lotte.) Graduating from East High School in 1957, her plans were to join the Navy or become an airline stewardess, but her Dad quickly put an end to those thoughts with a firm “no daughter of mine is going to do that!” Instead, she attended nursing school.

Life experiences over 40+ years gave her many skills starting as a restaurant ‘salad girl’, a department store clerk and then a long distance and information operator. Nursing school wasn’t her ‘calling’ and she worked at a local bank as an ac-counts payable ledger clerk and later in the loan department.

In August 1961, she married Joseph Pochatko and they had five children: Melissa, Martin, Philip (who died at three days old,) Kath-ryn and Karl. She is proud of the accomplishments of their children and grandchildren. Me-lissa married John Lesniewski and has two sons, Timothy (a Gannon University graduate who married his own Me-lissa in 2007) and Mark (a high school senior;) Marty has a daughter Sherrie (Dave Sourwine) and she is the proud mother of Kortney and twin sons – Jeremy & Christopher. Her daughter Kathy lives in Virginia and is the mother of Elizabeth and Brandon. Their youngest son, Karl, lives in Albion with his companion Sandra and is the father of Madeline Pochatko and a son, Alex Fields

After her marriage, Bev gained more skills working in various places. She and her husband enjoy cooking and catered weddings and parties on weekends at their church, for 10 years. After her husband’s heart attack in 1983, she

took a position as a receptionist at the RC Chancery Office, later moving to Gannon University. She retired from Gan-non after 20 years of service in November 2007.

In the mid 60’s, times were tough. She took basic cake decorating classes and began to bake and sell birthday and wedding cakes from her home. Later she took classes in commercial baking and decorating. She enjoyed entering cake decorating competitions and won blue ribbons as a novice and later as a professional - winning the Wilton Gold Medal. She taught classes at the Vo-Tech School, then for Wilton Enterprises; judged cake shows in Michi-gan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Canada. Now re-tired from cake decorating, she only does cakes for family members. She was privileged to make her oldest grandson

Tim’s wedding cake in 2007 and re-cently for her nephew Jeff (Brigitte) Chase in July 2008. She entered the Erie County Fair in 1967 and for a number of years thereafter and has quite a collection of blue ribbons (and a few red ones) for her breads, cakes, and jellies.

Bev related: “It was right after the TV mini-series Roots had aired, that I really wanted to learn more about my family’s German background. My involvement in D.A.N.K began in 1989, while I was trying to learn more about German traditions etc. at the Public Library. There were sev-eral listings in the Business Directo-ry and one caught my eye as it stated D.A.N.K - dedicated to the preserva-tion of the German language, culture and music. No political agenda! This is what I was looking for, so I

sent a letter requesting information on joining. Well, imag-ine my shock when my membership card came and a letter welcoming me to the new Chapter 71 of D.A.N.K and that I needed to get 15 members to officially start as a Chapter! The challenge was met. I have had the privilege of serving the Chapter as President from 1990 to 1996, 2000; 2002 to present. Speaking German was a goal before I went to Germany in 1990, starting with a conversational German course. Later I went to formal classes at the University for two years under Dr. Bertl Weber. While my German is shaky – I still try working on it.”

In 1996, Erie celebrated its Bicentennial and D.A.N.K was a part of it, represented with two floats and a horse drawn wagon. “It was one of my proudest moments as we passed along the parade route and people were cheering

us!” From then on, D.A.N.K was more visible in Erie. For the next two years, we assisted and supported the East Erie Turners Bavarian Festival. In 1997, she and Bill Matheis took the plunge on behalf of the chapter, to put on a one-day festival. Bill was in charge of the physical layout and Bev took on the business end of it. That first fest garnered 382 people to listen to the music and eat. The members did the cooking, borrowed the stage from the City and hoped for the best. Since then, the festival has grown and is a highly anticipated event. It is a lot of work and without all the vol-unteers it would never happen. This year the 12th annual German Festival was the beginning of a partnership with the Lake Erie Fan Fare directed by Raymond Luniewski.

Bev’s involvement on the national level of D.A.N.K be-gan as Region 3 President in 1993 to 1998 and then from 2000 through 2007. She served as National Vice President from 1998 to 2004. In 2007 Bev was elected National Recording Secretary; served on the National Membership Committee from 1995 to 1999; 2001 to 2003 2003 to 2007, was a member of and later the Chair of the Bylaws Com-mittee and recently the Standard Operating Guide.

“I have made many friends through D.A.N.K and the German American Community and I value their friend-ship and support. I firmly believe that no matter how much planning takes place, it is the members and volunteers who deserve all the credit. They do the hard work keeping a smile on their faces all the while.”

Beyond her involvement with D.A.N.K, she was a member of the Erie International Institute Board from 1993 to 1997, the Erie Bicentennial Celebration Ethnic Commit-tee from 1994 to 1996; worked on Daffodil Day Sales for the Erie Cancer Society and walked in the Relay for Life.

Music is relaxing for her. Classical music is Bev’s fa-vorite next to the hits of the 50’s and of course Deutsches Volkslieder! She enjoys playing the piano occasionally and loves to sing. Bev is a member and Vice President of the Erie Männerchor Gesangverein; Vice President of the Pittsburgh District of the North American Sängerbund; sings with the Siebenbürger Singing Society and is 1st Vice President of the Sachsen District of the North American Sängerbund; the Erie Historical Society and Erie Society for Genealogy Research.

She enjoys reading books especially “The Acciden-tal Pope” by Ray Flynn and Robin Moore. Her favorite authors are Barbara Coulter, Nora Roberts and Jude De-vereaux. When she can, she loves to travel and has hosted bus tours for her Chapter as a means of fund-raising.

“My plans for the future? God willing and health per-mitting, I want to travel to Germany once more. My last visit was in 1990!”

This is a new series in which we would like to introduce to the membership the various members of our national board. The board consists of the elected board (President, two VP’s, Secretary and Treasurer) along with two representatives from each of the three regions of our organization. We hope that you will enjoy these articles which are intended to familiarize our members with the Organization’s leadership.


DONATIONS FROM JAN. 1 – OCT. 23, 2008Abbott, Clarence

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Oktoberfest On Chicago’s North ShoreBy: Ursula Hoeft

An overflow crowd celebrated with toasts of “Oans, Zwoa, Drei, G’suffa!”

Lake Forest’s Gorton Center bulged at the seams Saturday night, October 11, when DANK Chapter Lake County, Illinois held its annual Oktoberfest. The overflow crowd of revelers included representa-tives from the DANK National Board, the German-American Club of Antioch, DANK Chapters Chicago West, Chicago North and Chicago Northern Suburbs, to name but a few. They came to enjoy delicious home-made German food, prepared and served by the Anni and Victor Kordas family, scrumptious desserts baked by Chapter members, great German beer and wine, Bavarian Brezel, dancing, and non-stop Gemüt-lichkeit, something for which the Chapter is famous.

Chapter President Greg Hoeft officially began the festivities with a warm welcome and some Oktober-fest history followed by what he called “an interpreta-tion of the Grand parade and festival opening.” The parade wasn’t exactly “grand,” but it was a creative rendition of the real thing and it brought the also-not-so-grand beer keg into the hall. When the mallet

struck, former DANK National President Ernst Ott, acting as “lord Mayor of Munich,” declared “O’zapft is” – loosely translated as “it’s tapped.“ And the eve-ning’s first “official” mug of beer was poured.

Milwaukee’s Donauschwaben Youth Group danc-ers, dressed in colorful Trachten, wowed the audience with their spirited, authentic performance of traditional folk dances. While the beer keg tapping was a strictly tongue-in-cheek rendition, these talented young danc-ers were very much the real thing. As Cobi Stein told

them, “the loyalty and pride you demonstrate in your culture’s rich traditions and customs is inspiring.”

In Munich this year more than six million people attended Oktoberfest and consumed 6.6 million li-ters of beer, 219,443 pairs of sausages, and 10 oxen (obviously there were few vegetarians in the crowd). DANK Lake County can’t boast the same turnout or consumption – but maybe next year!

Region One ElectionBy: Cobi Stein

Twice a year, generally in a large room at the DANK Chapter Chicago North Haus, for the last five years, there has been a repeated refrain by yours truly at the start of the DANK Region One meeting: “Respected members of the chapters and distinguished guests, it is a privilege to be with you again.” However, at the meeting held on Sunday, October 12, 2008, I offered a new phrase: “It has been my privilege to be your regional president, working on your behalf. I leave with fond memories of you and wish the new regional president the very best”.

I am pleased to announce that the new president “in the wheelhouse” is Edwin Gunther, home chapter: Milwaukee, who has dedicated much of his life to DANK, having joined the organization in 1970, and who has unselfishly served in the capacity of both vice president and president of his chapter, along with a long-standing commitment to Milwaukee’s German Fest. Edwin’s wife, Ursula, has, as well, made many contributions to her chapter and to the Fest, most recently offering her expertise as captain of the Konditorei, which has for many years been and continues to be a “blue ribbon” booth there.

There will be a period of transition, as Edwin becomes familiar with his new role. I will now serve as 1st Vice President (home chapter: Lake County, Illinois), and it is with deep appreciation on the part of both Edwin and myself that Willi Gohs (2nd VP; home chapter: Fox Valley), Terry Viebach (Secretary; home chapter: Chicago South) and Dora Totzke (Treasurer; home chapter: Chicago

Northern Suburbs) have accepted or re-accepted their board positions, along with Bob Miske (home chapter: Milwaukee), Jerry Schliephake (home chapter: Fox Valley), Christa Garcia (home chapter: at large), Katie Viebach (home chapter: Peoria) and Dagmar Freiberger (home chapter: Chicago North) as regional reps or alternate regional reps to the DANK National Board. Conversely, the resignation of Harald Pitz (home chapter: Chicago West) was accepted with regret, as he has been a mainstay of the board for many years. Special thanks go to Donna Lippert (with Bob Miske and Bill Fuchs assisting) for presiding over this election, in Erich Wittman’s unavoidable absence, and Nicki Dombrowski for arranging the meeting in the Scharpenberg Gallery, which is currently displaying the “Facing Walls” exhibit.

There is no doubt that the DANK Region One Board will work hard to move the needle in the right direction for it’s members! My thanks to the DANK community for the support and friendship you have given me.

By: Chris Decker

The Mason-Dixon Sub chapter had it’s first pic-nic on Saturday in a little village named Hopwood at Hutcheson Park. In spite of a shower at the set-up time and high humidity, all 78 people who signed up for the meal and a couple who paid at the gate were well fed, liquefied, entertained and had a marvelous time!

Ethel’s edibles provided wurst, roast beef in gravy, red cabbage, parsley’d potatoes and rolls. The club

bought and floated a quarter keg of “Luther milk” and all of the sodas, donated by Illona &John Dean, dis-appeared in the heat. A number of ladies in the club bought a German Life cook book. They made desserts and pretzels from the cook book recipes, as we sold more books. “Try it, we like it” was heard at the des-sert table and all of the ‘goodies’ were gone as well.

The entertainment was from some of the sing-ing members of the Spring Valley and New Meadow Run communities, near Farmington, PA, as well as the Augsburg German Band. Most of us were a “ball of

sweat”, especially after the Bird Dance, but everyone was so happy that this first picnic went so well. Hope-fully, this might be a harbinger of things to come... Ah Hmm...Oktoberfest? Just know that “Vergnuegen & Gemütlichkeit” were all over the party. And It was Grand!

So, from all of us in the south of Pennsylvania, we thank those who attended, those wonderful members who worked so hard to pull it off and say to those who missed it....See you next year, “y’all” will have a very good time!

Mason-Dixon Hoedown Picnic

(Left to Right) Ernst Ott, Helmut Appelt, Werner Stein (back to camera) and Greg Hoeft quaff the brew. (PHOTO CREDIT: ALEXANDRA PRADELLA-OTT)

Cobi Stein attests - “if pretzels are sold, they will come” (PHOTO CREDIT: DONNA LIPPERT)

Group Shot Of Dank Region One Board

Phoenix Embraces its German Heritage

By: Merl and Helen Pipho

D.A.N.K Chapter Phoenix celebrated German American Day and German Unification Day on Sunday Oct. 5, with German Consul Bernard Otremba Blanc speaking and Peter Soppa as guest speaker. Mr Soppa is promoting the City of Hamburg, more specifically the Ballinstadt Auswanderer Museum in Hamburg. The Chapter Vice President, Jerry Wood, was the Master of Ceremonies for the event.

Having served as the President of our Phoenix Chapter for 17 years, Merle Pipho resigned his position on September 21st. Helen Pipho submitted her resignation effective October 6th. The chapter presented Merle with a plaque and Helen a large bouquet of flowers to commemorate their dedication to D.A.N.K and the preservation of our German heritage. The Chapter’s Vice President, Jerry Wood, has stepped up as acting President until the Chapter holds it’s elections in November.

Since we do not meet during the summer months, September 21st was the official first meeting for this season. It is always nice that some of the members continue to meet socially for dinner on what would have been the meeting date.

German School classes started on September 6th. Unfortunately our attendance is way down, which seems to be the trend this year in the area. Perhaps this is a reaction to the economy, with foreclosures and high gas prices. Hopefully it will be better by next semester.


Chicago South in Frankfort Fall Festival ParadeBy: Anita Walthier & Marianne Dietz

On an extremely hot, Sunday, August 31, 2008, the DANK Chapter Chicago South participated in the Frankfort Fall Festival Parade. This Festival is the largest outdoor arts and crafts fair in the State of Illinois. Each year the number of participants is greater than the previous year. German immigrants originally founded the village of Frankfort. Therefore we, DANK South, show our ethnicity by marching in the parade. This year the theme of the parade was: “Whistle for the men and women fighting for the Land of the Free“ Our slogan was: “Whistle for 400 years of German immigration into the Land of the Free.”

The organizers representing DANK South were Marianne Dietz and Anita Walthier. We were honored also by the president of the Rheinische Verein, Reinhard Richter and his wife Ilse, as well as Prince Eric and Princess Esperanza. The crowd was

entertained with German music supplied by Reinhard Richter, accompanied by Gary Dietz with his trumpet. Our club members riding on the float sang along to the “Gemuetlichkeit”. A tractor driven by Wally Hartung pulled the float. Our own Miss DANK Chicago South 2008, Miss Andrea Dietz, represented the club beautifully, sitting in an Audi convertible driven by club members Jake and Margarite Setter. Thanks to member Don Lockmann who made arrangements for the vehicle. Anne Stromberg drove her own unique German decorated moped, which put a smile on everyone’s face. The flag carriers were Doris Knight, Gisela Sorenson, Martin Walthier, Charlie Knoles and Joe Osterhout. I must not forget the members

riding on the float--Christine, Stefanie, Eddy and Heidi Walthier, Matthias Dietz, Maria Fandl with granddaughters, Edith Saurer, Brunhilde Knoles and Inge Osterhout.

Following the parade everyone returned to our clubhouse, where we truly enjoyed a cold drink. Paula Malloy, Bill Schmidt and Beverly Baker prepared the delicious food. We want to thank everyone who participated in this year’s parade. No matter in what capacity, you helped to make this a success! Without you, our members (the volunteers), we would not exist. As you know, we are the only German club on the South Side and welcome everyone to come and visit us. Danke schoen!!

Milwaukee DANK Chor HistoryBy: Ronald Kabitzke

The Milwaukee D.A.N.K Chor is celebrating its 25th Anniversary on Saturday, November 1, 2008.

The Milwaukee D.A.N.K Folk Singers (under the sponsorship of D.A.N.K Chapter Milwaukee) were founded in November 1983 by Inge Stibbe. Doris Mueller, who also doubled as a singer, was the first director. Roland and Martin Stibbe provided the guitar accompaniment.

The original group was comprised of two sopranos, two altos and two tenors. In addition to Inge, her two sons and Doris, charter members were Esther Geissler, Meta Holzmann, Liesel Broemser and Cheryl Mueller. Soon a pianist, Sal Nieman, was hired. She remained about nine years and Betty Johnson filled in.

In 1984, to the amazement of the singers, the group grew very quickly. During this period many songs were learned, and the musical format established. The group gave three performances that year.

By 1985 the group had grown to nineteen members, ranging in age from nine to sixty years. They sang at high schools, nursing homes, shopping centers, etc. Special highlights that year were a first participation in the Milwaukee Harvest Festival and its first performance at German Fest. The singers concluded 1985 with fifteen performances.

In August, 1986 the Milwaukee D.A.N.K Folk Singers were honored to sing at the New Glarus, Wisconsin, Independence Festival. In November of that year they proudly sang for a Sesquicentennial Lecture evening at UWM. After that the singers were asked and became active members of the Wisconsin Sängerbezirk, Nordamerikanischer Sängerbund and the Deutscher Sängerbund. The group closed the year with nineteen performances.

The year 1987 saw the singers’ first participation in the Wisconsin

Sänger Kommers and the Wisconsin Sängerfest in Madison. Under the enthusiastic guidance of Inge Stibbe, and the tireless efforts of music director Doris Mueller, the group went through busy years of diligently learning cheerful German folk songs. Serious music was also learned.

In May 1989, the group participated in its first National Sängerfest at Louisville, Kentucky.

The singers’ proudest moment came in May 1990 when they gave their first concert. By then the group had grown to thirty members. A record twenty performances were given that year. The repertoire of the singers grew to 120 songs. In the fall of 1990, after seven years as coordinator, Inge Stibbe stepped down and Francesca Hau was elected to take her place. She held that position for seven years.

In the fall of 1992 Doris Mueller requested that a new director be chosen to lead the group. The singers reluctantly accepted her decision. Even though this meant closing the door on the first formative years of the singers, a new door opened quickly, revealing a bright and exciting future. Doris still remains a singer and is the Chor’s Librarian.

In October 1992, highly skilled and motivated Steven Joyal was welcomed as the group’s new director. Steve serves as a Music Specialist for the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District.

He remained director until 1997. Doris Mueller reluctantly resumed her previous role as the director.

In 1997 Edwin Gunther took over as the Chor’s coordinator and held it until 1998. At the end of his term, the position of coordinator was changed to president. Irene Brunner was elected as president of the Chor. Richard Wagner took over as the director for three months in 1998. That same year the name D.A.N.K Folk Singers was changed to the Milwaukee D.A.N.K Chor.

The Chor was able to retain the services of Matthew Potterton from 1998 until 2000. A tenor, he had recently moved to Milwaukee from California. As a singer, he received third place in a vocal competition in Wales, competing against singers from all over the world. When Matthew left abruptly in early 2000, Steven Joyal returned briefly as the director.

In May 2000, Dr. James C. Norden took over as the director. He remains the director to this day. He holds both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from Michigan State University and a Doctor of Music Degree from the University of Iowa. In 2000 Carolyn Fuchs became the president and served until 2001.

In 2001 Victoria Ohde became the president and served for six years, being replaced by Ronald Kabitzke in 2006.

The Chor is proud of it’s accomplishments in the past twenty-five years. We look forward to our practices and performances.

Dr. Martin Luther in a sermon in 1539 said this about music and singing: “Singing is the finest art and practice. He who is singing has no quarrel with the world and is not concerned with contentions in a law court. Singers are neither worried nor sad but shake all cares from their souls.” (From: What Luther Says, 3099).


Book Review: “Tainted Blood”Book Written By: Margaret Baacke Ph.D.

This is no ordinary memoir. With amazing clarity, wit and charm, retired Professor Baacke skillfully illustrates what life was like in Nazi Germany. From her own first hand experience, she shows the problems and hardships all German citizens experienced.

The author and her twin brother entered the Hitler Youth at age 12, unaware that they were part Jewish--and were kicked out in 1938. After being drafted to the Reich Labor Service for Women, followed by the War Auxiliary Service, for a total of twelve months she served as a “staff helper” in a Luftwaffen Lazarett in East Prussia. In January 1945 she escaped the approaching Red Army with most of the patients. It was the Steuben’s second and last rescue mission before she was torpedoed by a Russian submarine and sunk. Of the 5,200 people on board, mostly women, children, wounded soldiers and refugees, 4,500 drowned.

After moving with the injured soldiers to different cities in search of a permanent place, they settled in Wittingen, a small town between Celle and Hanover. Here they experienced the peaceful take-over by the American Army on Friday, April l3th, 1945, almost a month before the end of the war.

She shares not only her own personal and often horrific experiences, but also those of family and friends. We see what a German soldier’s life was like, through the letters and stories of her

twin brother, fighting at the Russian front. We learn about her father, a lawyer, who cleverly managed to get out of the Nazi party.

Professor Baacke candidly depicts the terrorizing air raids with fire, phosphorus and explosive bombs. She also describes vividly the brain-injured and mutilated soldiers in her hospital. Yet this book is not depressing. She has interwoven stories of amazing strength, courage, and even joy.

Lastly, she has inserted facts of recent history to paint for us an accurate picture of the critical decades between 1923 and 1945. The reader walks away from this book with a deeper understanding of what life was like in Germany during the Nazi Regime. Reading this book empowers the readers to feel that they too can endure life’s challenges and emerge unscathed in spirit.

Book Review: “TREK”Book Written By: Mary Hunt JentschForeword & Epilogue By: Steve Mumford

An American Woman, Two Small Children, and Survival in World War II Germany

Trek is a dramatic tale of survival in Nazi Germany during World War II that provides a unique view of how ordinary people in another era lived in a world transformed by war. This beautifully written memoir describes the horror of the Allied bombings of Berlin, the author’s foraging for food and shelter in the countryside, the dissolution of German agrarian life, and the desperate “trek” made by the Pomeranian village of Barnimskunow to flee the invading Red Army.

Mary Hunt met German-born Gerhard Jentsch in 1921 while he was studying at Harvard. After they married, Gerhard ran an academic program in Geneva, where the couple’s two children were born. The family moved to Berlin on the eve of

World War II, and Mary soon found herself separated from her husband and struggling to survive the war in the German countryside. As the war wound down, Mary and the children managed to stay one step ahead of Russian tanks that steadily sealed off their last routes of escape to the West. Maps trace the author’s journey, and there are vintage photographs of the family.

Mary Hunt Jentsch, who once worked for Houghton Mifflin, wrote Trek in 1959 and died in 1972. Her grandson, Steve Mumford, who wrote the Foreword and Epilogue, is the author of the 2005 book, Bagdhad Journal: An Artist in Occupied Iraq. The late Peter

Jennings on ABC News: World News Tonight, said that Steve Mumford “comes from a great wartime tradition of something more enduring than the daily news…[he] helps us see a difficult war from yet another perspective.” Mumford’s Foreword describes how his grandmother (and his mother, one of the two “small children”) ended up in Germany

during World War II. His epilogue poignantly chronicles who lived, who died, and how his grandmother’s family, just like Germany, was cut in two.

An estimated 50 million German-Americans constitute the largest ethnic group in America. While there are many books about the demons and heroes of World War II, there are few

that provide an outsider’s perspective on what the war was like for ordinary Germans. Mary Hunt Jentsch was an astute observer. Her memoir is a tale of courage.

For more information please contact Ellie McGrath at [email protected]

EURO LLOYD TRAVELAnnouncing a special service for members of the German American National Congress

**Low discounted airfares from major cities in the USA to major cities in Europe and beyone on scheduled airlines. Also, domestic airfares.**European Railpasses (Eurail, German Rail and many others) plus single rail tickets and reservations.**Car rentals with special low dollar rates in most European contries.**Cruise in the Caribbean, Alaska, Orient, Mediterranean and North Cape on all major cruise lines. Worldwide tours - independent, hosted and fully escorted.

When calling, you MUST identify yourself as a DANK Member. Rates are subject to availability and change. Several more rate categories are available at higher prices should these not be available. Sale prices offered when available.

SPECIAL FARES TO GERMANY from Chicago. Chicago prices starting from, PLUS TAX:

Oct 29 - Dec 13, 2008 $495Dec 14 - Dec 24, 2008 $793Dec 25, 2008 - Mar 20, 2009 $540Mar 21 - May 17, 2009 $453May 18 - Jun 24, 2009 N/A

To above rates, add Taxes and $25 for Weekend Surcharge for travel Friday, Saturday, or Sunday each way.

Unpublished sale specials may also be available on different airlines at time of request.

Other US departure rates as well as multiple airlines are available.Rates are subject to change at any time.

Call now for information:1-800 572-3149 or

1-312-332-0090

Visit us at:www.eurolloyd.com

Audrey L. Hess-EberleEURO LLOYD TRAVEL GROUPPartner of Lufthansa City Center309 West Washington St. - Suite 1225Chicago, Illinois 60606

(German Christmas Song Festival)

Be Sure To Bring All Your Family and Friends

Special GiftAttend and recieve a beautiful Liederfest memento

Liederfest

St. John’s Lutheran Church(St. Johannes Gemeinde)

Sunday, December 14, 20082:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Convenient Church Parking Lot

4939 W. Montrose Ave.(Junction 90/94)

No admission fee...Free will donations accepted

CHRISTMAS CAROLS

DEVOTIONAL READINGS

REFRESHMENTS

CHOIRS & SOLOISTS

Space limited. Be safe. Reserve seats at: (773)-736-1112or email: offi [email protected]

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Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year

Von Alexandra and Ernst Ott

To all the members of DANK in the United States,

All of us in the Mason-Dixon Sub-Chapter in S.W. Pa.

Wish you all a Blessed Merry Christmas and a Joyous New Year.

To all DANK Chapters and their membership

I wish to extend best wishes for a

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

From Erich Wittmann, National VP

Rudi Wittmann extends holiday wishes to the

Wittmann/Eisenloeffel/Esper/ and Mensurati families.

To Jane Bishop, Jim Stewart, Joann Roth, Mercita Clelan and Jim Messinger.

I wish to extend best wishes for a

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

From Erich Wittmann,

Fröhliche Weihnachten und ein glückliches Neues Jahr

To: Region Two Chapters

From: Reinhard and Donna Lippert

Joyous Christmas and a Blessed New Year

From Dank Chapter West

To All Of Our Members

Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year

To: Our Friends and Family

From: Hans and Kathy Wolf

Merry Christmas

From The Harry & Pat

Michalski Family

From: Erik Wittmann and the Pittsburgh

Chapter Board

To: All Pittsburgh Chapter DANK Members and

Their Families



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German-American Journal 1 5 4 4 0 0 11/04/08

Dec/Jan, Feb/Mar, Apr/May, June/July, Aug/Sept, Oct/Nov 6 Issues $15.00

4740 N. Western Ave, Chicago, IL. 60625-2013Bill Fuchs

773-275-1100

German American National Congress, 4740 N. Western Ave, Chicago, IL. 60625-2013

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German-American Journal

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Die Einführung der neuen DSD-A2-Prüfung

By: Inke Pinkert-Saeltzer

Durch eine Sondergenehmigung der Deutschen Kultusministerkonferenz in Deutschland (KMK) konnte in diesem Jahr erstmals die DSD-A2-Prüf-ung in Nordamerika (USA, Kanada) durchgeführt werden. Das war bisher nur in Frankreich möglich. In den USA und Kanada haben 50 Schulen (Deutsche Sprachschulen, High Schools) mit insge-samt über 650 SchülerInnen mit großem Erfolg teil-genommen und das DSD-A2-Diplom erhalten.

Die Prüfung DSD-A2 orientiert sich am Gemein-samen Europäischen Referenzrahmen für Sprachen. Alle 4 Prüfungsteile (inkl. mündlicher Prüfung) werden direkt an den Schulen durchgeführt und von den Lehrkräften bewertet. Eine Gruppe von DaF-

Experten führt danach die zentrale Zweitkorrektur durch, bei der das tatsächliche End-Ergebnis festgelegt wird.

Kommentar eines Schülers nach der Prüfung:

„Wow, das hat ja richtig Spaß gemacht !!Darf ich nochmal dabei mitmachen?“

Auch für das Schuljahr 2008-2009 haben wir für Nordamerika bereits wieder eine Sondergenehmigung zur DSD-A2-Durchführung erhalten.

Bei Interesse an diesen Prüfungen wenden Sie sich bitte an die unten aufgeführten Adressen der ZfA-FachberaterInnen in den USA oder Kanada. Auf der dasan-Webseite (s.u.) finden Sie Prüfungs-Beispiele aus den vergangenen Jahren.

The Introduction To The New German Language Certificate – DSD-A2

Translation By: Christa Garcia

The introduction to the new German Language Certificate – DSD-A2 - was a very big success! The Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany (KMK) granted special permission to conduct these tests in USA and in Canada for the first time.

Up to now they were only given in France. Fifty German Saturday Schools and some high schools participated successfully resulting in 650 students receiving this prestigious German Language Certificate DSD-A2. The test is based on the Common European Framework for language assessment and measures four parts: listening, reading writing and speaking.

After local German teachers

corrected the tests, they were sent off to an official central second correction center for a second evaluation of each test. All tests are then sent to Germany and each student acquiring the necessary amount of points in each section of the test will receive a Certificate from the ZfA-Central Agency for German Schools Abroad.

The ZfA promotes a network of more than 500 schools abroad offering qualifications recognized in Germany. This network of German schools abroad offering the German Language Certificate will be strengthened and extended in the future.

A student’s comment after the test: “Wow, I really had fun! Can I participate again?“

Again we received special permission from the KMK to administer the DSD-A2 for 2008-2009.

The Erick Kurz Memorial AwardFor Outstanding Achievement in German-American Studies, Steuben Society of America

The Steuben Society of America, which was founded in 1919, has established the Erick Kurz Memorial Award for the purpose of recognizing and rewarding students, who have made outstanding achievements in the field of German-American Studies.

The Award is named in honor of Erick Kurz, past Chairman of the John Peter Zenger Unit of the Steuben Society of America and Vice Chairman of the Society’s National Council. Annual recipients of the Award will receive an honorary certificate with an

award of $1,000. Applications or self-nominations for 2009 should be accompanied with a letter of recommendation from the student’s academic advisor, and describe the achievements of the nominee. The award nomination may be based on a report, lecture, project,

thesis, or dissertation of the student. Nominations may also be based on community service to an institution, organization, or historical site relating to German-American history. Nominations and recommendations should be sent to the Education

Committee of the National Council of the Steuben Society of America via e-mail to [email protected] Nominations will close on March 31, 2009.

Fall Teacher Seminar Of The Chicago German Language Schools

By: Anne Marie Fuhrig

The fall Teacher Seminar was held on Sunday, October 19, 2008, in the DANK Haus (6th floor). The workshop was led by Gert Wilhelm from the Goethe Institut, “Fachberater” for German Language Schools in the Midwest. Gert Wilhelm opened the workshop at 9:00 a.m. with a presentation on mini-projects on literature and art. The 33 participants thought that projects like these would prepare their students bet-ter to use the language more readily. The two other pre-senters were Doris Mattke, German Im-mersion School in Milwau-kee, and Ninja Nagel, Prairie Ridge High School in Crystal Lake, Illinois.

After a break, Doris Mattke from the Milwaukee German Immersion School demon-strated how she leads her first graders toward expressing themselves in writing. Begin-ning with letter recognition and advancing to sentenc-es, they quickly gain confi-dence in the language. Doris

brought samples form her stu-dents’ cumulative annual fold-ers that proved to themselves and everybody else the extent to which the students are ad-vancing over the year.

At noon, an excellent meal—arranged by Alexandra Pradella Ott and sponsored by the German government—was served with choices of “Kraut-wickel, Klopse, und Lachs” and several wonderful options of salads and other dishes.

The afternoon session was given by Nin-ja Nagel from Prairie Ridge High School in Crystal Lake. Ms. Nagel has gained recog-nition through the “Trainer-

netzwerk“ of the Goethe In-stitut. She demonstrated prac-tices of interacting in German by involving all participants in activities based on the 12-page book “Die Lisa.” The book places the main character Lisa into what was for a while West Berlin and chronicles German history from 1899 to 1992. This book is recommended for all ages because it uses a very accessible way with many il-lustrations.

The activities which Ms. Nagel had prepared chal-lenged participants at 12 workstations, each of which intensified the insights to vari-ous perspectives of the story.

The following German Language Schools were repre-sented at the workshop:

DANK Northern Suburbs,DANK North, DANK Fox Valley, Wheaton German School, Naperville Cultural Center, LaSalle Language AcademyMilwaukee German Immersion SchoolPrairie Ridge High School, Crystal Lake, Il

The DANK School Super-intendents, Christa Garcia, Alexandra Pradella Ott and Anne Marie Fuhrig each had a vital part in organizing this Fall Teacher Seminar which was scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

All participants agreed that this was a very interesting way of learning how to engage stu-dents in acquiring the German language and culture. Every-body was very grateful that the Teacher Seminar was held in the ornate and inspiring 6th floor of the DANK Haus.


German School For Kids, Adults Takes OffOrganizers hope it will lure families, encourage learning about ancestry

By: Charlie Boss (The Columbus Dispatch

The sign atop the classroom door says Bienvenue, but the students greeted their teacher yesterday with a guten morgen. There’s no mistaking the German greeting for “good morning” in the Wellington School classroom, where French is taught during the week. But for the past three Saturdays, the room has served the anfänger, or beginning students, at the German Saturday School, the first of its kind in the area.

Much like the Saturday or Sunday language schools sponsored by local Japanese and Chinese communities, the German school is designed to give kids a chance to learn the language and connect with their heritage. “It’s more of a customs-based education,” said Ulrike Zika, one of the school’s founding members. “We want to make sure our children know more about our culture, where we came from and how we grew up.”

Organizers also hope it will lure families to the area. Zika said German families who relocate to Ohio because of jobs often choose to move to either

Cincinnati or Cleveland because both cities have German language schools. There are 147 German-based

businesses in the state, according to the Ohio Department of Development. Only Japan has more businesses here. Last year’s census figures show that the number of residents with German ancestry in Franklin County and Ohio has dropped since 2005, but it remains the largest ancestral group in the county and state.

About 30 adults and children have enrolled in the school, which includes intermediate and adult classes. Teachers instruct mostly in German and ask students to interact and respond in the language. The German American National Congress, which sponsors language schools throughout the country, guided the group when it charged ahead with start-up plans in March. Wellington rented rooms to the organizers. The group hired three teachers to start the school year. Parents and students studying German at nearby Upper Arlington High School offered to volunteer.

School starts at 9:30 a.m. and ends at noon. Tuition ranges from $350 to $430 per person, based on the number of kids a family enrolls and a family’s membership in the Columbus chapter of the German American National Congress. The fees, and any donations, cover teacher salaries and rent at the Upper Arlington private school.

With only three teachers, the school is not taking new students for now. But enrollment could change as early as next semester if additional teachers can be hired, organizers said.

Yesterday, the beginning students talked about the seasons and reviewed their colors in a bingo game. Those in the intermediate class danced and sang along to a German nursery rhyme. The adults picked up vocabulary on different body parts and started learning verbs. Linda Rodewald of Westerville is in the adult class while her three daughters -- eight-year-old Leah and six-year-old twins Ella and Mara -- are taking the beginner’s class.

“I think they know more than I do,” said Rodewald, whose husband speaks German fluently. Leah, a third-grader at Westerville’s Alcott Elementary, doesn’t mind spending her Saturday mornings in the classroom.”It’s kind of better, instead of just sitting around and watching the TV,” she said. “We are doing something that can really help us be better speakers.”

For more information about the German Saturday School, e-mail [email protected]. [email protected]

Stollen is a bread-like cake, traditionally made in Germany around Christmas time. It is a cake like yeast bread that usually has candied fruit, currants, and orange and lemon zest , spice and cardamom spices for flavoring.

Stollen was also called Striezel or Christstollen. Striezel is a word for loaf, and the shape of the bread along with being dusted with powdered sugar was a symbolic shape of the baby Jesus in swaddling clothes, so it was also called Christstollen.

The early Stollen was not very flavorful, as butter

and milk were forbidden to bake with during the Lenten season. Oil was used as a replacement, but made the bread bland and flavorless. In 1647 two Electors, Lord Ernst of Saxony and his brother Albrecht, tired of the taste, decided to petition the pope, asking him to strike down the butter ban. The Pope lifted the ban for the Prince and his family to make the Christmas bread, but did not lift the ban for the general public until 1691.

The most common Stollen, Dresden Stollen, is said, by some historians, to have originated in 1329 as a result of a contest offered by the Bishop of Nauruburg. Bakers in the region produced a wonderful bread, baked with the finest butter, sugar, raisins, citron and other specialty ingredients. The Bishop enjoyed the Stollen

so much, that he ordered a quantity of grain saved for Stollen only.

With the use of butter, Stollen became more popular and the recipe started to sway from the original, tasteless pastry, to a sweeter one containing candied and liqueur-soaked fruits and nuts. Now, only 150 bakers are allowed to make the official Dresden Stollen, complete with the seal of the city’s famous king August the Strong. However, bakers all over the world have their own spin on both the original and the more modern recipes for the bread, and bake the dessert not only at Christmas, but also year round. The largest Stollen was baked in 2000: it weighed 4.2 tons and is in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Christstollen

Ingredients:7 Cups flour1 Cup sugar ½ lb. butter, softened2 pkg. dry yeast6 eggs (grade AA large. Should be 1 1/3 Cups eggs)½ Tsp. mace 2 Tsp. salt

Directions:1. In a large mixing bowl, starting with mixing paddle: dissolve yeast in milk, add 2 Cups flour and ¼ Cup sugar to make a sponge. Mix and let stand while assembling other ingredients. (About 15 minutes to half an hour or so depending on the environment in your kitchen.)

In a separate large mixing bowl add the currants and golden raisins, this step is optional. You can add any blend of candied fruit, raisins, or golden raisins. (You can also soak the raisins in 1 cup of brandy)

2. Add eggs, butter, lemon rind, 1 cup flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and mace; mix till smooth.

3. Add fruit to the dough.

4. Add remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, changing to dough hook when the mixture becomes too stiff for the paddle.

5. Knead for about 15 min., or until dough is smooth and shiny, scraping sides of bowl when necessary. If it is sticky because of the moisture in the fruit, add a little more flour. Dough will be soft, so don’t add too much more flour. (If moisture in fruit makes dough sticky, add a little more flour.)

6. Turn out on floured board, cut into 4 pieces. (Knead a little flour into each if dough is too soft.)

7. Lay out and form it into a large oval about 1/2 inch, thick fill Marzipan and then fold one third of the dough toward the center. Fold the other third of the dough overlapping the first fold.

Place on a greased baking sheet, and brush with egg wash ( 1 egg and 1 Tbsp water beaten). Bake in a 335- 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes, till brown. When cool sprinkle a generous amount of powdered sugar on top.

Grated rind of one lemon 1 ½ Cups milk, lukewarm Optional: 3/4 - 1½ Cups finely chopped candied fruit, mixed with “golden” raisins and currants 1 beaten egg for glaze 1 Cup blanched almonds to decorate outside.

Grandma’s Stollen

Brandenburger Schützenverein ChicagoBy: Heidi Janetzki

The birth of the Brandenburger Schützenverein, the way it presents itself today, is due to the initiative of its founders Helga Asmus, Werner Hueppe and Wolfgang Reinke. In 1990, at the Steier Alm, near the Wisconsin border, the idea of establishing a club was sealed with a handshake. Today, the Brandenburger Schützenverein Chicago has about 60 members. The club meets every Wednesday at 7:30 PM at the D.A.N. K. Haus. Every first, second and fourth Wednesday

for marksmanship and every third Wednesday for a club meeting. We would love to see you on any Wednesday and would like to introduce you to our active club members and to all the fun we have.

During the year, competitions against other shooting clubs in the USA are scheduled, and are enjoyed by all participants. In June we took part in a competition shooting in Peoria against the Sportsverein Peoria and the Schützenverein St. Louis. Even the Schützengilde Treunbrietzen in Berlin came all the way from Germany to take part in this event.

Other big occasions during the year are our Coronation Ball in March, our Picnic in August and our Christmas Party in December. It would be great if we could extend a welcome you at one of these functions.

For more information call: Herbert Wichner at 773-282-4935

or our President Robert Doane at 773-334-9799.


CALENDAR OF EVENTS

WELCOME NEW MEMBERSAcevedo, AdolfoAdaire, ChristineAldana GiovannaAldana, Fatima

Aldana, Monica AAldana, Omar

Alexakos, Christina IAlexakos, Keith

Alexakos, NicholesAlexakos, Peter D

Altsman, Tammy LAusten Hunter P

Austen, Holden MAusten, Lyzette M

Austen, RolandAustin, Kurt A

Austin, RebeccaBartl, John

Bauman, David SBentsen, Eric

Bied, Margaret IBlank, Caroloyn W

Blank, LaurenBlank, Lucas

Bode, Heather LBoecler Gerhardt

Boecler, DieterBoecler, Lynn

Bogart, Lauralyn KBogart, Wayne M

Breckwoldt, AmandaBreckwoldt, LukasBreckwoldt, MaikBurnett, ColleenBurnett, Hank

Chears, Victoria EChobak, BryceChobak, Cole

Chobak, Kimberley AChobak, RichardChobak, Violet

Ciopasiu, Christian

Crotty ConorCrotty, Colm

Dabbs, Harold DDaman, Gena L

Dandelles, Sarah LDemarco, Amanda VDillmann, Gabriele

Dillmann, Melodie FDowling, John JDowling, Emily

Dowling, Shelly LDowling, StevenDrapp, Darren AEckardt, Hedda

Ellis, AndrewEllis, AnthonyEllis, Robert L

Enlow, Donald GEnlow, Evamaria

Fabian, EliFabian, ElmerFabian, Flossie

Fabian, Molly EFabsits, Ernestine

Fabsits, Karl AFisher, ClaudiaFisher, Ethan

Fisher, HarrisonFisher, WilliamFlamish, Helga

Fleming, Kathleen GFulghum, Steven D

Gailis, Wayne RGasparov, Angelina Gasparov, Lalitha OGasparov, Paloma

Giese, BriannaGiese, Charisa M

Giese, LarryGiese, Melissa

Giese, NicholausGorski, Jeff

Gorski, KerstenGottschall, Victor P

Graham, JessicaGrimm, Justin MGrosso FrancescaGrosso, IsabellaGrosso, JannaGruenert, Ava

Gruenert, HenryGruenert, Kurt Adam

Gruenert, NoraGruenert, OlivaHaarland, Troy

Hafer, R JHapner, Christina M

Harres, BridgetHarres, Ian

Harres, SeanHarres, TimokHartig, Curt

Hartig, MargaretHartig, WilliamHavelka, Nicole

Helmer, Christine MHinton, NadineHirtzel, Lori A

Honermeier, ErikHonermeier, Max

Honermeier, NorbertHoppe, Mark KevinHorvarth, Laurel J

Householter, Monte HIanni, Michael R

Illy, DevinIlly, SonjaIlly, AnitaIlly, Julia

Isic, BedrijaJablon, Laura

Jimenez, MariaJimenez, Tony A

Johannknecht, Alexis

Johannknecht, PeterJohannknecht, Rem

Jordan, Retha MKacsh, Amanda J

Kacsh, JaliaKendler, ChristianKendler, ClaudiaKendler, KirstenKendler, Peter

Knecht, Karen SKnufinke, Helga

Kohler, AidenKohler, BryanKohler, Cami

Kohler, Margaret AKraus, Cookoy

Krieger, J ClarkKurtz, Jeffrey S

Lamb, Alexander DLamb, ArthurLamb, Esther

Leclair,, Elizabeth ELeifke, Dr. Eckhard S D

Leifke, LauraLeifke, Robert

Lent, LindaLewis, Kyle DLiftin, Harold

Luttner, Mark AMachein, Candace CMagnusson, Brigitte

Magnusson, EricMagnusson, JonMartin, KathleenMartin, Michael

Maxwell, Lynda BMayhall, DouglasMayhall, Trudy OMedina, Alexander

Medina, BeritMedina, Sebastian

Mullican, C Denver

Munzell, LisaNadda, NathaliaNadda, Nicholas

Nadda, Stephanie UNikocevic, Bedrija

Nitz, GabriellaNitz, Karl Heinz

Nitz, L MaxNitz, Richard FOrsi, Anthony P

Orsi, RobertPalacios, Julia A

Parenteau, Dahra MPiechnik, Katarzyna

Radons, EmmaRadons, Markus

Radons, NeleRadons, Thuy

Rauber, AbigailRiepe, AnnikaRiepe, Birgit

Riepe, Gavin CRiepe, IngridRoeser, DeanRoeser, Leni

Roeser, Mark HRoeser, Sue

Russomanno, IsabellaRussomanno, WienkeSchleiffer, Esperanza

Schleiffer, John ESchmalenbach, Peter

Schmidt, FinnSchmidt, Franklin R

Scholtis, SSchulten, Troy T

Seifert, GraceSeifert, HannaSeifert, HopeSeifert, Joerg

Snyder, Peter SSokolarska, Vanesa

Sokolarska, VeselaSpencer, Sarah L

Spoo, RichSpoo, Richard H, I.Spoo, Richard H, II.

Spoo, SusanSpoo, Therese

Stallwitz, CarolStallwitz, Carol

Stallwitz, James AStohr, Beni

Stohr, MaxwellStohr, Zachary

Telegina, ElizabethTelegina, Olga

Tolzmann, Dr.Don HeinrichVenezio, Lieselotte

Venezio, Raymond SViebach, Katie

Warshaw, Nan RWestwood, Melanie M

Westwood, TerryWilliams, KathrinWilliams, Lucas

Williams, Nancy AWittekind, Bryce

Wittekind, Megan BYandall, AleenoYandall, AnnetteYandall, ConnieYandall, Isabel

Yolich, AbelYolich, JadaYolich, JohnYolich, Luke

Yolich. AwildaZago, Alice SZago, Anna

Zago, Federico SZidonis, Kevin JZielke, Reuel S

DECEMBER 2008

1 DANK Chapter Milwaukee, Board Meeting at German Fest office. Call 414-698-9151.

4

DANK Chapter Springfield, German Ethnic Heritage Festival – Pearson Museum, SIU School of Medicine, Springfield. Items & volunteers are needed for the mid-day Christmas exhibit. Contact Anne Marie Fuhrig for [email protected].

5 DANK Chapter Benton Harbor, Fish Fry, 6-8 PM.

5DANK Chapter Pittsburgh, Christmas Party held at Teutonia Maennerchor on North Side of Pittsburgh.

6 DANK Chapter Chicago-South, Christmas Dance at the DANK Haus. Doors open at 6:00 PM.

7 DANK Chapter Benton Harbor, Christmas Pro-gram at 3 PM, for Members only.

7DANK Chapter Lake County, Luncheon & Weihnachtsfeier at Gorton Community Center in Lake Forest.

7DANK Chapter South Bend, IN, Christmas Party – 2 PM Potluck Hilltop Lutheran Church, 4114 Iron-wood Rd, S.Bend.

7 Illinois Brass Bd .Concert at Genesee Theatre in Waukegan-road trip for chapter.

13 DANK Chapter Phoenix, Christmas Party.

14 DANK Chapter Chicago-South, Adventskaffee, DANK Haus, 3-5 PM.

14DANK Chapter Milwaukee, Christmas Party, at Sacred Heart Parish Hall, 49th & Wells at 2 PM. For information call: 414-698-9151.

14 DANK Chapter Chicago-West, Christmas Party, at 1:30 PM.

15

DANK Chapter Phoenix, 12. Deutschsprachiger Weihnachtsgottesdienst in der Hillside-Baptist Church, 1344 W. Thunderbird Rd., Phoenix, at 7 PM. Please call::602-482-7294.

31DANK Chapter Chicago-West, NEW YEAR’S EVE BALL at the Drury Lane in Oak Brook.

WHAT’S COOKING?Support our national membership activities by purchasing a German Life Cookbook.

DANK is joining with the people of the German Life Magazine to bring you this collection oftasteful rememberances. Allow taste and aroma to transport you to Germany as you read and try the many recipes of our culinary heritage. You may find that forgotten dish your GroBmutter cooked in years gone by.

Just $10 plus $4 shipping will add this collection of traditional Germanrecipes to your kitchen. The book is also available through many DANK chapters and our National Office.

Fill in the attached form and send it with your check made out to DANK - Membership Fund

Name ______________________________

Address ____________________________

City_____________ State____ Zip______

Amount enclosed $_____ # of books____

Please remit this order form and check to:

DANK EXECUTIVE OFFICE4740 N. Western AvenueChicago, IL 60625-2097

Attention: Cookbook Orders

DANK to use MAYFLOWER*TOURSDANK feels that this is a good time to start a travel program. So, a committee was formed to introduce three tours for 2009. These tours are organized and run by MAYFLOWER TOURS of Downers Grove. They have developed the expertise and knowledge of many destinations over 30 years.

Deep South Savannah, Dixieland Charleston and Jekyll Island New England Rails & Sails, Autumn Foliage, Historic Landmarks

Exotic Costa Rica, Peaceful Beaches, Rain Forests, Live Volcanoes D.A.N.K. Members will receive lower tour fares and travel rates while having a great time. Your DANK Travel Committee; Erik Wittmann ([email protected]) and Bert Lachner ([email protected])

On November 8th , with the assistance of the children from the DANK School, Chicago North, 5 raffle winners were picked. The lucky winner were, Otto Hartl from Worth, IL - $500.00, Erna Jochum from Bridgeville, PA - $250.00, Cathy Asterlin from South Bend, IN - $125.00 and Karl Mayer from Norridge, IL - $125.00. Thank you to everyone for your participation.

DANK

RAFFLE

The DANK Grand Prize raffle winner, picked by Tyler Matthew, goes to Fred Vilkers from St. Joseph, MI - $1000.00. Congratulations!


THE FIRST MOON LANDING MEDALLIONIndustrious men and women of German descent have played an important role in making the United States the great country it is today. In tribute to both nations, the German-American National Congress, Inc., is issuing a medal commemorating the progress and contributions of outstanding Germans and German-Americans here and throughout the world.

This medal honors three men of German extraction who contributed immeasurably to America’s achievements in space: Willy Ley, whose writings inspired a generation of young Americans to regard space as a frontier of their time; Dr. Hermann Oberth, a pioneer in the field of rocket propulsion, and Dr. Wernher von Braun, whose concepts convinced President Kennedy that America should direct its space program toward the goal of landing men on the moon. The reverse of this medal commemorates the first actual moon landing, which took place on July 20, 1969.

This medal is designed and produced by The Franklin Mint, the world’s largest and foremost private mint. It is available only through the German-American National Congress, Inc.

Measuring 39mm in diameter, the “Pioneers of Space and Rocketry” commemorative is available in solid bronze at $25 each.

German-American National Congress, Inc.4740 North Western AvenueChicago, Illinois 60625

My check or money order is enclosed for:

____ 39mm Solid Bronze Medallions (Mint Finish) @ $25 each ……………………….. ..$_______ qty

NAME _______________________________STREET ______________________________CITY _________________________________STATE ____________________ ZIP _______

*Illinois residents add 5% sales tax

OBITUARIES George Farnham was taken from our midst. Left to mourn are wife Elsa and family. We offer our deepest sympathy to the family of this cherished DANK Chapter Decature member.

DANK Chapter 71, Erie wishes to express its sympathy to the family and friends of Vance H. Carter. Vance died unexpectedly on October 17th, 2008 at 85 years of age. He enjoyed hunt-ing, fishing and traveling. As a member of the US Army, Vance served in the European Theater in WWII where he received the Purple Heart and a Bronze Star and a WWII Victory Medal. He was a member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart and was the present commander of the State of Pennsylvania and past commander of the local Erie Chapter 197; a member of the Siebenbürger Club, VFW Billy Simpson Post # 470 and American Legion Post #771. Vance was a DANK member since 1994. He was instrumental in designing signs for the Erie German Heritage Festival. Vance was very creative and artistic and had owned and operated his own advertising company. Supportive of all US Armed Forces, he was the key designer of the Korean War Memorial in Erie. Vance is survived by his wife of 60 years, Margaret Steber Carter, a son Robert (Lottie) Carter of Erie, two daughters, Linda (Martin) Tatara and Tamara Wolfram, both of North Carolina; 10 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren. He was buried with military honors provided by VFW Post 470 in Wintergreen Gorge Cemetery in Erie, PA.

It is with a sad heart that the Mason-Dixon Sub Chapter announces the passing of Ernst Braun. A member of the club from its conception, Ernst passed away in his sleep Saturday, October 25, 2008. The husband of Dr. Jean Braun, Ernst was born in Murrhardt Steinberg, Germany, and was an active contributing member of Mason-Dixon Sub-chapter of DANK Ch#58. Ernst par-ticipated in all of the projects in the club and was liked by all. He truly will be missed.

In loving memory of Mueller, Werner A. Born into Eternal Life Thursday, Oct. 23, 2008, age 82. Beloved husband of Rosina (nee Kasper), for 61 years. Father of Harry, Ingrid Reese and Christopher (Candace). Brother of Elfriede Geisler and Renate Ast, both of Germany. Further survived by 7 grandchildren, a great-grandchild, other relatives and friends. Werner was a tlented baker with Kohl’s bakery for 32 years, and a member of D.A.N.K. For 48 years. We know he will be missed by many.


To: Our Friends and Family

From: Ron and Erika Zielinski

From: The DANK Education Committee

To: All DANK Directors and DANK Teachers


The officers of South Bend chapter #36 wishes everybody...

A Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy New Year

Herzliche Weihnachtsgrüße

und ein glückliches Neues Jahr

FromDANK Chapter 71Erie, Pennsylvania

Milwaukee, WI German Church Services

Sherman Park Lutheran Church on Sherman Blvd in Milwaukee offers an annual Christmas Service and Concert each year. This year it will be held on December 21st.

Benediction Lutheran Church on Fond du Lac Avenue in Milwaukee has a German Service one per month. The Pastors there also have a German Radio Program every Saturday called Evangelische Andacht on the same station as Continental Showcase from 4:30 to 5pm. http://evangelischeandacht.org

David’s Star Lutheran Church and School in Jackson, WI has an annual German Language Christmas Service. This year it will be held on December 21st.

The Ridgewood Baptist Church on North Lilly Rd in Brookfield, WI has an Adult German Bible Study every Sunday Morning at 9:00 am Led by Dieter Wienss.


Mail or fax your order to:

German Food Specialties Company14700 Dade Pine Avenue • Miami Lakes,FL 33014-2628 • U.S.A.Phone (305) 362-1923 • Fax (305) 556-5285e-mail: [email protected]

THE FESTIVE CHEST 2008 Festive and impressive…

�

Information on other gift chests and festive packages available on request.

ORDER FORM

Name:

Address:

City:

State:

Zip:

Phone:

Item#50408 The Festive Chest 2008

Quantity: x US-$ 116.00 ea. + S/H charges*

*1 pc.: add US-$ 17.95*2 pcs. and more: add 9% of order value

Total:

UPS charges are for shipments within theContinental USA only. Other destinations quoted on request.

Check/Money order enclosed or Visa/MasterCard/AmEx/Discover Exp. Date:

No.:

14 types of specialty biscuits• Choice almond and dessert Lebkuchen, 250 g• Choicest Elisen-Lebkuchen bars, assorted, 125 g• The Festive Tin 2008, filled with choice Lebku-

chen, assorted, 300 g• Choicest Kaiser-Elisen-Lebkuchen, chocolate

covered, no wheat flour in the dough, 340 g• Choicest Mini-Elisen-Lebkuchen, assorted, 175 g• Choice chocolate covered Lebkuchen, 250 g• Nuremberg chocolate fruit cookies, 200 g• White Lebkuchen, decorated with almonds, 200 g

Item No. 50408

14 types

of specialty

biscuits

• Choice Chocolate Lebkuchen duet, 150 g• Fairytale House, filled with chocolate covered

Lebkuchen hearts, 150 g, and a fairytale story• Nuremberg honey biscuits, 150 g• Spicy Speculatius biscuits, 125 g• Nuremberg Christstollen, 500 g• Kaiserlein, 215 g

Total net: 3130 g (6.90 lbs.)Shipping weight: 5.40 kg (11.91 lbs.)Size: 42 x 30 x 17 cmMaterial: Printed tin plate, attractively embossedAvailable from mid October 2008

2067-08/Anz. 9,7" x 7,75" 4-c 01.09.2008 10:22 Uhr Seite 1

Celebrating Our 25th AnniversaryDIRNDL SALE ~ LOWEST PRICES EVERCheck out our website www.hausofbavaria.com

Fax: 1-315-453-1453E-mail: [email protected]

Order Toll Free: 1-800-388-57834573 Morgan Place • Liverpool, NY 13088

Please Support the Businesses That Advertise in the German-American Journal

Wishing You All A Joyous Christmas And A New Year Of Peace And Happiness!

From Bill and Darlene Fuchs and Family

german-american journal | december '08/january '09

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