TRUDY AT 99

“I was sad that I never saw the peach tree reach fruition.”

 At age 20, Trudy Schwarz left Stuttgart, Germany. It was 1939 and, as a Jew, it had become increasingly difficult to remain in her native city. She and her sister headed to England, which opened its doors to those willing to work as domestics. Their parents were in the process of getting their papers together so that they could quickly follow their daughters.

Trudy recalls the lingering sadness she felt when she had to leave Stuttgart before her family’s garden blossomed.

“We kids had revived the abandoned vineyard that was located behind our house and our cousins’. We had put so much work into it – taking out each rock and dead root – to bring it back to life and turn it into a garden. I didn’t want to leave before we could see it in bloom.”

 Trudy treasures many sweet memories of Stuttgart. There was a prevailing sense of independent, liberal thinking among its residents. The city was situated in the southern part of Germany, and was proud to be geographically and philosophically removed from the tight controls of Berlin.

She recalls having many non-Jewish friends. She and her family felt well integrated into the larger community.

Then, the world was changing. Anti-Jewish attitudes became pervasive throughout Germany. Like all the men in her family, Trudy’s father, a director of a shoe factory, lost his job. Yet, Trudy sensed a quiet but sincere resistance in Stuttgart. She knew that many parents of her non-Jewish friends were sympathetic to her plight.

Trudy cites an example of the level of acceptance she experienced. It was customary in her school for the senior class to take a celebratory trip before graduation. Eager to ski, plans were made to travel into Austria. Trudy explained that she and the other Jewish students would not be able to join them. At that time, Jews could not get a visa to temporarily leave Germany. Her classmates’ desire to travel together outweighed their interest in Austria. A ski area in Germany was selected as the destination.

When Trudy first arrived in England, she worked for a few months as a cook and chambermaid for a family near the Welsh border. It was not a particularly welcoming situation. Trudy noted that her family had treated their domestics in Stuttgart with more respect. But it didn’t matter because it gave her a way out of Germany.

Trudy later found a family seeking a nanny for their handicapped child, and she stayed there for three years. Not only did it provide safe refuge during the war, it gave her a direction for the future. A physical therapist visited the home regularly to teach the child strengthening exercise. Trudy learned the routines so that she could assist between therapy visits. She enjoyed the work and was encouraged by the physical therapist to earn a certificate.

Following the war, jobs in England for a trained PT were plentiful. Trudy took a job in a hospital in Leeds, England that was filled with German soldiers who had been badly injured in the war. She recalls the vast wards with long rows of beds of men in pain. She and the other therapists stood on tables in the middle of the ward so that they would be visible to patients as they lead exercises.

Trudy recalls asking one of the soldiers whether he had been a member of the Nazi party.

“He looked at me and said ‘I had a wife and two small children. What would you have done?’ “

 Trudy nods sadly when she remembers this encounter.

“He asked me a tough question. I’m not sure that I would have had the strength to respond any differently. Any resistance would have put entire families at risk.”

 In 1946, Trudy secured the papers necessary to immigrate to America. She was fortunate that she already had a place to live. Her parents had been settled in Manhattan since 1941. Their initial plans to reunite with Trudy and her sister in England years before were never realized. Then they got word that after many inquiries, a New York relative was willing to sponsor them, and they were able to safely move.

“Our US relatives had no idea about the danger Jews were facing in Europe. My cousin pleaded with them to do something. The situation was very serious. Jews could no longer stay in Germany.”

 Trudy understood the hesitancy expressed by some asked to sponsor refugees.

 “Times were tough everywhere. People were afraid that they’d end up supporting more relatives forever. They didn’t need to worry about my father though. He conscientiously paid every penny back.”

Trudy acclimated easily to life in the US. She went to New York University to get a degree in physical therapy. A friend fixed her up on a double date, and she fell in love with the “man with a car” who drove them out of the city to take a hike. Trudy and Joe were married in 1952.

While Joe, like Trudy, was a Jewish immigrant from Germany, his upbringing differed vastly from hers. He was from a small, rural community in the Rhineland near Cologne where his family had farmed for generations. There were no expectations or opportunities for Joe to get a college education.

Trudy was initially worried that their divergent pasts would ultimately make them incompatible. Joe quickly proved otherwise.

“Joe educated himself, just as my father had done. He read a lot. He was interested in art and music. He loved everything that we did.”

Trudy and Joe settled in Queens where they raised their three children. He worked as a tool and die maker in precious metals. Once their kids were in school, Trudy continued as a physical therapist and worked in this capacity until she was 78.

In 2003, Joe died following a ten-year battle with cancer. Trudy remained in New York where continued to feel comfortable in her diverse, friendly community. Her son urged her to consider packing up and moving to the Boston area where he and his family lived. This was not an easy decision: Trudy considered the invitation for five years. In 2016, at age 97, she agreed that the time was right to relinquish some of her independence, and she moved into senior housing south of the city.

“My son kept telling me to move while I could still enjoy the activities and make some friends. It was the right decision.”

The trepidation that Trudy felt as she entered this new world was greatly eased by the warm welcome she received.

“On the first day, everyone knew my name! I couldn’t believe it. I thought I was going to be the lowest on the totem pole, but even the waiters knew who I was.”

 That was the start of what has become a very positive experience. The residents and staff are friendly, and Trudy is engaged in a host of activities that suit her interests. She has also been able to maintain her New York friendships.

One of the best features of her new home is the flowerbed on the property.

Trudy is one of 20 or so residents who have been assigned a small area to grow plants. It may not be the peach tree that she had to leave behind in Stuttgart, but Trudy is thrilled to harvest her flowers and nurture her tomatoes to fruition!