Jamie Katseff honors her family members who survived the Holocaust, including her grandfather, Martin Sondheimer, born in Oberdorf, Germany, in 1895, and worked as a physician; her grandmother, Elisabeth Sondheimer, born in Nuremburg, Germany, in 1907, and worked as a social worker; her mother, Marian Strickland, who was born in Stuttgart, Germany; and Hannah, her aunt, who was also born in Stuttgart, Germany. According to Katseff, the family was wealthy and was able to get out of Germany on September 28, 1938. During that year, Dr. Martin Sondheimer’s license to practice medicine had been taken away from him because he was Jewish; the Nazis had also confiscated his home. The mayor of Stuttgart persuaded the family that it was time to leave. Elisabeth Sondheimer has written about her experiences in a memoir, and has talked to many school children about her life in Germany. A documentary about the family’s story, For Love of God and Country, has also been aired on PBS.
The Nashville Holocaust Memorial