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Our Nazi
An American Suburbβs Encounter with Evil
Series: Chicago Visions and Revisions
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Brief Description
The first book to lay bare the life of a Nazi camp guard who settled in a Chicago suburb and to explore how his community and others responded to discoveries of Nazis in their midst. Reinhold Kulle seemed like the perfect school employee. But in 1982,...
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Our Nazi
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Description
The first book to lay bare the life of a Nazi camp guard who settled in a Chicago suburb and to explore how his community and others responded to discoveries of Nazis in their midst.
Reinhold Kulle seemed like the perfect school employee. But in 1982, as his retirement neared, his long-concealed secret came to light. The chief custodian at Oak Park and River Forest High School outside Chicago had been a Nazi, a member of the SS, and a guard at a brutal slave labour camp during World War II.
Similar revelations stunned communities across the country. Hundreds of Reinhold Kulles were gradually discovered: men who had patrolled concentration camps, selected Jews for execution, and participated in mass shootingsβand who were now living ordinary suburban lives. As the Office of Special Investigations raced to uncover Hitler's men in the United States, neighbours had to reconcile horrific accusations with the helpful, kind, and soft-spoken neighbours they thought they knew. Though Nazis loomed in the American consciousness as evil epitomised, in Oak Parkβa Chicago suburb renowned for its liberalismβpeople rose to defend Reinhold Kulle, a war criminal.
Drawing on archival research and insider interviews, Oak Park and River Forest High School teacher Michael Soffer digs into his community's tumultuous response to the Kulle affair. He explores the uncomfortable truths of how and why onetime Nazis found allies in American communities after their gruesome pasts were uncovered.
Our Nazi is an essential read for anyone interested in the complex intersections of history, memory, and community identity.
Series: Chicago Visions and Revisions
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Our Nazi
The first book to lay bare the life of a Nazi camp guard who settled in a Chicago suburb and to explore how his community and others responded to discoveries of Nazis in their midst. Reinhold Kulle seemed like the perfect school employee. But in 1982, as his retirement neared, his long-concealed secret came to light. The chief custodian at...Hardback$4799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
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Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780226835549
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 02 October 2024
Country: United States
Imprint: University of Chicago Press
Illustration: 15 halftones
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 28.0mm
Width: 152.0mm
Height: 229.0mm
Weight: 594g
Pages: 296
About the Author
Michael SofferΒ is a history teacher at Lake Forest High School. During his tenure at Oak Park and River Forest High School, he taught Holocaust studies in a classroom that former Nazi camp guard Reinhold Kulle used to clean. His writing has appeared in publications such as the Forward, Chicago Jewish History, and the Times of Israel. This is his first book.
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