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Hamburg, Germany – After Five years Jennifer Teege found in the central library a book wrapped in red. The title « I have to love my father, right? »
Identical match?
As Jennifer opened the book she noticed photographs that seemed familiar. Details about the woman and her family were the same as her own family. Quickly after she realized the book was on her own family history.
The shock was a harsh one, as Jennifer never knew her grandfather or father. She says that she was rescued by her mother as a child. A few weeks after she was born she was immediately transferred to a children home and then into a foster family that adopted her at the age of seven.
As she grew out of her teenage years one thing was certain her mother tried her best to keep Jennifer safe, therefore nothing was said about her real family, but as soon as she found out she felt helpless.
Amon Goeth was indeed her grandfather….
The name on the pictures in the book was that of Amon Leopold Goeth.
Whilst reading the book front to back, the realization of the truth was a hard pill to swallow as she started to connect the pieces of the missing puzzle. Her grandfather was portrayed in the film Schindler’s List…
An extract of the movie Schindler’s list with Ralph Fiennes acting as Amon Goeth…
If…
To support her reasoning, Jennifer insists that if she had known who her paternal family was when she was younger, it would have been easier, since she would have grown up with such extremists. But one thing she knows for sure is that, there is somewhat of a disturbing genetic connection between her and her grandfather. It’s as though no matter how « unpure » the bloodline might be she cannot remove herself from her family.
As for the connection with mother (Monika Hertwig). Jennifer thinks that her mother must still today suffer from the memories of her peculiar past.
Having lived for so long in such a stressful and totalitarian era would have been horrific, because the secret to this story is… Her mother – Amon Goeth’s daughter – had a lover who was a colored man, from Nigeria.
« I am not a reflection of this part of my famly story… »
But Jennifer Teege is still connected to it and feels she has to integrate it somehow into her life. The story is different and not common, it forced us to understand how can one deal with their own past…