Overview

Imagine a German Jew who was a decorated German soldier in World War I, a resister in Cologne at the start of Hitler’s reign of terror, and a Silver Star decorated U.S. Army soldier. Three heroic actions, at three different times, in three different places. This is the story of Richard Stern, whose photograph of his protest hangs in multiple German museums, showing a rare Jewish protest in Nazi Germany. He was my Great Uncle. We have now passed the 75th anniversary of World War II. Most of those veterans are gone, and their stories should be preserved, especially those as unique as Richard Stern’s. How many American soldiers served the opposing army in World War I, let alone as decorated German soldiers? How many German war veterans actively opposed the Nazis in the 1930s? How many Jews, after making it safely out of Germany, decided they had to get into the American army despite their age exemption to fight Nazi Germany? His actions that earned him the Silver Star got a burst of publicity in New York City. Richard Stern’s history connected to the Holocaust is unique. This book tells his full story along with how the Shoah impacted his family.

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Reviews

At a time when the last survivors of World War II are leaving us--when the horror of the Holocaust is passing from living memory into history--Rabbi Romberg does an invaluable service in vividly recreating the life of one of its heroes, Richard Stern. A truly remarkable man, Stern somehow managed to win both the Iron Cross fighting as a patriotic German in World War I and, after he and his family suffered terrible oppression and loss under the Nazis, a Silver Star fighting for the Americans in World War II. The life story of Rabbi Romberg's Uncle Richard stands as a monument to fortitude, bravery, love and, in the end, our never-dying hope for the brotherhood of the human race. - Michael Hirsh, senior correspondent and deputy news editor, Foreign Policy Magazine A powerful story of courage and resilience in the face of unimaginable odds. Romberg excavates and reconstructs Richard Stern's life as a German infantryman during the First World War, as a victim of Nazi persecution in the 1930s, and then as a U.S. soldier during the Allied liberation of Nazi-occupied Europe. The result is a poignant narrative of betrayal and redemption. Parts of this story take one's breath away. - Michael Geheran, author of Comrades Betrayed: Jewish World War I Veterans under Hitler A Doorway to Heroism by W. Jack Romberg is a remarkable recounting of the story of Richard Stern, aka Uncle Richard. Through the course of much research, Romberg has put together the story of his German-Jewish family and specifically his Uncle Richard, who is a heroic figure, not only because he was guided by an unshakeable moral compass but also because he cared deeply for those around him, doing everything in his power to be a force for good. Romberg's thorough investigation of his uncle's story, and ultimately that of his whole family, is an important reminder that there are individuals among us who, even in the face of great personal danger, stand up for what is right. This book invites us in to learn about a hero who should be studied and celebrated. Romberg tells a compelling story as he generously shares his family's history. This volume is a worthy read and fills in some blanks in the existing literature about German-Jewish history. - Rabbi Hara Person, Chief Executive of Central Conference of American Rabbis There are many amazing stories of German Jewish refugees joining the U.S. military to fight in World War II. Even amongst these, Richard Stern's story is extraordinary. The journey of Uncle Richard from German WWI hero to protester of Nazi policy to American recipient of the Silver Star as a sergeant in his mid-40s is described powerfully showing us both Stern's remarkable life and the warm family connection of Rabbi Romberg. - Michael Rugel, Director of Programs and Content, National Museum of American Jewish Military History

"At a time when the last survivors of World War II are leaving us--when the horror of the Holocaust is passing from living memory into history--Rabbi Romberg does an invaluable service in vividly recreating the life of one of its heroes, Richard Stern. A truly remarkable man, Stern somehow managed to win both the Iron Cross fighting as a patriotic German in World War I and, after he and his family suffered terrible oppression and loss under the Nazis, a Silver Star fighting for the Americans in World War II. The life story of Rabbi Romberg's Uncle Richard stands as a monument to fortitude, bravery, love and, in the end, our never-dying hope for the brotherhood of the human race. - Michael Hirsh, senior correspondent and deputy news editor, Foreign Policy Magazine A powerful story of courage and resilience in the face of unimaginable odds. Romberg excavates and reconstructs Richard Stern's life as a German infantryman during the First World War, as a victim of Nazi persecution in the 1930s, and then as a U.S. soldier during the Allied liberation of Nazi-occupied Europe. The result is a poignant narrative of betrayal and redemption. Parts of this story take one's breath away. - Michael Geheran, author of Comrades Betrayed: Jewish World War I Veterans under Hitler A Doorway to Heroism by W. Jack Romberg is a remarkable recounting of the story of Richard Stern, aka Uncle Richard. Through the course of much research, Romberg has put together the story of his German-Jewish family and specifically his Uncle Richard, who is a heroic figure, not only because he was guided by an unshakeable moral compass but also because he cared deeply for those around him, doing everything in his power to be a force for good. Romberg's thorough investigation of his uncle's story, and ultimately that of his whole family, is an important reminder that there are individuals among us who, even in the face of great personal danger, stand up for what is right. This book invites us in to learn about a hero who should be studied and celebrated. Romberg tells a compelling story as he generously shares his family's history. This volume is a worthy read and fills in some blanks in the existing literature about German-Jewish history. - Rabbi Hara Person, Chief Executive of Central Conference of American Rabbis There are many amazing stories of German Jewish refugees joining the U.S. military to fight in World War II. Even amongst these, Richard Stern's story is extraordinary. The journey of ""Uncle Richard"" from German WWI hero to protester of Nazi policy to American recipient of the Silver Star as a sergeant in his mid-40s is described powerfully showing us both Stern's remarkable life and the warm family connection of Rabbi Romberg. - Michael Rugel, Director of Programs and Content, National Museum of American Jewish Military History"

Author Information

W. Jack Romberg retired as the rabbi of Temple Israel in Tallahassee, FL in the summer of 2019. It was his second career. He intended to enter rabbinic school after graduating from University of Pittsburgh in 1976 with a BA in history focusing on Germany, but his father asked him to help in the family’s furniture manufacturing business. In 1995 he decided to pursue the lifelong dream to be a rabbi, entering Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1996, earning a master’s degree in 1999 and ordained in 2001. Before retiring, Rabbi Romberg decided to write the book on his great uncle Richard Stern, perhaps forming a third career. As a rabbi Romberg was deeply involved in the general community, interfaith programs as well as non-partisan community issues. He did frequent opening blessings at the state legislature, the governor’s cabinet meetings, and county commission meetings. He wrote many editorials for the Tallahassee Democrat, the local newspaper. In 2008, he served on the paper’s editorial board as the chosen community person. He led these organizations: The Interfaith Clergy Association, The Village Square, and the Tallahassee Equality Action Ministry, and was on the board of the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra for 15 years. For a special concert in 2017, that told the story of music performed by prisoners in the Theresienstadt ghetto during the Holocaust, he wrote the narrative, selected the music, and was a narrator in the concert. He was a frequent guest speaker on local TV discussion shows and a local NPR radio show. At the retirement gala celebrating his role in the city, the mayor presented him a key to the city.

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