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The Brixius Family

Leon Brixius (German Catholic Male 24)

Erna Rothschild (German Jewish Female 22)

Helga Brixius (Female 3)

September 16, 1922

Dear Diary,

What a journey it has been to come to Canada with Leon since we eloped, been a frightening but hopeful experience. As long as Leon is here I have no reason to complain, He has been settling quite nicely as he has found a job as a writer for a local newspaper. Leon’s been researching and writing hard for an article about what the future holds with new upcoming technology, music, clothes and jobs after the hard time during war. I also have a job as a singer at a small club nearby. I haven’t yet adapted to singing Jazz as good as Ella Fitzgerald but for now I’d say I’m improving. The job has been a dream of mine. I’ve also made friends with some of the flapper ladies. After all Canada is in a better place after the war than Germany is as there's a sense of hope in the air. Thankfully Leon got away without enlisting into the war and to think we are soon to get married.

- Erna

September 18, 1922

Dear Diary,

I haven’t written in a diary for years but Erna recommended it so we don’t miss home as much. These last couple of months have truly changed my life, meeting Erna and eloping with her to Canada. I’ve become a pretty popular writer for a newspaper that keeps up to date with everything new and amusing. This job has shown me so many new ideas and prospects to happen in the future like high advanced technology that are to soon arrive. Canada is so much more joyful and really gaining back what it has lost in the war. Even though Canada has been great all around, it still makes me miss Germany. I've been hoping to raise my kids with their grandparents and on the motherland but due to circumstances I believe my parents wouldn’t even want to hear about my existence. But Erna and I can finally have a family here for the better of our kids and us since Germany isn’t in a good place after the war.

Quickly mention I will soon be proposing I have already got the perfect ring for her.

- Leon

Bayefsky, Aba, and William Berczy. “German Canadians.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/german-canadians. Accessed 18 January 2024.

“Canada A Country by Consent: The Roaring Twenties.” Canada History Project, https://www.canadahistoryproject.ca/1920s/. Accessed 18 January 2024.

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September 2, 1940

Dear Diary,

It has been a year since World War two started and has had a huge impact especially on my people. I have been safe but I’ve been worried for my family back in Germany. I haven't gotten a letter back from them since summer. Last time they mailed me they mentioned living in the ghettos which didn’t seem terrible as they said. I feel so much guilt for leaving my family behind in a country they could get murdered for their beliefs and what’s worse is I’m starting to regret for whom I left my country. Our marriage has been quite rocky with the war, since we’re on two different sides. The marriage has been affecting our baby girl Helga who just turned three this year. Helga has her father's catholic name but didn’t get mine, Leon even asked for me to change my Jewish last name to his which I have declined. In my household I feel as though everything of my beliefs are slowly getting erased but it's unbelievable that my own husband is the one doing so. For the time being we are separated till this madness is over.

- Erna

September 9, 1940

Dear Diary,

War outside in the world is somehow causing a war in my own household. Erna and I haven’t been on the same page but with each coming day I’m starting to become what I hated most, My parents. Slowly I’ve been perceiving her as the same way my parents have as just a jew. With all this chaos against the Jewish I wanted to protect my baby Helga by changing her name to a proper catholic name and to even help out Erna by asking her to change her last name but she was adamant on keeping it. That was my limit and I could no longer continue a life with her, as difficult as it is to say but I believe my parents were right all along. So I have decided to leave Erna and move back to Germany back to my family to get enlisted and fight for the proper side. I am to leave in two days. I have loved Erna and have tried to look past her beliefs but she yet makes it so difficult and we have been separated so to say this is the right decision for both of us.

- Leon

“Ghettos | Holocaust Encyclopedia.” Holocaust Encyclopedia, 4 December 2019, https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/ghettos. Accessed 18 January 2024.

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June 19, 1957

Dear Diary,

I have turned 20 years of age today. I was given mother & fathers diaries by Aunt Bernadette, and half of mothers diary was empty so I would like to finish writing it for her. Father had left for Germany and got enlisted into the army and fought in the Battle of Metaxas even though it was Germany’s victory he was pronounced missing. For mother she didn’t live long after father had left since she had gotten a letter from a cousin back in Germany who had successfully escaped the Nazis but informed her that her family had not been as lucky and had passed by the gas chamber. Mother could not continue on with her life as she had hung herself two days after the news. As for me I was taken in by Mothers friend at the club she sang at and Aunt Bernadette has taken care of me since. Moving on to today's day and age I have been fighting for greater human rights for everyone so no one should feel what my mother and her family went through. I have been fighting alongside many queers, women, disabled, and indigenous groups for a better future for my kids and they’re kids to be treated with dignity no matter the background. The fights have yet to finish until everyone has a fair right. This will go down in history as a revolution as not like my father, I'm on the right side. Finally I would like to state that I am a proud Jewish woman who came from a proud Jewish woman before me.

- Helga

“The Rights Revolution (Plain-Language Summary).” The Canadian Encyclopedia, 22 January 2020, https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/the-rights-revolution-plain-language-summary. Accessed 18 January 2024.

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This is a photo of me (the farthest left) and the other three girls are (from left to Right) Ella, Amelia & Bernadette. These are the girls I have befriended in the Club I work at. Me and Bernadette sing at the club while the other two perform. As you can see I too slowly adapted into dressing as flappers in the 20s.

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Our humble abode when first coming to Canada. It's all we could afford at the time. I and Erna ended up repairing most of the house. But in the end it become a home.

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This was my newspapers printing factory. After every article I had created I would come to watch my papers get printed. Soon my papers and articles started to gain popularity I would watch the print for hours hundreds of copies. Somehow I always got to keep the first print.

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Baby Helga is three years of age in 1940. She is the daughter of Leon and Erna. She took after her father's last name and was pronounced Catholic. She would soon become an orphan.

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In this picture we can see Leon's childhood home. His sister had been sending him letters from this house. Once he left for Germany he stayed in this house until he got enlisted. You could also see Erna's house a few down.

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The ghetto that Erna's family was sent to as her family is Jewish. They stayed there from June till September. The Rothschild Family last sent a letter to Erna in June. Finally in September they were sent to Auschwitz.

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Helga and her friends protesting for the rights of everyone. She continued to protest for the purpose of not letting another person go through what her mother had. She had the dream of everyone being treated with dignity. So Finally in 1982 Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom was Established.

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The first battle that Leon had fought in after being enlisted. The battle of Metaxas line which was the German invasion on Greece in 1941. Leon had fought alongside his fellow soldiers but ended up going missing. Germany in the end was victorious.

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Helga converted from Catholicism to Judaism as her mother. Helga like her mother Erna was a proud Jew. She found faith in Judaism as she felt closer to her mother. This was the synagogue Helga and Aunt Bernadette went to pray.