From Lichtenberg to London: Dr. Jacobs & Life in the “Third Reich”
Dr. Friedrich Jacobs was a leading figure in medicine during the 1920s, known for establishing the first maternity ward in the growing, crowded, cramped, dirty Berlin district of Lichtenberg. His contribution to healthcare was vital, yet his personal life and the heartbreaking choices he and his wife faced under the Nazi regime provide a poignant insight into the harsh realities of the time.
Despite the Nazis' professed concern about the declining birth rate following World War I, one might have assumed they would support a prominent and proactive doctor like Friedrich, whose work had provided safe births in place of disastrous, unhygienic home births that were common at the time. His life took a dramatic turn due to his marriage to Toni Cohn, a Jewish doctor. The Nazi ascent to power in 1933 brought with it a devastating ultimatum for Friedrich: his career or his wife. His choice was clear—he chose Toni.
The introduction of the anti-Semitic Nuremberg race laws (1935) and the labeling of their children as "Mischlinge" (half-breeds) by the Nazi government compelled the Jacobs to make a heart-wrenching decision. With the safety of their children at stake, they sent them to England, facing the unbearable possibility of never seeing them again. In hindsight their decision was incredibly fortuitous: WWII would break out shortly afterwards, which would have made sending their children to the safety of the UK an impossibility.
The Jacobs family endured the war with great difficulty, each day filled with fear and uncertainty about their future. Toni Jacobs’ life would have become especially more difficult, as the rights and freedoms of Jews were vastly curtailed as the years would go by. Jews that were married to non-Jews were spared the worst of the Nazi policies, including forced labour and eventually deportations. Meaning that although he position was horrendous, it was also privileged in comparison to Jews that were not in the same situation.
After WWII ended Friedrich Jacobs was once again able to work in the Lichtenberg hospital where his talent had made such a huge difference two decades before. He was able to provide care in 1945, after Berlin had been smashed to pieces by bombs, tanks, and guns.
In 1948 the Jacobs made the decision to reunite with their children in the UK. Life there was not easy for Friedrich and Toni. Unable to speak English and practice medicine, they faced significant barriers to integration. The professional skills that had once defined their identity were now redundant, forcing them to find new ways to adapt and survive. I’m not sure exactly what they did for work, but it’s easy to assume that it was unfulfilling.
The hospital in Fanningerstraße in Lichtenberg has an information board about Jacobs, and there is a street named after him elsewhere in the district as well.
Discover more about Berlin during the Third Reich & WWII
On my Berlin walking tours, I share stories like that of the Jacobs family to illustrate the profound personal impacts of the Third Reich's policies on ordinary people. The choices they were forced to make, the separation they endured, and their struggle for survival and integration are testament to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of tyranny. While millions of such stories exist, it is of course impossible to tell them all. I hope this one gave you an insight into the struggles that people felt during this time.
If you’d like to know more and explore Berlin together, you can check out my Nazi Germany & WWII Tour here.
