On November 19, 2015, visiting scholar Maximilian Strnad gave a lecture on the role that intermarriage played in the survival of German Jews during World War II.

Since their deportation was suspended until shortly before the end of the war, intermarriage provided Jews the chance to survive the Holocaust. So the history of German Jews in the late stages of the Holocaust is to a significant extent the history of the mixed marriages. This lecture provides an overview of the very special situation of these intermarried Jews and their family members. By focusing on the last year of war, the lecture provides new insights into the persecution of the last remaining Jews in the German Reich and shows that regional particularities were a major factor in determining their fate.

Maximilian Strnad is a PhD candidate at the University of Munich.