Beyond Berlin

Stories —big and small— that start in Berlin and look eastward, where Europe´s heart beats and its future unfolds. A blog, a podcast and a journey connecting past and present of our continent, as seen from Berlin and looking beyond, toward the East. Subscribe on beyondberlin.substack.com

Today's episode:

Two on a Jeep: Éric Schwab and Meyer Levin's Journey into the Heart of Darkness

In April-May 1945, photographer Éric Schwab and writer Meyer Levin embarked on a harrowing journey from Paris to Prague through the remnants of Nazi-occupied Europe. Their mission was both professional and deeply personal: Levin aimed to document what remained of Jewish life in Europe, while Schwab searched for his mother, Elsbeth, who had been deported in 1943. Their journey took them into the heart of Nazi Germany's evil, from Ohrdruf to Buchenwald, Dachau, and Theresienstadt.

- From Paris to the Front: Where Éric Schwab and Meyer Levin Join Forces

- What Did People Really Know About the Concentration Camps?

- The Discovery of Ohrdruf: April 4, 1945

- April 11, 1945: Buchenwald: "Comrades, We Are Free!"

- On the Road to the Elbe: Where American and Soviet Troops Met

- From Dachau to Austria: Among the Masses Fleeing East

- Terezín, Theresienstadt: Mission Accomplished

- Epilogue: The Jeep and the Torah

- The Legacy of Éric Schwab and Meyer Levin

Books references

📖 The story of Éric Schwab and Meyer Levin is scattered across books, articles, and memories. The most detailed first-hand account comes from Meyer Levin’s autobiographical book In Search (1950), where he recounts in vivid detail his and Éric Schwab’s journey from Paris to Prague in 1945. For many years, Levin was largely forgotten in Europe.

📖 In 1995, Levin’s son, Mikael Levin, retraced the path his father and Schwab had taken through postwar Europe. He photographed the same locations and created a powerful project titled “War Story”, which brought together images and text in both an exhibition and a book.

📖 More recently, in 2015, French historian Annette Wieviorka used the journey of Levin and Schwab as a narrative thread to recount how Allied troops discovered the Nazi concentration camps. Her book, originally published in French as “1945: La Découverte”, is both thoroughly researched and emotionally engaging. In 2021, it was translated into German under the title “1945: Als die Amerikaner die Lager entdecken”.

This last book has served as the primary source for the podcast and is my highest recommendation.

🎧 This episode and others are available on Substack at beyondberlin.substack.com, where Valentina Giannella shares stories in English, German, and Italian about Europe's past and present. Writing from Berlin, she turns her gaze eastward to where Europe's heart beats and its future takes shape..

📌 Subscribe for free at beyondberlin.substack.com to get all upcoming episodes and explore our other content—compelling stories from past and present, stunning photographs, plus diverse voices and book recommendations.

Music Credits

🎶 Intro/Outro music & theme: “Rise & Fall” (Loudly)

🎶 Music background by 🇺🇦 Serge Pavkin Music

🎶 SFX from Freesound Community