examples – 18 – The perpetrator at the center of the family

The perpetrator is always at the center of the family –

The perpetrator in the family acts as a magnetic pole in the family’s collective memory, attracting some and repelling others. Yet the silence surrounding the perpetrators remains firmly entrenched within the family. At the height of his power, Schneider seemed literally untouchable. The dark side hidden behind his jovial exterior instilled in people a fear that surrounded them like the rings of Saturn.

In the photo on the right: Charles Schneider, Local Group Leader of Rombas and Shop Steward of the Rombas Steelworks in the year 1943 – fanatic Nazi and antisemit.

Schneider after his arrest in 1946

When we research and report on perpetrators in our families, we integrate this missing piece of our family history into our living narrative, and in doing so, often—many decades later—finally break free from the spell of silence and the cult of personality that was perpetuated.