Life in Biedenkopf

When Julia Lentini reminisces about Biedenkopf, she does so with love in her eyes and a wistful timbre. Her father had bought their family home before she was born, and it has been in the family ever since, even after the Holocaust. Biedenkopf was a small, sleepy town, says Lentnini, “no big factories of any kind, just all homemade, little stuff” (Lentini 15:46, Tape 2). She estimates that there were 900 - 1,200 residents of the town at that time, but even so, “everybody knew everybody” (Lentini 16:00, Tape 1). She recalls that despite having 15 children, the family never went hungry, and there was always plenty of food for guests, noting “so we always had somebody eating there” (Lentini 16:43, Tape 1). 

Because of their origins, many Roma and Sinti had darker features than what was considered by Nazi’s to be ‘aryan’, and “non-Gypsies tended to assume they could recognize Gypsies by their appearance” (Bergen, 15). Of course, this was not always the case, as decades of coalescing with European populations had introduced diversity into the genepool. Just from looking at her, it is clear that Julia Lentini is an example of such an exception. Her eyes are light blue, her nose is slim, and her skin is light (in the interview her hair is also light, but it is difficult to take that color into consideration as it might be dyed). Her aryan appearance could have contributed to the acceptance from townspeople she enjoyed and her lack of social isolation.  

The Backer families assimilation went further than just their physical appearance. Although the German perception at the time was that Roma and Sinti groups were ‘asocial’, many families had integrated into German society, some holding steady jobs and some practicing Catholicism (United States [“Roma”]). Like many Roma and Sinti groups at this time, Lentini’s family attended church every Sunday, and the children were raised as protestant and lutheran. Along with other German children, the Backer children dutifully went to catechism until they were confirmed around ages 13 and 14.  

Each day the children would march down to school, where they met up with their friends and “wonderful teachers” (Lentini 16:08, Tape 1). Afterwards, they would file home to take care of their assigned chores. The boys were in charge of the livestock, and as they got older the family business. The girls had to look after the younger siblings and tend to the washing and cooking. 

Lentini is careful to note that she never felt discriminated against at school or in the town. She describes her two childhood friends, Emma Culver and Elly Craver (that she still keeps in touch with to this day), as being kind and fun loving. As for the townspeople themselves, Lentini says, “everybody admired our lives” (Lentini 16:10, Tape 1). Sometimes, when her family would depart for their summer travels, they would take neighbors with them. There was never any indication that the townspeople held prejudice against them.