![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.podles.org\/dialogue\/wp-content\/uploads\/Jochen-Klepper-1937.jpg\")
<\/a>JOCHEN KLEPPER March 22, 1903 – December 11, 1942<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n Klepper was born in Beuthen an der Oder, Silesia, the son of a Lutheran minister. He originally studied theology at the University of Breslau, but dropped out to become a radio journalist in Berlin before being ostracized by the Nazi Party for his 1931 marriage to Johanna Stein, a Jewish widow with two daughters. He was fired from his work with Berliner Funk in June 1933, and was later fired from Ullstein Publishing House in September 1935. He had written favorably about a Prussian king and the stark contrast to the current German government. The book became very popular and by March 1937, he had lost his license to publish his largely Christian works from the state literary office.<\/p>\n On December 11, 1942, after Eichmann refused a visa for the couple’s second daughter, the three of them committed suicide by turning on a gas valve – Jochen writing in his journal just before they died: Tonight we die together. Over us stands in the last moments the image of the blessed Christ who surrounds us. With this view we end our lives<\/em>. After their death, the diary was given by Jochen’s sister Hildegard, to the Allied trial against Adolf Eichmann where it was used as evidence against him (Session 51).<\/p>\n God is greater than our heart<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n As victims of racial hatred<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n the poet Jochen Klepper and his family went together into death<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Forgive us our debts<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Here is a performance of Die Nacht is vorgedrungen<\/a>. Here<\/a> for women’s voices.<\/p>\n 1 Die Nacht ist vorgedrungen, 2) Dem alle Engel dienen, 3) Die Nacht ist schon im Schwinden, 4) Noch manche Nacht wird fallen 5) Gott will im Dunkel wohnen 1 The night will soon be ending; 2 By heaven’s hosts surrounded 3 The night will soon be fading 4 Yet nights will bring their sadness 5 God dwells with us in darkness In researching Advent hymns, I came across this one. It was written in 1937 by Jochen Klepper, a Christian writer who had married a Jewish widow, and saw the Nazi state closing in around them. In the deepest darkness, he looked to the rising of the Sun of Righteousness. Klepper was born in Beuthen an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[142,12,1309],"tags":[1551,1146,1232,1550,343,413],"class_list":["post-7330","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-anti-semitism","category-music","category-nazis","tag-advent","tag-anti-semitism","tag-hymns","tag-jochen-klepper","tag-nazis","tag-suicide","has-post-title","has-post-date","has-post-category","has-post-tag","has-post-comment","has-post-author"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.podles.org\/dialogue\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7330","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.podles.org\/dialogue\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.podles.org\/dialogue\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.podles.org\/dialogue\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.podles.org\/dialogue\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7330"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.podles.org\/dialogue\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7330\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7344,"href":"https:\/\/www.podles.org\/dialogue\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7330\/revisions\/7344"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.podles.org\/dialogue\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.podles.org\/dialogue\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.podles.org\/dialogue\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/a>
\nThe persecution of the Jews threatened his wife and two stepdaughters. The older girl, Brigitte, managed to leave for England in 1939. Klepper became a soldier that same year, until he was dismissed from the Wehrmacht in 1942 because of his \u201cmixed marriage.\u201d He even negotiated with Adolf Eichmann, the head of the Jewish Evacuation Department in the Reich Security Main Office.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\nder Tag ist nicht mehr fern!
\nSo sei nun Lob gesungen
\ndem hellen Morgenstern!
\nAuch wer zur Nacht geweinet,
\nder stimme froh mit ein.
\nDer Morgenstern bescheinet
\nauch deine Angst und Pein.<\/p>\n
\nwird nun ein Kind und Knecht.
\nGott selber ist erschienen
\nzur S\u00fchne f\u00fcr sein Recht.
\nWer schuldig ist auf Erden,
\nverh\u00fcll nicht mehr sein Haupt.
\nEr soll errettet werden,
\nwenn er dem Kinde glaubt.<\/p>\n
\nmacht euch zum Stalle auf!
\nIhr sollt das Heil dort finden,
\ndas aller Zeiten Lauf
\nvon Anfang an verk\u00fcndet,
\nseit eure Schuld geschah.
\nNun hat sich euch verb\u00fcndet,
\nden Gott selbst ausersah.<\/p>\n
\nauf Menschenleid und -schuld.
\nDoch wandert nun mit allen
\nder Stern der Gotteshuld.
\nBegl\u00e4nzt von seinem Lichte,
\nh\u00e4lt euch kein Dunkel mehr,
\nvon Gottes Angesichte
\nkam euch die Rettung her.<\/p>\n
\nund hat es doch erhellt.
\nAls wollte er belohnen,
\nso richtet er die Welt.
\nDer sich den Erdkreis baute,
\nder l\u00e4sst den S\u00fcnder nicht.
\nWer hier dem Sohn vertraute,
\nkommt dort aus dem Gericht.<\/p>\n
\nThe dawn cannot be far.
\nLet songs of praise ascending
\nNow greet the Morning Star!
\nAll you whom darkness frightens
\nWith guilt or grief or pain,
\nGod\u2019s radiant Star now brightens
\nAnd bids you sing again.<\/p>\n
\nA servant he became
\nHis age-old law expounded
\nFor our atonement’s gain
\nOffenders of all nations
\nShall taste of mercies mild
\nThey shall receive oblation
\nBelieving his own child<\/p>\n
\nWhere Beth’lem’s manger stands
\nFor your release is waiting
\nBring incense, ewe and ram
\nAnd hear ye all his preaching
\nPlanned from the dawn of time
\nHe beckons, over-reaching
\nWith mercy’s tender chime<\/p>\n
\nAnd rob our hearts of peace,
\nAnd sin in all its madness
\nAround us may increase.
\nBut now one Star is beaming
\nWhose rays have pierced the night:
\nGod comes for our redeeming
\nFrom sin\u2019s oppressive might.<\/p>\n
\nAnd makes the night as day;
\nYet we resist the brightness
\nAnd turn from God away.
\nBut grace does not forsake us,
\nHowever far we run.
\nGod claims us still as children
\nThrough Mary\u2019s infant Son.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n