Lilly Wust and Felice Schragenheim fell in love in wartime Berlin. Letters and poems tell a tale of love, courage, and persecution. The story also shows the pitfalls of historical truth as told by one survivor, but most of all it stands as an example of many relationships destroyed by hate, bigotry, and cruelty.
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Lilly Wust was born Charlotte Elisabeth Kappler in 1913 to a traditional Berlin family. Her early childhood was during World War I (1914-1918); Her teenage years were in the "Roaring 20s"—a tumultuous time not only in Germany.
Lilly didn't express much interest in politics. As she celebrated her 20th birthday, Hitler was elected Chancellor of Germany. Around the same time, Ella Lilly met and fell in love with a banking accountant with Nazi sympathies. The two married shortly after—much to the dismay of her parents, who, as former members of the Communist Party, were highly doubtful of the new regime and its followers.
Lilly, however, like most Germans, was comfortable turning a blind eye to the troubling developments around her. While there is some debate on how much of a Nazi sympathizer she was, Lilly Wust certainly looked the other way and didn't question the system of hatred in which she raised her family.