Meusel Margarete

Meusel, Margarete Margarete Meusel, born in Upper Silesia, studied social work in Breslau and moved to Berlin in 1932. There she became head of the Protestant Church's regional welfare services, a post she held all through World War II. She was a member of the parish of Pastor Niemoeller, one of the leaders of the Confessing Church that opposed the Nazi regime. As such, Meusel was believed to be the author of a manifest condemning the treatment of Jews and the timid reaction of the Confessing Church, although some evidence was later found that the author may have been Elisabeth Schmitz. Meusel worked with Pastor Grüber, who founded the “Church Aid Office for Protestant Non-Aryans.” The office helped victims of racial persecution emigrate from Germany, provided persecuted people with false passports, and sent food and medicines to concentration camps. These activities continued until it was closed down in December 1940, when Grüber was arrested and sent to a concentration camp. After Grüber’s arrest, Meusel continued his work, aiding refugees in many ways. Her beneficiaries included Max Bindel, a Berlin Jew who was married to a non-Jewish woman. The couple was singled out by Der Stürmer,” the Nazi propaganda tabloid, which named them "Jewish thug" and "Jewish whore." Bindel decided to go into hiding, aided by Meusel. After Bindel’s capture and execution, Meusel continued to help Bindel's daughter. Meusel also gave assistance to Ella Friedmann, who had converted to Christianity when she got married in 1905. Nevertheless, she was considered Jewish by the authorities, and was set to be deported. Meusel organized a place for Friedmann to take refuge, gave her false identity papers, and then arranged for her to leave for Stuttgart, where she was protected by local priests. On November 27, 2005, Yad Vashem recognized Margarete Meusel as Righteous Among the Nations.