Dresden V; Lithograph over Monoprint, 70 x 100 cms. Unique, 2013.

The relationship between the Isakowitz family and the acclaimed diarist Victor Klemperer was initially professional and developed into a close personal friendship .As their situation worsened Jews in Dresden were increasingly constrained and beleaguered and turned to each other for consolation, advice and company.

The lace tablecloth, Rosenthal porcelain and family silver with Erich and Sofie’s intertwined initials, were all items brought from Dresden to London. Klemperer himself tells the story most eloquently.
The following quotes about the Isakowitz Family are all from his diaries, published as ‘I Shall Bear Witness: The Diaries of Victor Klemperer 1933 - 41’; Abridged and translated by Martin Chalmers.They are adbridged and  differ very slightly from the original German.

Page 27: 10th August 1933

Stepun sent me a Fraulein Isakowitz for vocational guidance. She took her school-leaving certificate at Easter, father a Jewish dentist. She would like to become an interpreter. How? The institute in Mannheim has been moved to Heidelberg, Gutkin removed - who knows where - non-Aryans are not admitted. She wants to try and study here for one or two semesters. Questionable if she’ll be allowed to.

Page 38: 9th November Thursday 1933

At the first lecture Monday, French Renaissance, five people, for the exercises, Renaissance lyric poetry, four, today at Corneille, two. These two Lore Isakowitz, yellow Jewish card - she really wants to be an interpreter, I have already been advising her for some time…

Page 47: 9th January Tuesday 1934

Since a week ago and for a long while to come, much time lost, torment and expense because of dental treatment. I have unfortunately had to give up old Petri, upright but Aryan, to support Israel. Dr Isakowitz, father of my student Lore Isakowitz, who is sometimes his assistant.

Page 55: March 2nd 1934 Friday evening

I wound up this bad semester on Wednesday. I took the penultimate Corneille class with the ‘Jewish quota’ that is, little Isakowitz and the last one with her and a young man who will now take his state examination with Wengler. Page 96: Tuesday 4th December 1934

Eva (Klemperer’s Aryan wife) is feeling better; she is faring remarkably well with the lengthy dental treatment. These long journeys into town are almost stimulation, she likes Isakowitz, – I am always in the treatment room. (Dentist - housework, housework, housework – semester - is it any wonder that Voltaire is taking so long?)

Page 99: Sunday 30th December 1934

On the first day of the holiday, we ate at the station in the evening, walked a little down the Prager Strasse and return on the F bus which, fortunately for us, has been running between Nausslitz and the Neustädtische railway station since 1st November. (So, at least we no longer have the inordinate cost of the taxis.) – (Coming from the dentist, Isakowitz often takes us part of the way in his own car. We are usually there at half past twelve, Eva then has something light to eat in town, and we perhaps do some shopping and back for coffee. A regular arrangement twice a week.

Page 103: Wednesday 9. January 1935,

So from Easter I shall have no more students and have to retire, i.e. be reduced from 800M to 400. But even now I can hardly meet my obligations, the life insurance must remain unpaid and when on earth Isakowitz will see his money is quite uncertain.

Page 105: Wednesday 16th January 1935

Isakowitz - after the treatment it is by now usual for him to drive us in his car to the station where Eva has a soup, today after the removal of her bridge fairly toothless- again expresses the mood of Jewry and today, in fact my own also.

Page 114: Easter Monday 22nd April 1935

Eva meanwhile has got trouble with her teeth again, new expeditions to Isakowitz have begun, there will be a new bill.

Page 114: Thursday 2nd May 1935

Lore Isakowitz also appeared and asked me for books - she now wants to get a qualification at the Department of Oriental Languages in Berlin - which I promised her for Tuesday.

Page 120: Tuesday 11th June 1935

After our meal on Sunday, the Isakowitzes picked us up in their handsome car and drove us to the Bastei… All three of the Isakowitzes, father, daughter, and mother are very agreeable people, the wife is painted and done up like a Babylonian whore trying to hide her decline, but she has quite a simple and obliging nature…

Page 122: Sunday 30th June 1935

Through Annemarie Kohler’s intervention, I very quickly came by an excellent typewriter. Isakowitz’s ‘Little Erika’ was a) a loan and b) not ideal.

Page 125: Sunday 11th August 1935

The three Isakowitzes were here one in the evening for coffee. He touchingly offered me money, if my pension should not arrive. He said his nerves were finished, and he is thinking of emigrating.

Page 128: Saturday 5th October / Sunday 6th October 1935

It so happened that on two occasions in the last few weeks we were with the Isakowitzes twice in one day. Eva unexpectedly required a supplementary repair, in the evenings of the two days the three Isakowitzes were first of all our guests for coffee, the second time our hosts, for supper,(which unfortunately demands a return match) and that on the Jewish New Year. It turned out that the Isakowitzes are more orthodox than we had realised; the man came from ‘temple’ (I have not heard that word for thirty years), his head covered he read from the Torah, a hat was put on my head too, candles burned. I found it quite painful. Where do I belong? To the ‘Jewish Nation’ decrees Hitler. And I feel the Jewish nation recognised by Isakowitz is a comedy and am nothing but a German or German European - The mood on both evenings was one of extreme depression. Isakowitz fears that at any moment he will no longer be allowed to treat insured patients and thus be deprived of a living. He has been considering emigration to Palestine for some time. An Aryan has long wanted to buy his practice from him for 15,000M. He at last decides on this sale- with the heaviest of hearts, because in Palestine there is said to be at least one doctor in every house - when at the last moment such sales of Jewish practises are forbidden. His wife has gone to Berlin to make enquiries at the ‘Jewish town hall in Meineckestrasse’ i.e. the advice centre of the Zionists which now represent all German –Jewish interests. Mood of panic, crowds of people, broken windows from the last rampage, which are ostentatiously left unrepaired, strongly advised to emigrate, more and more people fleeing - At the service (the New Year celebration, the time of joy!) the rabbi’s words had been deeply depressing, he had spoken a prayer for the dead, there had been many tears……

Page 131: Sunday 19th October 1935

On the 8th we had the Wieghardts and the Isakowitzes for supper. He is now trying to find a living in England. His wife is there at the moment to make enquiries. We are prisoners without hope of rescue.

Page 132: Thursday 31st October 1935

On Sunday afternoon, the three Isakowitzes were here. Frau Isakowitz was in London for a week; there is a possibility that her husband will be allowed to practise as a dentist in England without sitting an examination. She relates that the rabbis preach the boycott of German goods from the pulpit; they addressed the women: It’s natural that your husbands do not order machines from German for their factories; but you must not buy any Odol mouthwash or other toilet or domestic things! Her Christian landlady said to her with reference to Hitler: ‘And there is nobody who kills this big swine? ‘People say we are ruled by madmen, are completely bankrupt-it cannot last much longer.

Page 138: postscripts to 1935 noted down 1st January 1936

In the course of this year, we won as new friends the Isakowitz family. That has turned into a really warm friendship with the father, mother and daughter. They will probably emigrate to England and that would be a real loss for us.

Page 147: Tuesday 11th February 1936

Last Sunday the Isakowitzes were our guests in the evening. The man is much worn down by worry and uncertainty; despite his despair he told terribly smutty jokes, he himself said; ‘Out of despair’.

Page 149: 6th March 1936

Isakowitz informed me by telephone that he has permission to practise in England and wants to leave in April. We shall soon be quite alone.

Page 152: Sunday 5th April 1936

Last Sunday the Isakowitzes, man and wife were here; ready to depart for London, very nervous and low in spirit.

Page 160: Saturday 30th May 1936

The Isakowitzes farewell visit last Sunday was fairly depressing, and the leave-taking today at the station very depressing. It was from the women; over Whitsun the family is staying with relatives in Landeck, while he is returning to his surgery for one more week, will also complete Eva’s treatment; mother and daughter are travelling to London via Berlin. The day before yesterday I fetched flowers, which have been left to us from their liquidated apartment. A repetition of the Blumenfeld’s departure. Nothing has changed in the meantime; the power of the Third Reich has only grown even larger and more secure.

Page 162: Friday 12TH June 1936

Isakowitz was with us-for the last time- yesterday evening.

Page 165: Sunday 28th June 1936

Isakowitz finally took his leave of us on Thursday evening; he was very tired and nervous - a new tablecloth suffered the consequences, in a single movement he poured a whole cup of coffee over it – but nonetheless in high spirits. Because at 45 years of age he is once again making a new start, because he is moving from servitude and lawlessness to human and civilised conditions. Yet it was visibly hard for him to leave Germany. He philosophised a great deal and talked about art, with somewhat limited knowledge and clarity but with much interest and an evident moral foundation. I heard with satisfaction that despite the ‘customs examination’ he has still managed to get some property safely abroad, and that other émigrés evidently also repeatedly find opportunities to do so.

Page 250: Tuesday 12th July 1938

Frau Shaps writes of her children settling down in London and of contact made with Isakowitz the dentist. All these people have made new lives for themselves - but I have not succeeded in doing so, we have been left in disgrace and penury, in some degree buried alive, buried up to the neck so to speak and waiting from day to day for the last shovelfuls.