Becoming a German Citizen as a British Jew
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- čas přidán 26. 06. 2024
- Welcome back to #Vlognukah 2022! This episode is very much tied into my Jewish identity because I'm going to be talking about how I am now officially a German citizen. I'm a dual citizen! It feels weird and complicated and exciting, so let's get into how it happened, my family background, and all my feelings about it. Are you a dual citizen? Let me know in the comments!
CHAPTERS
00:00 - Intro
00:27 - Family history
04:08 - The application
10:17 - Questions from Patrons
20:33 - Wrap-up
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I have absolutely nothing to do with Germany, nor being Jewish, but it made me so emotional. The idea of Germans being grateful for Jews putting their faith back in Germany is immensely powerful. Wow.
Same could be said of Hannah, has absolutely nothing to do with Germany, nor being Jewish
@@mimirobin You misquoted me, shows you're not paying attention
@@mimirobin Which bit?
@@mimirobin Why should Germans be grateful?
@@mimirobin so again, why should germany feel grateful, you do know WW2 ended 75 years ago
Hi Hannah, your description of the naturalisation ceremony brought me to tears! I work for an organisation that represents EU citizens in the UK and we talk a lot about how people feel when they get their British certificates - it's usually a huge relief, but with no joy, and people are being told to be grateful for having the privilege of calling themselves British (after they've lived and contributed here for forever).
It's so refreshing to hear the German consulte do put thought into these ceremonies and are themselves grateful that you feel good enough about the country to take on that identity in a meaningful way.
Welcome back to being a EU citizen 🧡
Such a big difference between the ceremonies. I don't think Australia is much better than England in that regard, I'm just glad my parents got me citizenship when I was young enough not to remember how gruelling the process might have been.
A1s¥
My partner just became an official British citizen but the ceremony was actually really nice I thought! We are in Glasgow and the person who was running the ceremony talked about the history of Glasgow and the contributions of its citizens, and how the new Glaswegians' skills and talents would be valuable in contributing to making Glasgow a great place. I found it emotional knowing the bureaucracy that it took my partner as an EU citizen, and seeing lots of other people in the room who may have had even more obstacles to getting there, and yet there they were. I never feel great about being British but it was lovely to see new British/Scottish/Glaswegian citizens being welcomed in what I thought was a nice way, not "you should be thankful."
Congrats Hannah, I'm glad your experience was meaningful and positive! 💕
the plaques on the ground are called Stolpersteine in German which roughly translated means tripping stones. they’re in the ground among cobblestone and you don’t see them immediately so you have to divert your step kind of awkwardly at times but that’s the intention. it is a constant reminder while honoring the people who died during the war and sometimes people will leave flowers and candles next to the Stolpersteine.
Great mention! I want to add that they are not only installed through out Germany, but also in other Countries. I think it is one of the greatest spanning art installation. There is even one on London.
And good reminder as you said.
There are many in Austria aus well. But they are thinking of moving them from the ground onto the buildings since a lot of people don’t respect/don’t see them on the ground.
It's also a beloved tradition to polish them on certain holidays, lile Jewish holidays or certain dates of remembrance
@@joetaylor5 We have them in Denmark as well, a bunch were installed in my city just this year. A house on my street now has one. It is difficult to fathom that the war also "happened" in my neighbourhood 😯 So important to be reminded of!
@@annakathvd2203 same discussion of this topic in Germany as well. But for my part, I have to bend down or kneel down if I want to read them on the floor/ground. There is no greater symbolic sign of showing respect than these gestures.
Hey Hannah! As a German, I found this video really moving and would love to make it accessible for more people from Germany by translating the subtitles to German, because I think this is a very valuable video to share, as it combines history and modern day perspective so well. I‘ll have to look into how to actually provide this video with German subtitles, but until then, thank you so much for sharing your, and your family‘s, story!
Hey! Just want to let you know there's a CC button with the option to show auto-translated captions. The translation might be subpar but it will probably be understandable.
Commenting to help Hannah see this
@@callabeth258 sounds like a good idea
+
I hope she sees this!!!
I got naturalised last year and I wasn't expecting it to mean so much to me. I cried when I received the official papers. Knowing that I was able to reclaim something that had been taken away from us, and being able to say that I am Jewish and German and theres nothing anyone can do about it was such a powerful experience. It felt like I was honouring my granny and her murdered family. It's also nice to be able to accept the acknowledgement and apology from the German government. They might not be the people that commited those crimes, but by not trying to hide it, or wipe it from history, it gives those who were killed a little of the respect and dignity that was striped from them.
This made me tear up a little. I'm so glad you had such a wonderful experience and herzlich willkommen! Crazy to think that Brexit didn't make you feel more British but make you feel more Jewish/German/European instead. A Tories nightmare 😂 Lots of love from Germany
I am German, too, and I also cried. So glad Hannah had a good experience.
I am German too and i feel the same way ❤
The story about the cemetery really got to me. My great grandparents died in concentration camps, and my grandfather was able to flee with bribes by himself when he was 16. He would cry whenever he heard German. It’s crazy seeing his whole family tree and my great grandparents generation and their parents generations all died in concentration camps, the whole gamut - Aushwitz, Bergen Belsen, Westerbork etc etc. My cousins are now also trying to get German citizenship. There is still a lot of pain in my family, but I hope every generation will heal more and more. I am really glad you were able to get yours, and it sounds like the ceremony was really beautiful.
I can’t imagine what your family has gone through and I hope you can visit the memorial sites one day in order to see the effort we put into remembering it.
Your great grandparents are victims and my grandmas have told me often since I can think, that I may never let history repeat itself. I hope so much, that your family can heal ❤
Thank you for sharing your story 💛💚🧡🫂, and thank you for expressing your hope for a growing healing with every new generation💜💙
I also wish for an ongoing healing - and for a growing understanding of how everyone among us can contribute. It's the little things! And in the end, little things add up to make a huge difference.
At least that's how I understand it now.
Less than 2 hours ago my partner handed in all of his documents at the German embassy in London! Minutes later I receive a notification that you just uploaded this video. Such a funny coincidence!
I'm German and am currently applying for British citizenship and my partner and his siblings are reclaiming their German citizenship at the same time. :)
We just celebrated Hanukah with his family in London and are now heading to Germany for Christmas with my family. Happy Hanukah & Christmas!
Edit:
As for the question about dual citizenship identity, I can't speak for my partner of course but for me: I find it pretty confusing. I am simultaneously really looking forward to having British citizenship and at the same time think it might never feel completely natural to call myself British. I've lived in the UK for almost 10 years and most of my friends are British so in lots of ways I have become quite 'British' myself but I still don't always get cultural references from the 90s and noughties. But I also am not up to date with German Pop Culture or Current Affairs. I've still got a bit of a German accent when I speak English and I forget words when I speak German. So in a way I feel a little bit of both and not fully either.
I think it would be that if Rowan was applying *without* your grandma having done it/you and your mum etc he wouldn't be eligible to get it because he'd be too far back WITHOUT a continuous link. Because your grandma did it and you and your mum did it there's now a continuous citizenship link, so he can have it. My spouse has Irish citizenship and it's similar for them - if we had a child and my spouse hadn't got citizenship, the child wouldn't be entitled because they'd be too far removed from the last person who was an acknowledged Irish citizen, but because the last person to have citizenship is now my spouse (or, in Rowan's case, his closest link who has acknowledged citizenship is you) children are then in that continuous line and are entitled to keep the citizenship.
Not the most succinct explanation, but I hope it made sense!
Yeah this is what I was thinking, too. I couldn’t easily get Canadian citizenship on my own, but since my dad is married to a Canadian citizen, if he got citizenship first, I could more easily become a citizen, too.
I‘m German and if I’m not mistaken it’s because Hannah has a German citizenship now. So if the parent has a citizenship the kid automatically gets it by birth. But since she didn’t have it then she need to apply for him.
Usually the parent has to have the citizenship at the time of their child's birth, at least that is how it is in Ireland. So my grandparents are Irish and born in Ireland, my sister and I are eligible to have Irish citizenship, I already have it. My sister has two children whom are not eligible to be Irish citizens because my sister hadn't got Irish citizenship before they were born.
@@tiggerliam That's my experience. My great-great-grandfather was born in Dublin, so my gran can become Irish for her eightieth, but there's nothing as can be done for her kids or their kids because she hadn't been Irish beforehand.
@@tiggerliam it's the same for german citizenship. If one parent has it at the time of child's birth.
She had to apply, so he didn't get it by birth. But I'm not familiar with the law on children of naturalized citizens in detail.
Her child would have to apply for a citizenship for his children, I believe. If they are born not in Germany. Because he also was born not in Germany.
Hi Hannah, this video is very interesting to me and your description of the ceremony and your family history moved me. I'm German, grew up in Berlin. We do take our heritage/shame of the holocaust very seriously. We covered it more than extensively (3 of 19 years of history lessons were dedicated to it, in 3rd grade, some time in middle school, don't remember which and half a year in A-levels were compulsory. On top of that we covered it in other classes too, e.g. read Anne Frank in German when I was 12.) I'm glad you had this little ceremony and that the woman said we're grateful for your grandma going through all this to gain citizenship back and that it shouldn't have happened in the first place. That fits with my view of our country. So welcome. :) Thanks for always being so open and honest and educational on your channel :)
As a German hearing your story there are so many feelings coming up at once... Shame, happiness, sadness, gratitude and a lot of hope!
Your Grandmother shouldn't have had the trouble to deal with german bureaucracy on her own... We did this to your family, helping you to get what was yours in the first place seems the least our government could do. That she suceeded shows what a remarkable woman she is!
Hi Hannah! I am also a British Jew and have this experience except with Austrian citizenship :) my grandpa is from Austria and lost his whole family in the war, except for his sister who escaped to America. Since the citizenship process began for me 1.5 years ago I started learning German and found a love for the language. My flatmate is German and we have found so many cultural things in common which has been so fun :) it’s made me both so happy and also very sad to discover.. it’s been bittersweet. I do wish there was a way for people in our situation to have opportunities to learn German and about German/ Austrian cultures together as this Journey has been hard and I’m sure it is for others too.
Anyway, I wish you the very best luck on your journey and thank you for sharing yours and your family‘s story
I just got Austrian citizenship, too. Hallo, fellow new Austrian. I actually have a video on my channel about it!
Regarding the rules on Rowan acquiring German citizenship, here is an explanation:
- The limit regarding great grandchildren being the furthest you can go only applies to the application process you went through, i.e. applies to people who do not have the official citizenship but who can prove a link to Germany that isn't too remote (third-degree relative by descent in most cases).
- For Rowan, now that you have German citizenship, the rules are that Rowan can acquire this citizenship "traditionally" by descent (it's called "jus sanguinis", which applies in most EU countries).
So he couldn't acquire it through the process you used, but he can acquire it thanks to you being now a German citizen!
You inspired me (fellow British Jew) to spend my afternoon going further and further down a genealogy rabbit hole to try and find some evidence that my grandparents were born in Lithuania so that my mum and I can apply for Lithuanian citizenship. I managed to find out where both of my grandparents were born and their birth names - totally different from how I knew them and information about my great-grand parents. I don't know if I will end up applying for citizenship but I definitely want to visit the towns where my family came from and explore my Lithuanian heritage. Thanks for telling your story.
I legit teared up at this, especially the “grateful” bit. My spouse’s Jewish family that left during the 1930s just missed the border cutoff for Germany and it’s Poland now, no citizenship. I applied for my Croatian citizenship in summer 2021, based on my grandfather largely because of Trump and healthcare in the US. I speak German but I have been trying to learn Croatian but there are far less resources for that.
Has your spouse tried it or is it just an assumption? Because as far as I know it isn’t really about your place of birth but more about if your ancestors once were German and lost it because of NS legislation. So somebody whose grandfather for example was a Jewish German citizen of Königsberg (today Kaliningrad) and fled to England in order to safe his live, is definitely eligible. Because being Jewish should never have been a reason to lose your passport in the first place.
I agree with Lisa. I would be very surprised if that was actually a problem.
@@lisal5718 we tried! His family left prior to the war in the 1930s and it was Poland then as far as we can but the records are too hard to track down. we could get the Argentinian passport but can’t get the next step back. Incidentally, reading Birth certificates written in 1930s Spanish cursive is really hard 😂
@@anomalily It might be worth a second attempt. Even if they lived in the areas that were Polish in 1937, they might have kept their German citizenship after 1918. If they then lost it during the war or shortly after, even if they flew before 1933, the decendants could be elligable for Citizenship by paragraph 15 StAG
@@marcusb8765 We couldn't trace down the records we needed in Europe at all, essentially, they moved to Argentina too early to work for us. Spouse is getting EU citizenship via me (Croatia) anyway.
I'm Canadian, but my mom made it a priority to get myself and my brother our Portuguese citizenship when we were children. She was the first generation Canadian in her own family, and her parents immigrated from the Azores and worked very hard to assimilate and "Canadianize" themselves. My grandfather was multiracial and from a very small town with a lot of complicated feelings about his Portuguese identity (compounded by conscription, poverty, etc), and I only found out as a teenager that my grandmother is descended from a long line of Sephardic Jews. It's not uncommon for Iberians to discover Jewish ancestry despite not having any cultural signifiers because of the Inquisition and various expulsions of Jews throughout history that caused many to convert and hide their Jewishness. But many still practiced in secret, and as these practices were diluted over time, they basically persisted in my family as a matrilineal tradition of mysticism kept under layers of really interesting (and bizarre) secrecy. Like you, my mom entered into the process because she wanted us to have European citizenship for entirely practical reasons, but her process of asking her parents/extended family about why they left Portugal and their cultural heritage (essentially never feeling truly at home there) uncovered a lot of family knowledge that would have otherwise died with my grandparents' generation, as we were so isolated from the rest of the family otherwise. Congratulations on your citizenship Hannah, and thank you for sharing your story 🥰
I also recently this year became German, my father is German and my mother is British but because i was born in 1991 ( before 1993 when the law changed) to unmarried parents in England with a German father I was never entitled to be German because of a discrimination against unmarried parents. It’s been something I’ve wanted my whole like and thankfully august last year they changed this law which meant i was eligible to apply for naturalisation. The whole process took a year in total and now i finally have my passport too. It’s such a dream for me because i have always felt German as my dad is German and I’ve spent a lot of time in Germany. Also i live in Europe with my french boyfriend so it will really make my like easier to travel. Congratulations on your dual citizenship, we’re so blessed to be able to have it.
That's really moving, even for me. I am German, and I grew up thinking that every other country and every other human thinks that Germany is bad and the Germans are bad...
yes, our history is shit. But that's not what we are anymore, and I'm happy to see that a family that struggled through history isn't giving up on their country and their people!
Glückwunsch Hannah! On becoming a German Citizen!
I had a similar experience. As a young teen on the internet in the early 2000, I noticed that anytime I mentioned in an international chat, that I was from Germany, others called me Nazi and a lot of horrible things. Then I switched to saying "I'm from Berlin" and as a reaction people praised my city and some were even jealous of my location (in a nice way). That blew my mind, because I was indirectly still saying I'm German but the reaction was vastly different.
I'm from France and yes we were taught in school about the history of Germany but also about the French collaboration, so it made sense to us that if we weren't like that anymore, Germany wasn't either. Especially since Franco-German ties are very important today. I remember going on an exchange in Germany and as soon as I arrived the mom of my host family said "I hope you know we're not Nazis" and I was so surprised like I would never have assumed such a thing haha.
I didn‘t expect this video to make me cry but I should have known better. I relate to the „grateful“ of the embassy worker to my core, the shame and sadness we feel even three generations later (I’m 27) is hard to explain to people my age from other countries. It is very moving to see the German Jewish community grow (even in documented form) especially since I understand Jewish people living abroad choosing not to do so. Happy to have you as a fellow German is an understatement ❤ PS: if you need a language buddy let me know!
I'm not from Germany, yet it's my home country of choice. I currently live here and only have a temporary residence permit, but dream of becoming a German citizen one day. For now, I just feel so much joy for you and your fam having such a lovely experience! Can't imagine I'm going to have anything like that, becoming a citizen after living for some years in the country, but it for sure will be a very special and emotional day as well. So thank you for sharing this beautiful event with us!
I’m from Germany and we still feel the collective guilt of our past very deeply and it’s very important for us to remember and learn from it, so it can never happen again. At least the vast majority thinks like this. So what you where saying about this ceremony is true. I’m very glad that you felt comfortable enough to come back in a certain sense.
Herzlich Willkommen to Germany, dear Hannah! My family gave up Judaism during WWII and it’s neither culturally nor religiously celebrated in our family. It’s very sad, as I feel a part of my identity is missing. Such an interesting topic, thanks so much for this video! x
As a German: We are very happy to have you 💖
If you haven't already done this you should also look up the rules for registering to vote in EU elections as a German citizen abroad! It's one of those very practical things that can make you feel more connected to Germany and the EU that a dual citizenship can give. You might even be able to vote in some national elections as well but different countries have very different rules about that, but its worth looking up!
Oh interesting! Will look into it!
@@morehannah I thought this as well, we can use every vote against possible newer fascist intentions (*cough* Italy *cough*)
My immediate family fled Austria in the 1890s due to pogroms, but many family members who stayed behind were murdered in the shoah. I haven't had the heart to visit the country where such terrible things happened to my family and their community. I did look into whether we could get citizenship in Austria, but my relatives fled 30 years or so before the cutoff. Thank you for sharing your story, Hannah!
From one German to another: Herzlich Willkommen Hannah ❤ We're so lucky to have you!
Another practical thing: Since you're German, Rowan is as well, right?
So if he wants to study at university later on, he can come to Germany and do it here, where it's mostly free for citizens, apart from some small fees (about 150-200€ per semester). I know the uni costs are not as high in the UK as in the US, but still higher than in Germay.
As a german this video brought me to tears. What a beautiful video! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and feelings. Ganz viele Grüße aus Deutschland :)
I have good news for you, Hannah! During the pandemic, a lot more shops have started accepting cards (e.g. bakeries, that would previously only accept cash). There are still some shops where you can only pay in cash or where you can only pay by card if you're over a certain sum, usually 10-15€ - my local kebab place (or as we call it: Döner) is one example. So maybe the next time you're here you will be amazed by all the card paying opportunities. :)
Wanted to say the same! I’m not German, but I’m Dutch, and here in the Netherlands we very much use cards everywhere and anywhere; a lot of places don’t use cash anymore. I went on vacation to Berlin some months ago and I did not experience any difficulties with paying by card!
There are major differences in location though. In bavaria most restaurants I visited didn’t allow card payment :(
@@valeryolympia As a Dutch person who studied in Stuttgart, I can say you cannot put both countries in the same boat considering card payments, we're so different. But if it has changed in the last couple of months, then that's a nice change :D
@@valeryolympia as a German living in the Netherlands, the Netherlands are much further when it comes to cash vs card than Germany, it's not really comparable
@@valeryolympia not accepting cash can be a pain in the behind, sometimes, when they don't accept foreign bank cards either. Yes, I've had it happen to me (and no, it's not some exotic bank card, it's a Belgian Bancontact card, Maestro enabled, even). It can happen in reverse, too, I volunteered at a festival this Summer, my ticket booth only took card payments. You guessed it, only Bancontact was enabled, so I had to send the Dutch, French, Italian and Spanish tourists to the only booth where they took cash, at the entrance...
Unfortunately, the Single European Payment Area is still not as single as one would want. And with the new app-based payment options (Tikkie in NL, Payconiq in BE, Swish in Scandinavia, etc), it's even getting worse, at the moment.
the "you should never have not been German" got me so much too, what an amazing ceremony and gesture
I’m only recently finding out about my Jewish and Romani heritage. It’s is so amazing but also harrowing. I found that some died in autschwitz and Bergen Belsen. May their memory be a blessing 🤍
As a German I am very greatful for that particular lady to have been so lovely.
Happy to see the German bureaucracy being cause of some happiness for once. ♥️
I live in Brunswick and I can recommend visiting very much. 😊
I'm a catholic German. Let me send a heartly welcome to you in our communities of EU citizens and of German citizens. I wish that it'll always be a pleasant experience to be Jewish and German for you and your family.
My husband and I moved to Ireland in 2017. We’re both Australian, but his father was born in the UK, and we were originally planning on moving to Bristol until Brexit happened. We reassessed at that point and decided to move to Ireland, it being the only EU country where English was commonly spoken. My ancestry is Irish, but too far back for me to take advantage of any citizenship claims. My great-great-grandparents emigrated to Australia just after the famine as the Australian gold rush was beginning. I was raised very Catholic in a town heavily impacted by the fallout of clerical child abuse, and was initially hesitant to move to a very Catholic country where women’s access to reproductive healthcare was so heavily restricted. Then the Irish referendum for marriage equality made news in Australia and I realised everything was changing here quite rapidly. My husband moved a few months before me, and the first thing he did when he arrived was attend a Repeal protest regarding the abortion ban. Within a year of us arriving it was overturned via referendum. We’ve been here over five years now, have just bought a house, and are about to send off our applications for citizenship.
Why did your description of the ceremony make me cry!!! I’m so happy for you and your family Hannah
As a fellow dual British/German national who grew up in the UK, welcome!!! Half my family are from east Germany too and while I did grow up speaking the language and experiencing some of the culture, I relate to feeling like a bit of an impostor. Especially when I am amongst the half of my family that are german. I kinda feel like I should know more about the culture and have a better vocabulary despite being German on paper. I'm studying (for free!) and living abroad now, as being an EU citizen enables me to do that. I hope that the citizenship re-opens lots of the EU doors, which the UK has decided to shut for its citizens, for you and your family :)
Great to hear you are already familiar with our german bureaucracy doing it's thing at turtle speeds! Welcome, glad to have you!
I have recently been through this process to become a dual Austrian-British citizen (my maternal grandparents both came to the UK as refugees when they were children). Very similar to what you described, with the exception that it was only in 2020 that became legally possible to naturalise as an Austrian as a descendant of someone who was persecuted during the Holocaust - so still incredibly recently! I wanted to thank you for articulating so well some of the complexity and feeling of privilege around it - in my case, I’m using it to live and work in another EU country (because boo Brexit), but it has also made me think more interrogatively about my national and ethnic identity, and question how my grandparents, who are no longer with us, would have felt about it. So thank you!
Hi Hannah, loving Vlognukah so far, I always do! I recently got dual citizenship as well. I’m half Spanish half Welsh, and speak both languages (as well as English). The reason I decided to get the passport was the same as yours, Brexit made me feel it would be a convenient thing to have. However, like you, it turned out to be a more meaningful experience than I thought it would. As someone who speaks the Welsh language, has lived in Wales all their life and has a Welsh accent, I feel my Welshness is always recognised, it is something I am proud of. But I feel that sometimes my Spanish identity gets lost or forgotten, even though it’s a huge part of my home life and culture, sometimes it feels up to my friends only remember that I’m Spanish when they hear me speaking to my family in the language. When I got my dual nationality, it reminded me of times when I had a felt l that I was too Welsh to be Spanish or too Spanish to be Welsh. Even though it’s just a piece of paper it felt like a recognition of my identity and that was more profound than expected, especially having lost my Abuela (Spanish grandmother) not so long ago. She would be proud to know that the culture she passed on to us was being valued. 🥰
I'm Argentinian and got the Polish citizenship in 2019 and I felt that you were describing my almost exact experience. My family is also Jewish and came to Argentina in the 1930s, so my cousins and I got the Polish citizenship from my great-grandfather; we had to get all the papers to prove that we were direct descendants and stuff. My grandparents understood why it's important and useful for us to have a European passport (if you feel like the English economy is shit, welcome to Argentina haha), but they still weren't very happy about it. Unlike the Germans, the Polish are still not very welcoming towards Jewish people, so it felt like a nice "revenge" when almost everyone waiting for the documentation at the embassy was clearly of Jewish origin, it felt like reclaiming a piece of our history that was taken from us.
Is it possible to do this process if my gran passed away?
@@anny3481 I think you can, as long as you have all the papers to prove the relationship, but you should check with your local embassy.
So happy for you and your story! My brother and I went through the same thing in 2019, finally reclaiming it after 5 years of paperwork and struggles. My grandfather was born in Germany and then escaped to the U.S. with his parents when the war broke out as they were Jewish. When we got our citizenship it brought tears to my eyes as I felt my ancestors were so happy knowing they had back what was rightfully theirs, their citizenship. It is difficult seeing myself as a German at times as I didn't grow up there and felt disconnected from society, but that's normal as you spoke of. Learning about the culture and the language helps out so very much I highly recommend it. If you don't have it already be sure to get your German ID card it is amazingly helpful and works as a passport within the schengen area and allows you to get the world renowned german healthcare if you ever move to Germany. Herzliche Glückwünsche! 👏🏻💗
My mum recently got her Dutch citizenship and the ceremony sounded super similar to your own. I also worked in one of the main places that held the Citizenship Ceremonies for New Zealanders' here in Wellington. It was always so so beautiful- everyone who is recieveing New Zealand citizenship is asked to wear cultural dress of their original nationality, and to bring family etc. Each person is then brought on stage and spoken about their journey towards New Zealand citizenship, and it ends with a shared afternoon tea amongst all new New Zealanders! It's super beautiful.
Hei Hannah
Fellow german here, living in berlin and I do definitly see your point about cash but is has gotten better! There are few places that still only accept cash but most places do! It has gotten a lot better in the las 2 years!
Not me crying at work Hannah! This story is so sweet and I'm so happy for you! Congrats ❤
I'm so glad I'm not the only one crying!
Hi Hannah. I have a very similar situation, my granddad was a German Jewish refugee, from Berlin, who came across to the UK on the kinder transport as a child. The rest of his family were not so lucky and were murdered in the Holocaust. When Brexit became on the cards, my Dad and I persude the German citizenship route, like yourself. I feel very honoured to be able to have this citizenship and connection to my family and Jewish routes (and pass to any decendents) but I also have quite complicated feelings about it all. I am aware of the absolute trauma people have to go through to get rights to live in different places in the world, and that i believe it is just chance where your parents womb happens to be and i dont speak German and even when my family was their most Jewish I know it was cultural - rather than religious. Basically, i feel/felt i didnt deserve it, because while my Granddad didnt deserve it to be illegally ripped away from him i didnt do anything to earn it... my Granddad even came to my citizenship ceremony, and was very supportive of us getting it, but he did not seek it for himself.
Not as relevant but also a stockport/mcr girl who spent a lot of time thinking about sex & relationships education! (Despite watching more CZcams than anyone else I know, first time leaving a comment!)
Maybe this thought helps: You owe it to your ancestors to ensure that you and your descendants will be safe. Given current political trends, having the (practically) unconditional right to live in any EU country unfortunately amounts to life insurance, not just a luxury, for Jewish people. Your granddad is too old to need it, but of course he wanted you to have it.
@@johaquila that is very helpful! Thank you.
If you think about it, you also didn't do anything to 'earn' to be born in the UK, so I think it makes sense that you also take the second citizenship of your ancestors.
@@lifeandotherthings123 oh totally agree on that i guess the difference i feel is due to actively seeking one as opposed to just having it.
Seeing the title of this video made me so happy! As a German, I can only echo the sentiment of the lady who gave you your certificate: I'm glad and grateful to have you and your family (and any other person who gets naturalized) join us! Hearing you talk about what this means to you made me really emotional - you're right that Germany has done a lot in terms of reperations, but we also still have a long way to go.
I'm also really happy to hear that your family received Stolpersteine (stumbling stones - the name of the golden cobble stones with their names that you were referencing) in their home town!
Hannah I feel all of this so much. I got my Portuguese citizenship also thanks to a repatriation of Jewish people (15th century so it's a weird one but still), and I literally cried when I got it. The relief and acknowledgment was overwhelming. I'm so happy for you and your family.
Very articulate and interesting! Best of luck to you and your family!
Hi Hannah, thank you so much for the video. I'm in a very similar family position that my Jewish great grandmother fled Nazi Germany, but she married an English man. I tried to do the application process a few years ago but because I couldn't prove the direct link within 2 generations I gave up. Your video has given me a renewed spark to do it, and maybe I'll be German in a few years time too 😊
P.S. I lived in a town called Trier for 9 months as part of my uni course studying German and it's my absolute favourite German place to visit - would highly recommend visiting!
Merry Christmas to you and your family as well as Happy C'hanukkah
This is a very special video. Thank you for sharing. I'm thrilled for you.
Such an interesting video! Thank you for sharing this with us.
Hi Hannah, chag sameach! My grandmother is from Romania and I'm thinking about getting a Romanian passport, so this video is helpful. It is also interesting to hear about your family history.
Hey, thank you for sharing!
I am from Germany. My german grandmother did loose her german citizenship during world war 2, too. She married a czech man, who was forced to work in Germany by the nazis (my grandpa) and then lost all her rights and was no longer german in their eyes. It was not as bad und horrifying as being jewish during that time, but it was not easy as well.
The german government took many years to be gracious to give back citizenships, because my hole family only gained their rightful german citizenship again in the eighties, when My mother applied for it. Before then they were „Displaced Persons“ and had no citizenship of any Country at all. And nobody ever told them, that they had a Right to be german again.
A lot has changed since then, but it was a long process for germany as a country.
Loved this video. Thank you. I’m Turkish but my grandma is Bulgarian. While of course my situation is very different, it made me appreciate listening to your experience and perspective even more. Thank you for sharing.
And I feel/used to feel very self-conscious talking about my Bulgarian heritage because I’m not an expert on political history etc. Was feeling a pressure to know everything from every angle if I wanted to share my pov. But this video kind of helped me get over that shame too, and reminded the importance of our individual lived experiences and perspectives, and the value of sharing them.
I'm so so happy for you and your family! This has also been a very informative and helpful video - my grandmother is German and I had been told by a relative that her descendents could not apply for dual citizenship as we did not speak the language fluently. I'd kind of assumed they were right and not looked into it further, but after watching your video I've looked into it again and it seems it would actually be possible as long as my mum does it too. Thank you so much for bringing it to my attention, and hannukah sameach!!
I'm so excited for you and your family, Hannah! What has been lost in the past can obviously never be returned, but I love that now you all have the opportunity to create something new! I was born in Germany while my dad was stationed there and spent the first two years of my life in Germany/traipsing around Europe, but sadly came away from it with no dual citizenship, language, or memories of it. I've got fairly well-documented German and Swiss heritage on my dad's side, so I'm hoping to be able to go back to visit one day when Plague isn't everywhere.
Wuhuuu! I also have dual citizenship! My family emigrated to Chile in the 30th. My grandparents did pass the lenguage and some traditions on, and now I'm trying to continue some of those with my family 😊 I think it's kinda cool and fun to have this latin-european culture mix xD
I watched cabaret last night so watching this now feels very serendipitous. Congrats to you and your family.
Even before you said it was a moving ceremony, I felt tears coming to my face. I'm not Jewish nor German. But I empathise with what you. I'm so glad for you and your family!!
this made me cry, I’m so glad you were able to do this Hannah!! I’m Jewish, but our family doesn’t really know anything about our history other than the fact that my Nans dad was Lithuanian, as he never spoke about his past. Loving Vlognukkah so far, these videos are some of my favourite of yours💛💛💛
I’ve worked at a citizenship ceremony before an it is very humbling and emotional. People pour a lot of energy into gaining it, and it can be a financial risk too if it’s rejected. The idea that ppl think you can just swan in to the country and gain citizenship on the door is completely untrue and as you’ve proved can take years xx
Herzlich Willkommen ❤ I'm so glad you had such a positive experience!
This makes me so emotional! I have a similar story with my Jewish great grandparents/grandfather who came to Australia after the Second World War from Poland. Although I never met this people I feel a deep connection to that part of my family, and it means a lot to be able to learn about Jewish culture through your videos, Hannah!
This was so interesting, as someone with a very similar family history (my German grandparents met in London) and about to apply for citizenship as well! I am very glad that family members have done the hard part for me already!
Hi Hannah, what an incredible story. I identify with a lot of the things you said as I have a similar family story and also have dual citizenship. It is incredible how now people living in different parts of the world can have similar backgrounds. My grandparents were also from germany and escaped just in time before the war.
I do feel the same about how I live judaism, and how my parents and grandparents did. I agree it does change from generation to generation and it is a bit tricky to navigate it, but maybe that's my personal story.
Loved the video! All the best!
Congratz! this video is very heartwarming. /side very nice earrings!
My Grandad was Hungarian and came to the UK before the war (then couldn't go back). I am eligible to be a Hungarian citizen and have been thinking about it for a long time, even pre-Brexit. I would love to know more about and connect with my Hungarian heritage.
Think about it long and hard because the situation in Hungary is honestly not much better.
I could get Polish citizenship I'm German and queer and definitely won't be going through this.
I'm in a similar boat! My grandad is Hungarian and moved to the UK in the early 50s. But I think through wanting to assimilate into the UK he passed very little of the language, food, history, and general culture to my dad who passed even less down to me. So whilst I think I could become a citizen, I share similar thoughts to Hannah in that I don't feel Hungarian enough, I only have my surname and my grandad's experience
Warm hellos from a Hungarian!
Despite our.... Less than welcoming and positive stance in the international community, let me assure you that many of us are really happy to hear people taking about their Hungarian heritage! Many, many people emigrated during WW1, then WW2, then 1956, but it is no surprise that a lot of those escaping the country did not feel like they could pass on the beautiful language or our traditions.
It's complicated, nowadays, to fully contemplate what being a Hungarian is, but disregarding the mess of the past decade and the current events, ours is a great history with many turns and our culture is lovely.
Please don't hesitate to research it further if you actually want to connect with it more, I promise there is good and beautiful there too (lol)
And also the language is gorgeous!
My national identity feels odd! Im offically a French citizen only however I have lived in the UK since I was 2 and so its the main cultural influence for me despite speaking French at home. Plus, my dad is Polish and so that feels like part of my identity even though I dont speak the language. I often feel like I dont really belong anywhere but that I belong in all 3 countries at the same time. Its a strange experience but Im proud to be from a mixed multicultural background
This is a beautiful story Hannah, and so interesting to hear how you feel getting your German citizenship. I'm a Canadian that lives in the UK, and will be getting my Ancestry Visa this year, as my grandma was born in the UK. I feel like I'm making a little circle, and absolutely love hearing my grandma talk about growing up in the UK and moving to Canada. I feel very connected to her.
Hi Hannah, I'm in a very similar position to you, but I have not yet gone through this process, though I have been meaning to for quite a few years (likewise since Brexit). My Grandma was sent over here to the UK in 1933 by her parents due to the anti-semitism she was facing at school (she was 12). She died in 2018 at the age of 97.
Everything you said about what it means to you really resonated and has made me even more determined to go through with it. My aunt and a couple of cousins have gone through the process, so I wonder if I could attach my application to theirs in some way, as you did with your grandma. There's been so much going on the last few years, I still haven't made time to talk to them about it.
I did German for GCSE, but it's mostly gone from my head, so I've been using Duolingo. I'm on a 314-day streak so far!
I also feel very disconnected from my Jewishness, and this would go a little way to helping with that. You mentioned the Jewishness getting watered down over the generations, but for me my mum never had any interest in passing any of the traditions down (which is completely her prerogative and absolutely fine), which means I only have a few vague memories of going to synagogue with my grandma a handful of times as a child and teenager, and of lighting the Hanukkah candles at her house a couple of times. Other than that, I have no knowledge of Jewish cultural or religious practices, even though my mum has always been very clear in making sure I know we're Jewish and to assert my Jewishness.
I've been meaning to talk to some other Jewish people local to me, but I live in Scotland now, which has a very low Jewish population. Despite not being religious, I'd love to have a closer connection with my Jewishness and continue with some of the practices that various groups have tried so hard to eradicate in the last few centuries/millennia.
Anyway, thanks for this video! It's very relevant to me and very interesting too. Congrats on your citizenship!
SO COOL! Thanks for sharing!!
I was six when my parents got their German citizenship (I was born here so it was easier) and the only thing I remember is the little ceremony they did for them and how moved my parents were. Also: massive props to your grandma for getting this process started!!!
Congrats and welcome!
fully unexpectedly sobbing at this! so beautiful
Thanks for those interesting and moving insights! Greetings from Germany
Thank you for sharing this with us!
So happy for you and your mum Hannah! 🥳 Also thank you for sharing your and your families story. It's so funny that you mentioned Munich. I'm also German living on the Bavarian countryside atm and I personally didn't clicked with Munich at all but everybody's taste is different. In August this year, I stayed for three weeks in London (vlogging, house and pet sitter job etc.) and couldn't believe at the beginning that I can pay literally EVERYTHING by card haha. I'd say more and more places in Germany take cards now so there's a shift happening but in doubt just ask in the stores etc. when you enter if they take them.
Congratulations Hannah! This made me really emotional, especially the bit about the woman expressing her gratitude. I am married to a German and Brexit was also a deciding factor for us but it was the best decision I've ever made. I've loved living there and learning the language. I lived near Munich, it's a nice city but the best of Bavaria is the forests and Alps further south! Berchtesgaden is a must see. "I bims" (ee bims) means "it me" customs will love it haha.
Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Hannah! I'm German, too and what the lady said at the ceremony really resonated with me and I'm grateful, too.
The cash situation has changed quite a bit during the pandemic. I use my debit card for almost everything, I can't even remember the last time I had to pay cash. Even on the Christmas market they accepted my card (but one shop wouldn't have accepted a credit card).
This video really resonates with me…I’m in the process of claiming Polish citizenship for myself, my dad and my cousin, and therefore have dual nationality. My grandad had to leave Poland when Hitler invaded - he met my nan in Essex when he was posted here with the army and never left. I’ve been doing the application process and it’s been so interesting going through all his military documents etc.
I feel really proud to claim our heritage and also get round Brexit, which devastated me as I see myself as an EU citizen rather than just British.
Hopefully it will all go through smoothly and we’ll be picking up our passports soon and going for celebratory pierogi!
Well done on getting your German passport!
How was it getting your Polish citizenship? I’ve contemplated it for years but my dad isn’t keen for it so I kind of gave up
@@srmedias4545 I haven’t got it just yet - going through the process at the moment. I have all the paperwork to prove the lineage back to my grandad (marriage, birth certificates etc) and have been working with a citizenship expert based in Poland who has been amazing. The current wait time to get a decision once you’ve submitted all the paperwork to the office in Warsaw is 6-9 months.
My family is going through the application process at the minute, also British with German-Jewish grandparents. So cool to hear about someone going through the same process! Thank you for making this video!
My partner is half Irish and half Scottish and is in the process of sorting out duel citizenship... It's been a process since their grandparents have been in the UK since the late 40s/early 50s.
Herzlichen Glückwunsch! What a moving story. I'm glad you're having such a positive experience with becoming/being German. 😊 Please note that 'East Germany' refers to the GDR while 'eastern Germany' refers to just the geographic location. May I ask a naughty question: What's it like being part of the EU again? 😂
West Germany and western Germany both sound like refering to the old BRD to my ears. I usually say in the west of Germany, to make it clear, I mean the geographical region. Or I say geographic west/east Germany. I wonder whether people from other countries can understand, why this is even important nowadays, 33 years after the fall of they wall. That there is still unequal pay, pention and job opportunities between both parts. That almost all my professors or bosses are from West Germany even though I've lived in the east because people from East Germany were suddenly no longer allowed to work in their profession after the fall of the wall. So they had to start new careers and couldn't climb the career as high because they didn't have as much experience in the field as people who came to take the middle and higher positions in the 90s.
@@emmynoether9540 Interesting. I've been told that East/West Germany refers to the political Germanies by native speakers of BE and AE (former lecturers of mine). It makes sense to me, but then again English is my second language... Your comment reminds me that I need to see and experience eastern germany for myself. I have spent most of my life in the west and the south and was told family stories about life 'on the other side'.
I hope this means you'll get to celebrate more Jewish holidays etx with Rowan! I was saddened in video before about Dan not wanting to when it's obviously huge to your family! Congrsts on the citizenship!
Such a lovely and heartwarming video :D I'm French and South African, french father and South African mom. It's also a bit of a funnyone because we are white, so absolutly nobody ever understands why I'm south african. It's a bit of a complicated one also for me, because I haven't lived there (I did do an internship in Cape Town before Covid) and because off the history of the country. So over the last years, I've done my best to learn about the history of the country, before colonization, during Apartheid and after. I made a graphic novel to finish of my master's using testimonies from the Truth and reconciliation commission :) It's a little stone in the road of understanding my mother's country.
Omg thank you for putting this out! This is my background too but then my family emigrated again to Australia. My cousin recently did this and I have been thinking of trying to!
long story haha
This made me so happy for some reason :'). I'm Swiss German, People from my part of the Country try their hardest to push their Europeanness away and some openly resent those parts of our Culture that link us to Germany (Most of our TV is German, we speak it in Schools and it's technically our mother tongue as Swiss German is more like a dialect, but again some folks here would love to fight me for that statement) I've always had a soft spot for Germany though and felt much more connected to their history and culture than ours, especially because I used to work in the Book industry (again hugely revolving around Germany). Therefore always felt more European/ German-ish than Swiss for most of my life.
So as a German speaker - we're happy to have you! :) some suggestions: Southern Germany (Baden-Württemberg/ Black Forest) is a lovely part of the country, and for learning German: try to get your hands on some Beginner language learning books to get a good introduction into the language, it's complicated at first but gets easier once you get the gist (used to teach German to refugees, it sure isn't an easy language), and that's hard to achieve through apps like Duolingo.
Happy Learning! Alles Liebe!
It was so interesting watching this video and I related a lot to what you were saying Hannah. I live in Northern Ireland, I'm British Irish and for years it's been something I've felt so conflicted about. On one hand I'm protestant and on the other hand I'm Irish and juggling these two identities, especially given the history of Britain in Ireland, can be really difficult, so it was super interesting hearing your perspective :) x
I loved this episode of Vlognukkah, Hannah, and congrats on your naturalisation! To answer your question posed at the end, I'm a dual citizen of the US and Israel because my mom is an Israeli citizen, even though I've lived in the states my whole life. However, as you might know, Israel has a compulsory draft, so I would say my dual citizenship felt real for me when I had to find a way to get out of that whole situation (which is a story for another day and definitely not a CZcams comment). Happy Hanukkah and I hope Rowan is enjoying his first holiday season!
Congratulations and welcome! I can only second that we are grateful to have you. I have to admit, I was not familiar with this scheme and got really curious when I saw the title. I do absolutely agree that you should always have been a German citizen and it is your right, even if the motivation is just a practical one. A lot of second or third generation immigrants will probably relate to the loss of language and cultural identity, but that doesn't make you or them frauds in any way. Whether you decide to learn the language or come live here or not, I'm glad you chose Germany as a home (Heimat) and a part of your identity. I remember very vividly how we learned about specific Jewish people who swore to never return to German soil or speak German or call themselves German, even if their Germaness felt more important to them than their Jewishness before the Nazis. I am also very glad your great-grandmother got to live to 104. Willkommen!
As someone who is currently going through french naturalisation, for not nearly as moving a reason as yours, I still totally get the feeling of it being unexpectedly emotional. Congratulations 🎉
Congratulations on becoming a German citizen!🎉
I love the fact that you were given the paperwork for Rowan to become a citizen as well because it’s one of the most German things to always have paperwork that you need to fill out lol.
Munich is very stereotypically German in the architecture, culture etc so going there would definitely be a fun experience I think! But I’d also recommend two more underrated cities: Rostock, a charming little city on the Baltic coast and Tübingen, a picturesque southern small city/town (which is especially beautiful in winter).
This bit about being grateful brought me to tears. I really didn’t think it was going to get me.
Herzlich willkommen! / Willkommen zurück!
Congratulations on your dual citizenship and thanks for sharing your family history. My mum is German, my dad is British (I am British-German too) and I grew up in Berlin so it's particularly interesting to hear your story. My German side of the family weren't Jewish, my British great-grandparents were and fled from Poland before WWII. Unfortunately, the Jewish heritage and culture never was passed on, so thanks for sharing about your partly Jewish upbringing. Some tips for Germany aside from Berlin: try and see the Alps (Southern Bavaria), lake Constance and the island of Rügen at the Baltic Sea. All the best for you and your family :)
I have never thought about this issue before this video, but it is so interesting to hear about! I'm glad you were able to connect more with your roots. The things you said about not feeling "real" because of not having grown up in the culture is relatable to me, as someone who is part sami (a minority in northern Norway, sweden and Finland) living in Norway. My father never learned the language, so he couldnt teach me, which makes it difficult to connect to that part of me and feel "real". Its partly because the sami culture and language was actively surpressed and discriminated against, so a lot was lost for many people of my generation.
Hi Hannah, as a German I am happy to hear that it was such a positive experience to get your dual citizenship. And in my mind the word grateful fits really well to what you are describing, it definitely describes my personal feelings on the issue.
In terms of cities, I can recommend checking out Cologne, the Rhineland area is considered the Mediterranean of Germany in terms of mentality, people are very open and friendly - which is normally maybe not the first thing people think of when thinking of Germans :) Also in terms of travel, Cologne is perfect because it’s only a 5-6 hour journey with the Eurostar from London and the German ICE train. In my own experience it is about the same time as flying (with getting to and from the airport etc.), is a lot less stressful, pretty easily done with a baby (I don’t have children but my friend does it regularly) and of course a lot more climate friendly.
Concerning cash culture - this has gotten a lot better with the pandemic, more places accept card. However, I feel like that Berlin especially has a lot more cash culture than all the other bigger German cities. I think this is how the original Berlin people rebel against all the hipster people who flood the City.
Best wishes! Louisa
Dutch American dual citizen, very grateful for that EU passport! Growing up in the US, I always felt that I wanted to leave and never felt at home. I never imagined myself staying in one place more than 5 years because of it, but since moving to the Netherlands 4 years ago I finally feel at home. It's wild what a different culture and having extended family and a solid group of friends can change your whole outlook!
Fascinating. Thank you for sharing and congratulations! I have some cousins which are dual nationals (uk/Chile, and uk/estonia)
Your description of europe and what it means to be apart of it was really nice, i feel the same