Spotswood High School teachers Dianna Altmiller (l) and Frank Yusko discuss the professional-quality photographs of Nazi Germany that Kim Ciak (r) of East Brunswick recently discovered in her late grandfather’s attic. It is believed that he somehow acquired the photos in Europe during the closing days of World War II. ERIC SUCAR staff “I had no clue what they were,” Ciak said of the slide-sized photos that belonged to her late grandfather, Julius Dobrzynski, who served with the U.S. Army during World War II.
However, she did know who could help her unravel the mystery: Frank Yusko, her former high school history teacher. Yusko was Ciak’s teacher more than 25 years ago at St. Mary’s High School (now Cardinal McCarrick) in South Amboy. Yusko now teaches at Spotswood High School. So, she emailed her former teacher.
“He was the first person I thought of. I know he’s very good at finding things out historically,” Ciak said, “He said, ‘Bring them down.’”
There, Yusko shared the photos with Spotswood High School German teacher Dianna Altmiller. They determined the photos were of the 1936 Nuremberg Rally. The set of 100 photos are missing 20 (the photos are numbered) and are likely part of a commemorative book that Nazi party loyalists would have been proud to display, Altmiller said. That book also would have had speeches, maps and other materials from the rally.
“We were like, ‘Wow,’” Altmiller said of Yusko’s and her reaction to the photos.
The photos, she said, are stereoscopic, which means they are meant to be seen with a 3-D viewer. The intended effect, she said is for people to “feel like you were there.” A special viewer, she said, would have been included with the complete book.
Also of note, Altmiller said, is who took the photos: Otto Schönstein, an independent, Nazi sympathizer who had his own photography studio.
Ciak, Altmiller and Yusko all said it was surreal to see the photographs, which, because they were wrapped in linen in a hope chest, are in excellent condition. “They had been preserved very well,” Yusko said.
But it was the content that truly affected them.
“They were very creepy,” Altmiller said.
“It really hits home when you see something like that,” Ciak said, adding, “It was quite interesting to find out what they were.” She said she has no idea how her grandfather acquired the photos. Both Yusko and Altmiller said members of the military often collected whatever souvenirs they came upon in their travels.
Yusko and Altmiller did share the photos with their classes before returning them to Ciak. “It was definitely a good education tool,” Yusko said. Altmiller said her students were struck by seeing other
teenagers who were coerced into joining the Nazi party. “It was expected of them to join these organizations,” she said.
Yusko was gratified that his former student reached out to him with her discovery. “I was deeply touched,” he said.
The teachers also encouraged Ciak to keep looking for the missing 20 photos, whether it means looking through her own storage spaces or reaching out to others on the Internet. So far, Ciak said, she has not had any luck finding the additional photos.
But Yusko is optimistic that someone else may have the missing photos.
“You’d be amazed what people pull out of the attic,” he said.
Yusko strongly encouraged Ciak to reach out to museums or similar organizations so that others may appreciate the historical value of the photos.
“These are pictures that would definitely be of great interest,” he said.
But to Ciak, they hold an additional value: sentimental.
“I don’t have too much of my grandfather’s [mementos],” she said, adding that she hasn’t made up her mind but might pursue sharing them with a museum or library someday. “Right now I think I’m holding on to them.”