Ratzlaff, Eric L. (1911-1988)
Eric L. Ratzlaff: teacher and editor; born the sixth of eight children on 8 August 1911 in the village of Deutsch Wymysle, Poland, to Leonhard Peter Ratzlaff (18 January 1880 – 12 August 1946, Stettin, Pomerania) and Anna (Wohlgemuth) Ratzlaff (25 August 1875, Deutsch Wymysle, Poland – 31 August 1946, Dueringhausen, Germany). On 1 June 1935 he was married to Lydia Ratzlaff (11 June 1912, Deutsch Wymysle, Poland - 19 June 2010, Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada) in the Mennonite Brethren Church of Deutsch Wymysle by Eric’s father, who was the leading elder (Ältester). Lydia was the daughter of Franz Ratzlaff (1876–1945) and Anna (Kliewer) Ratzlaff (1876–1966). Eric and Lydia had 6 children: Richard, Frank, Trudy, Heinz, Leonard, and Alice. Eric died 18 October 1988 in Abbotsford, British Columbia.
Eric was baptized and joined the church on 23 July 1928. In 1932, Eric obtained a teacher training degree (B. Ed) at the Teacher Training College in Ostrzeszow, Poland. He taught school in various villages in Poland.
During World War II Ratzlaff participated in the Nazi administration in the Gąbin region, and he was active in Nazi party activities between 1939 and 1940. He was the Ortsgruppenleiter (local group leader) of the NSDAP (Nationalsocialistische Deutsche Partei), even though he was not a party member at the time. He later became a member. Ratzlaff also served as Amtskommissar (chief civil administrator) in Gabin, and in that capacity invited other Mennonites to move into properties expropriated from Jews. While serving in this role, Ratzlaff was known to carry around a whip to terrorize Jews and force them to bow to him. Ratzlaff was also a member of the Gąbin self-defense unit, as well as the SA (Sturmabteilung), a paramilitary group serving the Nazi administration. Several years later, after immigrating to Canada, Eric expressed remorse for his actions. However, the matter appears to have never been addressed in any public forum.
On 27 October 1942 Eric was drafted into military service in the German army. On 13 May 1945, he was taken as a prisoner of war in Czechoslovakia and in June of 1946, through contacts he made with relatives in Canada, he was reunited with his family in Germany. From June 1947 until August 1948 the family stayed at the International Relief Organization Camp Fallingbostel in Gronau, Germany. This camp was operated by Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) and Eric was engaged in a variety of camp activities, most notably ministry to the many children and young people in the camp.
On 19 July 1948 the family boarded the Dutch ship M.S. Tabinta in Rotterdam and disembarked in Quebec City on 29 July 1948, after which they traveled by train to Calgary and then by car to Acme, where Eric worked from August 1948 to February 1951 as a laborer and farmer. The family moved to Arnold, British Columbia and from 1951 to 1954 Eric worked in a variety of jobs including working away from the family in the construction industry in Vancouver.
From 1954 to 1967 he taught at the Mennonite Educational Institute in Abbotsford, British Columbia, primarily in the areas of German language, religion and church history. Through courses at Surpass Pacific College in Vancouver, summer sessions at the University of British Columbia and correspondence and extension courses Eric was able to upgrade his training and was able to obtain a permanent teaching certificate. Eric was remembered as an interesting teacher who enlivened his lessons with accounts of some of the experiences of his life. From 1962 to 1966 he served as the announcer of the Stimme des Evangeliums radio program, aired on KARI in Blaine, Washington.
From 1967 to 1979 he served as editor of Die Mennonitische Rundschau, the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren (MB) Churches' periodical for German-speaking members.
Eric had a keen interest in the history of the Mennonites in Poland. He wrote the book Im Weichselbogen (Christian Press) in 1971. He also published a genealogy of the families that used to live in his home village entitled Familienregister, published in 1971. Eric was involved in writing and editing many publications including life stories, sermons, and commentaries by well-known Mennonite authors, preachers and Bible teachers.
On 13 January 1974, the Winnipeg Central MB Church ordained Eric to the ministry. In December 1979 Eric began serving as commentator and program coordinator for the German radio program, Licht des Evangelium. This continued for a few years until the program was discontinued. In February 1981, Eric and Lydia moved back to Abbotsford. They joined the Clearbrook MB Church where Eric served in various ministries, including writing a book of the history of the church (1986) and serving on the pulpit committee.
Eric will be remembered for his love for God, the church, his students, his colleagues, and his family. He will also be remembered for his involvement with the Nazi movement during World War II.
Bibliography
"Deaths: Lydia Ratzlaff." Mennonite Brethren Herald (September 2010): 32.
Neufeldt, Colin. "Mennonite Collaboration with Nazism: A Case Study of the Responses of Mennonites in Deutsch Wymyschle, Poland, to the Plight of Local Jews during the Early Nazi Occupation Period (1939-1942)." European Mennonites and the Holocaust. Ed. Mark Jantzen and John D. Thiessen. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2020, 172-201.
Archival Records
In 1989 the family donated the personal papers of Eric L. Ratzlaff to the Centre for Mennonite Brethren Studies in Winnipeg.
| Author(s) | Heinz Ratzlaff |
|---|---|
| Richard D Thiessen | |
| Date Published | January 2023 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Ratzlaff, Heinz and Richard D Thiessen. "Ratzlaff, Eric L. (1911-1988)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. January 2023. Web. 21 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Ratzlaff,_Eric_L._(1911-1988)&oldid=179650.
APA style
Ratzlaff, Heinz and Richard D Thiessen. (January 2023). Ratzlaff, Eric L. (1911-1988). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 21 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Ratzlaff,_Eric_L._(1911-1988)&oldid=179650.
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