the best of the best of kit 1989-90 vol i-ii

7/31/2019 The Best of The Best of KIT 1989-90 Vol I-II

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face-to-face. My search for classmates or others in my daughter Xavie's age group isgradually paying off, although I am still eagerly searching for more names of peopleher age -- she would have been 33 this year.... Perhaps, as we continue with thisnewsletter, it will become a way for others of you to share your experiences. Pleaseremember to write to me with any current addresses or contacts or corrections youmight have. It's been wonderful talking with you all!Addresses or 'In' or 'Out' info needed for: Charlie Masterson, Wendy Rimes, AlanStevenson & children, Steve Button (at chiropracter's school Chicago), Miriam ButtonLong Island, Harold Goree, Jonathan Clement, Michael Gneiting, Pedro Gneiting,Alfredo Gneiting, a son of Claude & Billie Nelson in Washington State, DickWareham, Scott Wareham, Doris Greaves, Ruth Dodd, Mary Worth, Jack Melancon,Joel Clement, Joy Jones (Ft Langley BC), Jack Warren, Esther Tabor, Dave Noble,Elizabeth Johnson, Andrew Szilard, Anne Gale and Hans Wiehler, the Trembleyfamily, the Dietsch family, Mike & Linda Cahoon, the Horning family, MatthewMcAdams, Tim McAdams, Marlene Wegner Gelman, Hans Wegner, Gisela Wegner

Anderson, Margot Wegner, David & Rae Whitehead, Alan & Sue Wiser, Charlie Jory,Walter Bennett, Walter Illingworth, George (Eddie) Halliwell, Edmund Cocksedge,The Welhams.

Leonard Pavitt writes: Since reading the 'Round Robin' and seeing the list of names, Irealize that as one who left in 1959 before the "Exodus' that I have never known justhow many left then or since. But I sat down and, partly from the list and partly frommemory, counted up to 71 ex- members who I know for sure spent a minimum of 20years as full members of the Bruderhof. Quite a few of them actually spent severalyears more than that, and I have not counted the many full members who had been

with us for less than 20 years simply because I had no way of knowing how long thevarious folk had been members. This means that those who were either expelled orleft, disillusioned, have together put well over 1500 years of work into helping tobuild the Bruderhof communities. When the Bruderhof write their history, whatmention will they make of these 1500 or more years? Will we rate a chapter headedperhaps "The Bruderhof's 1500- Year Debt?" I rather doubt it. I feel that sometime,out of simple justice, it whould be put down in black and white, not only just how bigthe 'Exodus' was, but also how big the contribution to the building-up of the Bruderhofcommunities was, from those who were put out. They also gave their all -- homes and

money, the company of much love family and friends. They also, to paraphrase thewords of a dear friend's poem, "Worked 'til the hot sweat poured down their faces."They also "did not fear that the sun would beat them down." And what's more, after allthose years, they had the courage to start their lives all over again, from nothing, 20years older, no job references, and many with children to support. They don't deserveto be just scattered to the four winds, and their sacrifices and courage completelyforgotten.

Ramon Sender: The Bruderhof's publication ofTorches Rekindledprovides anexcellent opportunity for all of us to comment and discuss some of the issues

mentioned. The book describes Heini Arnold as The Suffering Servant who nevermeant to deal harshly with anyone, but just was not at Primavera for the massexclusions. Hans Zumpe of course is presented as the arch-fiend, conveniently not

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around to defend himself. Also, it does a great disservice to the memory GwynnEvans, because it quotes in toto a letter of repentance which he later retracted in asecond letter, claiming that the first was written under much emotional duress. Thebook calls out for some sort of published rebuttal, and may give the impetus needed tocollect the stories of many of the Bruderhof 'wanderers' into a second volume. Untilsuch a project becomes a reality, I will be glad to make this newsletter available as aforum for critiques of and amendments to the official story.

One sentence that especially stuck in my mind from the time when Primaverawas sold for a quarter of a million dollars: "The receipt of money from the salecovered travel and many other expenses and helped us send as much as we could toour people who were away." I would be interested to know how many membersexcluded at that time received any financial help from the community. As far as Iknow, the Bruderhof's attitude towards excluded members has always been "sink orswim." Occasionally I have heard of the first month's rent being paid on an apartment,but at least in the USA the advice to an excluded family was "go apply for Welfare

(aid to needy mothers and children)." I bring this up not in a muckraking spirit, but outof a feeling that the Bruderhof may not be facing up to something very wrong in theway they practice church discipline...

Loy McWhirter: My family was one of the many who were left to "sink or swim" afterleaving. Mostly we sank, and I don't know if I will ever come to forgive the Bruderhoffor their part in the destruction of my parents and siblings... The Bruderhof powers-that-be purposely destroyed my father's emotional well-being before we left and henever recovered. He is dead now, so no amends can be made... but I am slowlycoming back to life and I am very angry. I know that what they did was a most

obscene form of bloodless torture. It was done in the name of God and Jesus to thechildren who did not choose the life, as well as to those who did 'choose,' if one cancall mind control a matter of choice (emotional and spiritual blackmail).

Ramon: I have been reading John Bradshaw's two books,Bradshaw On: The FamilyandHealing The Shame That Binds You.... Just a few quotes:

"One of the most insidious and toxically shamingdistortions of many religions is the denial of secondarycausality. What this means is that according to somechurch doctrines, the human will is inept. There isNOTHING man can do that is of any validity. Of himself,man is a worm. Only when God works through him doesman become restored to dignity. But it is never anythingthat man does himself. The theology here is abortive ofany true doctrine of Judeo/Christianity. Most main-lineinterpretations see man as having secondary causality...Man's will is effective. In order to receive grace, manmust be willing to accept the gift of faith. After acceptance,

man's will plays a major role in the sanctification process.The abortive interpretation sees man as totally flawed anddefective. Of himself, he can only sin. Man is shame-based




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to the core."...

Bradshaw also quotes Alice Miller'sPoisonous Pedagogy rules, from which we haveall suffered to a greater or lesser extent:

1. Adults are the masters of the dependent child.

2. They determine in godlike fashion what is right and what is wrong.3. The child is held responsible for the parents' anger.4. The parents must always be shielded.5. The child's life-affirming feelings pose a threat to the autocratic adult.6. The child's will must be "broken" as soon as possible.7. All this must happen at a very early age so that the child"Won't notice" and will therefore not be able to expose the adult.

Such beliefs about the parents' absolute power stem from the time of monarchs

and kings. They are pre- democratic... They presuppose a world of eternal laws... Thepoisonous pedagogy justifies abusive methods for suppressing children's vitalspontaneity: physical beatings, lying, duplicity, manipulation, scare tactics,withdrawal of love, isolation and coercion to the point of torture. All of these methodsare toxically shaming.

Another aspect of (Alice Miller's) 'poisonous pedagogy' is to impart to the childfrom the beginning false information and beliefs that are not only unproven, but insome cases, demonstrably false. These are beliefs passed on from generation togeneration ('sins of the fathers'). Again I refer to Miller who cites examples of suchbeliefs:

1. A feeling of duty produces love2. Hatred can be done away with by forbidding it.3. Parents deserve respect because they are parents.4. Children are undeserving of respect simply because they are children.5. Obedience makes a child strong.6. A high degree of self-esteem is harmful.7. A low degree of self-esteem makes a person altruistic.8. Tenderness (doting) is harmful.9. Responding to a child's needs is wrong.10. Severity and coldness towards a child gives him a good preparation for life.11. A pretense of gratitude is better than honest ingratitude.12. The way you behave is more important than the way you really are.13. Neither parents nor God would survive being offended.14. The body is something dirty and disgusting.15. Strong feelings are harmful.16. Parents are creatures free of drives and guilt.17. Parents are always right.

Loy McWhirter: I feel that we have to tell the truth of our stories to stop the (mindcontrol) machines. Ours was/is very insidious because it (HSOB) looks so good tooutsiders -- such a shining example, and with many of the ideals any 'conscious




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person' should aspire to.People who do you wrong at random is painful. People systematically

destroying your self in the name of some ideology, whatever it may be -- Christian,satanic, militaristic, whatever, is survivable only if you capitulate and lose yourself, ordisassociate -- 'break.' When you are a child subjected to ritualized/systematizeddestruction of the self, you have no self-protection to fall back on, or no memorystrong enough of who you were to sustain you. You have to break or die, physically,emotionally, mentally and/or spiritually.

Ramon Sender: (responding to a letter from Duffy & Susie Black) Sometimes, dearDuffy, I wonder if we're talking about the same Bruderhof. You talk about your"gratefulness for the experience during the years we lived together." And Susie of the'riches' she felt she received. And you really swallowed the Torches Rekindledapologia for Heini? I'm sorry, but I can't go along with that. I agree that Heini had a lotof charisma, but unfortunately he used it to serve his own ends. It seems to me as if

you have woven a web of sweetness and light around your memories and are notreally facing some of the starker truths about the closed religious system which theBruderhof promulgates....

I don't want to get into all my personal ins and outs in a letter to you, but sufficeit to say that, after two rather lengthy replies from Tom Potts, I am still waiting to hearsomething like a recognition on the part of the HSOB that they wounded Xavie deeplyby not allowing her access to her father during her growing up. Also I am still waitingto hear these concerns answered:

1) I received no notice of her engagement and marriage.2) I received no announcements of the births of my grandchildren.

3) I did not receive word of her terminal illness until a month after her death.When Tom asked me why I was writing the book, I answered:

"Of course I am writing it to heal myself of the many yearsof a father's anguish. I hope that other fathers who havebeen cut off from their children by divorce or separationwill find solace in what I write. I also hope that it willconsole parents whose children have joined splinter sectsor cults, and perhaps even give some good advice. I carevery little about my 'reputation' or 'making money,' as

anyone who knows me can testify. Books of the sort Iwrite barely break even financially.The most compelling reason, above all others, is that Ihope the book will encourage the brotherhood to changeinto a more humanistic, compassionate organization forthe sake of my two grandchildren who are growing upthere. And for the sake of those many, many otherBruderhof graduates who have relatives within thecommunities."

I hope the tone of this letter is not too testy, Duffy. But I feel I should emphasize that I

don't think you're really seeing the situation as it is. There are many, many very badlymistreated ex-members and children around. Their voices have not been heard by thecommunities except on a very selective basis. It's time they were listened to, at least




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by others who share their pain...

--------------From The Archives--------------Some readers seem to be unfamiliar with the background of The Great Crisis

except from the HSOB's point of view. The KIT Newsletter archives contain someletters from previous years that may shed some light. The following, dated, December1972, from the ex-Servant of the Word Roger Allain to the Brotherhoods, could just aswell have been written in answer to Torches Rekindled:

You are indignant over the cruel treatment dealt to Heini, Hardi, Hans-Hermann[the three sons of the founder, Eberhard Arnold - ed] and a few others during theirexclusions [in Paraguay in 1941]... But why do you interpret it as almost exclusivelydirected against the Arnolds? Don't you know that dozens of other brothers and sisterswere treated just as cruelly by all of us while (they were) excluded in Primavera,Asuncion or other places?

And what of the cold, careless treatment of many unbaptized, undecided youths

whom we sent away to Asuncion at an immature age without any help? What of thecruel, often brutal, treatment of children whom we excluded for months from schooland family for some minor sexual misdemeanor?. Don't we all share in this collectiveguilt? Why do you, Heini, fail to confess the cruel way you, particularly, treated manychildren when you were aHortner[youth director] and later a Servant in Ibate? Doyou know that several of them, now adults, say you are the brother they feared themost?...

Dear people, even if your letters contained more personal recognitions and fewerattacks against others, they are coming too late for me, and probably for many otherslike me, who have managed to find a new foothold in life and have assumed new

responsibilities. And they are too late to reach those of us who have departed from thislife -- some of them out of a broken heart (I personally know of two members whocommitted suicide as a result of being rejected by the Bruderhof: Felipe Baderssich inUruguay in '61 or '62, and Nicko in Berlin in '62 or '63.) However well-intentionedyour letters may be, I fear they will only exacerbate the differences which separatemany ex-Bruderhofers from your group, instead of leading to the reconciliation youwant...

...Your appeal to our baptismal vows... is to me an idle and fallacious one. Youyourselves ("the five of us from the States: Heini, Doug, Merrill, Gert and I," to quote

from Art's letter) dissolved the old bonds and proceeded to form a new brotherhood.You sent people away, often against their will, under the pretext that they had enteredthe 'church' through the wrong door (and you published this pretext in the press). Tothose few who, like Norah and myself, left in protest, you said yes, it was better thatwe went, and you wasted not one word about our baptismal vows.

In any case, your group (now) is different from the one we joined thirty yearsago, although many members of it belonged to the S.O.B. in Paraguay and in Europe,and you still use the same name. You have left off being a revolutionary worldmovement concerned with God and the whole world, and of significance for it, tobecome engrossed with yourselves and sectarian perfectionism. I remember those of

you with whom I lived in community for years with love and gratitude, I sincerelywish you all well, but I have no further obligation towards you, and you have no claimover me.




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Staughton & Alice Lynd: We are not among those who feel wronged by the HutterianSociety of Brothers. In saying this, we do not mean to distance ourselves from friendswho feel they were wronged. We only mean to say that this was not our experience.Of course there were some particular remarks and particular meetings that hurt us ormade us angry at the time. But anything of this kind is very much outweighed by thefollowing:

We were the only full members of the Macedonia Cooperative Community whodid not join the Bruderhof. After we had left Woodcrest, the Bruderhof made thedecision to sell the Macedonia property. They took the trouble to seek us out, and togive us the opportunity to purchase the place and continue it.

When Alice wished to return to Woodcrest in February, 1958, with a two-year-old child and also very pregnant, the Bruderhof took her in and, more particularly,Hansuli and Lizzie Boller took in our daughter Barbara and gave of their wellbeing.Finally, when Alice asked to move toward the Novitiate, and the Brothers saw that shecould not move forward, or indeed anywhere, without her husband, they encouraged

her to leave. They acted just in the opposite way a spiritually imperialistic, greedy inthe missionary sense, church might have acted.Our continuing concerns, which we have fully expressed to friends at the Bruderhof,are these:

1. Reading Torches Rekindledhas made us aware of ways in which Macedoniaand the Hutterian Society of Brothers are fundamentally different, and we findourselves wedded to the Macedonian basis as much as ever. We had never seen soclearly that the Bruderhof believes literally in rule by a king, in an authoritarian ratherthan an egalitarian governance. We don't believe that any human being is infallible,even if he may be an Elder, a Vetter, a Servant of the Word, or a witness brother

entrusted with authority because of his great spiritual receptivity. Nor do we believethat females are any less the vessels of spiritual understanding than males. We believethat human beings are endowed with a conscience, and that each of us needs to use it,to keep his or her heart open and to be guided by it. We need each other because noneof us can see and hear all.

2. When we were at Woodcrest in 1957-'58, we expressed the hope that theBruderhof might start outposts in the city like the Catholic Worker houses ofhospitality. We are sad that the physical properties at Macedonia and Primavera weregiven up. Being at Macedonia would have given the community an opportunity to be

more in touch with the Southern civil rights movement than proved to be possible, andcontinuing at Primavera might have caused the community in one way or anothermore fully to encounter the spirit of the Second Vatican Council in its Latin Americanmanifestation, liberation theology. Next to Macedonia,.the Southern civil rightsmovement and liberation theology have been the deepest experiences of our lives. Wethink they may have been the most important renewals of the religious spirit anywherein the world in the second half of the twentieth century.

With these two concerns in mind, we'd like to lay the following before newsletterreaders. May it not be that all of us- -those who stayed at the Bruderhof and those whodid not -- are members of a larger community seeking to being about the Kingdom of

God on earth in the sense of a more just society? We who left are perforce the"outposts." This is an opportunity, and a responsibility, and may be valued more thanwe imagine by those still on the 'hofs. The work of taking even small steps toward a




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more just society is a task so much bigger than us all that we can undertake it together,knowing that nobody has all the answers.

Loy McWhirter (replying to a letter from an HSOB couple): My clearest memory ofyou and all the others who upheld the Bruderhof's 'ideals' and ideologies is yourstanding by while my father and my family were torn apart and shunned by the very'loving community' in which he so deeply believed and had committed himself to betruthful with. You either participated in his torment and destruction, or stood by infearful silence. This is real. And the ones whose lives were affected are real, andcannot be dismissed with 'warm regards' and apologies.

The years that followed our exile have been painful and deeply damaging to myfamily and myself. I no longer am able to see my family, even though I live two milesfrom them, because they willingly clutch the happy lies to their hearts. I am inintensive and difficult therapy at great cost to my chosen family and myself.

I do not appreciate or trust your 'warm regards' in the face of all that has gone

before, and in the light of the painful reclamation work I am engaged in. I might liketo believe such stories, but I have found them to be treacherous and disappointing. Iwould welcome any real and tangible help towards healing the deep and long-lastingpain the Bruderhof has caused in my life. I do resent having to do the difficult workwithout the help of the Bruderhof or my family-of-birth.

My father is dead, never having recovered from the 'break.' I have no idea whatcan be done for my brothers, sister and mother since they, like so many Bruderhofcast-offs, either have been able to pretend it never happened or that it was a fleetingtime filled only with fond memories. Since my siblings were so young there, it hasbeen easier for them to forget or ignore the ways they have been affected than it has

been for me. /dl>Victor Peters, a historian at North Dakota State University and author ofAll ThingsCommon: The Hutterian Way of Life, (1965) reviewed Torches RekindledforThe

ennonite Reporter. Here are excerpts (quoted with his kind permission):arrative confuses readers not familiar with Hutterite conflicts

...This book traces the tortuous internal conflicts within the Society's own historyand its troubled relationship with the Hutterites. It generously absolves the latter of allblame and places the cause for disagreement on the Society and some of its members.

It is difficult to assess the author's share in writing this volume. He died before

the manuscript appeared in print and the reader is informed that the story is presentedas "told by Merrill Mow."The writer is solicitous not to offend members of his group, and he does not

discuss the details of the conflicts. The reader is left with ambiguities such as "Whenthe underlying causes of that was wrong were revealed, a crisis developed" (p. 132), oragain, "Some were fearful and others were angry, all I can say is that it was amess!" (p. 133)

The author also appears to be overly protective of leader Heini Arnold, son ofEberhard Arnold. In one instance he writes, "we were in the very difficult situation ofsomeone having raised questions towards Heini that were absolutely way off." (p.

139)Often the reader is confronted with historical or devotional pablum without a

focus on the problem at hand.




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No doubt the members of the Society of Brothers know the omitted details, andmany of the Hutterites, at least their leaders, will have some grasp of the conflicts, butthe general reader is left with a nebulous narrative that confuses more than it informs...

Unfortunately, Torches Rekindleddoes not measure up to most of the Society'sother publications. The most positive feature of the book are the symbolic torches onits cover, where a brightly burning torch rekindles another torch.

Michael Caine: I really appreciate the newsletters. Thanks for putting in so mucheffort. Please excuse my spelling mistakes... I only had very little school on account oftoo muchAusschluss (exclusion). The only complete school year was FirstKlasse inIsla Margarita, 1946, with Roger Allain, then followed by about three years, mainly

usschluss, in Ibate. Anybody who knows me will tell you that I was not always aconformist -- in fact quite early in life I learned that a life of delinquency was a muchmore eventful life!

The older I get, the more I realize what a good life we all had as kids in

Primavera. What kids anywhere in the world have a life like we did! I was taken in asan orphan by the Bruderhof when I was just two weeks old. the most fortunate thingthat ever happened to me in my life... Primavera was a lot more than a cattle ranch -- itwas ourHeimat-- in English there is no word for that! Since leaving Primavera, Inever felt at home anywhere....

I remember my firstAusschluss, I was seven years old -- the long interrogation:"What were you doing with yourself in the bathroom?... What were you doing with thegirls? Do you love Jesus? Your mother's sin is in you!" (I was born illegitimate, and itwas never the sin of the father, only my mother) And the endless beatings with hisbamboo stick. Heini really taught me the art of hatred. With him being such a creature,

it is not surprising that he found more of his kind. No matter how big the jungle is, onemonkey will always find another monkey, and that is how they managed to smash upthe Bruderhof... dd>The Bruderhof can exist only when poor because that is the idea itwas founded on: 'Give your money to the poor and follow me.' That was the purposeof the hospital, and everybody who contributed to the closure of the hospital has pavedhis path to heaven in blood. When I was in Paraguay in 1969, a Paraguayan told methat he estimated that since the hospital's closure until that point in time about onethousand people had lost their lives, more than often just from things like the lack of ahookworm cure for a child.... dd>I could go on and on about how I feel about Heini

and Heini-ism. A lot you will know in any case, but what I must most strongly objectto is: calling those disciples of Heini 'the Bruderhof.' What an insult! If you have atable or a bed at home and I come and smash it all up, you cannot call those two itemsa bed and a table anymore. Well, that is exactly what happened to the Bruderhof in1961. The Bruderhof was a place where anybody could walk in as a guest. Everybodythere had a concern for the poor, and most important, they always took in orphans likemyself. Look at the time in the Rhon, how poor they were, and how many orphansthey had...

John G. Arnold:This is a short response to what Doug Moody wrote in the KIT

newsletter, Is it not time, Doug, that you start apologizing for the serious injusticesand injuries which you so heartlessly inflicted on others? You not only poisoned mygrandmother's heart against me, but you also stated that I was not allowed to attend




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my mother's funeral. How is that possible? For four solid years I protested against thelies you inflicted on others. Your accusations were all false. I wrote over one hundredletters to Heini and the other servants.

Why is it that you servants had no love? With a little love and humility, in notime all differences could have been resolved. Until today, nothing has been clearedup. I shall never be reconciled to the lies you told about me.

Item: From an ex-member's phone call: I know that the mail at Woodcrest wascensored. One of my sons left a postcard with one of his high school teachers to mailto him his final grades. Anyway, the card came and he received very high marks onhis Regents and a 99 for the semester. Also the teacher wrote, "Congratulations! It wasgreat to have you in the class."

"I don't think your boy should have this," Heini said."Why not?" I asked."It's not good for his ego."

"But it's addressed to him," I said. "What can we do?""We can lose it," Heini replied. "Tell him he got a 99, but not the rest of the post-card."

"Somehow it doesn't seem right," I said.But you didn't argue with Heini, because then he would say,"You're sticking up for someone not in the Brotherhood?"Well, I told my boy exactly what happened, but I also said,"Don't tell your mother."If someone not in the inner circle received something noteworthy, it really

bothered the inner circle. And my child was the far-thest removed from the life among

the Highschoolers. That he should get such a good grade was a tough nut for them toswallow.

When I left, I sent my kids letters and presents for their birthdays. But I never gota response, so I don't know if they even received them.

'Warts & All' Item (from an ex-member): I am not surprised by Heini's suggestionthat the teacher's postcard to the boy be 'lost.' The mail definitely was not respected.When I was in small exclusion and one of my children was on another community, theservant there read the letters I wrote to my child. When I protested, they said thatbecause I was excluded it was necessary for the servant to know what we were writingabout. Later on, two others who were servants in Primavera both admitted they hadopened my mail there and that they withheld one or two letters from my family to me.Who are Doug and Ruby defending?

The Evergreen servant also read the letters I wrote to people in Bulstrode. It wasthe time of the Civil Rights movement and I had expressed my feelings about thewhole issue. The servant opened them before they were to be mailed and called me upto his office. He told me that I should be careful not to be too emotional about thesethings. I was shocked by this incident and again was upset that there was no privacyon the Bruderhof. So they can say what they like about mail being respected. It was

OT respected when I lived there.Also, newspapers were censored. They were taken out of the reading roombecause Heini said that there were too many things and pictures in the papers that




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were not good for the soul, especially for the young men -- it brought them intotemptation. If you tell Doug that, he would defend Heini and say that he cannotbelieve Heini would do such a thing, but this whole issue was brought to thebrotherhood, and the servants said this change was recommended by Heini. Only theservants and work distributors were able to read the papers. I could never figure outwhy the newspaper could cause so much temptation for the young men when therewere so many other things that could be tempting? It was all so ridiculous!

radshaw On: The Family, by John Bradshaw, Health Communications, Inc.,Deerfield Beach, FL. 1988: ..."Obedience and orderliness are essential to any familyand social structure. Law as a guide to human safety through its protective structure isessential to human fulfillment. Learning to be agreeable, cooperative, unselfish andmeek are useful and valuable.

"However, it was obedience without critical judgment and inner freedom whichled to black Nazism, Jonestown and Mylai. It was obedience absolutized and cut off

from human sensitivity and natural law."Similarly, cleanliness and orderliness without spontaneity lead to obsessiveenslavement. Law and intellectualism without vitality and emotions lead tomechanical coldness and inhuman, heartless control. Considerateness, meekness,unselfishness without inner freedom, inner independence and critical judgment lead toa "doormat," people-pleasing type person who can be ruled by almost any authorityfigure.

"Soul-murder is the basic problem in the world today; it is the crisis in thefamily. We programmatically deny children their feelings, especially anger and sexualfeelings. Once a person loses contact with his own feelings, he loses contact with his

body. We also monitor our children's desires and thoughts. To have one's feelings,body, desires and thoughts controlled is to lose one's self. To lose one's self is to haveone's soul murdered."

Former Bruderhof Members Launch New Efforts At Dialogueby Margaret Loewen ReimerReprinted with permission from The Mennonite Reporter.Waterloo, Ont.- Former members of the Bruderhof are making contact with each otherand with their former communities through an initiative begun last fall. The contactshave opened discussion about the painful effects of expulsions from the Bruderhofduring the 1960s....

In January, Sender sent an open letter to the five Bruderhof communities in thename of former members. The letter seeks to open conversation about past "injustices"and suggests ways in which wrongs may be righted.

"May the 1990s bring a new freedom of expression and openness between allHutterian brothers and sisters and those of us who now live in the wider community,"begins the letter. "It encourages us to read that the brotherhood now acknowledgessome guilt for their previous judgmental and unloving behavior."Consider elderly ex-members

The letter urges the communities to consider assisting the "many elderly ex-members living in poverty" because they had to leave everything in the communityand now receive no social security. The letter also asks for a guarantee that no




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reprisals, such as cutting off visiting privileges, will be taken against those whopublish their names in the newsletter. Called "Keep In Touch," the newsletter hasbecome a forum for Bruderhof "grads" all over the world to share their stories andexperiences....

Some of the submissions to the newsletter are bitter accounts of being expelledfrom the community after many years of hard work. Several express concern about thewhitewashing of facts and the leader-worship illustrated in the new history of theBruderhof, Torches Rekindled.

"I feel that sometime, out of simple justice, it should be put down in black andwhite not only just how big the 'Exodus' was, but also how big the contribution to thebuilding-up to the Bruderhof communities was from those who were put out," said onereader.Signs of hope

Others see signs of hope that Bruderhof members are becoming moreconciliatory toward former members. One reader had recently spent five weeks at four

colonies visiting old friends, bringing up old grievances and "why-the-heck- does-the-B'hof-do-this-anyway? type of questions." He came away "amazed at how much I'daccomplished and how much better I feel."...

John G. Arnold: ...Mail censorship: my own destiny or past life has been determinedby the censorship of letters. In 1958 I was a member of the Oak Lake community. InOctober of that year, the US Department of Immigration sent the permits to immigratedirectly to me. Mark secretly opened these and refused to give them to me. When Ireached for the letters, he refused to hand them over. He then said to me, "You andyour father are a burden to Heini, and therefore I send you to England and Germany. I

think you should no longer live on the Bruderhof." He said the same thing to my sisterMiriam (that she should not live on the Bruderhof.)

In 1955, Christoph Arnold told me that his father Heini opened a letter fromKlaus Siebert's father Herbert. Herbert told his son why he left the Bruderhof, andasked his son to join him in Germany. What right did Heini have to do so?

In January, 1977, I confronted Heini about this incident. Heini then said, "If thereis a legal threat, or when there was a legal threat, I did open letters."

From the evidence of three members of the Bruderhof, I must conclude thatcensorship and a Secret Service was fully operational. If I had received the

immigration papers, I would live in the USA today.ame Withheld: I was shocked reading those (KIT) first editions, and am more

shocked and shattered as I receive each new one. I had never realized that for so manyyears I was part of an organization which harbored such false expressions of whatstarted out as a community to which I felt I could give myself. I find it almostimpossible to put into words the extent to which I grieve for all who have sufferedunder the 'regime.' And I have felt guilty that I was part, altho' I must say I had neverrealized to what lengths the 'rottenness' had and has gone. The foregoing is said verysincerely, since I have come to realize how I am one of those wronged, and most

terribly.Hopefully, now that so much has been revealed, the HSOB will at least admitthat much of that which was spoken of over the years was, is true. So many of us have




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had denials of events, etc. given us individually, yet now one hears of many whoraised the same sort of questions, always with apparently the same result -- we werenot listened to by them about just those things to which many can attest. Are all thosewho are 'out' the biggest liars going? Of course not.

Up until now, there has not been "gossip" in KIT. Rather it is a vehicle for pent-up hurts and thoughts, and we all need that, because who, other than those whoexperienced the community, can have the faintest idea of what we mean if we voiceour hurts?

John G. Arnold - Extracts from Bruderhof History: What happened could be dividedinto three parts. The formative period could be classified as the whole life of EberhardArnold. I have my grandmother's account called "The Locked Papers." Eberhard's lifewas a continuous search for the truth which was revealed as a continuous revival ofthe Holy Spirit amongst men. It was the Movement of the Spirit, a constant awakeningto new meanings of the truth. The Bruderhof should become not only a vessel of the

truth, but also a focal point of true life. George Fox would have called this 'the Sea ofLight.' Eberhard called it 'the Ocean of Love.' It included a special love for deprivedpeople.

The second phase could be seen as Eberhard's death until 1960. The last twomonths of his life have been recorded by Emmi (Oma) and Moni Barth. Seeing hisimminent death, Eberhard wrote a testament to the new elder, Hans Zumpe. I am stillwaiting to receive a copy of the original letter. Here is what my research has found.My information came from five members of the Rhon Hof. This letter was read in theBrotherhood:

About Heini, Eberhard expressed a deep love but also a clear warning:

1) Heini shall not be the main servant of a Hof. He needs to be guarded and corrected.2) Heini loses his balance too easily, is too emotional, which affects his betterudgment.

3) Heini should not be in a position from which he can exercise too great an influenceover the souls of men. The power over souls is morally wrong.

Eberhard felt that his son Hardi was more gifted than he was, and that his(Hardi's) battle would be the fight against his own pride. Oma (Emmi) also confirmedthis....

Eberhard seems to have died of a broken heart. He was glad about the Alm, but

grief-stricken about the Rhon. Was Eberhard's judgment not affected by his infectionand by his utter physical and mental exhaustion? The threat of a Nazi occupation wasimminent. After Eberhard's death, the Arnold families felt hurt, forsaken and evenbetrayed. My grandmother taught me to read between the lines. The exclusion ofGeorg Barth and Hans Zumpe on the Cotswold Hof seemed quite harsh. Emi wasagainst the exclusion of Hardi and Fritz Kleiner in 1942. The extreme harshness of theterrible exclusions in 1944, I believe, was partly due to Hans Zumpe's and Georg'sexclusion in 1937. These acts destroyed the Movement of the Spirit. What happenedin 1960 was partly a result of 1944, but it also was retaliation. The third period couldbe called Heini Arnold (1960-1982)....

In 1977 I attended a very special meeting in Darvell. The purpose was to shedlight on the 1960 crisis. There seemed to be a clear separation between what theBrotherhood felt and what the servants represented. Merrill Mow and Arnold Mason




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Jack Elston (from a letter to Tom Potts at Woodcrest): Thanks for your letter andinvitation to visit. We could not accept your offer because we couldn't afford the airfare. I missed any personal interest in our spiritual life. It reminded me of the time youcame to visit us soon after we arrived here and decided to stay in the States because ofthe illness of Janetta's mother. You showed no interest in us. You were only concernedthat we would hurt your community. I did not like the idea of the "challenge."

We were put out against our will. We were both sick and we were given $100 tostart life over. Later, we asked you for financial help. You lent us $500, and at thesame time we got a very self-righteous letter from Art Wiser and you about servingMammon because we wanted to adopt children....

We are members of the Four Square Church which does a lot of missionary workin Central and South America and Asia. God is moving in a mighty way in EastEurope, Russia, South Africa, etc. He needs laborers to bring the Word and His love tothese people. I challenge you to be a part of this work. I don't believe the communityis the Church. It can be a part of it. The Church is made up of all those who love Jesus

and are in God's will for their lives. Why don't you go to Times Square in New Yorkand see what God is doing through David Wilkenson and the Church there? Maybeyou can help.

A Bruderhof graduate: On memories of Heini -- my impression and memory of hisrole in my life was that:

a) He cared very deeply about the spiritual life of each of us.b) He knew intimately what was going on with me.c) He squelched every sign of creativity when it became threatening in any way.d) The reason for this was that he sincerely feared for the soul of the person if he

or she got too involved with their creativity or ideas -- that he thought they would gettoo proud and go to the Devil. This fear was based on the belief that human beings areborn sinful and one must root out the sin. Time and again I was encouraged to becreative and to learn and to ask questions -- to a point -- and then quickly squelchedwhen they or the process went too far. I could give many examples of this, but won'tfor now. My impression is that Heini was behind ALL of this, and in several instancesconfronted me directly. His little book "Freedom From Sinful Thoughts" is clearevidence of Heini's paranoia.

On the reason Heini is getting so much flack from so many ex-B'hofers: The

bookTorches Rekindledclearly shows how Heini willingly, in martyr-like fashion,took on the sins of a whole community (actually all of the Eastern communities) andasked for forgiveness from the Western Hutterians on behalf of all the Easterncommunities. His is presented in the book as a Christ-figure taking on the sins of theworld for its redemption. This explains why he is both blamed for so much andglorified for so much. A person cannot take on that kind of responsibility and notexpect to get blamed for all that went wrong. Personally, I think a much healthier wayof Christian living is to EACH accept blame for one's actions and EACH acceptresponsibility for the whole. Shared responsibility doesn't expect one person to beeither the Savior or the Scapegoat. I believe we need a new model of leadership for

our time -- one of SHARED leadership. Problems and possibilities are too big forONE leader. Too much creative energy is wasted when the gifts of each person are notevoked and developed and put to use fully. That's the business I'm in -- and I hope




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many of us will be engaged in.After the anger and frustration and pain and guilt have been vented and heard

and healed, then we must stop trying to find Scapegoats and Saviors. Then it's time foreach of us to take up our Cross and work out our own salvation with fear andtrembling -- i.e. discover our giftedness and work toward the empowerment ofourselves and others for the sake of God's reign on earth which is happening now INus and AMONG us in quiet, but powerful ways.

Joshua Maendel: ...The following is a list of 9 points that recently came to myattention which define cultic leadership. I believe they are very appropriate and depictthe Bruderhof to a 'T'. Some may be on the mild side, because this list depicts what isgoing on in more loosely-knit organizations than the Society. There are many of theseorganizations around with gurus leading them, and the Bruderhof is no exception.1. ISOLATION OF DISCIPLES FROM OTHER PEOPLE -- Leadership will instructtheir disciples not to associate with anyone outside of their "camp." They will either

separate their followers geographically, psychologically or intellectually. They will beinstructed not to read or listen to any teaching unless it has been pre-approved by theleadership.2. ABSOLUTE AUTHORITARIANISM -- The leadership will demand unquestioningsurrender to the authority pattern of that leader. Anything less than "Yes, Sir," isusually considered rebellion and insubordination. This type of leader will only want"yes" people around him.3. DEIFICATION OF A STRONG, CHARISMATIC LEADER -- The disciples willelevate the leadership to a divine place of authority where the leadership becomes thefinal authority over conduct, doctrine, family situations and even marriage partners.

The leader is the "voice piece for God," and therefore hears God's voice much moreclearly than the disciples.4. USE OF FEAR TO HOLD THE DISCIPLES -- The leadership will unleash threatsand warnings of divine retribution. The individual who attempts to pull away willexperience great group pressure through such things as "personal" visits. The disciplesmight hear statements such as "If you dare leave us, you'll die because you are missingGod," or "If you leave, you'll miss the next move of God and you life will amount tonothing."5. INTOLERANT DOGMATISM -- Leadership will say, "Our group sees it this way"

rather than saying "the Bible teaches this." Any interpretation of scriptures will not betolerated because the leadership has been given a "special revelation" by God.6. COERCION TO SURRENDER FINANCIAL RESOURCES -- There will beextreme pressure to give everything away for the common good.7. CLAIMS WILL BE MADE BEYOND SCRIPTURE -- Scriptures which seemed soclear in the past will now become cloudy to the disciples because of poor leadershipinterpretation. The leadership will announce new insights which oppose the spirit andthe letter of the written Word. These new teachings will be disguised as "freshrevelation."8. EMPHASIS ON WORKS -- Those who work the hardest and longest for leadership

will be elevated, rather than those who demonstrate a Godly spiritual life andcharacter.9. LEADERSHIP BEGINS TO REDEFINE BIBLICAL TERMINOLOGY -- The




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truth of the Word is "stretched' beyond biblical context....

Ruth Baer Lambach: Excerpts from an article entitled The Spirit Or The Letter. Mymother worked diligently but did not share her emotions with others freely. She wasnot participating in the joyful community spontaneously. They recommended thateither I live with another family on the 'hof or leave the community and experience theworld for a while. That night they put me upstairs in the attic and locked me in. Fortwo days I stayed there,. My meals were brought to me and I slept there alone. I spokewith no one. My task during this time was to decide whether I wanted to leave or not.I had no idea what life on the 'outside' would be like. I had no basis on which to makea decision. But for me it was so threatening to think of living at the same place withmy family and not be with them during family times that I decided in favor of thelesser of the two evils.

The next day when I announced my decision, I was taken to Pittsburgh some 70miles away. Howard and Marion Johnson drove me there. I remember saying goodbye

to my father. He was working in the shop. He stretched out a hand and said curtly,"Mach's gut." I don't remember my mother seeing me off. In Pittsburgh we stopped ata Salvation Army to buy some clothes for me. I didn't know where I was being takenand I didn't ask. I trusted that things would be taken care of. I had no sense of what Iwas doing. Somewhere around 3 o'clock in the afternoon they dropped me off on thestreet. I walked to the nearest house with a big porch and sat down, waiting for thepeople to come home. I guessed that they would be nice people. It didn't occur to methat food and shelter would cost something. I had twenty dollars but no idea howmuch that was worth nor how to make change. When the family, the Daglish's, camehome, they did take me in. They were the caretakers for the Quaker Meeting House.

For the next two weeks I walked the streets looking for a job. I walked to everyhospital. Once as Hutterite I had been in the hospital. I knew they needed people to docleaning and felt confident that I could clean. Sometimes I walked by restaurants andcould see people inside, dressed up. I figured it would be a while before I could workin fancy places like that, but I could see that perhaps being a waitress was somethingin my future. Another time I watched an ad on television. I reasoned that I could talklike the lady selling the laundry soap.

Eventually it was through the Daglish's that I landed a job as a dental assistant.They helped me to buy a white uniform, shoes and nylons to get started. When I got

my first $85 paycheck, I repaid them. Also I moved to a rooming house. For the nextnine months I kept that job. Every morning I went to work, every noon ate my lunch ata lunch counter, and every evening went home. I could as well have been in prison.There was little that I understood about how to be in the world. I live in a prison Icarried around with me, a prison of my own ignorance. Sometimes it was a blessing,sometimes a curse.

The Daglish's also taught me how to ride a street car. When I first got on one, Istarted talking to whomever sat next to me. I introduced myself to them, telling themall about myself. After several days, I realized that no one else was talking. I stoppedat a drugstore and bought a paperback. The first book I read on public transportation

was 'On The Beach' by Nevil Shute. The desolation described in this book matchedwhat I was feeling in Pittsburgh. When I walked along the streets I was overwhelmedwith frustration because I was used to getting to know people on a first-name basis,




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and I presumed it would only be a matter of time before I knew all the people that Imet. But there were so many! I was exhausted even by the possibility of relating tothem all. Then I noticed that they did not even look at me. They just walked by me asthough I were a piece of furniture, and that made me feel even colder and morealone.... It was very clear to me that I was out to experience the evils of private lifeand that it was some kind of a punishment. Inside I held to my Hutterite-Bruderhofvalues and judged everything I experienced accordingly.

The people I talked to must have wondered at this self- righteous attitude. Manytimes the police picked me up because I was walking in dangerous areas. Since I didn'tread the newspapers nor listen to the radio, I was unaware of things like strikes. Also Ihad little sense of private property and would walk diagonally across people's backyard if that was the direction I was going. But at least I had a good sense of directionsand I could speak English.

I wore my white uniform all the time, even when I went back to Oak Lake for avisit. They told me that weekend that my dress was too short. I stayed one night, and

all night I cried and shook. The next day, emotionally drained, I had to go back toPittsburgh, this time by Greyhound bus. My father took me to the bus. He pushed meon the bus to make sure I went. I felt his big paw pushing me. Maybe he could tellhow scared and lonesome I felt. He used to tell us about his first time away from hisfamily when he wasn't more than fourteen. He was desperately lonesome but didn'tdare come home. So he walked to within sight of his family home and just stoodlooking at it across a field. During my entire nine months in Pittsburgh I didn't get myperiod. My menstrual periods had been normal before that.

In Pittsburgh I held out for another several months before I wrote another letterasking if I could return for good this time to try 'the life' again. With my savings of

$500 I stepped off the bus just outside Oak Lake. My father greeted me. Suddenly Isaw again the alive, enthusiastic father I had not seen for years. He announced that thefamily was leaving the next day. I took my money and put it on the steward's desk.That evening there was a love meal to say goodbye to my family. The next day myfather and half the boys left with an old car, and my mother and the other half of thefamily left by train. They were on their way to North Dakota. I stayed. Later I learnedthat they had given my father $50 and my mother the same amount.

An Open Letter to the Bruderhof Communities from a Workshop of the Friendly

Crossways ConferenceAugust 19, 1990Almost fifty of us former members and children of the Bruderhof communitiesgathered for a weekend of sharing memories and concerns. Many of our memories arehappy and precious. Many are not. This open letter addresses the latter.

Our former association with you gives us a unique insight into various problematicaspects of the Bruderhof communities. We therefore request that you give carefulconsideration to the concerns we here express:

1: The frightening prospect of expulsion leads to community-wide fear of honestcommunication. Members and children dread the effects of their candor. Genuinehonesty is only possible if its results are not calamitous. Guaranteed financial support




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was bad because she was making only idle marks for her own selfish and willfulpleasure and that makes her evil and strayed from the good children that she knows allthe others are. She said the girl must be alone again to reflect on her evil ways androot out the devil in her heart and soul. She put her in the dark corner where the coatsand school things were kept. She said that the spiders and snakes would keep herafraid and then she would not go to sleep so she must attend to her task. It seemed thatthe child was in the dark corner for many hours and she was very empty, like the darkroom. She looked for her hands to see if she was still here but she could not find them.She thought she could hear poisonous snakes and spiders moving around her and shedid not move and stayed very quiet as much as she could. There seemed to be peoplemoving in there also. She is still in there. She disappeared when someone opened thedoor and the brightness washed her away.

Heini was the ghost always in the background . He did not show his face.

In Memory of Two Brave Women

Miriam Brailey, a doctor from Philadelphia, became a member of the Bruderhof.As she grew older, she began to lose her sight and was confined to a wheelchair. Shewas sent away for a time and then was brought back and lived in Woodcrest. Duringher time there, a meeting occurred during which each member had to go up to themicrophone and say "Yes" to confirm again that Heini was the Elder. Miriam had thecourage to say "No." Heini stated that she had created a disturbance at the meeting.She was sent away to an old people's home where she died in 1976. She is not buriedat Woodcrest. This is another sad ending to a long and dedicated life both as a doctorand a sister.

Maria Perez Eckroyd joined the Bruderhof in England. She had escaped from

Spain during the Spanish Civil War where she lost her husband, an English Quaker,and her son, an only child. Maria travelled to Paraguay with the Bruderhof andworked hard as a very dedicated sister. She helped look after the toddlers and becamea 'grandmother' to all the little ones. When Primavera was closed, she came to Englandand lived in Bulstrode. Maria contracted diabetes and found it very hard to keep to herstrict diet. Finally she was told that she was causing too much trouble and was placedin an old people's home. It was felt she was too much of a burden. She fell out of bedand broke her arm, and then a little later she died a very lonely death. It was a very sadending to such a long and dedicated life. She was a very loving person and deserved

better than what she received. It was tragic that she had to die all alone, especiallysince she had experienced so much tragedy in her life.

Andreas Meier Woodcrest Bruderhof:September 17, 1990 Dear Correspondents ofKIT: Your unsigned open letter of September is a poor witness to honest seeking.Most of the people who might have been able to respond to the complaints you haveare not living anymore.

Could you please let us live our choice of life in peace. All this stirring up of oldwounds brings only more pain and does not allow healing. If anyone has a specifichurt or need to one of us who yet lives, let them come and reconcile man to man.

What you require of the Bruderhof, how it should or should not do and believe, Ifind unreasonable.We live this way because we have a conviction, and for anyone who would like




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to have a say and take a responsibility upon himself for what we do, he would have tofirst become a full member or renew his commitment. Our lives are short, the timesare serious; let us live the life of our choice to the full and look forward.

Anonymous: An open letter to Ramon Sender, and other writers of the filthy tabloid oflies known as KIT:

Your slanderous lies are quickly gaining you a reputation as one of the biggestliars of the century. Yes, you are probably dying to know who we are... but the joke ison you this time -- in the same spirit of openness that pervades your crazy publication,we are withholding our names. Your letter of September 1 was the most incredible,idiotic, pernicious, slanderous, and misdirected letter yet. You claim to spread thetruth, but every word from your mouth is a LIE, and you know it damn well. WhileHeini Arnold lived his life in love, humility, purity, and undeserved suffering, you andothers (Hans Zumpe, for example) have lived lives of shameless sin. You are anadulterer and you know it! Meanwhile, your former companion lives on at one of the

communities, steadfast and faithful. (Let's see if you will publish this kind of "truth" inKIT -- remember that you have promised to publish every anonymous letter.Obviously, you won't print this one, you liar!) In your letters you slander and mockHeini and allude to his "mental instability." For a change, why don't you admit that itwas those evil, wicked servants in Primavera, who along with an evil doctor whosename we aren't even going to utter, who poisoned Heini with bromides and effected apsychosis to remove him from his service and cut off his witness which was so badlyneeded. Nice job, you hypocrites! And why don't you write about how those wickedones in Primavera starved Heini almost to death when he was in exclusion? You are aWIMP! Face up to the real truth and repent! It's never too late. Finally, you accuse us

of child abuse. Unfortunately we recall how you deserted your own daughter Xaveriewhile she was yet a child. Now doesn't THAT classify as abuse? IN spite of your sin(that's right, SIN) Xaverie remained faithful to her death.

Do you realize that we actually pity you? You have got yourself into a real mess,you and your breed of liars, and you will never be at peace until you repent. Until thattime, why not just hold off with all this garbage about "dialogue" and "openness" and"truth". You change the meaning of these words, just like Hitler and his Nazis did.

In conclusion, we ask you once more to own up and admit to the truth. We allmake mistakes -- c'est la vie -- but you have made more than a few little blunders. And

don't you ever, ever, ever dare to print blasphemous lies about Heini Arnold again! Solong, Eyebrows!KIT: A photocopy of the previous letter was mailed to Woocrest. In a personal phonecall, Dick Domer assured Ramon that the Bruderhof had no knowledge of this letterand that the author, of course, did not speak for the community. Dick left it up to KITwhether to publish the letter or not. We publish it because we believe it to be genuineand expresses what some people in the communities feel. /dl>Christoph Arnold: Woodcrest, 11/5/90Dear Ramon and KIT readers, On behalf of all our communities, we greet every oneof you with very much love, thinking of the coming Advent and Christmas weeks

which is such a special time in our communities.Verena and I, Chris and Else were very thankful for the meetings which we had

in San Francisco with Ramon and Judy, Charles Lamar, and Dave Ostrom Jr.... We




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were joyfully surprised that the many concerns which the KIT staff brought up wereactually the same concerns my father and I always represented. For example,prudishness about sex; to have respect before all people and how Christ works inthem.P.S. No one is forbidden to read or write to KIT, or to meet with others in whateverway they wish. (our emphasis - KIT)

Loy McWhirter 10/31/90: ..."Attention Bruderhof hierarchy, in response to your bogus'warm' Advent and Christmas greetings using Sara King as your current device to getthru to me. The war the world is on the brink of, that you can and must do somethingabout, is inside of yourselves & within your closed communities. I am a casualty ofthose wars. There are many others besides me. You have sacrificed your children andmy childhood for your narrow, invasive 'beliefs.' I have told you plainly, and so havemany others who suffered under your systems, what you can do to redeem yourselvesand heal the torment you have caused and are accountable to. Until you do so I do not

forgive you, and I do not believe your God or Jesus will forgive you. I know what youhave done. Those of us who survived and are struggling to heal are witnesses to yourweakly disguised treachery. Your words are empty gestures. Your saccharine imagesare self-delusions. We will not give up. We will not go away."

ame Withheld: Tom Potts writes in the October KIT letter: "Church discipline isvoluntary AND MUST BE ASKED FOR." Well, I did not ask for it. Several daysbefore I was excluded, the brotherhood decided with Heini present that I should beexcluded. I had no knowledge of what was being decided. The next day I was calledinto the austere presence of the servants and informed that I was to be excluded, and

that in the meeting I would be asked, "Do you ask for this exclusion?" I could not havebeen more astonished! I felt like a trapped animal. I was told to wait outside until Iwas called into the meeting at which time I was to "ask for exclusion." So where doesthe voluntary asking come in?!! And once you are in exclusion, it is almost impossiblefor you to get out. The servants pester you with questions as to other sins you mighthave committed or perhaps thought of.

John G. Arnold, Oct 26, 1990 Excerpts from an Article: Without a hearing or even atalk I was evicted and condemned by the Bulstrode Brotherhood. The accusation wereall false. How was this possible? I was sent to a good psychiatrist who said that I wasquite normal. There had been no sex in my life whatsoever. Two single girls liked meand followed me around. I shared this. Is this the reason why I got kicked out? I hadnot even said a word to any of the girls. I was accused of chasing after sisters....

Records Of The Leaders: In 1961/62 Hans-Hermann Arnold, my father HardiArnold and Ullu Keiderling were leading Bulstrode. Hans Zumpe had kept all privatecorrespondence including Eberhard's letters locked in a vault. Harry Magee and I wereasked to burn all correspondence of the two elders Hans Zumpe and Balz Trumpi[who both had been kicked out - ed]. True history was burned, about 50 Kilos ofletters (all about Primavera and Wheathill). Here we found also the most important

and controversial letters of Eberhard. His letters from America in the early 'thirties toEmmy explaining his ups and down with the Hutterites... Shortly after we read someof Eberhard's letters, Heini, Don Noble and Mark Kurtz came from America. Hans-




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Hermann and my father were disqualified and sent to America. In my last brotherhoodmeeting as a full member, Heini said that all of my father's life went wrong. Heachieved total control....

In conclusion I would like to say:IF JAKOB HUTER'S CHILDREN & GRANDCHILDREN WOULD HAVE

BEEN TREATED LIKE THE CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN OFEBERHARD AND EMMY ARNOLD, THEN THERE WOULD BE NOHUTTERITE COMMUNITIES IN EXISTENCE TODAY. PERHAPS THEHUTTERITES WILL SAVE THE BRUDERHOF.Clickhere to get back to The KIT Newsletters Page.


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