Mr. Richard Lutjens, Jr.

Professional Background

Richard Lutjens, Jr. is a Ph.D. candidate in history at Northwestern University. He received an M.A. in history at Northwestern University and a B.A. in history and German at Middlebury College. For his Takiff Family Foundation Fellowship, Mr. Lutjens conducted research for his project, “Jews in Hiding in Nazi Berlin, 1941-1945.”

Mr. Lutjens is the recipient of many fellowships and awards, including the Northwestern University Graduate Research Grant, the Berlin Program for Advanced German and European Studies Fellowship at the Free University of Berlin, the Corrie Ten Boom Award, the Holocaust Fellowship, the Marci J. Stewart Memorial Award, and he is a two-time recipient of the Summer Travel Grant from Northwestern University. Mr. Lutjens is fluent in German.

Fellowship Research

During his tenure at the Center, Mr. Lutjens researched German Jews who survived the Holocaust by going into hiding and living illegally in and around Berlin. His research highlights the day-to-day experiences, sheds light on survival mechanisms, and demonstrates the relationship of the hidden to the seemingly separate social and cultural Alltag (everyday life) of non-Jews. To complete his research, Mr. Lutjens utilized the Museum’s archival collections as well as testimonies of Holocaust survivors.

Mr. Lutjens was in residence at the Mandel Center from September 1, 2010 to March 30, 2011.