They are not the Germans we usually talk about when we remember the Nazi era. They are not primarily remembered through deportations, ghettos, or camps, although some who initially escaped would later be caught by the German advance across Europe. They were among those who left Germany while the future was still uncertain: Jews, political opponents, academics, writers, artists, professionals, and others who understood that something fundamental had changed before anyone could

If you’re reading this because you’re considering a move abroad, or because you already have and are still processing that decision, I understand why history might become part of the question. It certainly became part of mine. I spent a long time in the historical record before I felt clear about my own decision, looking at what people had done when governments became unstable, institutions weakened, or the political future of a country became frighteningly uncertain. What I

Freedom of movement rarely depends on a single unlocked door. To leave a country, you need some combination of valid documents, access to your money, functioning transportation, permission to cross borders, and somewhere on the other side willing to receive you. Under ordinary circumstances, those systems work so quietly together that we experience movement as a simple personal choice. We decide to go somewhere, buy a ticket, gather whatever documents are necessary, and leave