Ilse Krips interview and transcript, February 28, 1995

Ilse Krips was born on September 25, 1918 in Westphalia. She attended the Volksschule and later a Lyceum run by Catholic nuns in Paderborn. Because of Nazi anti-semitic legislation, she had to change to a trade school in Rheydt. In 1938 she married Hermann Krips, who was arrested one week after Kristallnacht and sent to Dachau. Mrs. Krips bought 2 tickets to Shanghai in order to get her husband out of Dachau, and in March 1939 both sailed to Shanghai. At this time, Mrs Krips was already pregnant. In October 1939 Sonja Krips was born (see interview with Sonja Mühlberger).

Hermann Krips founded an anti-fascist study group which included about 10 Communists and leftists. He sold eggs while Mrs. Krips cared for the family. Peter Krips was born in 1945. The family traveled with the first transport back to Germany and arrived in Berlin on August 21, 1947. Mrs. Krips lives in Potsdam.