Granddaughter of Holocaust Refugee Relocates to Berlin After Dual

The New Yorker profile recounts how Laura Moser, a former Texas congressional candidate and author, and her husband navigated pandemic‑era travel restrictions to settle in Berlin, the city her grandfather escaped from in 1938 [1]. Moser’s move follows a decade‑long process of reclaiming German citizenship that began after her family restored his nationality in 1999 [1].

Key takeaways

• Moser’s paternal grandfather fled Berlin for the United States just weeks before Kristallnacht, later becoming a German citizen in 1999 [1].
• After obtaining a German passport, Moser and her husband faced COVID‑related visa hurdles before finally entering the Netherlands and then Germany [1].
• In April 2020, Moser and her family officially relocated to Berlin, citing the city’s universal health care and affordable living as major draws [2].
• Moser’s background includes a career in journalism, a 2005 biography of Bette Davis, and a 2018 congressional run in Texas’s 7th district [2].

From Houston to Berlin: a transatlantic odyssey

Moser’s story begins with her grandfather’s desperate escape from Nazi Germany. In September 1938, a schoolmate‑turned‑Nazi urged him to board the first train to Amsterdam, a decision that saved his life and led him to the United States, where he eventually settled in Houston [1]. Decades later, after German authorities began restoring citizenship to descendants of denaturalized Jews, Moser secured a German passport in 1999, a “gift” she accepted at twenty‑one but never felt culturally German [1].

When the COVID‑19 pandemic shut European borders, Moser and her husband encountered a series of immigration snags. Their U.S. passport was initially rejected for lacking a visa, prompting Moser to present a marriage certificate to prove eligibility for her husband as an immediate family member of an EU citizen [1]. After multiple checks in Houston, Amsterdam, and a brief stay in Utrecht, they finally crossed into Germany, where Moser’s husband obtained a visa on arrival [1].

Choosing Berlin over other European capitals

The decision to settle in Berlin rather than Paris or Lisbon stemmed from a mix of practical and emotional factors. Berlin offered lower housing costs, free university tuition, and universal health care—crucial for Moser’s husband, who requires expensive ulcerative colitis medication [1]. Moreover, the city’s historical connection to her grandfather’s departure gave the move a symbolic resonance, despite lingering “bad associations” among some of her Jewish acquaintances [1].

Moser’s relocation in April 2020 aligns with her broader public profile: a former congressional candidate, founder of the anti‑Trump Daily Action network, and contributor to major publications such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal [2]. Her move underscores a personal shift from American political activism to a European lifestyle anchored in family history.