Zwischenfall in Benderath (1956)

On a small island near the West German town of Benderath, six high-school students meet to relax and vote on the applications of two fellow students who want to join their group, known as the Trojans. First, however, they must get the girls, who are there only on this occasion, off the island by means of a clever trick, since they are not supposed to learn about the Trojans’ internal affairs. Despite initial reservations, the son of an officer is admitted to the group, while another fellow student, known as a devious type, is rejected unanimously. After the girls find their own way back to the island by swimming, everyday life can resume. In class, Jakob Lewin is repeatedly insulted in the most crude and vicious terms by his history teacher, Päker, who draws attention to Jakob’s Jewish origins. On top of that, Jakob’s father writes articles for the press about the resurgence of fascism in West Germany, which the senior teacher finds especially reprehensible. The insults once again become too much, and Jakob has had enough. He demands that the teacher retract his outbursts, but Päker sees no reason to do so. As a result, Jakob leaves the school, and the Trojans’ founding members join him in solidarity. They seek refuge on their small, hidden island, hoping to avoid being discovered, and give the high-school principal an ultimatum. The case soon makes headlines far beyond the school, drawing in parents, teachers, the press, and the authorities. The Trojans’ new member acts as a courier, but has to realize that there is no getting through to the majority of the teaching staff. He, too, joins the six students on the island. Meanwhile, a school inspector has arrived in town to resolve the matter, since school principal Tappert is interested only in keeping politics out of his school. With the parents backing their children, Inspector Casparius—a secret sympathizer of Päker’s—can no longer find a way to protect the senior teacher. In a private conversation, he tells Päker that he must leave the school, but that he will rise to a higher position at a later date. The students then return, and Päker apologizes to Jakob in front of the class. Before Jakob sets off for a celebration marking the high school’s 100th anniversary, he receives news that his father has been arrested in Düsseldorf while on a business trip because of his communist activities.