Museum Blindenwerkstatt Otto Weidt –biographie

Ottilie Kaphan was born in Berlin in 1889. She completed commercial college and several language courses. From 1909 she worked as a shorthand typist and administrative assistant.
In 1922 she married the non-Jewish lawyer Paul Happach. The couple actively positioned themselves against the National Socialists after 1933 and helped persecuted people. From 1938 Ottilie Happach took part in the Working Society for Jews in Need set up by her husband. Along with other helpers, the Happachs provided a wide range of support for Jews. They collected money, food, and medication, and arranged accommodation. These activities attracted the attention of the Gestapo.
In October 1944 the Happachs decided to go into hiding. They changed quarters in the environs of Berlin every two weeks. Ottilie was officially employed as a laborer in the workshop for the blind from November 1944, presumably as a cover story.
Ottilie Happach was unable to work after the war, for health reasons. She died in Berlin on January 3, 1966.