Damn, that is exactly one great to mTuch. If you’re great grandparents (mainly your great grandfather)would be born on German soil it would have been easy.

If your heritage is (even partly)Jewish(or you can prove that there was prosecution for other reasons) and you can prove that they lived in Germany (and left before the war ended) there are special rules and you might be eligible.

How far away are they really? German rules about that are fairly lenient and courts have expanded them a bit recently.

Maybe any other EU country you could qualify for? Ireland is often a route some US citizens take - once you have their passport you are free to move wherever you want.

You sure there is a ‘every four years’ then?