Zwangsräume
Antisemitische Wohnungspolitik in Berlin 1939–1945
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16.10.2023
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Arthur Stettner owned the property at Mommsenstraße 55. In 1939, he emigrated to Mexico. Many Jewish people lived in the building. At least 18 Jewish people lived here before 1939 and another 94 moved in after 1939 – more than in any other building researched for this project. 89 Jewish residents were deported, almost all of whom were murdered. The last known allocation of compulsory housing in Berlin, in March 1943, was at this address.
Regina Cohn held the lease on a first-floor apartment. The date she moved in is not documented, but her daughter Bianka Cohn stated in her declaration of assets that she had lived with her mother since 1934. Perhaps they moved in here together. From 1940 on, they shared with two subtenants, who were both widows: Hulda Kayser moved in in March 1940; Ida Goldstein moved in a month later. They both paid for meals as well as a monthly rent. It is likely Regina Cohn earned a small income by cooking for her subtenants. All the apartment's occupants were deported in September 1942. Only Hulda Kayser survived.
Rather than meticulously listing all her belongings, or whatever was left of them, Ida Goldstein wrote “Nothing doing” in large letters in the middle of the page. By this small act of defiance, she declared that she had nothing left that could be confiscated and auctioned off.
Bernhard and Martha Gorski, née Levy, took the lease on this 6-room apartment in 1917. One of their subtenants, Johanna Jacobi, was registered as resident at Mommsenstraße 55 in 1939. Minna Wittenberg, née Levy, also moved into the apartment at an unknown point in time. She was related to Martha Gorski and died in September 1942 in the Jewish hospital in Iranische Straße. In 1940, the Gorskis sublet two rooms to Alwin and Helene Hurtig and their adult son Franz Josef Hurtig. In 1939, Alwin and Helene Hurtig had been registered as resident in Kiel. Their son had already lived in Berlin. In May 1941, they were joined by the subtenants David and Elsbeth Holzapfel. There were now nine people living in the apartment.
The main tenants Bernhard and Martha Gorski were the first to be deported, in July 1942. Max Marcus and his non-Jewish wife then took over the lease on the apartment, where they lived with their daughter. The "mixed marriage" seems to have saved Max Marcus from being deported. The other occupants of the apartment were deported in early 1943. In May 1943, the latest known allocation of forced housing in Berlin was to this apartment: Else Hauck, classified as a "half-Jew", was instructed to move in. She was deported just one-and-a-half months later to the Theresienstadt ghetto. She survived.
“Herr Marcus and his [non-Jewish] wife are the leaseholders. The main rental is RM 176.40 per month. Herr and Frau Marcus and their 17-year-old daughter are currently deployed as laborers and dependant upon payment of the rental arrears to fulfil their own obligations.”
Theda Stückgold and her second husband Kurt David Stückgold moved into this apartment at some point before 1939. Since Kurt Stückgold was Swiss, Theda Stückgold had gained Swiss nationality on marrying him. They were both deported to Switzerland in 1943. Later, Theda Stückgold told her family that she had hidden other Jewish people in her apartment in Berlin. They officially had two subtenants: Ernst Rothschild moved in here in October 1941. He was deported on October 29, 1943, to Auschwitz and murdered. Eleonore, known as Ellen, Schayer joined them at an unknown point in time. She was the widowed mother of Theda Stückgold's late first husband. Until 1939, she had lived in an 8-room apartment at Ludwigkirchstraße 8. Later, she had lived with a couple she knew on Lietzenburger Straße. She moved in at Mommsenstraße 55 after they committed suicide. Ellen Schayer also took her own life, on June 10, 1942, aged 79. On June 1, 1942, she wrote in a farewell letter to her children:
"I've had a good life, despite many heartaches, and as sad as it is to depart in the best of health, I am grateful for all the beauty and goodness I have enjoyed. Fare well, my dear ones, remember me with kindness."
Source: Letter, private property of Peter Vardon
The home of Alfred and Nelly Cornelia Schwalbe was a Jewish boarding house with rooms on the third and fourth floors. The Schwalbes opened their boarding house before 1939. When they were informed of their imminent deportation in March 1943, they went underground. They died on October 8 and 9, 1943, in the Jewish hospital, following suicide attempts.
It is unclear how many rooms the Schwalbe's boarding house encompassed. At least 20 Jewish people lived here between 1939 and 1943. Only the names of most residents, such as Helene Marie Bromberg, were documented. More is known about the Gudemann family. Their story is outlined below.
Husband-and-wife Alfred and Julie Gudeman, née Oelsner, lived on the fourth floor in one room of the Schwalbe boarding house with their daughter Margarete Gudeman. They moved to Berlin from Munich, where Dr. Alfred Gudeman had been a professor of philology at the Bavarian Academy of Sciences, in 1936. He had renounced his US citizenship some time before 1902. In Berlin, they moved home a few times before taking a room in the Schwalbe boarding house.
Alfred and Julie Gudeman were deported on September 1, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, where they were both murdered shortly after arriving. Their adult daughter Margarete Gudeman was deported on January 12, 1943, to Auschwitz, where she was murdered in February 1943.
Max and Lotte Leser lived in a 7-room apartment on the fourth floor. In 1941, they sublet one room each to Johanna Slomowski, née Cohn, and Sophie Behrendt. Clothilde Levinger, née Haas, also lived in the Lesers' apartment, probably at the same time. The three subtenants were deported between July and September, 1942, from this apartment. Only Clothilde Levinger survived. After their subtenants had been deported, Max and Lotte Leser rented out four rooms to the Schwalbe boarding house. In November 1942, Max and Lotte Leser were also deported – to the Theresienstadt ghetto, where they both perished.
Klara Bruck, née Stern, took the lease on a large apartment on the fifth floor after 1939. It is not known how many rooms the apartment had. There were probably subtenants living here when she moved in. At least eight Jewish people lived here as subtenants at different points in time. It is possible that Klara Bruck used the apartment as a boarding house. All the residents were deported, apart from Katharina Hulschinsky, who took her own life. Willy Wolff and Siegbert Salinger initially managed to escape underground. But in August and October 1943, they were apprehended and deported. Klara Bruck was deported in November 1942 to the Theresienstadt ghetto, where she survived the Holocaust.
The Salomon family took the lease on this apartment after 1939. Husband-and-wife Paul and Ruth Henriette Salomon had two sons: 1928-born Alfred Karl Salomon, who was Ruth Henriette Salomon's child from her first marriage; and Denny Salomon, who was born to the couple eleven years later. The Salomon family was deported on February 19, 1943, to Auschwitz and murdered. There were evidently no subtenants living in their apartment.
Natalie Guthaner, née Förster, took the lease on a 3-room apartment in the rear building in September 1937. After 1939, she sublet a room to Hugo Theodor. On October 1, 1942, they were joined by Pauline and Walter Holz. Hugo Theodor was deported on October 26, 1942, and a widow named Rosa Lewin, née Stolzmann, moved into the room he had occupied. Natalie Guthaner, Rosa Lewin and Mr & Mrs Holz were deported between December 1942 and February 1943 to Auschwitz, where they were murdered.
Riga Lind's apartment was also on the first floor of the rear building. She moved in after 1939 and managed somehow to escape deportation. After the war, Riga Lind emigrated to the United Kingdom where she died in 1979.
In September 1941, Margarete Blumenfeld moved in as a subtenant. She had previously lived in a different apartment in the building. In early 1943, Margarete Blumenfeld was deported to Auschwitz and murdered.
Max Lehmann moved into a 3-room apartment on the second floor of the rear building in 1934. His maid Elfriede Lange lived in the apartment with him. On March 1, 1942, Rudolf Curland also moved in. In his declaration of assets, Max Lehmann stated that a man named Hans Lehmann lived there as a subtenant. Whether or how they were related is not clear. All the apartments' occupants were deported to ghettos, where they died.
Gertrud Nathan, née Loeffler, moved into the building in 1934. From 1939 on, she was forced to share her 3.5-room apartment with three other Jewish people. Siegfried Weiss moved in at an unknown point in time after 1939. Friederike Heimann, née Falkenstein, moved into one room in May 1941. They were joined on November 25, 1941, by the architect Fritz Fabian. All the apartment's occupants were deported between late 1942 and eary 1943. Fritz Fabian survived the Holocaust in the Theresienstadt ghetto. After the war, he emigrated to Switzerland.
Margarete and Wilhelm Cohn moved into a 3.5-room apartment in the rear building after 1939. They sublet rooms to three people: Husband-and-wife Erwin and Margot Sundheimer, and Fräulein Markus. Who exactly Fräulein Markus was and what happened to her is not known. Erwin and Margot Sundheimer were deported in March 1943. Margot Sundheimer died in the Theresienstadt ghetto. Erwin Sundheimer was deported from there to Auschwitz, where he was murdered. The Cohns apparently tried to escape deportation. On February 4, 1943, they were forcibly admitted to the Jewish home for the elderly on Auguststraße. Margarete Cohn was registered as fugitive on April 12, 1943. Wilhelm Cohn died on April 15, 1943, following a suicide attempt. Margarete Cohn did not manage to stay in hiding. She was deported on June 28, 1943, to Auschwitz, where she was murdered.
Margarete Littmann moved into an apartment in the rear building before 1939. She sublet a room to Marie Lichtenfeld, who also moved in before 1939, and fled in May 1940 to the United States. Margarete Littmann was deported in January 1942 to Riga. On April 1, 1941, Robert and Gertrud Rosenthal, née Hirschfeld, moved in as main tenants. In their declaration of assets, they stated that they sublet a room to a couple named Hirschfeld. The Hirschfelds have so far not been clearly identifed, but it is likely they were related to Gertrud Rosenthal. Robert and Gertrud Rosenthal were deported in September 1942 to the Theresienstadt ghetto, where they died.
Born February 20, 1869, in Brieg (Brzeg)
Deported July 16, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, died August 9, 1942
Born September 10, 1874, in Landshut
Deported September 1, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, died September 8, 1942
Born May 4, 1880, in Königsberg (Kaliningrad)
Deported August 17, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, died September 5, 1942
Born June 30, 1895, in Berlin
Deported January 12, 1943, to Auschwitz, murdered
Born June 26, 1892, in Liegnitz (Legnica)
Deported February 19, 1943, to Auschwitz, murdered
Born April 6, 1862, in Berlin
Deported September 14, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, from there on September 29, 1942, to Treblinka extermination camp, murdered
Born October 17, 1875, in Bremen
Deported November 5, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto
Survived
Born February 20, 1865, in Niederhochstadt
Deported January 12, 1943, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, died there
Born July 27, 1897, in Schneidemühl (Piła)
Deported January 25, 1942, to Riga, died there
Born November 4, 1896, in Berlin
Deported September 5, 1942, to Riga, died September 8, 1942
Born June 19, 1882, in Darmburg
Deported June 28, 1943, to Auschwitz, murdered
Born October 5, 1877, in Schönlanke (Trzcianka)
Deported January 25, 1942, to Riga, died there
Born March 18, 1874, in Birnbaum (Międzychód)
Deported September 4, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto; September 29, 1942, to Treblinka extermination camp, murdered
Born August 9, 1876, in Güldenau (Połajewo)
Suicide February 18, 1943, in Berlin
Born March 23, 1886, in Hamburg
Deported July 22, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, died June 2, 1944
Born March 29, 1898, in Reichthal (Rychtal)
Deported January 12, 1943, to Auschwitz, murdered
Born August 25, 1879, in Neumark (Nowemiasto)
Deported January 25, 1942, to Riga, died there
Born July 21, 1922, in Berlin
Deported January 29, 1943, to Auschwitz, murdered
Born August 14, 1896, in Cologne
Deported January 29, 1943, to Auschwitz, murdered
Born April 2, 1877, in Berlin
Deported November 5, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto
Survived
Born December 13, 1922, in Berlin
Deported January 12, 1943, to Auschwitz, murdered January 22, 1943
Born August 20, 1877, in Dürmaul (Trmová)
Deported November 29, 1942, to Auschwitz, murdered
Born July 15, 1889, in Einbeck
Deported November 29, 1942, to Auschwitz, murdered
Born July 11, 1872, in Berlin
Deported September 14, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, died March 8, 1943
Born February 21, 1865, in Schrimm (Srem)
Deported September 14, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, died February 1, 1945
Born May 8, 1871, in Königsberg
Deported September 14, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto; September 29, 1942, to Treblinka extermination camp, murdered
Born December 22, 1879, in Görlitz
Deported February 19, 1943, to Auschwitz, murdered
Born March 14, 1872, in Schildberg (Ostrzeszów)
Deported July 16, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, died October 1, 1942
Born March 30, 1875, in Hohenstein (Olsztynek)
Deported July 16, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, died November 29, 1942
Born June 30, 1872, in Eisleben
Deported January 12, 1943, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, died January 15, 1943
Born April 7, 1877, in Waldenburg (Wałbrzych)
Deported January 12, 1943, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, died there
Born August 26, 1862, in Atlanta (USA)
Deported September 1, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, died September 9, 1942
Born October 24, 1871, in Frankfurt am Main
Deported September 1, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, died September 19, 1942
Born April 13, 1902, in Frankfurt am Main
Deported January 12, 1943, to Auschwitz, murdered in February 1943
Born February 29, 1884, in Beuthen (Upper Silesia)
Deported February 19, 1943, to Auschwitz, murdered
Born January 12, 1892, in Breslau (Wrocław)
Deported June 16, 1943, to the Theresienstadt ghetto
Survived
Born January 5, 1880, in Berlin
Deported October 3, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, died October 8, 1942
Born October 26, 1874, in Döringsdorf (Doręgowice)
Deported March 17, 1943, to the Theresienstadt ghetto; May 16, 1944, to Auschwitz, murdered
Born March 7, 1864, in Berlin
Deported October 3, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, died October 9, 1942
Born October 4, 1874, in Berlin
Deported September 23, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, died September 27, 1943
Born January 17, 1898, in Dresden
Deported December 9, 1942, to Auschwitz, murdered
Born January 2, 1892, in Königsberg
Deported December 14, 1942, to Auschwitz, murdered
Born August 3, 1879, in Zierenberg
Deported February 19, 1943, to Auschwitz, murdered
Born January 5, 1884, in Holzminden
Deported February 19, 1943, to Auschwitz, murdered
Born August 25, 1907, place of brith unknown
Escaped abroad before 1939
Born March 17, 1887, in Berlin
Suicide August 25, 1942, in Berlin
Born November 14, 1875, in Striegau (Strzegom)
Deported March 17, 1943, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, died February 27, 1944
Born July 25, 1900, in Hanover
Deported February 19, 1943, to Auschwitz, murdered
Born August 25, 1873, in Kattowitz (Katowice)
Deported March 17, 1943, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, died May 10, 1944
Born January 21, 1888, in Gaudenz (Grudziądz)
Later whereabouts unknown
Born January 30, 1872, in Frankfurt am Main
Deported September 14, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, died January 6, 1943
Born January 9, 1861, in Soldau (Działdowo)
Deported September 14, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, died September 30, 1942
Born September 22, 1867, in Zehdenick
Deported September 21, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, died October 7, 1942
Born June 17, 1887, in Breslau (Wrocław)
Suicide October 23, 1942, in Berlin
Born November 15, 1867, in Satrien
Deportded September 14, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto
Survived
Born July 30, 1876, in Bischofsburg (Biskupiec)
Deported October 3, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, died April 30, 1945
Born June 5, 1875, in Wartenburg (Barczewo)
Deported October 3, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, died June 21, 1944
Born August 27, 1864, in Löwen (Lewin Brzeski)
Died January 23, 1942, in Berlin
Born December 22, 1912, in Berlin
Deported February 19, 1943, to Auschwitz, murdered March 8, 1943
Born June 13, 1881, in Löbau (Lubawa)
Deported December 14, 1942, to Auschwitz, murdered December 21, 1943
Born May 2, 1869, in Birnbaum (Międzychód)
Deported September 14, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, died April 21, 1943
Born March 23, 1886, in Hamburg
Deported July 22, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, died June 2, 1944
Born February 8, 1898, in Gleiwitz (Gliwice)
Deported September 5, 1942, to Riga, died September 8, 1942
Born July 15, 1874, in Insterburg (Tschernjachowsk)
Deported August 25, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, died February 10, 1943
Born January 24, 1887, in Potsdam
Deported November 4, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto; May 16, 1944, to Auschwitz, murdered
Born September 2, 1870, in Sondershausen
Deported November 4, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, died March 25, 1943
Born February 24, 1873, in Darmstadt
Deported July 28, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto
Survived
Born March 22, 1891, in Posen (Poznań)
Deported February 19, 1943, to Auschwitz, murdered
Born July 13, 1866, in Kolmar (Chodzież)
Deported September 14, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, died January 1, 1943
Born January 12, 1870, in Pleschen (Pleszew)
Escaped May 5, 1940, to the United States
Born January 4, 1897, in Dombrowken (Dabrowka)
Evidently not deported, survived according to memorial book/list of residents
Born May 11, 1905, in Bukarest (București)
Escaped to the USA
Born February 26, 1878, in Neumark (Nowemaisto)
Deported January 25, 1942, to Riga, died there
Born January 15, 1904, in Chemnitz
Deported February 19, 1943, to Auschwitz, murdered
Born March 20, 1892, in Vienna
Deported February 19, 1943, to Auschwitz, murdered
Born February 8, 1888, in Worms
Deported July 1, 1943, to Auschwitz, murdered
Born July 21, 1892, in Chemnitz
Deported December 9, 1942, to Auschwitz, murdered
Born June 23, 1885, in Graudenz (Grudziądz)
Deported March 2, 1943, to Auschwitz, murdered March 1943
Born April 30, 1907, place of birth unknown
Deported January 12, 1943, destination and date of death unknown
Born September 23, 1862, in Grätz (Grodzisk)
Died June 3, 1941, in Berlin
born September 13, 1873, in Potsdam
Deported July 30, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto; September 26, 1942, to Treblinka extermination camp, murdered September 1942
Born April 15, 1891, in Wollin (Wolin)
Deported October 26, 1942, to Riga, died October 29, 1942
Born May 21, 1885, in Berlin
Deported February 12, 1943, to Auschwitz, murdered
Born October 22, 1874, in Löbejün
Deported August 6, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, died June 23, 1943
Born September 23, 1883, in Clumsee (Chełmża)
Deported September 21, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto; May 16, 1944, to Auschwitz, murdered
Born June 28, 1868, in Kreuzburg (Kluczbork)
Deported September 21, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, died February 4, 1943
Born September 27, 1883, in Berlin
Deported October 29, 1943, to Auschwitz, murdered
Born October 21, 1871, in Birnbaum (Międzychód)
Deported September 14, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto; May 16, 1944 to Auschwitz, murdered
Born March 3, 1909, in Samotschin (Szamocin)
Deported October 12, 1944, to Auschwitz, murdered
Born March 3, 1928, in Warngau
Deported February 19, 1943, to Auschwitz, murdered
Born August 17, 1939, in Berlin
Deported February 19, 1943, to Auschwitz, murdered
Born May 7, 1904, in Thorn (Toruń)
Deported January 13, 1942, to Riga, died there
Born June 3, 1883, in Hamburg
Deported February 19, 1943, to Auschwitz, murdered
Born September 8, 1904, in Berlin
Deported February 19, 1943, to Auschwitz, murdered
Born February 11, 1862, in Frankfurt a. d. Oder
Suicide June 10, 1942, in Berlin
Born March 8, 1852, in Radoschkowitz (Radošovice)
Deported January 14, 1943, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, died February 19, 1943
Born June 20, 1863, in Minsk
Deported January 14, 1943, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, died January 18, 1943
Born January 16, 1899, in Nürnberg
Deported October 26, 1942, to Riga, died October 29, 1942
Born May 9, 1882, in Groß Koslau (Kozłowo)
Suicide October 8, 1943 in Berlin
Born May 5, 1890, in Rülzheim
Suicide October 9, 1943, in Berlin
Born September 4, 1875, in Schweidnitz (Świdnica)
Deported July 17, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, died September 27, 1943
Born August 16, 1856, in Briesen (Wąbrzeźno)
Deported September 14, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, died December 9, 1942
Born August 19, 1893, in Berlin
Deported September 23, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, died February 6, 1943
Born January 26, 1886, in Berlin
Deported to Switzerland 1943
Born January 22, 1890, in Berlin
Deported to Switzerland 1943
Born march 14, 1907, in Vienna
Deported April 19, 1943, to the Theresienstadt ghetto; September 29, 1944, to Auschwitz, murdered
Born October 20, 1920, in Berlin
Deported April 19, 1943, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, survived
Born July 21, 1889, in Bojanowo
Deported October 26, 1942, to Riga, died October 29, 1942
Born January 11, 1894, in Gartschin
Deported March 2, 1943, to Auschwitz, murdered April 1943
Born February 9, 1866, in Hohenstein
Died September 26, 1942, in Berlin
Born August 24, 1884, in Berlin
Deported June 2, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto; October 12, 1944, to Auschwitz, murdered
Born March 21, 1884, in Berlin
Deported August 4, 1943, to Auschwitz, murdered
Born March 24, 1872, in Berlin
Deported September 14, 1942, to the Theresienstadt ghetto, died January 1,1943
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