Theodor and Therese Vollweiler, Ferdinand and Lina Vollweiler; Johanna Stern
They were inseparable, even into death: the sisters Therese and Lina
Stern from Olnhausen and for many years also the brothers Theodor and
Ferdinand Vollweiler from Berwangen.
Theodor Vollweiler was born 14 August 1880, and his brother Ferdinand
Vollweiler was born 13 October 1881 in Berwangen. Their parents were
Wolf and Hannchen Vollweiler nee Schlessinger. Wolf Vollweiler
was, like his father Isaak, a cattle dealer. The Vollweiler family has
been shown to be in Berwangen, an agricultural village in the
Kraichgau, Baden, since the middle of the 18th century. Theodor and
Ferdinand were the fifth generation. Berwangen had at that time
about 1000 residents and at 15 per cent a relatively high proportion
were Jewish. Today Berwangen is a neighborhood of the town Kirchardt in
the Heilbronn district.
Theodor and Ferdinand Vollweiler attended the Jewish elementary school
in Berwangen, and later a three year public school in Sinsheim. Neither
had the inclination to follow in the vocational footsteps of their
father. Both learned the profession of merchant but there were no
opportunities for this in Berwangen. They received their training
outside of Berwangen, probably with relatives, as was common at that
time.
We find Ferdinand Vollweiler in 1904, perhaps already in Wittlich,
today Wittlich Bernkastel in Rhineland-Palatinate. From Wittlich
he went to Buehl in Baden on 1 October 1904. On 1 January 1907 he
went to Frankenthal in Pfalz and remained there two and a half
years. In July 1909 he returned to Buehl. These were his
traveling years, 'Wanderjahre', as a traveling salesman or independent
commercial agent.
Theodor Vollweiler went from Berwangen to Buehl in September
1909. What professions he had up until that time is unknown.
Based on their later activity in Karlsruhe it can be assumed that the
brothers had a business together in Buehl.
The Stern sisters attended the local elementary school in Olnhausen and
later the three year public school in Sinsheim. They trained for
a profession.
On 1 December 1910 Theodor Vollweiler and Therese Stern were married in
Olnhausen, as was common at that time with a marriage contract. They
lived after the marriage in Buehl, where on 21 January 1913 their older
daughter Irene was born.
Ferdinand Vollweiler and Lina Stern were married on 20 June 1912 in
Olnhausen, also with a marriage contract. They lived in Buhl and
they had no children.
It can be assumed that the brides and grooms didn't know each other
before the wedding since they were arranged, as was common at that
time. Perhaps the fathers knew each other, as cattle dealers they
traveled around a lot thus had the opportunity to look out for brides
and bridegrooms for their marriagable sons and daughters. Perhaps
these marriages were, in addition, the work of a Schadchen, a
professional Jewish matchmaker. On 17 March 1915 both families went to
Karlsruhe. The brothers Vollweiller had a manufacturing business at
Vencentiusstrasse 9a. They also lived at that address. In 1918 they
moved to Suedendstrasse 27, but the business remained on the
Vencentiusstrasse.
On 22 November 1918 in Karlsruhe a second daughter, Ruth, was born to Theodor and Therese Vollweiler.
Apparently the brothers Vollweiler were spared from military service in
the First World War. The "inseparability" of the Vollweiler
married couples also appeared in their club memberships: Theodor and
Ferdinand Vollweiler were members of a Jewish Men's club and members of
the benevolent association "Malbisch Arumim" and the wives were members
of the Jewish woman's club.
In 1921 we find both in a completely different trade that the Firm
Vollweiler Brothers managed: a cigar factory, at Sudendstrasse 27. The
manufacturing business didn't exist any longer. Since their building
wasn't suitable for a cigar factory and since other production areas
could not be found it is likely that the brothers purchased an existing
cigar factory.
However this business doesn't seem to have been successful, because we
find no entry in 1925 for the cigar factory, instead the gainful
employment of both was as free commercial agents in the so-called
'white goods' and equipment trade (linens, bed and table, laundry,
etc.). The customers were preferably hospitals, institutions of
all kinds, homes, and hotels. They worked for their
brother-in-law Jakob Stern (born 13 April 1883), oldest brother of
their wives, who operated a wholesale business in this industry in
Berlin.
On 1 December 1935 Ferdinand and Lina Vollweiler moved to a large six
room flat at Karlstrasse 102. The business flourished and so they could
purchase this comfortable furnished residence. In this dwelling
they remained up to their deportation in October 1940.
On 15 December 1925 the parents of Lina Vollweiler, Nathan and Johanna
Stern of Olnhausen, came to live with them. Nathan Starn had
given his occupation up as a cattle dealer, he was now retired. The
younger son, Simon, mentally handicapped, was cared for well in an
institution in Weinsberg, where he died in August 1928. Nathan
Stern couldn't, however, enjoy his retirment for long as he died on 8
September 1927 in Karlsruhe.
Theodor and Therese Vollweiler remained at Sudendstrasse 27. In 1935 we
find the family Vollweiler in the home of the brother Ferdinand, which
suggests that they had to leave their home because they were
Jews. Later they found a large home at Leopoldstrasse 34, where
they lived until their deportation in October 1940.
After the boycott of Jewish busnesses on 1 April 1933 by the National
Socialists, with SA-posts at each business, Jakob Stern with his wife
Irma nee Rosenberger went to France and established themselves in
Paris. He probably suspected what would happen to the Jews in
Germany after his personal experiences with the boycott. With
difficulties he established a business in Paris.
Theodor and Ferdinand Vollweiler worked now as commercial agents for
the same manufacturing firms of several products - so long as this was
possible: on 6 July 1938 Jews were forbidden from the commercial agent
business. But already for a long time before, since Hitler's seizure of
power on 30 January 1933 the business activity of Theodor and Ferdinand
Vollweiler had gradually decreased. One or another agency had
been lost, customers no longer wanted to buy from Jews, public
institutions were prohibited from accepting bids from Jews. The Nazi
slogan "Don't buy from Jews" (Kauft nicht beim Juden) had success.
Theodor and Ferdinand Vollweiler lived more and more, after 6 July 1938
completely, on their savings. In 1939 therefore Theodor
Vollweiler had to redeem a life insurance policy with the OEVA (Baden
public insurance office of savings banks).
The daughters of Theodor and Therese Vollweiler attended the public
elementary school in the Sudendstrasse, Irene from 1919 to 1923, Ruth
from 1925 to 1933. Irene for the subsequent six years attended
the Fichte-Gymnasium (High School) and then from 1929 to 1931 the
private professional Hansa school in Karlsruhe.
Irene Vollweiler worked after her school days from 1931 to 1933 at the
Jewish Welfare organisation (Juedischen Wohlfahrtsverband) in Karlsruhe
as a Kanzleikraft, from January 1934 until August 1938 she was active
as a secretary in the banking house Straus & Co. in
Karlsruhe. When the bank changed to "Aryan hands" she was
dismissed. She didn't find another place to work.
Ruth Vollweiler completed commercial training after her schooling at
the Firm K. L. Stern and Sons, Saddler, upolsterer, and leather
wholesale, at Erbprinzenstrasse 11. After her training there she
was active there for two years as an office worker, until the company
had to liquidate.
On 25 February 1937 she, illigitimately, bore her son Wolfgang in the
hospital in Twistringen bei Bremen. We will hear from Wolfgang
again.
Irene Vollweiler met the brewer Karl Strauss in Karlsruhe. Karl
Strauss was born 5 October 1912 in Minden, Westphalia, and they married
on 31 January 1939 in Karlsruhe. Karl Strauss had a great
importance for the Vollweilers in the future so he will be dealt with
in more detail here.
Karl Strauss had earned his degree in 1931 in Minden. His father,
Albrecht Strauss, was the brewery-director of the
Feldschloesschen-Brewery there. Brewing beer fascinated Karl Strauss
and he studied Brewery science at the Technical University Munich at
Weihenstephan. The first two stages of the training, pre- and during
examination for brew master he completed in 1932 and 1933 with grades
of 'very good'. The third part, engineering education and
examination, he couldn't complete because he was a Jew. He
couldn't find employment as a brew master however, because with the
position of brew master came the right of training apprentices, however
Jews were forbidden to train "aryan" apprentices. Therefore he
tried to earn a living in other businesses, first in Minden, his home
town, and later in Hanover. He went to Karlsruhe at the end of
1935 due to an announcement from the Jewish firm S. Blum and Sons,
Baumeisterstrasse 3, in a Jewish newspaper, who were looking for a
managing director. He lived in Karlsruhe at Gartenstrasse 9 as a
lodger. He had learned business skills during his employment in Minden
and Hannover.
At the Firm Blum he worked from 1 January 1936 until 17 August 1938, at
which time the company was transferred into "aryan hands." The
business was then called Peter Beuscher KG and Karl Strauss was luckily
able to retain his position until the end of 1938. At that time
he was dismissed because Jews could no longer be employed by "aryan"
firms.
As in all of Germany on the night of 9/10 November 1938 the synagogues
burned and almost all the Jews of Karlsruhe were shipped to the Dachau
concentration camp. Karl Strauss was on a business trip in
Bavaria and so avoided Dachau. Theodor and Ferdinand Vollweiler also
avoided Dachau, probably due to their age.
It had long been clear that Karl Strauss' vocational future was no
longer appropriate in Germany. He therefore arranged his
emigration to the USA. An acquaintance of his uncle helped him
get a place with the Pabst brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He
received the required affidavit for entry to the US, a kind of
financial endorsement for the stay in the US, from relatives in the US.
He traveled on the SS Manhattan from Hamburg to New York, leaving 25
February 1939 and arriving on 3 March 1939. Two months later, on 11 May
1939, he started at the Pabst Brewery. He started, however, much
below the company leaders as a worker, but at least he was making some
money. With hard work and many deprivations he worked from job to job
up to being the technical director of the brewery. This was a position
that in Germany he would have been able to reach ten years earlier if
not for the persecution of Jews.
Meanwhile he had striven with all strength to get his wife out of
Germany. Since her husband already lived in the US she didn't fall
under the immigration quota rules. On 21 September 1939 she had
been ordered to the US Consulate General in Stuttgart, in order to
obtain her visa. She had already paid the ship's passage in
Reichsmarks to the Holland-America Line for one passage on the New
Amsterdam before the outbreak of war. With the outbreak of war this
ship was withdrawn from the overseas service and her ticket was
therefore invalid. Her money was returned but she had to book another
passage, delaying her trip, and the new reservation had to be made in
US dollars. Karl Strauss paid the ticket, which was very difficult
because he had only been working for a few months at his new job and
didn't earn very much. Finally she arrived in New York on 3
November 1939 from Rotterdam on the SS Staatendam. The joy for her and
her husband was indescribable.
When she travelled to Holland for her departure she a bad experience at
the border crossing: she was pushed and struck in the waiting area of
the German border guards and her suitcase was badly damaged. She
suffered from this experience constantly and due to this after four
years working in the US she became permanently unable to work.
Ruth Vollweiler emigrated, actuallly it was an escape, in August 1938
to Belgium. Why? And why Belgium? That remains unclear. She
left her son Wolfgang with the grandparents in Karlsruhe, who became
the erzatz parents for the next few years. Once in 1940, Therese
Vollweiler wrote to her daughter Irene, that the little Wolfgang had
stood before the mirror in the bedroom and said to her "I'm a handsome
boy, Mama." Grandmother and Grandfather were Mama and Papa for
the little one.
Since Ruth Vollweiler couldn't find a commercial position in Belgium
she worked as household help for an older couple in Brussels, for room
and board and a little pocket money. In March 1942 she was hiding in an
old persons home in Brussels in the Rue de Glaciere. She also
worked here for food and board and pocket money. There she met
Mendel Rebhuhn, who also worked there. They knew each other for a few
days and then were married on 11 March 1942 in Brussels. The hardship
of being pursued may have pushed them to take this step.
In this old people's home they, by almost a miracle, could survive the
time of the German occupation and of Jewish oppresion. Only after
the liberation of Belgium and France by the allies was Ruth Rebhuhn, as
she was then known, able to again take in her arms her son Wolfgang,
who was seven years old and had become known as Roger. In 1947 she was
able to emigrate to the US with her husband and son due to the help of
Karl Strauss. The name Rebhuhn became Rebbun because the immigration
official couldn't write the name correctly.
The story of Mendel Rebhuhn, later Jacob and in the US James, is so
spectacular that it has to be described here. He was born on 30
September 1906 in Krzeszowice in Galicia, near Krakow and
Auschwitz. In the 20's he went to Germany, learned banking and
worked in Hannover. In June 1939 along with about 100 other
Polish Jews he was supposed to be deported back to Poland. Since he had
no Polish papers, however, the Polish border officials refused him
entry to Poland and he returned to Hannover.
He had received from the US consulate in Hamburg the very low quota
number 1683, which was dated 22 October 1938, but emigration into the
US couldn't be attained nevertheless. He decided therefore after
the experience of the Polish deportation to flee with other Jews
illegally over the border into Belgium. They had to pay a lot of money
to a schlepper. The group from Cologne drove in an open truck
with SS flag flying, escorted by two men dressed in SS uniform, to the
Belgian border and crossed over the border into Belgium.
On 22 October 1940 the Jews of Baden and the Jews of the Saar Pfalz in
a lightning action were deported to Gurs in Southern France.
Theodor and Therese Vollweiler were taken, along with the three year
old Wolfgang Vollweiler who lived with his grandparents. Also taken
were Ferdinand and Lina Vollweiler and Lina's mother Johanna Stern who
lived with them. It is presumed by the historians that this
action was initiated by Gauleiter of Baden Robert Wagner. Wagner
was condemned to death for his crimes as Chief of the civil
administration in Alsace by a French court and executed on 14 August
1946 in Strasbourg.
Gurs was, because of the unspeakable living conditions, later
designated by survivors the "Limbo of Auschwitz." People, above all the
elderly, died there in large numbers. However, in the weeks at the end
of December 1940 nearly 500 per day (!). They were weakened
because of completely insufficient food and because of the catastrophic
hygenic conditions.
The first victim of the family was Johanna Stern, 78, who died in Gurs
on 16 December 1940, just eight weeks after arrival in the camp.
Several days later Jacob Stern, brother of Therese and Lina Vollweiler,
visited his family members in Gurs, and he could no longer hold his
mother in his arms.
Jacob Stern had to leave his residence in Paris in May 1940 to escape
from the Germans. He fled with his wife to the unoccupied zone in
Southern France to Le Chayland, Departement Ardeche, near Valence and
lived there in a small hotel.
On 10 March 1941 both Vollweiler families and the little Wolfgang,
along with many other Deportees from Gurs, were taken to Rivesaltes
near Perpignan. All hoped for better living conditions there, a hope of
which they were to be cheated. The living conditions were almost as bad
as before, only the weather was better. It didn't rain so often
or so much and the barracks were made of stone and had windows, not
just skylights as in Gurs.
Karl and Irene Strauss saved each penny, in order to send to their
family members in the camp, especially to send money to Irene's
parents. The money could be used in the camp to buy various necessities
(in the camp almost anything was available for money). Surprisingly the
money nearly always arrived. They also sent small food parcels by the
Quaker organisation "Vie Portugal." What would have happened without
this material assistance?
Perhaps still more important for those locked in the camp was the
ability to communicate with their loved ones in the US. That gave
them the strength to live, at least for a while.
Despite this assistance Theodor Vollweiler didn't remain alive much
longer. He died on 9 July 1941 in the hospital ward in camp
Rivesaltes from exhaustion. He said to his wife Therese from his
deathbead "I will die and see my children no longer."
All letters showed a confidence in God, especially from the two wives
Therese and Lina Vollweiler, and were shaped by great love and constant
concern around the well-being of daughter and son-in-law and niece and
nephew. Therese Vollweiler also wished a child to her children in the
US: "I gladly wish you a little Strauss ("kleines Strausschen"), I love
the little one so dearly." Not one time did they complain about the
unspeakable living conditions (including an annoying
flea-plague). Also, diseases were only barely mentioned. Nearlly
all camp prisoners went sooner or later, one or more times, to the camp
hospital ward or even into the hospital in Perpignan.
On 24 February 1942 Ferdinand Vollweiler died after a long period in
the camp hospital in Rivesaltes, as his brother had the year before,
from complete exhaustion.
In October 1941, little Wolfgang, four and a half years old, was listed
at the Jewish child relief organisation OSE (Oevre pour le Secours des
Enfantes) for an accommodation in an OSE home. On 24 April 1942
he was taken from the camp by OSE activists and taken to a farm family,
where he survived. Here he took the first name Roger. From later
correspondence no information exists that shows the grandmother had
known where he went. She was however certainly convinced that he was
safe.
In April 1942 Jacob Stern visited his family members for a second time
in Rivesaltes. It was a great joy for him and his sisters.
Naturally all four Vollweilers had wished themselves, already during
the lifetimes of Theodor and Ferdinand Vollwieler, that they cold go as
fast as possible to the US. Karl Strauss worked hard to accomplish all
necessary formalities and the Vollweilers in the camp hoped for God's
help that he would succeed. Above all Therese Vollweiler longed
very much to be with her beloved children. Therese Vollweiler had
received the release document in December 1941 and in July 1942 Karl
Strauss had paid the ship's passage for his mother-in-law. But
the departure didn't happen, not for Therese and not for Lina
Vollweiler.
The last lines of Therese and Lina Vollweiler date from 11 June 1942.
The transport of Jews from France to Auschwitz had already begun. Soon
the Jews from Rivesaltes were placed on deportation lists and prepared
for transport. They received travel provisions for five days (bread
sausage, cheese, canned sardines, tomatoes, fruit, jam), they had never
had such food during their interment. This was their last
meal. The people knew that they were going to Poland, and
suspected that their end would be there. Some said nevertheless:
"If this is how it will be, we will go even in God's Name".
Friedel Bohny-Reiter, a Swiss Sister, who worked in Rivesaltes in the
years 1941 and 1942 for a Swiss relief organization, noted in her
diary, "Oppresive heat lays over the camp. Still the misery of troubled
humans hangs in the air. I see them wheezing under their loads coming
in long rows from the baracks. Guards to the side. The roll call
begins. Wait in the shadeless field, hour after hour. Then come the
trucks that will take them to the railroad tracks. Between two rows of
guards they leave the trucks and step, some hesitating, others
apathetic, some with defiant raised heads, into the cattle cars. After
hours all are stowed in the hot musty cars. Through the iron barred
windows I see the well-known faces. Two guards stand guard by each car.
From the last car sounds 'good-bye', 'Auf Wiedersehen.'
On 12 August 1942 Lina Vollweiler went from Rivesaltes to Drancy, the
collection point for the transport of the Jews to the East and was
deported from there on 14 August 1942 on Transport 19 to
Auschwitz. The transport carried 991 people including 117
children. From this transport 875 were gassed immediately. From the
remaining 115 Jews selected for work, only a single survived Auschwitz.
On 11 September 1942, four weeks later, Therese Vollweiler was also
deported from Drancy to Auschwitz on Transport 31. From the 1000 Jews
on this transport 193 were children. 920 were gassed immediately, 80
were selected for work, 13 survied Auschwitz.
Supplementary information:
Karl Strauss's father died on 8 February 1940 in the Jewish Hospital in
Hannover. All attempts to bring his mother out of Germany failed.
Karl Strauss had obtained a visa for a temporary emigration to Cuba, at
a cost of $500, which he had borrowed. She was deported on an
unknown date in 1942 from Minden to Warsaw and from there to Riga,
where she died.
Irene Strauss nee Vollweiler, died on 6 March 1978 in Milwaukee.
Her marriage with Karl Strauss was childless. Karl Strauss
married a second time in 1980.
Ruth Rebbun nee Vollweiler, died on 26 February 1975 in Milwaukee.
Jacob Stern and his wife Irma were caught by Theodor Daneckers, the
right hand man of Adolf Eichman in France, in their hotel in Le
Cheylard. They were taken to a camp and on 20 November 1943 were
deported from Drancy to Auschwitz on Transport 62, along with 1200
other Jews. They were gassed immediately upon arrival.