Search for Names, Places and Biographies

Julius Pincoffs * 1860

Grindelhof 19 (Eimsbüttel, Rotherbaum)

HIER WOHNTE
JULIUS PINCOFFS
JG. 1860
DEPORTIERT 1942
ERMORDET IN
AUSCHWITZ

further stumbling stones in Grindelhof 19:
Emma Pincoffs, Helene Pincoffs

Julius Pincoffs, born on 20 July 1860 in Stargard/Saatzig/Pomerania (today Stargard/Szadzko in Poland), deported on 11 July 1942 to Auschwitz, murdered there
Helene Pincoffs, née Kaphan, born on 1 Oct. 1870 in Miloslaw/Wreschen/Posen (today Milsloaw/Wrzesnia in Poland), deported on 11 July 1942 to Auschwitz, murdered there
Emma Pincoffs, born on 18 Jan. 1878 in Stargard/Saatzig/Pomerania (today Stargard/ Szadzko in Poland), deported on 11 July 1942 to Auschwitz, murdered there

Grindelhof 19

Julius Pincoffs, the son of Louis Levy Pincoffs and his wife Eva, née Ephraim, attended the Protestant academic school, the Grönningsche Gymnasium, in Stargard/Pomerania. Nothing is known about his further professional training. He probably went to Hamburg at the age of 30. In any case, he first appeared in Hamburg in 1890. He married Helene Kaphan from Posen (today Poznan in Poland); on 18 Dec. 1891, daughter Margarethe Selma Laura was born. Initially, the young family lived at Bismarckstrasse 31 (from 1891 to 1893), later at Rutschbahn 11 (from 1894 to 1900).

On 1 Apr. 1890, Julius Pincoffs and Ernst Moritz founded the Moritz & Pincoffs general partnership, an import and export company that imported overseas grain and animal feed and exported industrial products to South Africa, East Asia, and Australia. During the early years, the company frequently changed addresses in Hamburg’s city center, as can be seen from the directories: in 1891, it was located at Alte Gröningerstrasse 13; in 1892, at Grosse Bäckerstrasse 26; from 1893 to 1895, at Rathausstrasse 14; from 1896 to 1898, at Schauenburgerstrasse 11; from 1899 to 1904 at Neuer Wall 61; and from 1905 to 1910, at Grosse Reichenstrasse 49/51. From 1911, the company established itself in a renowned office building, Streit’s Hof, at Königstrasse 14/16 (today Poststrasse), where it was located until 1934. On 13 Jan. 1899, Julius Pincoffs acquired Hamburg civic rights.

Under the management of Ernst Moritz and Julius Pincoffs, the company developed into a successful business, so that in 1901, Pincoffs was able to rent a six-room apartment for himself and his family at Grindelhof 19 on the third floor. He lived in this apartment until 1934 together with his wife Helene, their daughter Margarethe and his stepsister Emma, who was 18 years younger. The latter was the daughter from the father’s second marriage in Stargard with Henriette Pincoffs, née Philipp. When Emma followed her stepbrother to Hamburg is unknown. Julius Pincoffs employed a domestic worker to manage the apartment. Every year, he went on a holiday trip with his wife and sister, often to the Black Forest or to Austria. In the 1920s, Pincoffs occasionally took the grandson Hans with them on the journey.

The daughter of the Pincoffs, Margarethe, married Richard Theodor Zickel, a merchant born in Breslau (today Wroclaw in Poland), on 22 Aug. 1912 in Hamburg. This marriage produced son Hans, who was born on 29 Nov. 1916 in Berlin. The Zickel family initially lived in Berlin and returned to Hamburg in 1921, where they lived at Oderfelderstrasse 15. Hans attended the Bertramsche Privatschule, a private school on Esplanade, from 1923 to 1927 and then, from 1927 to 1933, the Heinrich-Hertz-Schule up to completing grade 11 (Obersekunda). He wanted to study economics, but left school prior to the intended high school graduation (Abitur). As he later wrote in his application for restitution: "It soon became clear under the Hitler regime that it was impossible for a Jew to pursue a university career, and in order not to waste precious time, I decided to give up school as early as Apr. 1933.” Instead, from Apr. 1933 to Mar. 1936, he completed a commercial apprenticeship in his grandfather’s company before leaving for South Africa in Mar. 1936 – one year after the early death of his mother Margarethe on 21 Mar. 1935. There, he made up his Abitur (high school graduation diploma qualifying for university entrance) as well as the desired degree and later worked as an auditor.

In addition to two employees, Emma Pincoffs, Julius’ stepsister who received power of attorney in 1934/35, also worked for Moritz & Pincoffs. The company suffered considerably from the boycott of Jewish businesses and enterprises starting in Apr. 1933; especially exports were affected. As a result, the co-owner Ernst Moritz retired in 1934. In 1935, Helene and Emma Pincoffs joined the company as partners.

On 20 Dec. 1940, Pincoffs concluded a takeover agreement with Robert Barthmann, residing at Werderstrasse 8, presumably a business friend of his, in order to save the company. This contract was not approved by the Reich Governor (Reichsstatthalter) of Hamburg, Karl Kaufmann. Instead, Julius Pincoffs was forced to conclude a contract with the merchant Walter Burose on 31 Oct. 1941 as part of the "Aryanization,” which became legally binding in Jan. 1942. It is unknown why the company was "Aryanized” so late, when the general "Aryanization” of Jewish companies began in the fall of 1938 and was almost completed by the beginning of the war in 1939. A delay may have been caused by the total restriction of export transactions: Thus, according to a note in the company’s audit report dated 10 Oct. 1939, "[It] can be assumed that no Aryan company would be found at the moment that will take over Moritz & Pincoffs.”

Despite the increasingly difficult situation for Jews, Julius Pincoffs had no intention of emigrating. As he announced in Nov. 1938, it was not possible for him to leave Germany, primarily because of his advanced age – he was 78 years old by then. The Pincoffs lived from 1935 to 1939 in a smaller apartment at Hallerplatz 1 (three rooms), and then moved to Mittelweg 31 (in 1940/41). Julius Pincoffs had had to vacate the company premises in the Streithaus in 1934, so that he carried out the business transactions still possible for him from his private rooms.

For Julius Pincoffs, previously enjoying a solid middle-class lifestyle with his wife and sister, life became increasingly difficult. In 1939, he asked his son-in-law Richard Zickel, who had just emigrated to America, for money. For example, Alfred Kriegel, who had given Zickel general power of attorney for his remaining assets, put in a request to the Hamburg Chief Finance Administrator (Oberfinanzpräsident) as to whether Julius, Emma, and Helene could each be paid 1,000 RM (reichsmark) for living expenses. He got permission to do so. Also in 1940, Alfred Kriegel succeeded again in sending Julius Pincoffs 500 RM from his Zickel assets.

The last address of the Pincoffs was Agathenstrasse 3, a "Jews’ house” ("Judenhaus”) where the elderly couple – Julius Pincoffs was 81 years old, Helene 71 – probably lived in very cramped conditions during the last months leading up to their deportation in 1942. According to the guidelines of the Reich Security Main Office (Reichssicherheitshauptamt), they ought to have been deported to the "ghetto for the elderly” ("Altergetto”) in Theresienstadt. However, the Hamburg Gestapo ignored this and assigned them to be transported to the Auschwitz extermination camp, where they were murdered immediately upon arrival.

Translator: Erwin Fink
Kindly supported by the Hermann Reemtsma Stiftung, Hamburg.

© Ute Harms

Quellen: 1; 2; 5; StaH 314-15 Oberfinanzpräsident R 1938/3443; StaH 351-11 Amt für Wiedergutmachung 41285; StaH Bürger-Register 1899–1905; StaH 332-5 Standesämter 9073 u. 3116; StaH 522-1 Jüdische Gemeinden Nr. 992e 2 Bd. 4 Transport nach Auschwitz am 11. Juli 1942; Hamburger Adressbücher 1891–1942; Bajohr: "Arisierung".
Zur Nummerierung häufig genutzter Quellen siehe Link "Recherche und Quellen".