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Sophie Rieder (née Braunschweiger) * 1874

Averhoffstraße 22 (Hamburg-Nord, Uhlenhorst)

HIER WOHNTE
SOPHIE RIEDER
GEB. BRAUNSCHWEIGER
JG. 1874
DEPORTIERT 1943
THERESIENSTADT
1943 AUSCHWITZ
ERMORDET

further stumbling stones in Averhoffstraße 22:
Markus Rieder

Markus Rieder, born on 17 Mar. 1870 in Szobrancz, deported on 9 June 1943 to Theresienstadt and on 18 Dec. 1943 to Auschwitz
Sophie Rieder, née Braunschweiger, born on 9 July 1874 in Hamburg, deported on 9 June 1943 to Theresienstadt and on 18 Dec. 1943 to Auschwitz

Averhoffstrasse 22

Markus Rieder was born in 1879 in what was then Austro-Hungarian Szobrancz (Sobrance), a spa town near Ungvar (Uzhhorod) in the border triangle between Hungary, Ukraine, and Slovakia. After 1918, the region belonged to Czechoslovakia, today to Ukraine. His parents were Joseph and Rachel Rieder, née Goldenberg. Due to the anti-Semitism increasing in Hungary since the mid-1870s, many Jewish families left the country. In about 1889, Markus Rieder and additional family members arrived in Northern Germany. He had learned the shoemaker’s trade and practiced this occupation in Hamburg, where he opened his first small store at Neuer Steinweg 32.

In 1895, he married Sophie, who was born on 9 July 1874 as the child of the married Jewish couple Louis and Betty Braunschweiger, née Benjamin, in Hamburg. Markus and Sophie Rieder had three children: Grete Recha was born on 2 June 1897, and she was followed by the brothers James on 7 May 1899 and Max on 31 Dec. 1901. The family lived in a house of their own at Johnsallee 20. Markus Rieder was industrious, business-minded, and successful. At the beginning of the new century, he had built up the "M. Rieder” chain of shoe stores, and shoes from Rieder became a brand name. After the First World War, Markus Rieder, impaired in his health due to many years of hard work, wished to withdraw from the business as a fifty-year old, intending to live on the interest from his savings. Some of the stores were leased to new proprietors. However, the inflation in the early 1920s changed all of these plans as he lost a considerable portion of his fortune.

This prompted him to make a new beginning. Using his knowledge and skills, he managed within a short time to establish the new Rieder&Sohn footwear trading company, with the stores ranking among the largest in town. One branch on Lappenbergsallee in Eimsbüttel was managed by his son-in-law Julius Mamelok, who took it over later. The main branches were located at Hamburger Strasse 164 and at Bramfelder Strasse 23 in Barmbek; there were also stores on Schulterblatt, on Neuer Steinweg, in Glückstadt and in Itzehoe, operated by one of Markus Rieder’s relatives, Aaron and his wife Giska Rieder. Aaron’s older brother, Simon Rieder, headed the S. Rieder shoe store in Hamburg at Fruchtallee 45, where Julius Mamelok worked as general manager as well, before relocating to the branch of Markus Rieder&Sohn on Lappenbergsallee.

Markus and Sophie Rieder had rented out their previous residential building at Johnsallee from 1932 onward and since then, they were registered with the authorities as residing in Uhlenhorst at Averhoffstrasse 22.

Grete Recha, the family’s only daughter, married Julius Mamelok in 1920. Born on 27 May 1884 in Freystadt/West Prussia, he was the son of Nathan and Rahel Mamelok, née Marcus. After doing business training, he worked in Berlin as a department manager and purchaser before the First World War, coming to Hamburg in 1918 following four years of frontline service. He and Recha were married, and at the beginning of their marriage, they lived in the house of Recha’s parents at Johnsallee 20 in Harvestehude, where their only son, Hans Norbert, was born on 11 May 1921. Later, the family lived at Stellinger Weg 4 in Eimsbüttel. Julius Mamelok’s business was "Aryanized” in 1938. The proceeds, amounting to less than his financial obligations, were supposed to be 13,699.60 RM (reichsmark) and paid into a special account. On 12 Jan. 1939, Julius Mamelok wrote to the Chief Finance Administrator (Oberfinanzpräsident), "I have sold my business to Mr. Hans-Christian Hermann. I would kindly ask for approval of the disbursement, since I have to meet my obligations.” He added, "I would also like to mention that I am 54 years old and that for me … emigration is out of the question, especially because I am ill.”

The family was nearly destitute by then and had to be supported by the Rieder parents/parents-in-law. After giving notice for their apartment on Stellinger Weg, they moved to rented rooms in the building at Mundsburger Damm 28, not far from Recha’s parents at Averhoffstrasse 22. Though Julius and Recha Mamelok did not strive for emigration, it was possible, with the grandparents’ help, to organize for son Hans passage on a ship to Shanghai in the spring of 1939, with the 18-year old embarking on the journey by himself.

Recha’s brother James Rieder had attended the Talmud Tora School until 1914 and did a two-year apprenticeship at the Th. Müller+Co. shoe factory in Frankfurt. Having returned to Hamburg, he took on responsibilities in his father’s business and then completed his military service on the front from 1917 until 1919. Subsequently, he became a partner in the large branch at Hamburger Strasse 164, intersection to Volksdorfer Strasse. He was married to Alice, who bore him three children: Werner, Eva, and Ellen. The family lived at Hansastrasse 78 in the Rotherbaum quarter.

Max, the youngest of the siblings, attended the Talmud Tora School until finishing his one-year graduating class ("Einjähriges”, mittlere Reife). In his father’s company, he completed a business apprenticeship, gathering experience in managerial positions at other enterprises outside of Hamburg, and once again working at Rieder&Sohn upon his return. In Barmbek, he helped build up a large-scale shoe repair workshop. He also got married. His wife’s name was Ruth, born on 2 Dec. 1909, and the couple lived at Hufnerstrasse 42.

Until the start of the 1930s, the businesses thrived, with the company generating overall sales of almost 1 million reichsmark at this time; Markus Rieder’s assets were estimated at 200,000 RM. With the beginning of the boycott and of persecution measures through increasingly more restrictive laws and ordinances, sales declined, although the quality of the goods continued to ensure a considerable base of established customers.

The idea of selling and emigrating was extremely unattractive for businesspeople even at the outset of the "Third Reich,” because both entailed high taxes and compulsory duties.

The "Reich flight tax” ("Reichsfluchtsteuer”) continually rose starting in 1933, and anyone wishing to transfer money for the purpose of emigrating had to transfer these sums to the German Gold Discount Bank (Deutsche Golddiskontbank) as an "emigrant’s blocked balance” when exchanging into foreign currency, a procedure that involved depreciations of 65 percent as early as 1934, increasing to 90 percent in June 1938, and 96 percent by the end of 1939. Perhaps the illusion of a change in political circumstances still played a role at first. In any case, many hesitated to take consequences in time.

The increasingly threatening situation took away all future perspectives and initially prompted the families of Max and James Rieder to take steps toward emigration. The Nazi state was bent on concluding the economic destruction of livelihoods through the "Aryanization” of Jewish businesses by the end of 1938, and the Rieder&Sohn Company, too, was forced to look for a "politically reliable” buyer.

Max and Ruth Rieder were the first to have gathered all of the certifications toward emigration, and they were expecting their first child at the time. However, on 12 July 1938, Max traveled to Australia on his own in order to make arrangements for the arrival of the rest of the family. Ruth suffered from complications during her pregnancy and for the time being she was supposed to stay in Hamburg until giving birth to the child. Because the apartment had already been wound up, she temporarily lived on Stellinger Weg in Eimsbüttel with the Mamelok family and, after their relocation to Mundsburger Damm, with her parents-in-law on Averhoffstrasse.

The emigration of James Rieder’s family had also been initiated. As the co-owner of the company, prior to the required tax clearance certificates (Unbedenklichkeitsbescheinigungen) he was subject to additional reviews by the tax authorities, customs and currency investigation departments, banks, and all other authorities called in. In 1936, his youngest daughter Ellen was born, son Werner had been born in 1923 and daughter Eva in 1926. In most Jewish families, securing the children’s future was one of the most important concerns, and often they were sent on ahead or taken out of the country somehow, as happened with Hans Norbert Mamelok. James and Alice Rieder managed to emigrate along with their children via Rotterdam and London to Australian Melbourne in Sept. 1938. Until Sept. 1938, a Jewish family of four was allowed to transfer abroad a maximum of 50,000 RM, entailing currency depreciations of up to 70 percent; afterward, the exchange rates became increasingly worse. Compulsory duties, transport expenses, ship’s passages, and special charges for the release of moving goods used up James Rieder’s funds, and in the end, only 3,000 RM remained, a sum he left to his sister Recha. In order to get his hands on the 200 Australian pounds he had to produce upon immigrating to Australia, he found himself compelled to cancel his life insurance policy.

The sons’ request for emigration resulted in Markus and Sophie Rieder being kept under surveillance. A note of the appropriate police precinct to the foreign currency investigation department communicated that it did "not appear that R. intends to emigrate, as the entire household effects are still in place. He continues to operate a shoe store on Hamburger Strasse. Both have been in possession of passports for years.”

Officials of the Chief Finance Administrator’s Office (Oberfinanzpräsidium), foreign currency department, prepared the following file memorandum on 15 July 1938: "…I leave it up to you whether to issue a security order [Sicherungsanordnung].” Below that the remark, "The emigration procedure is not being initiated yet.” On 20 July, the file reads, "As I learned, the footwear dealer Markus Rieder ... harbors the intention to sell his business on Hamburger Strasse. Since R. is a Jew and his son has already emigrated, one can assume that he and his wife will emigrate as well. R. holds Czech citizenship. According to a communication by the Hamburg Barmbeck [sic] Tax Office … the Rieders’ assets amounted to 117,000 RM on 1 Jan. 1935 and their income to 22,632 RM in 1927. … check whether measures in accordance with Sec. 37a Dev. [foreign currency law] are to be taken.” On 27 July 1938, the customs investigation department wrote, "Since James Rieder is already pressing on with his emigration, it was necessary to issue provisional security orders against his father as well in order to counteract possible capital flight.” In addition, the document went on, to issue a tax clearance certificate (Unbedenklichkeitsbescheinigung) to James Rieder, it was necessary "to demand [from him] definite proof concerning the use of funds stemming from the business in order to track down possible capital flight.” James Rieder’s entire assets were confiscated for the time being.

On 22 Aug. 1938, "...Mrs. Sophie Rieder, née Braunschweiger, shows up and explains that her husband cannot appear due to illness.” Henceforth, Sophie Rieder, granted power of attorney by her husband, filed necessary applications and effected business transactions on his behalf. Markus Rieder’s state of health had deteriorated, and he was 68 years old by then. In subsequent restitution proceedings, word was about a family history in connection with heart disease. In 1938, the witch-hunt against Jewish fellow beings escalated dramatically; anxiety about the future, the children, about losing the fruits of a life’s work and the adopted country of residence provided many reasons for unbearable strains on all persons affected.

On 17 September, authorization came in about the disposal of real estate that had to be sold/ "Aryanized.” An M. Rieder shoe store, owned by Joseph Leva and located at Neuer Steinweg 1–3, was on the list of Jewish businesses to be liquidated. The matter revolved around the properties at Neuer Steinweg 20 in Hamburg (the house where Sophie had been born), at Sandberg 11 in Itzehoe, and at Grosse Deichstrasse 15 in Glückstadt. The sales revenues were to be deposited in the blocked account and the same applied to mortgage claims and bonds. "Disposal of the stock on hand is permissible only in connection with the ongoing retail trade.” The persons that appeared as parties from the shoe business interested in buying the stores and the warehouse to go with them in Barmbek were Michael and Hermann Citreck, with a business address at Mozartstrasse 26–28. On 31 Oct. 1938, the sale materialized, and the proceeds of 105,000 RM were credited to the blocked account; the Rieder shoe stores were reopened under the name of Citreck. The building at Hamburger Strasse 164 existed only up to its destruction on 27 July 1942 through air raids, and one year later, during the "Gomorrah” aerial attacks, the one at Bramfelder Strasse 23 was hit as well.

Eventually, Ruth Rieder’s state of health resulted in her admission to the Israelite Hospital. Just prior to delivery, she had to leave the hospital, as the aftermath of the November Pogrom of 1938 saw arrests of doctors and nursing staff by the Gestapo. The Catholic Marienkrankenhaus was the only hospital prepared to admit her, after she had experienced several rejections before. On 17 Nov. 1938, Ruth gave birth to her first child, and in Jan. 1939, she was able to follow her husband to Australia, since her journey had been approved, having been postponed only due to the complications.

For Markus and Sophie Rieder, staying in Germany was no longer conceivable by then either. They strove for the soonest possible closing of all business transactions – the properties were becoming a burden – and filed applications for emigration in order to reach Australia as well. For the daughter, a blocked account was set up and permission obtained to transfer 23,000 RM to her as a gift. In accordance with the "security order,” Recha was allowed to dispose of a monthly allowance of 400 RM to begin with and subsequently 300 RM from this account.

The approval procedure for Markus and Sophie dragged on while very substantial compulsory charges such as levies on Jewish assets, Reich flight tax, emigration dues caused their savings to dwindle. A large number of receipts existed concerning purchases for the emigration, transport costs, freight, and consulting fees. On 29 July 1939, the "Weltreisebüro," a travel agency, issued a receipt for passages on a ship and two tickets for Hamburg-London, but the start of the war prevented the journey.

At the end of Oct. 1939, the Chief Finance Administrator (Oberfinanzpräsident) announced a reduction to 550 RM of the monthly allowance for the Rieder couple, who decided to give up the apartment on Averhoffstrasse. A large part of the furnishings were packed as moving goods and put in storage in the duty-free port. In Jan. 1940, the Rieders notified the authorities of their new address at Haynstrasse 5. In the meantime, they were waiting for the tax clearance certificates, which were delayed due to, among other things, alleged uncertainties and jurisdictions concerning the property sales in Hamburg and Schleswig Holstein. The pieces of real estate had been sold to purchasers at ridiculously low prices; the apartment building on Johnsallee was taken over by the dentist and previous tenant Carl Koopmann.

The couple changed addresses two more times. From Haynstrasse, they moved to the May-Stift, a residential home, at Bogenstrasse 25, and from there to a "Jews’ house” ("Judenhaus”) at Dillstrasse 13; the last accommodation was another "Jews’ house,” at Beneckestrasse 2. From 19 Sept. 1941 onward, Markus and Sophie Rieder, too, had to wear the "yellow star.” October saw the deportation of their daughter Recha and their son-in-law, Julius Mamelok. Nearly two years after their disappearance, their own deportation order caught up with them. Under compulsion by the Gestapo, they were forced even then to sign and pay for a "home purchase contract” ("Heimeinkaufsvertrag”), before the deportation to the Theresienstadt "model camp” took place on 9 June 1943, and from there to the Auschwitz extermination camp on 18 Dec. 1943. Considered missing after the end of the war, Sophie and Markus Rieder were declared officially dead by the Hamburg District Court (Amtsgericht) as of 8 May 1945.

For the daughter and the son-in-law, the deportation order already came in 1941. Like Agnes and Iwan Schumacher, they were, on the orders of the Gestapo, Hamburg headquarters, transported to the Lodz Ghetto on 25 Oct. 1941. Their further deportation to the Chelmno extermination camp is documented for 10 May 1942; subsequently, they were considered missing.

After 812 days in the Shanghai Ghetto, Hans Mamelok lived to see the liberation by the Americans on 3 Sept. 1945. However, for the rest of his life, he would suffer the effects of amebic dysentery treated inadequately. From Shanghai, he succeeded, with the help of his uncle James, in securing passage to Australia, where the brothers of his mother, Max and James Rieder, had been surviving the Holocaust with their families since 1938. Later, Hans took up residence in St. Kilda, Victoria. He learned about the fate of his parents and grandparents only through relatives.

In Australia, James and Max Rieder along with their families tried to create new lives for themselves under difficult circumstances. From the restitution files, we know about Max, who had found a job as a shoemaker, and about James Rieder, who was employed as a chemical worker, that they were in very bad shape regarding their health. Both brothers had severe heart conditions, thus being reduced in their earning capacities. Aged 58, Max died in 1960 of heart failure, the cause being coronary occlusion; his brother James had a posterior myocardial infarction in 1955 and suffered from coronary sclerosis as well as angina pectoris. Similar diagnosis occurred frequently among surviving descendants, so it is safe to assume that the losses, grief, and desperation had a considerable share in the pathogeneses.

Simon Rieder pushed ahead with his emigration early on, and he and his family managed to emigrate to the USA in 1937. Aaron Rieder from Itzehoe, along with his wife and two daughters as well as three of his brothers and six additional children, were murdered in Auschwitz.

Sophie Rieder, née Braunschweiger, a relative of Agnes Schumacher, née Braunschweiger, was deported to Lodz with her husband Iwan in 1941, perishing there. Stolpersteine for Recha and Julius Mamelok are to be laid on Stellinger Weg/Eimsbüttel.


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

Stand: October 2018
© Erika Draeger

Quellen: 1; 2; 5; 7; 8; StaHH 314-15, OFP, R 1938/1059; StaHH 314-15, OFP, R 1939/204; StaHH 314-15, OFP, R 1938/204; StaHH 332-3, A 181; StaHH 351-11, AfW, Abl. 2008/1, 2482 Rieder, Sophie; StaHH 351-11, AfW, Abl. 2008/1, 24.08.09 Rieder, Max; StaHH 351-11, AfW, Abl. 2008/1, 07.05.99 Rieder, James; StaHH 351-11, AfW, Abl. 2008/1, E 11.05.21 Mamelok, Hans Norbert; Bajohr: "Arisierung in Hamburg", S. 153ff, S.369; Meyer: Die Verfolgung und Ermordung der Hamburger Juden, S. 25ff, S. 42–74; Brunswig: Feuersturm über Hamburg, S. 248ff; Galerie Morgenland: "Wo Wurzeln waren...", S. 114ff.; König: "... wohl nach Amerika oder Palästina ausgewandert", http://www.akens.org/akens/texte/info/ 29/3.html Zugriff am 4.10.2009.
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