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Franz Klein * 1892

Rübenkamp 78 (Hamburg-Nord, Barmbek-Nord)

1943 Theresienstadt
weiterdeportiert nach Auschwitz

Franz Klein, born 18 July 1892, deported to Theresienstadt on 24 Mar. 1943 and deported on to Auschwitz on 29 Sep. 1944
Rübenkamp 78

Franz Klein was born as the son of the Jewish couple Maximilian and Malwine Klein, née Freud in Budapest. He came to Germany to study civil engineering, where he completed his studies at the Technical University of Darmstadt on November 13th, 1922. After that, Franz Klein worked as a construction site manager in Heidelberg until 1925.

From January 1st, 1928, he lived and worked in Hamburg, employed by the electrical fitting company of Wilhelm Wolfson. Franz Klein’s future wife, Marie Braker, also came from Hamburg. Marie, 36, brought a daughter from a previous marriage into the relationship. Franz and Marie married on April 14th, 1928 and shortly thereafter moved into their new home at Rübenkamp 78 in Barmbek.

His job with Wilhelm Wolfson already ended on May 31st, 1928, The x-ray equipment manufacturer Seine Röntgenwerk C. H. F. Müller AG became Franz Klein’s new employer, starting 1934. However, they only paid him 450 RM a month, last not least on account of his Jewish background. Franz Klein worked at this company until March, 1939. From then on, he got a series of short-termed jobs up to his deportation 1n 1943.
Marie Klein was Lutheran and therefore the couple assumed they had the status of a so-called privileged mixed marriage, so that Franz ought to be protected from the grasp of the Gestapo. However, as the couple had no common children, their union was rated as a "non-privileged mixed marriage” and thus subject to many harassments and measures of persecution. On account of this, Franz Klein in 1942 was con fronted with the accusation of not wearing the "Star of David”, received unshortened food rations and had a clothes ration card for non-Jews. In addition, he still lived in the common flat with his wife in Rübenkamp in spite of the fact that he was supposed to move to one of the "Jews’ houses” in Rutschbahn.
Marie Klein was therefore increasingly worried about her husband and was willing to move to Rutschbahn with him, if that would be a help. At the beginning of 1943, Franz Klein was served a deportation order: he was to be deported to Auschwitz on February 12th. The couple then sought the advice of Max Plaut, then the head of the Jewish Religions Organization and all other Jewish organizations in Hamburg. Plaut explained to them that deportation to Theresienstadt was the only hope for Franz Klein. This should protect him from the grasp of the Gestapo, and the chances of survival seemed to be greater there than in Auschwitz.

There was, however, a problem: in order to be deported, Franz Klein had to be divorced. After several discussions, Marie Klein, hoping to be able to once more marry Franz when the times had changed to the better, , under tears finally agreed to the divorce from her husband. Actually, the opposite was the case. Without a divorce, Franz Klein could not have been deported; as a divorcee, he was entitled to Theresienstadt as the destination of the deportation, which however, was only a transitory station on the way to the Auschwitz extermination camp But neither Max Plaut nor Marie Klein knew this.
Now, things had to be done in a hurry. No one knew how many more transports were to depart for Theresienstadt; and the next one was scheduled already for March 24th. The divorce proceedings were held at the Hamburg High Court. On April 22nd, the court declared the marriage of Marie and Franz Klein void. At this time, Franz Klein had already been in the Theresienstadt Ghetto for a month. The couple kept in contact they best they could. Marie sent her husband small parcels with food, and encouraged friends and relatives to do the same. The contact between husband and wife only ended with Franz’s deportation to Auschwitz on September 29th, 1944.

Franz Klein died in Auschwitz in a gas chamber. After his death, Marie for decades reproached herself for having agreed to a divorce at the end.

Translated by Peter Hubschmid

Kindly supported by the Hermann Reemtsma Stiftung, Hamburg.

Stand: October 2016
© Carmen Smiatacz

Quellen: 2; 4; 5; 7; 8; StaHH 214-1, Gerichtsvollzieherwesen, 396; StaHH 314-15, OFP, R 1940/492; StaHH 351-11, AfW, Abl. 2008/1, 31.10.91 Klein, Maria; ITS/ARCH/Kartei Getto Theresienstadt/4997392#1 (1.1.42.2/THERES18/1162); ITS/ARCH/Transportlisten Gestapo (Hamburg)/11198433#1 (1.2.1.1/0001-0060/0017G/0271); ITS/ARCH/Transportliste Gestapo/11197794#1 (1.2.1.1/0001-0060/0017A/0129); ITS/ARCH/Getto Theresienstadt, Transport zum Konzentrationslager Auschwitz/4958969#1 (1.1.42.1/ 0027/0039); Meyer: "Jüdische Mischlinge", S. 88ff.
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