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Heinz Kargauer * 1913

Heinrich-Barth-Straße 1 (Eimsbüttel, Rotherbaum)

1941 Lodz
ermordet

further stumbling stones in Heinrich-Barth-Straße 1:
Gisela Kargauer, Cilly Mularski, Leweck Mularski, Sigfried Mularski

Heinz Isaac Kargauer, born 18 Jan. 1913 in Hamburg, imprisoned at Fuhlsbüttel, Dachau and Buchenwald concentration camps, deported 25 Oct. 1941 to Lodz Ghetto (Litzmannstadt), probably killed 9 Sept. 1942 at Chelmno extermination camp.

Heinrich-Barth-Straße 1

Heinz was the second of seven children born to Cäcilie, née Vogel, and Bernhard Kargauer in Hamburg. Until 1937 the family lived at Heinrich-Bart-Straße 7, before moving to Grindelallee 168. Heinz trained as a window decorator. From 1927 to 1932 he worked at Herm. Tich on Jungfernstieg until he became unemployed. His family received support from welfare because his father Bernhard and his older sister Carmen were also unemployed. His brother Egon was an apprentice. His siblings Ruth and Gerd attended school. Norbert and Thessa were still of pre-school age.

Heinz received a higher amount of support from welfare than usual since he had to provide for his large family. He muddled through various occupations to support his family, including employment as a farm worker and poster maker. His family of nine lived in an apartment with six rooms, although they sublet one furnished room. In December 1935, Heinz became severely ill from an abscess in a sweat gland and had to stay in hospital for two months.

A couple of months after that illness, Heinz was taken into custody. A letter from the police authority states that Heinz Kargauer "was taken into detention on 6 Nov. 1936 for racial defilement and was serving a penal sentence from 23 Mar. 1937 to 16 May 1938 at the Fuhlsbüttel police prison. As a person in "protective custody", Heinz was then handed over to Dachau concentration camp on 4 June 1938. After three months, on 23 Sept. 1938 he was deported in a mass transport of 1,200 prisoners from Dachau to Buchenwald concentration camp where he received the prisoner number 8318. In February Heinz was briefly released, presumably just for an interrogation. After his return to the camp, Heinz was housed in Block 9. On 14 Apr. 1939, Heinz was then finally released and probably went back to Hamburg.

In 1940 Heinz likely met his future wife Gisela Mularski. A letter from Gisela’s friends in Lübeck from spring 1940 states: "Gisela Mularski has recently become engaged, and she and her groom visited us last week. He appears to be a very nice person, and they want to get married soon." Heinz lived with his wife’s family, the Mularskis, at Heinrich-Barth-Straße 1, only a couple of houses away from the Kargauer Family. On 18 Aug. 1941, Heinz' father Bernhard Kargauer died at the age of 71. He was buried in a double grave at the Jewish Cemetery in Ohlsdorf that the couple had purchased. However, there is no grave stone for him.

Only two months later, the entire Kargauer Family and the Mularski Family were deported to the Lodz Ghetto (Litzmannstadt). The day before deportation, they had to report to the former lodge house at Moorweidenstraße 36 and the next morning board the trains that headed to Lodz. The Mularski Family was able to stay together with Heinz. Initially they lived in apartment 18 at Siegfriedstraße 2, then later in an apartment at Rauchgasse 16. At the end of August 1942, the Reich Main Security Office ordered the deportation of all ghetto residents under 10 and over 65, all who were sick and those who did not have work. The ghetto was to become purely a work camp. From 5 to 12 Sept. 1942, a "general ban on going out" was imposed on the ghetto, over the course of which the SS deported children, the sick and elderly. 15,685 people fell victim to the operation. Nearly every ghetto resident lost family members during the "ban". The people were taken to the Radegast train station and deported to Kulmhof/Chelmno where they were immediately killed. Gisela and Heinz also were among them. 9 Sept. 1942 was noted on a list of the ghetto administration as the day of their deportation. They were probably killed on the same day.

Translator: Suzanne von Engelhardt

Kindly supported by the Hermann Reemtsma Stiftung, Hamburg.

Stand: October 2016
© Mariane Pöschel

Quellen: StaHH, 522-1 Jüdische Gemeinden, 992b Kultussteuerkartei; Hamburger Adressbücher (HAB) 1936–1941; StaHH, 351-14 Wohlfahrtsbehörde Hamburg, 1354 Fürsorgeakten, Fürsorgeakte Heinz Kargauer; StaHH, 314-15 Oberfinanzpräsident, 24UA1 Deportationslisten, Deportation am 25.10.1941 , StaHH, 522-1 Jüdische Gemeinden, 732 Bd.1 Register Ohlsdorf, sowie Akten in der Friedhofsverwaltung Ohlsdorf; Auskünfte der Archive der Gedenkstätten Dachau und Buchenwald; Archiv Lodz, div. Dokumente; Kugler-Weiemann, Heidemarie, "Hoffentlich klappt alles zum Guten", Neumünster 2000; Meyer, Beate (Hg.), Die Verfolgung und Ermordung der Hamburger Juden 1933–1945, Hamburg 2006; Yad vashem, Gedenkblätter für Heinz Kargauer, Gisela Kargauer, Leweck Mularski; Löw, Andrea, Juden im Getto Litzmannstadt: Lebensbedingungen, Selbstwahrnehmung, Verhalten, Göttingen 2006.