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Charlotte Schickmann/Szykman * 1921

Stresemannstraße 90 (Altona, Altona-Altstadt)


HIER WOHNTE
CHARLOTTE SZYKMAN
JG. 1921
"POLENAKTION" 1938
BENTSCHEN / ZBASZYN
ERMORDET
LODZ / LITZMANNSTADT

further stumbling stones in Stresemannstraße 90:
Aron Schickmann/Szykman, Rita Schickmann/Szykman

Aron Schickmann (Szykman), born 13.1.1891 in Bedzin (now Będzin/ Poland), forcibly deported on 28.10.1938 across the German-Polish border near Zbąszyń (german: Bentschen), committed to the Litzmannstadt (Lodz) ghetto, murdered on 20.10.1942

Chaja Slata Zlata (Charlotte) Schickmann (Szykman), born 19.11.1921 in Altona, forcibly deported on 28.10.1938 across the German-Polish border near Zbąszyń (german: Bentschen), committed to the Litzmannstadt (Lodz) ghetto, murdered

Esther Ruchel Rita Schickmann (Szykman), born 17.3.1930 in Altona, forcibly deported on 28.10.1938 across the German-Polish border near Zbąszyń (german: Bentschen), committed to the Litzmannstadt (Lodz) ghetto, murdered

Stresemannstraße 90 (Altona-Altstadt)

Aron Schickmann, a son of Jewish parents, was born on January 13, 1891 in Bedzin (now Będzin, Poland). He attended school there and was trained in his father's trading business, where he also worked afterwards.

In 1911, he married Blima Taube Silberberg (Zillerberg), also from Bedzin, born on July 20, 1888. We know nothing about her childhood and youth. Both spouses were Polish citizens.

Until 1938, Aron Schickmann could always be found under this surname in the Altona address book. It was only in official documents from mid-1938 that the surname Schickmann was "corrected" to "Szykman". The Polish-sounding name Szykman was assigned from the state side in the course of the anti-Jewish measures. This is indicated by the "correction" of the surname of the probably related Efraim Schickmann's (Szykman) family by the Altona district court. The marriage certificate of Efraim and Rosa Schickmann contains a marginal note dated May 19, 1938, according to which, the family name was correctly changed to "Szykman" by order of the Altona district court. The birth register entries of the children Aron and Blima Taube Schickmann, born in Altona, contain an identical marginal note. This was declared by Aron Schickmann's son Pincus/Pinkus (Paul) in the reparation proceedings after the war.

In 1912, Aron Schickmann had looked out for a possibility of setting up a new business in Altona, which was still an independent city at that time. This was presumably due to the generally bad economic conditions and the widespread hostility towards Jews in his Polish homeland. Aron Schickmann lived in Altona from May 1913. He was registered at the Hochdeutsche Israeliten-Gemeinde in November 1913. His wife and son Pincus/Pinkus (Paul), born on December 24, 1911 in Sosnowiece (German: Sosnowitz, around 10 km east of Katowice), followed him in 1915. From April 5, 1917, the family was registered in Altona, Langenfelderstraße 10, until they moved into a flat at Friedenstraße 74 (now Lippmannstraße) in April 1917, where they lived for twelve years.

Aron and Blima Schickmann had four children. In addition to Pincus/Pinkus (Paul), born in Poland, they had a second son, Hermann Hirsch (David), born on December 26, 1917 in Altona. He was followed by Chaja Slata Zlata Kata (Charlotte) on November 18, 1921 and Esther Ruchel Rita on March 17, 1930, both born in Altona, too.

The Schickmann couple started a linen wholesale business, initially with two shops in Altona, Kleine Gärtnerstraße 90 (from 1930 Stresemannstraße, from 1933 General-Litzmann-Straße), and Talstraße in Hamburg. In 1929, the two shops were merged at the Altona location. The family also took up residence here in May 1929. The rented detached house had basement rooms, a ground floor and two floors above. The basement rooms were used for storage, while the offices and sales rooms were located on the ground floor. The two upper floors were used as living space. The business initially had three employees, and ultimately four employees (warehouse and office staff). Twelve representatives worked for the company on a commission basis. A chauffeur looked after two motor vehicles.

According to Blima Taube Schickmann after the war, the company was still on a steady upward trend until October 1938. The monthly turnover was around RM 25,000-30,000 with a profit margin of 15-20%. The monthly income was therefore between RM 4,000 and RM 6,000. She made no mention of economic slumps that would also have affected Aron and Blima Schickmann as a result of the boycott measures against Jewish businesses.

Aron and Blima Schickmann's economic success can also be recognised by the fact that from around 1924 they owned the property at Adolphstraße 79 (later Adolfstraße after Hitler's first name, today Bernstorffstraße) with a three-storey apartment building with nine tenants.

Their son Pincus/Pinkus (Paul) Schickmann attended the Talmud Tora School in Hamburg. After a commercial apprenticeship in his father's company, he rose to become an authorised signatory and partner.

We know nothing about Hermann Hirsch (David) Schickmann's childhood and youth beyond the personal details mentioned above.

Chaja Slata Zlata Kata (Charlotte) Schickmann, the older of the two daughters, started school at the Israelite Girls' School in Karolinenstraße at Easter 1928. She attended the secondary school, got her intermediate school-leaving certificate in 1938 and then began a training as a paralegal, which she was not allowed to complete.

We do not know whether or where Esther Ruchel Rita Schickmann attended school.

From 1933 onwards, the family intensively considered emigration without coming to a final decision.

On October 28, 1938, 17,000 Jews of Polish origin were deported from the German Reich to Poland as part of the so-called Polenaktion. The Polish government had previously threatened to confiscate the passports of Poles living abroad. This would have turned them into stateless persons. The Nazi government feared that in consequence thousands of "Eastern Jews" would stay permanently on German territory.
Without warning and regard for the person, men, women and children were collected from their workplaces or homes throughout the German Reich, herded at various locations and deported by rail across the Polish border at Zbaszyn (Bentschen), Chojnice (Konitz) in Pomerania and Bytom in Upper Silesia on the same day. The costs of the action were to be borne by the Jews themselves. If this would not be possible, the Reich budget was to be utilised.

Aron, who, like the other family members, now had to use the surname Szykman, and the two daughters Chaja Slata Zlata Kata (Charlotte) and Esther Ruchel Rita were also affected by the deportation. They were first taken from their homes to a collection camp and then transported from Altona station to Zbaszyn on the evening of October 28. Blima Taube Szykman escaped deportation because she could not find the keys to her front door when she and her family were to be collected from their home. Her passport was taken from her and she was instructed to come to the assembly point, which she did not follow. Blima Szykman quote: "After the Polish action was carried out, I and my son Paul were left alone."

Hirsch Hermann David Szykman had already fled from Germany to England in March 1938 and travelled on to the USA in August.

Pincus/Pinkus (Paul) Szykman learnt of the deportation action in time to hide.

According to Blima Szykman, Aron Szykman and his two daughters were initially housed in a reception camp in Poland. We do not know whether she was referring to the makeshift accommodation in Zbaszyn or a camp in another place in Poland. The three were then sent to the Litzmannstadt/Lodz ghetto, which had been established on April 30, 1940.

There was never any sign of life from Aron and his daughters Chaja Slata Zlata Kata (Charlotte) and Esther Ruchel Rita Szykman. They were declared dead at the end of 1945. The statement on the death of Esther Ruchel Rita Szykman contains the assumption expressed by Blima Szykman that her daughter was murdered in Auschwitz. However, no further details could be found.

After Aron Szykman's forced deportation, the family's trading business could no longer be maintained. His son Pincus/Pinkus (Paul) liquidated it. Some of the goods were sold and some were placed with acquaintances. Blima Szykman and her son lived off the proceeds. After Blima Szykman was treated in the Jewish Hospital, she and her son managed to escape to Belgium at the end of March 1939.

In Brussels, they found accommodation with Blima Szykman's sister-in-law, whose name we do not know. After the invasion of German troops in May 1940, they fled to France. After an arduous journey on foot, they crossed the Channel on a small fishing boat and reached England. Here they first lived in an internment camp for seven weeks and then in private accommodation for six weeks, until they finally could move to London.

Blima and Pincus/Pinkus (Paul) Szykman returned to Belgium in 1946. It was in this year that Blima Szykman received message of the loss of her family, but it is not known how.

Blima Szykman moved to the USA. She lived there with her son Hermann (David) in New York until the end of her life.

Pincus/Pinkus (Paul) Szykman called himself Schickmann after the war. In Brussels he married 1946 Hildegard Mehler, a Jewish woman born in Berlin. He then worked as a jeweller in Paris. Pincus/Pinkus (Paul) and Hildegard Schickmann settled in Hamburg on December 4, 1953 expecting to revive the Schickmann family's textile trading company. The family's former business assets, however, had been completely lost, so he was reliant on founding support from the state

Blima Schickmann's application for compensation for her husband's imprisonment was rejected on the grounds that it had not been proven that Aron Szykman had been subjected to Nazi persecution in the period from October 28, 1938 to the end of February 1940 and had therefore been deprived of his freedom. Although he had been expelled from Germany on October 28, 1938 as part of a National Socialist persecution measure, he had evidently been at liberty outside the National Socialist sphere of influence in Poland, until he was, after the start of the Polish campaign, taken to the ghetto as part of the ghettoisation of the Jews living in Lodz

Translation: Elisabeth Wendland

Stand: September 2024
© Ingo Wille

Quellen: Staatsarchiv Hamburg, 522-1, Jüdische Gemeinden, 992b, Kultussteuerkartei der Deutsch-Israelitischen Gemeinde Hamburg; StaH 213-13 Zivil- und Strafgerichtsbarkeit 6177 Szykman Rosa, 30506 Shickmann Szykman Blima, 10565 Shykmann (Schickmann) Aron Erben, 12572 Szykman Erben; 314-15 Oberfinanzpräsident (Devisenstelle und Vermögensverwertungsstelle) F2151 Szykman; 314-15 Oberfinanzpräsident R1939-2263 Szykman Aron Blima; 351-11 Amt für Wiedergutmachung 4652 Chaja Szykman, 13423 Szykman Aron Blima, 49639 Szykman Esther, 10567 Szykman (Schickmann) Blima Taube, 37508 Szykman Schickmann (Szykman) Paul Pincus, 44652 Szykman, (Schickmann) Chaja Kata Charlotte; 424-111 Amtsgericht Altona 6070 Todeserklärung Szykman Schickmann Aron, 6150 Szykman Charlotte Todeserklärung Szykman Blima Taube; 522-2 Jüdische Gemeinden 0161_0426 Mitgliedschaft Hochdeutsche Israeliten-Gemeinde Aron Schickmann. Ina Lorenz und Jörg Berkemann, Die Hamburger Juden im NS-Staat 1933 bis 1938/39, Band II, S. 1096-1107, Göttingen 2016; Beate Meyer (Hrsg.), Die Verfolgung und Ermordung der Hamburger Juden 1933-1945, 2. Aufl., Hamburg 2007, S. 25; Jerzey Tomaszewski, Auftakt zur Vernichtung, Warschau 1998, S. 15 ff.. Jürgen Sielemann, Paul Flamme, Hamburger jüdische Opfer des Nationalsozialismus – Gedenkbuch, Staatsarchiv Hamburg 1995, S. XVII.
Gedenkbuch des Bundesarchivs, Opfer der Verfolgung der Juden unter der nationalsozialistischen Gewaltherrschaft in Deutschland 1933 - 1945
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Będzin#Geschichte (Zugriff am 29.2.2024).

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