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Rafael von der Walde * 1932

Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3 (Eimsbüttel, Rotherbaum)

RAFAEL
VON DER WALDE
JG. 1932
DEPORTIERT 1941
MINSK
ERMORDET

further stumbling stones in Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3:
Margarethe Altmann, Bela Anschlawski, Esther Ascher, Hannelore Ascher, Ellen Ingrid Berger, Hanni Bernstein, Karl Heinz Bloch, Hildegard Cohen, Nathan Dan Croner, Heinz Dessau, Zita Feldmann, Jacob Fertig, Hans Frost, Alice Gramm, Else Grunert, Julius Hamburger, Oskar Helle, Julius Hermannsen, Rebecca Hermannsen, Elchanan Jarecki, Bertha Kleve, Peter Kopf, Erwin Kopf, Manfred Krauthamer, John Löw, Gerda Polak, Inge Polak, Erich Rosenberg, Mirjam Rothschild, Regine Rothschild

Simon van der Walde, born on 24.7.1924 in Emden, deported to the Minsk ghetto on 8.11.1941
Max van der Walde, born on 4.10.1890, deported to the Minsk ghetto on 8.11.1941
Elsa van der Walde, née Löwenberg, born on 19.9.1893, deported to the Minsk ghetto on 8.11.1941
Caroline (Karoline) van der Walde, born on 28.1.1921, deported to the Minsk ghetto on 8.11.1941
Raphael (Rafael) van der Walde, born on 30.6.1932, deported to the Minsk ghetto on 8.11.1941

Innocentiastraße 21; Martin Luther King Square 3

Simon van der Walde came from a widespread family whose members often changed their name: in Emsland, the region of his origin, it is usually van der Walde, on the Mosel regularly von der Walde. In official or unofficial directories, "von" and "van" are also repeatedly confused.

Simon's father, Max Menachem van der Walde, was the son of Hermann Hirsch Naftali van der Walde, born in Emden on May 8, 1850, and his wife Caroline, née Hartogsohn, born on August 1, 1862, also in Emden. Max, born in Emden on October 4, 1890, obviously grew up in a strictly religious family, as can be guessed from an advertisement by father Hermann from 1901, in which an apprenticeship is sought for Max's older brother Jacob "in a scrap iron, iron and steel or metal business, possibly an export business, which is located on the large shabbard. Export business, which is closed on the Great Shabbat."

Max van der Walde's first marriage was to Else (Elsa) Löwenberg, born in Hanover on September 19, 1893. The marriage remained childless and was divorced.

In a second marriage Max was united with Gretchen de Beer, born on June 27, 1893 in Emden, daughter of Simon de Beer and Sophie, née Philipson, both born in Emden. Three children were born to this marriage: Karoline Mirjam, born on January 28, 1921, Simon Michael, born on April 24, 1924, and Rafael Hirsch, born on June 30, 1932; all three had been born in Emden.

It is not known when the family moved to Hamburg. It must have been after Rafael's birth and presumably to escape the violence of the National Socialists in the small town of Emden and to find shelter in some anonymity in the big city. They seem to have succeeded in this to a certain extent.

Gretchen van der Walde died - only 45 years old - in Hamburg on February 6, 1938. Max soon entered into another relationship: with Käthe Lanzer, née Pels, born in Emden on January 2, 1909. She was the divorced wife of Robert Lanzer (born December 23, 1985 in Vienna, death after April 6, 1942 in the Izbica ghetto), who had a doctorate in law.

The union of Max van der Walde and Käthe Lanzer resulted in their daughter Tana. Her life was short: born in Berlin on April 30, 1941, she died there on July 4, 1942 - under what circumstances is not known. Käthe Lanzer last lived in Berlin-Wilmersdorf.

Only with the order for deportation on November 8, 1941 and from the lists compiled for this purpose by the Gestapo do we learn a little more about the life of the family (all males were given a "J." for "Israel" and the females an "S." for "Sara" as additional first names). Called for "evacuation" and listed were:
Max van der Walde; there was no occupation information for him, his residential address was "Innocenciastr." (correct: Innocentiastr.) 21. Max was listed in deportation lists 1 and 2 under numbers 953 and 889, respectively.

Elsa van der Walde, née Löwenberg, was listed as "home director" as her occupation. In fact, according to the address books from 1935 to 1940, the Israelitische Humanitäre Frauen-Verein in Hamburg e.V. was located at the address Innocentiastraße 21, which was also given for her. In the 1941 edition, a home for Jewish girls and women is listed for house numbers 19 and 21, and for 1942 only for house 19. Did the entire family find shelter and protection here during their time in Hamburg? Else, who was divorced from Max, would have acted generously and helped herself and those who had fled with a small income.

Simon van der Walde was found in the lists of those to be deported under the numbers 956 and 893; Steubenweg 36 was listed as his apartment, and his occupation was trainee. As early as February 3, 1941, the Gestapo had been notified that Simon Michael Israel van der Walde had arrived at the Rissen hachscharah camp (on Steubenweg!). This proves that the young Simon was participating in a Hachshara program at the "retraining home," as the house was called in the address book for Altona in 1938. However, Simon van der Walde's name was not on the list of young people who were still there when the camp was dissolved on July 7, 1941; he must therefore have left the house beforehand and later came there again through the Gestapo's admission.

Nine-year-old Rafael van der Walde was also on lists 1 and 2 with the numbers 955 and 892, respectively. His adress is listed as Papendamm 3; there was one of the two houses of the Paulinenstift, an institution for orphans, where children were also cared for whose parents could not afford this for various reasons.

Karoline van der Walde's name was in the appendix to List 1 under "voluntarily registered for evacuation"; she had been given the number 46 there. She wanted to go with the rest of the family, unaware of what awaited her. Her occupation was listed as "domestic servant" - possibly she had a job at the Home for Jewish Women and Girls.

On November 8, 1941, the transport DA 51 with a total of 968 (960) people left Hamburg and brought them to the ghetto and so to their death.

Käthe Lanzer was also deported, on November 29, 1942 from Berlin to Auschwitz, a transport with 998 people heading towards death.

At the Jewish cemetery in Emden, three granite plaques inaugurated in 1990 commemorate the names of the 465 Jewish victims of Nazi violence from this city; they also list Max, Karoline, Simon and Raphael van der Walde; Käthe Karoline Lanzer's name is also found there.

Translation Beate Meyer

Stand: February 2023
© Friedemann Hellwig

Quellen: Staatsarchiv Hamburg, Film 1254, Bl. 137 StaHH, Film 1254, Bl. 137; https://www.geni.com; https://www.bundesarchiv.de/gedenkbuch/ (Zugriff Nov. 2018); Hinweise Ruth Miller; www.alemannia-judaica.de (Zugriff Nov. 2018); Liste der Deportationen aus Hamburg siehe http://www.statistik-des-holocaust.de/list_ger_nwd.html.