Herbert Gärtner
Vita
(W) Our father, Herbert Gartner, was born on the 25th of September, 1908 in Ruppichteroth; the son of Gustav and Mathilde Gärtner. He had three older siblings: Irene, Kate and Warner and a younger sister Ilse. Like his father, our grandfather, Gustav, was a cattle dealer and a butcher. As the situation darkened in Germany, my father’s siblings began to leave Germany for America. A year before Kristallnacht, our father obtained his passport from the US Embassy in Stuttgart. I have his passport at home with me. On 19 May, 1938, a scared young man said goodbye to his parents, knowing that he would almost certainly never see them again, and set sail on the SS Berlin for America. He arrived in New York on 30 May, 1938 and on that day, Herbert Gärtner became Herbert Gartner. Gustav and Mathilde decided to remain as they were both too old and never actually believed the extent of what was about to happen. They were, after all, Germans - not simply Jews living in Germany. Still, they feared enough to send away their children in order to protect them. They were murdered at Theresienstadt and Auschwitz.
Herbert stayed with his older sister Irene until he found work as a butcher in Trenton, New Jersey. There he met our mother, Bernice. They were married in her parents home in Princeton, New Jersey on 4 January, 1940. Our parents made their home in Trenton where they raised us. We grew up in a warm and loving home with our maternal grandparents. We often visited our father’s family in New York and Vermont. It was there that we would hear some stories of Ruppichteroth with few smiles and many tears. Our father continued to mourn the loss of his parents and had days of deep sadness and depression. However, America provided him with a loving wife, family and community. Our father was an exceptional man. He loved his family, he loved his country and showed kindness to everyone he met. As it was written when he received the “Man of the Year” award from his synagogue, our father was a man of big stature and an even bigger heart."
(Original-email von Ron Gartner (Schweden) vom 7.7.2019)
Q: https://www.bilderbuch-ruppichteroth.de/geschichte/juedische-geschichte/juedische-familien-in-ruppichteroth/fam-gustav-gaertner.html
Video über Stolpersteinverlegung https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG_opR6z6RE
Remarques
Data are hidden due to legal regulations