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Stumbling Stones Kaiserstraße 37

These small, brass memorial plaques (Stolpersteine or stumbling stones) commemorate:
* Jakob Stern, born 1892, fled 1935 to Luxembourg, France, 1936 to USA.
* Helene Stern née Roos, born 1893, fled 1935 to Luxembourg, France, 1936 to USA.

Jakob Stern had a clothing store at this address. He served in WW1 in Bavaria; then in December 1922, he and Helene Roos married. They had two sons, Walter and Gunther James.

From 1920-1935, the territory of Saarland had been administered by the League of Nations. In a 1935 referendum, the residents voted to join the German Nazi "Reich." That same year, the Stern family fled from Germany, and in March 1936, they emigrated permanently, travelling by ship from LeHavre to New York. Helene died in New York City in 1949; Jakob lived until 1965, dying at age 73 in New Haven, Connecticut, USA.

"Stolpersteine" is an art project for Europe by Gunter Demnig to commemorate victims of National Socialism (Nazism). Stolpersteine (stumbling stones) are small, 10x10cm brass plaques placed in the pavement in front of the last voluntary residence of (mostly Jewish) victims who were murdered by the Nazis. Each plaque is engraved with the victim’s name, date of birth, and place (mostly a concentration camp) and date of death. By doing this, Gunter Demnig gives an individual memorial to each victim. One stone, one name, one person. He cites the Talmud: "A human being is forgotten only when his or her name is forgotten."

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