Stumbling Stones Hamburger Hochstraße 2

These small, brass memorial plaques (Stolpersteine or stumbling stones) commemorate:

* Salomon Seidner, born 1885, "Poland Action" 1938 Bentschen/Zbaszyn, murdered in occupied Poland.
* Bertha Seidner née Lefkowits, born 1886, "Poland Action" 1938 Bentschen/Zbaszyn, murdered in occupied Poland.

Almost no information was found about the families and lives of Salomon Seidner and Bertha Seidner.

Although both Salomon and Bertha were German citizens, they were victims of the "Poland Action" [Polenaktion] in which the Nazis forced all Jews with Polish citizenship living in Germany to return to Poland. The Polish government was not prepared for the number of refugees and refused them admission. Bentschen/Zbaszyn was a Polish border town used as a refugee camp from November 1938 to August 1939. Eventually in January 1939, Germany allowed the refugees back into Germany to settle their affairs and Poland allowed those refugees remaining in the camp to enter Poland. Records on what exactly happened to the Seidners were not seen, but Salomon and BerthaSeidner apparently were not allowed to stay in the country where they were citizens, and they did not survive their time in Poland.

"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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Source

• Text: Anne Palmer
• Photos: Bernd Carstensen (1), Bernd Carstensen (2)
• Yad Vashem Central Database of Shoah Victims’ Names
• Yad Vashem: Zbaszyn
• Stolpersteine.eu