How to Research Persecuted Frankfurt Families

From the series “Tracing Biographies”.

This post shows how to research the biographies of Jewish families who lived in Frankfurt am Main during the National Socialist era (1933-1945) and were persecuted. The example used is the biography of Sally Fleisch, developed for the Frankfurt History App of the Historical Museum Frankfurt am Main.

Step 1: Research in the Historical Frankfurt Address Book

The Frankfurt address books from 1834 to 1943 have been digitised and are accessible through the university library of Goethe University Frankfurt am Main.

The 1933 address book records: Sally Fleisch was a master butcher, lived in Rödelheim, and owned the house at Reichsburgstraße 2.

Step 2: Use Archive Holdings

• “Zero index” (Nullkartei) at the Institut für Stadtgeschichte Frankfurt am Main (approx. 1868-1932, very incomplete)
• Household registers at the Institut für Stadtgeschichte Frankfurt am Main (from 1932)
• Arcinsys database (Hessian archives): Sally Fleisch, born 8 October 1878 in Frankfurt-Rödelheim, married to Selma Sternfels
• LAGIS (Hessian State Historical Information System): Hessian birth, marriage and death registers from 1849/1851
• Arolsen Archives: documents on victims and survivors of National Socialism (approx. 17.5 million people)

Step 3: Reading Birth Certificates (Kurrent Script)

Sally Fleisch’s birth certificate (transcription):

“Roedelheim, on 14 October 1878 … the butcher Leopold Fleisch residing at Roedelheim at Wehrstraße No. 6, of the Israelite religion … announced that from Jette Fleisch née Stern, his wife of the Israelite religion … on the eighth day of October of the year eighteen hundred and seventy-eight … a child of the male sex had been born, who had received the first name Sally …”

Deciphering such documents in old German Kurrent script is a skill in itself - I am happy to assist you with this if needed.

The Story of Sally Fleisch

Sally Fleisch took over the butcher’s shop from his father in 1926. From 1933 onwards, turnover declined as a result of the boycotts against Jewish businesses. In June 1938, the butcher’s shop was forced to close. The couple was forced to pay 12,500 Reichsmarks as a “Jewish wealth levy” (Judenvermögensabgabe).

Their three children managed to emigrate:

• Herta (1937, South Africa)
• Heinrich (1938, Northern Rhodesia)
• Walter (1939, England)

In 1938/39, the family was forced to sell all their properties. The house at Reichsburgstraße 2 was bought for 70,000 Reichsmarks - a fraction of its actual value.

On 20 October 1941, Sally and Selma Fleisch were deported to Lodz and murdered. Their remaining assets were confiscated a month later.

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Would you like to research a Frankfurt family? Get in touch - I am happy to help.