Sidonie Sternberg née Grünstein

Location 
Kantstraße 150 a
District
Charlottenburg
Stone was laid
27 March 2015
Born
28 September 1898 in Ilmenau
Deportation
on 01 March 1943 to Auschwitz
Murdered
in Auschwitz

Louis Eugen Sternberg wurde am 11. Juli in 1884 in Culmsee (heute: Chełmża / Polen) geboren. Er war in erster Ehe verheiratet mit Rosa Sternberg, geb. Davidsohn, die am 27. April 1895 in Argenau (heute: Gniewkowo / Polen) zur Welt kam. Seine Mutter war Rahel Sternberg, geb. Hermann, geboren am 6. April 1858 in Nakel (heute: Nakło nad Notecią / Polen). Alle drei Orte liegen nahe beieinander in Pommern. In zweiter Ehe war Louis Sternberg mit Sidonie, geb. Grünstein, verheiratet, die am 26. September 1898 in Ilmenau (Thüringen) geboren wurde. <br />
Der Zahnarzt Dr. Louis Eugen Sternberg hatte vor 1933 eine gut gehende Praxis in der Kantstraße 130. Vier Angestellte halfen ihm. Gleich nach der Machtergreifung durch die Nationalsozialisten bekam er Berufsverbot und zog mit einer rudimentären Praxis in seine Privatwohnung in der Kantstraße 150a. Er durfte nur noch jüdische Patienten behandeln. Seine Frau Rosa war ursprünglich Klavierlehrerin gewesen, hatte dann aber umgesattelt auf Zahnarzthelferin. Ab 1936 ging auch das nicht mehr. Das Ehepaar gab die Praxis auf.<br />
In die große Wohnung in der Kantstraße 150a im 2. Stock waren die seit 1919 verheirateten Sternbergs gleich nach dem Ersten Weltkrieg eingezogen. Sie bekamen drei Kinder, Raphael (geboren 1920) und die Zwillinge Miriam und Joachim (geboren 1922).<br />
Rahel Sternberg, die Mutter von Louis Sternberg, zog 1939 hierher. Sie hatte vorher bei einem anderen Sohn – Max – gelebt, der vor den Nazis nach Belgien und Frankreich geflohen war, wo er interniert wurde und im Lager Gurs in den Pyrenäen starb. Rahel Sternberg, deren Mann Isidor schon 1924 gestorben war, wurde 1942 mit 85 Jahren nach Theresienstadt deportiert und kam dort ein dreiviertel Jahr später ums Leben.<br />
Die schwieriger werdenden Verhältnisse zwangen die Eltern, sich von ihren Kindern zu trennen. Alle drei wanderten nach Palästina aus: Raphael 1936, da war er 16 Jahre alt, zunächst ins holländische Werkdorp, eine landwirtschaftliche Ausbildungsstätte für junge Juden. Die Zwillinge waren ebenfalls erst 16 Jahre alt, als sie 1938 mit der Jugendalijah, einer Organisation, die sich um die Einwanderung junger Juden kümmerte, nach Palästina kamen.<br />
Alle drei wurden Lehrer und Mitbegründer des Kibbuz Dorot im Negev. Miriam lebt noch heute dort. Sie ist 92 Jahre alt. Alle drei änderten im März 1951 ihren Nachnamen von Sternberg in „Kochavi“ – das hebräische Wort für „sternenklar“.<br />
Die Bemühungen der Eltern, ebenfalls auszuwandern, scheiterten. Rosa hatte – zu Recht – Angst vor der Deportation und nahm sich am 16. November 1941 das Leben. Louis bekam Leukämie und starb im Jüdischen Krankenhaus am 3. Januar 1943. Kurz zuvor hatte er noch einmal geheiratet, und zwar Sidonie Grünstein aus Ilmenau in Thüringen. Sie wurde am 1. März 1943 nach Auschwitz deportiert.<br />
Das Haus Kantstraße 150a wurde am 11. Februar 44 durch Bomben vollständig zerstört.<br />
Shmuel Shinar, der Mann der Enkeltochter der Sternbergs, Avital Shinar, die mit ihrer Tochter Noga nach Berlin angereist waren, hielt zur Verlegung der Stolpersteine in Berlin diese Ansprache:<br />
<br />
Rosa Davidsohn and Doctor Louis Eugen Sternberg met during the First World War. Louis Eugen, a dentist, served for four years as a doctor in the German Army. He was awarded the Iron Cross as a token of appreciation for his service. Rosa served as an army nurse. She was recognized as a certified nurse by the Red Cross.<br />
Their love led to marriage. The young Sternberg couple made their home in the capital of Germany — in Berlin’s district of Charlottenburg, on the corner of Kant and Uhland — the spot we are standing at now. In 1920 their first son, Raphael (Rafi), was born. In 1922, the family was joined by the twins Miriam and Jehojakim (Yoki).<br />
The household was firmly and confidently run by Rosa, the mother of the family. The large apartment on the second floor included the father’s dentist clinic, living quarters, a kitchen where delicious dishes were cooked and baked, a large dining room, and a small swing where the children of the family could “let out some of their energy”. <br />
The Sternberg family’s home was a happy one. The parents delighted in their children and were very invested in educating and nurturing them. The children grew up in a warm, embracing and close-knit family. They would often get together with Rachel Sternberg, Louis Eugen’s mother (his father Isidor had already passed away by that time), and with his brother, Max, as well as with Rosa’s parents, Eve and Simon Davidsohn.<br />
Their home was one of culture. It had many books, the children went to museums, and the family discussed important intellectual matters around the dinner table. They also had the joys of childhood: They often went to the zoo near their home, walked through the Tiergarten Park, and in the winter – ice-skated on the frozen Neuer-See Lake. They would go berry picking in Grunewald with their mother, and they would all go for walks in the forests and lakes around Berlin the weekends.<br />
Rosa and Louis Eugen considered themselves to be proud citizens of the German nation, but also instilled their children with Jewish national heritage. All three children attended the Jewish-Zionistic school, Theodor Herzl Schule. They were educated to feel a belonging and pride in their homeland, Germany, together with a longing for their second, eternal homeland — Israel.<br />
In 1933 the Nazis came to power in Germany. It was the beginning of a new era. Life seemingly went on as usual: the father practicing dentistry, and the children attending school. This was all, however, with a heavy weight of fear, uncertainty, and deep concern over the decrees that Germany’s Jews were dealt every other day, which disrupted their lives.<br />
The time came to make decisions. Rosa and Louis Eugen Sternberg loved their children more than anything. They loved them so much that they decided to part with them and send them to safety. Rafi, the eldest, left in 1936 for Werkdorf, an agricultural farm where Jewish youths were trained prior to immigrating to Israel. In 1938, the twins Yoki and Miriam were sent to the Land of Israel with "youth Aliya". <br />
Pained by the separation from their children, and disillusioned regarding their future in Germany, Rosa and Louis Eugen tried every way possible to leave Germany. It was futile. They were trapped in the gloomy darkness that was growing in the skies of Berlin.<br />
Rosa Sternberg passed away on November 16th, 1941. Louis Eugen died on January 3rd, 1943. A few months after he died Berlin was declared judenrein — “clean of Jews”. They were both buried at the Jewish cemetery in Berlin.<br />
Today, by standing here, we salute their spirit, and say Thank You to genetics.<br />
We salute the courageous spirits of Dr. Louis Eugen and Rosa Sternberg, who made a home raised fine children; who were torn from their children, and who thereby gave them life. We salute their three brave children — Rafi, Miriam and Yoki — who immigrated to Palestine and helped to build the State of Israel. All three helped to found kibbutzim in the Negev and the Galilee. The three of them were educators.<br />
The three of them married and raised families. They had children, and their children gave them grandchildren, who gave them great-grandchildren — a whole tribe.<br />
Rafi passed away in 1981. Yoki passed away in 2004. Miriam, now 92, lives on Kibbutz Dorot in the western Negev in Israel.<br />
And we say Thank You to genetics. Eighty years after the twins Yoki and Miriam were born in Berlin, my daughter Noga, who is standing here with us, gave birth in Israel to the twins Tal and Nitzan, a girl and a boy. A circle has been closed.<br />
The spirit of Rosa and Louis Eugen, their heritage and courage, are our guiding light. We carry them with us always, everywhere… and so do our children and grandchildren.<br />
We would like to thank Wibke Bruhns and all the residents of the building on 150A Kantstraße, from the bottom of our hearts, on behalf of our entire family.<br />
The initiative you have taken to commemorate the names of our loved ones has deeply touched our hearts. We are ever grateful. Thanks to you, after more than 70 years Rosa and Louis Eugen Sternberg will once again be part of life in the home where they lived. Thanks to you, their names and stories will not be forgotten, and they will be engraved forever between the stones of the city of Berlin, which they loved.<br />

Louis Eugen Sternberg wurde am 11. Juli in 1884 in Culmsee (heute: Chełmża / Polen) geboren. Er war in erster Ehe verheiratet mit Rosa Sternberg, geb. Davidsohn, die am 27. April 1895 in Argenau (heute: Gniewkowo / Polen) zur Welt kam. Seine Mutter war Rahel Sternberg, geb. Hermann, geboren am 6. April 1858 in Nakel (heute: Nakło nad Notecią / Polen). Alle drei Orte liegen nahe beieinander in Pommern. In zweiter Ehe war Louis Sternberg mit Sidonie, geb. Grünstein, verheiratet, die am 26. September 1898 in Ilmenau (Thüringen) geboren wurde.
Der Zahnarzt Dr. Louis Eugen Sternberg hatte vor 1933 eine gut gehende Praxis in der Kantstraße 130. Vier Angestellte halfen ihm. Gleich nach der Machtergreifung durch die Nationalsozialisten bekam er Berufsverbot und zog mit einer rudimentären Praxis in seine Privatwohnung in der Kantstraße 150a. Er durfte nur noch jüdische Patienten behandeln. Seine Frau Rosa war ursprünglich Klavierlehrerin gewesen, hatte dann aber umgesattelt auf Zahnarzthelferin. Ab 1936 ging auch das nicht mehr. Das Ehepaar gab die Praxis auf.
In die große Wohnung in der Kantstraße 150a im 2. Stock waren die seit 1919 verheirateten Sternbergs gleich nach dem Ersten Weltkrieg eingezogen. Sie bekamen drei Kinder, Raphael (geboren 1920) und die Zwillinge Miriam und Joachim (geboren 1922).
Rahel Sternberg, die Mutter von Louis Sternberg, zog 1939 hierher. Sie hatte vorher bei einem anderen Sohn – Max – gelebt, der vor den Nazis nach Belgien und Frankreich geflohen war, wo er interniert wurde und im Lager Gurs in den Pyrenäen starb. Rahel Sternberg, deren Mann Isidor schon 1924 gestorben war, wurde 1942 mit 85 Jahren nach Theresienstadt deportiert und kam dort ein dreiviertel Jahr später ums Leben.
Die schwieriger werdenden Verhältnisse zwangen die Eltern, sich von ihren Kindern zu trennen. Alle drei wanderten nach Palästina aus: Raphael 1936, da war er 16 Jahre alt, zunächst ins holländische Werkdorp, eine landwirtschaftliche Ausbildungsstätte für junge Juden. Die Zwillinge waren ebenfalls erst 16 Jahre alt, als sie 1938 mit der Jugendalijah, einer Organisation, die sich um die Einwanderung junger Juden kümmerte, nach Palästina kamen.
Alle drei wurden Lehrer und Mitbegründer des Kibbuz Dorot im Negev. Miriam lebt noch heute dort. Sie ist 92 Jahre alt. Alle drei änderten im März 1951 ihren Nachnamen von Sternberg in „Kochavi“ – das hebräische Wort für „sternenklar“.
Die Bemühungen der Eltern, ebenfalls auszuwandern, scheiterten. Rosa hatte – zu Recht – Angst vor der Deportation und nahm sich am 16. November 1941 das Leben. Louis bekam Leukämie und starb im Jüdischen Krankenhaus am 3. Januar 1943. Kurz zuvor hatte er noch einmal geheiratet, und zwar Sidonie Grünstein aus Ilmenau in Thüringen. Sie wurde am 1. März 1943 nach Auschwitz deportiert.
Das Haus Kantstraße 150a wurde am 11. Februar 44 durch Bomben vollständig zerstört.
Shmuel Shinar, der Mann der Enkeltochter der Sternbergs, Avital Shinar, die mit ihrer Tochter Noga nach Berlin angereist waren, hielt zur Verlegung der Stolpersteine in Berlin diese Ansprache:

Rosa Davidsohn and Doctor Louis Eugen Sternberg met during the First World War. Louis Eugen, a dentist, served for four years as a doctor in the German Army. He was awarded the Iron Cross as a token of appreciation for his service. Rosa served as an army nurse. She was recognized as a certified nurse by the Red Cross.
Their love led to marriage. The young Sternberg couple made their home in the capital of Germany — in Berlin’s district of Charlottenburg, on the corner of Kant and Uhland — the spot we are standing at now. In 1920 their first son, Raphael (Rafi), was born. In 1922, the family was joined by the twins Miriam and Jehojakim (Yoki).
The household was firmly and confidently run by Rosa, the mother of the family. The large apartment on the second floor included the father’s dentist clinic, living quarters, a kitchen where delicious dishes were cooked and baked, a large dining room, and a small swing where the children of the family could “let out some of their energy”.
The Sternberg family’s home was a happy one. The parents delighted in their children and were very invested in educating and nurturing them. The children grew up in a warm, embracing and close-knit family. They would often get together with Rachel Sternberg, Louis Eugen’s mother (his father Isidor had already passed away by that time), and with his brother, Max, as well as with Rosa’s parents, Eve and Simon Davidsohn.
Their home was one of culture. It had many books, the children went to museums, and the family discussed important intellectual matters around the dinner table. They also had the joys of childhood: They often went to the zoo near their home, walked through the Tiergarten Park, and in the winter – ice-skated on the frozen Neuer-See Lake. They would go berry picking in Grunewald with their mother, and they would all go for walks in the forests and lakes around Berlin the weekends.
Rosa and Louis Eugen considered themselves to be proud citizens of the German nation, but also instilled their children with Jewish national heritage. All three children attended the Jewish-Zionistic school, Theodor Herzl Schule. They were educated to feel a belonging and pride in their homeland, Germany, together with a longing for their second, eternal homeland — Israel.
In 1933 the Nazis came to power in Germany. It was the beginning of a new era. Life seemingly went on as usual: the father practicing dentistry, and the children attending school. This was all, however, with a heavy weight of fear, uncertainty, and deep concern over the decrees that Germany’s Jews were dealt every other day, which disrupted their lives.
The time came to make decisions. Rosa and Louis Eugen Sternberg loved their children more than anything. They loved them so much that they decided to part with them and send them to safety. Rafi, the eldest, left in 1936 for Werkdorf, an agricultural farm where Jewish youths were trained prior to immigrating to Israel. In 1938, the twins Yoki and Miriam were sent to the Land of Israel with "youth Aliya".
Pained by the separation from their children, and disillusioned regarding their future in Germany, Rosa and Louis Eugen tried every way possible to leave Germany. It was futile. They were trapped in the gloomy darkness that was growing in the skies of Berlin.
Rosa Sternberg passed away on November 16th, 1941. Louis Eugen died on January 3rd, 1943. A few months after he died Berlin was declared judenrein — “clean of Jews”. They were both buried at the Jewish cemetery in Berlin.
Today, by standing here, we salute their spirit, and say Thank You to genetics.
We salute the courageous spirits of Dr. Louis Eugen and Rosa Sternberg, who made a home raised fine children; who were torn from their children, and who thereby gave them life. We salute their three brave children — Rafi, Miriam and Yoki — who immigrated to Palestine and helped to build the State of Israel. All three helped to found kibbutzim in the Negev and the Galilee. The three of them were educators.
The three of them married and raised families. They had children, and their children gave them grandchildren, who gave them great-grandchildren — a whole tribe.
Rafi passed away in 1981. Yoki passed away in 2004. Miriam, now 92, lives on Kibbutz Dorot in the western Negev in Israel.
And we say Thank You to genetics. Eighty years after the twins Yoki and Miriam were born in Berlin, my daughter Noga, who is standing here with us, gave birth in Israel to the twins Tal and Nitzan, a girl and a boy. A circle has been closed.
The spirit of Rosa and Louis Eugen, their heritage and courage, are our guiding light. We carry them with us always, everywhere… and so do our children and grandchildren.
We would like to thank Wibke Bruhns and all the residents of the building on 150A Kantstraße, from the bottom of our hearts, on behalf of our entire family.
The initiative you have taken to commemorate the names of our loved ones has deeply touched our hearts. We are ever grateful. Thanks to you, after more than 70 years Rosa and Louis Eugen Sternberg will once again be part of life in the home where they lived. Thanks to you, their names and stories will not be forgotten, and they will be engraved forever between the stones of the city of Berlin, which they loved.