Else Weinberg, geb Spieß (1891 - 1945)
Elisa Spieß was born in Hähnlein (today part of Alsbach-Hähnlein, in southern Hesse) on October 1, 1891.
Her father was the trader Gabriel Spieß (*Aug 02, 1854 in Hähnlein, ✡Oct 11, 1917 in Hähnlein). Her mother was Babette Weil, who was born in Steinsfurt on May 24, 1857 as the daughter of Josef Weil (1823 - 1887) and his wife Fanny née Götter (1830 - 1915). So Babette was one of Hermann Weil's elder sisters. She died in Basel in 1940. Gabriel and Babette Spieß had 9 children: Elena (*1881), Jenny (*1882), Max (Moses) (*1883), Frieda (*1885), Agathe (*1886), Josef (*1887), Sophie (*1890), Else and Ida (*1893).
Else's daughter later writes about her mother's youth: „ Es ist mir nicht genau bekannt, in welche Schule meine Mutter gegangen ist. Ich nehme an, dass sie Lyzeumausbildung hatte. Bis zu ihrer Heirat im Jahre 1921 arbeitete sie als Angestellte in einem Schuhgeschäft.” ◊
Else married in Hähnlein on February 2, 1922 (German style: „2.2.22”), the CHUPA and KIDUSHIN was in Darmstadt.
Her husband was Bruno Weinberg. Bruno was born in Lonnerstadt May 25, 1888 as one of 6 children of the couple Robert Weinberg (1851 - 1941) and Rosa geb Wormser (1853 - 1910). Bruno's father had a shop for textiles in Lonnerstadt, which he soon moved to Höchstadt/Aisch. He moved to Mannheim in 1910 ◊.
Bruno was a merchant. He was employed as staff manager in the firm Hirschland & Co in Mannheim, a large department store in the middle of Mannheim (O3, 6/7). He left the firm and started his own business as a sales representative in 1930.
The Weinbergs lived in Mannheim first in S2,8; in 1933 they moved to S1,12, both „good” addresses. They had 2 children: Günther (1923 - 1945) and Rosi (*1926). Günther is remembered on the Weil-Plaque in the synagogue, because he was murdered in a KZ. Rosi emigrated to Palestine in 1939.
Bruno Weinberg was brought to the Dachau concentration camp after the so called „Kristallnacht”. He died only a couple of days after his release from Dachau in Mannheim on December 9, 1938, due to the maltreatment he suffered in the KZ. He is remembered on the Weil-Plaque in the synagogue.
After her husband's death Else Weinberg moved to Mannheim, Augartenstraße in December 1939. She was expelled from there and had to move into a so called „Judenhaus” (in F 3, 13) on August 10, 1940. Here she was seized and transported to the South of France on October 22, 1940 – like nearly all Jews from Baden, the Palatinate and the Saarland. Her first place of detention was the Gurs internment camp, but on August 8, 1942 she was moved on to the Drancy internment camp. There she seized and on August 12, 1942 she was taken in convoi No 18 to the Auschwitz extermination camp where she was gassed. She is remembered on the Weil-Plaque in the synagogue.
Memorials
There is an entry for Elisa Weinberg in the Memorial Book of the Federal Archiv: 987930
In der Yad Vashem Datenbank gibt es einen Eintrag für Else Weinberg: 11652169
Else Weinberg is honoured as a victim in the Memorial de la Shoah.
Sources
Civil registers of Steinsfurt, Hähnlein
Compensation files „Else Weinberg” (GLA Karlsruhe 480-25808 )
Monika Mennel / Johann Fleischmann: Spuren der Familie Robert und Rosalie Weinberg in Lonnerstadt und Höchstadt,
in: Mesusa 6, S 135ff
The picture of Else Weinberg is from the Plaque in the Synagogue.
The picture of house S 1, 12courtesy Stadtarchive Mannheim