Life_under_Siege_The_Jews_of_Magdeburg_under_Nazi_Rule.pdf

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‘Judenhäuser.’ 15 Prior to this, however, all of the buildings which became
‘Judenhäuser’ already possessed a number of Jewish tenants and the actual
buildings were owned by Jews. Some buildings were premises formerly owned by
the community. The relocations were mandatory. However, initially in some
cases, Jews were offered a choice. Living in overcrowded conditions with poor
facilities, quality of life deteriorated further. Jews not only had to deal with
impoverishment, humiliation and segregation, but had also lost the privacy and
sanctity which their own homes had afforded them.
In Magdeburg there existed at least nine ‘Judenhäuser.’ They were located at
the following addresses: Arndtstraße 5, which was the former Israelitisches
Altersheim; Brandenburger Straße 2a, located within walking distance to the main
railway station and which had formerly been a hotel owned and operated by
businessman Bernhard Brustawitzki; 16 Fermersleber Weg 40–46, which was the
caretaker’s house at the Jewish cemetery; Große Mühlenstraße 11/12; Große
Schulstraße 2b, the Jewish community building located next door to the destroyed
synagogue, which housed the community’s offices, the re-established religious
congregation, the ‘Judenschule’ and a number of apartments; Johannesberg 15a;
Lübecker Straße 30a; Schöninger Straße 27a; and Westendstraße 9. 17 With
successive deportations, these buildings became vacant and were appropriated by
the city and the province.
15 For a comprehensive discussion on ‘Judenhäuser’ see Konrad Kwiet, “Nach dem
Pogrom. Stufen der Ausgrenzung,” in Wolfgang Benz, ed., op. cit., pp. 545–659;
Barkai, “In a Ghetto Without Walls,” in Meyer, ed. op. cit., pp. 343–346; and Kaplan,
op. cit.
16 M. F., op. cit., 27 June 1999.
17 Four deportation lists of Jews deported from Magdeburg to Theresienstadt,
Transport XX/1, 18 November 1942; Transport XX/2, 25 November 1942; Transport
XX/3, 2 December 1942; and Transport XX/4, 11 January 1944, Collection 0.64, File
271, YVA, pp. 45–59. These lists confirm the personal particulars of deportees,
including their addresses at the time of their deportation.