Life_under_Siege_The_Jews_of_Magdeburg_under_Nazi_Rule.pdf

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Otto (Ismar) Horst Karliner 178 was an active member of the Synagogen-
Gemeinde. His wife, Lisbeth née Leidenroth, whom he had married in 1927, was
Lutheran. They had one son, Werner, who was born in 1929 179 and who had been
raised Jewish. 180 Despite pressure from the local Gestapo, Karliner’s wife would
not divorce him and the family of three remained intact until liberation. However,
both Karliner and his son were subjected to the same discrimination as other Jews
in the city. This included segregated housing, the wearing of the star and forced
labour. 181 Whilst Karliner’s wife was not officially subjected to these
persecutions, in remaining with her husband and son, she endured the daily
spectacle of the degradation and humiliation of her loved ones and the community
of which she felt a part.
The same situation existed for the Freiberg family. Joachim Freiberg and Elli
Freiberg née Langwagen were very active members of the Synagogen-Gemeinde
and the Jewish community as a whole. Elli Freiberg had converted to Judaism
under the instruction of Rabbi Dr Wilde. 182 The couple had three young children
by war’s end. As with the example of the Karliners, Freiberg and his children
were subjected to the same discrimination as other Jews. They lived in a
‘Judenhaus,’ they wore the star, the children attended the ‘Judenschule’ and
Freiberg was a forced labourer. Not dissimilar to Lisbeth Karliner, Elli Freiberg
178 Lebenslauf des Vorsitzenden der Synagogen-Gemeinde zu Magdeburg, Otto Horst
Karliner, genannt Ismar Karliner, 22. Januar 1947, Bestand 5B1, Signatur Nr. 65,
CJA, op. cit., p. 252–253.
179 Sonderaufbereitung der Volkszählung vom 17. Mai 1939, Listung der
Erhebungsbögen für Provinz Sachsen, Stadtkreis Magdeburg, Gemeinde Magdeburg,
BAB, op. cit., p. 13.
180 Lebenslauf des Vorsitzenden der Synagogen-Gemeinde zu Magdeburg, Otto Horst
Karliner, genannt Ismar Karliner, 22. Januar 1947, Bestand 5B1, Signatur Nr. 65,
CJA, op. cit., p. 252.
181 Ibid.
182 Personal file on the Freiberg family, Bestand Pe, Signatur Nr. 14, ASGM, op. cit.