Stumbling Stones Paretzer Straße 10

These memorial stones (so called Stolpersteine of stumbling blocks) commemorate:
* Ernst T. Berger, born 1883, deported 12 March 1943, Auschwitz, murdered.
* Helene Berger née Berger, born 1886, deported 12 March 1943, Auschwitz, murdered.
* Joachim Berger, born 1919, deported 12 March 1943, Auschwitz, murdered.
* Walter Berger, born 1927, deported 12 March 1943, Auschwitz, murdered.

* Sophie Steinhardt née Steuermann, born 1921, deported 1 March 1943, Auschwitz, murdered.
* Hanny Steuermann née Krisch, born 1889, deported 2 March 1943, Auschwitz, murdered.
* Heinrich Steuermann, born 1881, deported 2 March 1943, Auschwitz, murdered.
* Ludwig Steuermann, born 1924, deported 2 March 1943, Auschwitz, murdered.

* Rosalie Berger, born 1872, deported 10 November 1941, Minsk, murdered.

Ernst and Helene Berger, and their sons, Joachim and Walter, had moved to a Jewish community house at Joachimstaler Strasse, where probably a family member worked. The Bergers and community employees were deported on the same day. A daughter, Ilse Berger, had escaped to South Africa.

Heinrich Steuermann, a tailor, and Hanny Krisch married and had two children – Sophie (b. 1921) and Ludwig (b. 1924). They lived at this address from 1922. Daughter Sophie married a man named Steinhardt, but she did not live with him long and moved back with her parents and brother. At some point, the family was driven out of their residence. Sophie was taken away one day before the other three. All were deported to Auschwitz and murdered. Yad Vashem has photos of the family: Heinrich & Henny, Sophie, and Ludwig.

The relationship, if any, of Rosalie Berger to the other Bergers here was not found. She moved from this address to Wuppertal, located east of Düsseldorf. Then she was deported from the Düsseldorf freight station on 10 November 1941, arriving at the Minsk Ghetto on 15 November. Traces of Rosalie Berger are lost. What is known is that, between 10 November and 16 December, seven transports arrived at the Minsk ghetto with 6,959 Jews. In the ghetto, people who survived illness and poor conditions worked in the war industry, but eventually nearly all the Minsk ghetto residents were murdered, including 40,000-60,000 of them in the nearby Maly Trostenets murder site.

"Stolpersteine" is an art project for Europe by Gunter Demnig to commemorate victims of National Socialism (Nazism). Stolpersteine (stumbling stones) are small, 10x10cm brass plaques placed in the pavement in front of the last voluntary residence of (mostly Jewish) victims who were murdered by the Nazis. Each plaque is engraved with the victim’s name, date of birth, and place (mostly a concentration camp) and date of death. By doing this, Gunter Demnig gives an individual memorial to each victim. One stone, one name, one person. He cites the Talmud: "A human being is forgotten only when his or her name is forgotten."