Stumbling Stones Lieberoser Straße 5a

These small brass memorial plaques (Stolpersteine or stumbling stones) commemorate:

* Martha Karger, born 1870, deported 1942, Theresienstadt, dead 8 September 1942.
* Bianka Karger, born 1862, deported 1942, Theresienstadt, dead 24 September 1942.

Sisters Martha and Bianka Karger were both born in Cottbus. They lived at this address for almost 20 years until their deportation in August 1942. Along with 90 other Cottbus Jews, they were deported on the same train, which originated in Tilsit and made many stops along the way, including Cottbus. While waiting for that train at the Cottbus collection point, they and the other deportees were forced to sign over all their property to the Reich. The train stopped 3 km away from Theresienstadt on 27 August 1942, and deportees had to walk to reach the camp.

According to their Theresienstadt death certificates, Martha, age 71, died of enteritis 12 days later and Bianka, 79, died of old age two weeks after her sister. However, the German Federal Archives considers them as victims of the persecution of Jews (Opfer der Verfolgung der Juden), and Yad Vashem considers their deaths as murders. No other information on their lives or family was found.

"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."

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