Stumbling Stones Weseler Straße 12

These memorial stones (Stolpersteine or stumbling stones) commemorate:

* Salomon ‘Saly’ Elkan, born 1900, fled to Holland, interned at Westerbork, deported, Auschwitz, murdered.
* Amalie ‘Malchen’ Elkan, born 1859, deported 1941, Riga, 1944 Stutthof, murdered.

* Herz Elkan, born 1859, deported 1942, murdered 1944 in Theresienstadt.
* Jette Elkan, born 1854, deported 1942, Theresienstadt, Minsk, murdered.
* Sarah ‘Sophia’ Lebenstein née Elkan, born 1862, deported 1942, released on the way, dead 10 May 1942 as a consequence of the transport.

Salomon Elkan was the son of Herz Elkan (above) and Rosa Elkan née Lebenstein. Rosa died before the war, in 1925. Salomon Elkan’s own wife survived in Holland.

Amalie ‘Malchen’ Elkan, along with Lenchen Rosenbaum were the first Raesfeld citizens to be deported. (Lenchen's stolperstein is at Klümper Straße 4 in Raesfeld.)

Sophia Lebenstein was Herz Elkan’s sister.

Herz and Jette Elkan were among the last to be deported from Raesfeld -- at the end of July 1942. After that final deportation, no Jews were left in Raesfeld, a town where Jewish people had lived since the 17th century. In September 1942, the possessions of the Elkan family were sold at public auction.

"Stolpersteine" is an art project for Europe by Gunter Demnig to commemorate victims of National Socialism (Nazism). Stolpersteine (stumbling stones) are small 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."