Life in Frankfurt (Oder)

Dr. Hermann Neumark’s Pediatricians office was located at Wilhelmplatz 24 on the corner with Rosen Strasse, on the southern side of Lenné-Passage.  He was also chief physician at the state-run orphanage in Frankfurt (Oder). His name, along with many other Jewish doctors in Frankfurt (Oder) was well known during the 1930s and 40s. He was a famous and well-liked figure among the citizens of Frankfurter, as he dedicated significant time and effort helping the poor children of the city.

Together with his wife Ilse, Hermann Neumark moved from Poznań after the First World War, after it became part of Poland. Both of their children Eldad and Ada were born on the Oder. After the National Socialist’s consolidated power, Hermann Neumark was forced to give up his position at the state hospital and orphanage. Thereafter the family of four lived on the income coming from his private practice. Initially, in contrast to many other Jewish families, they decided to stay in Frankfurt (Oder).

Emigration to Palestine

In Frankfurt (Oder), the anti-Semitic discrimination continued to increase in its intensity. Hermann Neumark began to plan his family’s emigration to Palestine. By 1937 such a move was already near impossible. Only for the children Ada and Eldad were there any opportunities. Eldad Neumann went to Jerusalem to study music at the conservatory. Ada Neuman was part of a small group of German-Jewish children who were permitted to immigrate to Palestine. Shortly thereafter, Herbert Neumark was arrested during the November Pogrom and deported to Sachsenhausen. However, six months after his arrest he and his wife were able to secure exit visas through their strong personal contacts.

Hermann Neumark died in Palastine in 1947. Today a Stolperstein (stubling-stone) commemorates him and his wife at the southern entrance to the Lenné-Passage, on Dr. Neumark-Strasse in Frankfurt (Oder). Ada Brodsky (born Neumark) lived the rest of her life in Jerusalem as a translator of German poetry, she died in 2011.

Lea Dittbrenner, Signe Olesen, and the Editors