The Freimann Family Tree
Notes for David KATZENBERGER

General Note
David Katzenberger (uncle Dave) was the only brother who survived the Holocaust.

Member of the "Maimonides Loge" since 1933. He had been deported to Theresienstadt, [Bohemia] Czechoslovakia on the 10th of September 1942 , but in February 1945 he was among 1200 Jews from that KZ who were transported by train to Switzerland , following a famous deal between Himmler and The Swedish Red-Cross chairman Graaf Bernadotte (Himmler hoped to succeed the Führer and had negotiated with the Swedish count Folke Bernadotte to surrender Germany to the Western allies and with the West to continue the war against the Soviet Union). DK came to Palestine in May 1946 , and met his son Lutz who had immigrated earlier .He then lived in Hertzeliya with Lutz .

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Transporte von Nurnberg: Deportation am 10.9.1942. Sammelpunkte waren die judischen Altersheime Johannisstrasse 17, Knauerstrasse 27 und Wielandstrasse 6. Am Vormittag des Deportationstages wurden die Transportteilnehmer, uberwiegend aeltere Menschen, mit Omnibussen und M?belwagen zum Nurnberger Viehhof, "Fakalienverladungsstelle" Finkenstrasse 33, gebracht. Abfahrt des Zuges (sechs Gueter-, ein Rangier- und zwanzig Personenwaggons; ein Gueterwaggon diente vermutlich dem Transport von Bettlagerigen) von Nurnberg-Rangierbahnhof 18.14 Uhr, ?ber Schnabelwaid und Hof nach Theresienstadt (Bahnhof Bauschowitz).

Insgesamt 1000 Deportierte, davon 533 aus Nurnberg, 26 uberlebende (2.1, S. 448; 2.54, S. 69). - Gerhard Jochem's website RIJO

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On Nov 1997,Herbert Kolb wrote :"Your question about David Katzenberger and me. I believe, that maybe my father introduced me to Mr. Katzenberger, or I might have known him from Nuernberg. Anyway I know he was in the "shoestore" in Theresienstadt.

There is one thing you have to know, and probably even heard about before.

The Nazis used Th. as a propaganda piece for a foreign commission. This

shoestore was just a small store window in which some shoes were shown.

Nobody in Th. could have bought any of these shoes or any others he might

have there. These were shoes which the Nazis had taken in the first place

out of the suitcases of people who came to Th. If these stolen shoes were

halfway good they were send back to Germany for the Germans. Only the bad

ones might have been given to that store.

Now as even than, nobody could buy these shoes as one needed a special certificate for which one had to wait sometimes very long, that one did

not have any shoe left and with this and a special "Kleiderkarte", which

all of us also had for propaganda perposes, and a couple of the absolute

worthless Ghettokronen one was permitted to pick up a pair of shoes. This

certainly when he was lucky that there were shoes which halfway fittet

him. As far as I remember I have one of these shoe permits, but I believe I had to

get it in the central supply place.

About the people who worked for him. I bellieve, he was the only one in

the "store". In one of the barracks were shoemakers working. They repaired

them and in case some were too good, again the Nazis shipped them to Germany. The lousy ones after being fixed might have come to the shoestore.

Now about the trip to Switzerland. On February 5th, 1945 a train full of

people, I believe 1500 really went to Switzerland. At that time I was not

in Th. as I was shipped away to near Berlin and was lucky to be returned

to Th. only on February 11, 1945. But I heard about this train to

Switzerland. It came like that. The SS-commander made the announcement,

that anybody could volunteer to be on the list to be exchanged in

Switzerland. As every word the Germans said was a lie, people were very

scared, that this again was a trick and they would be shipped to

Auschwitz. Only after they were assured and really a special train came,not

cattlecars, they hoped this was true.."

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"When DK had arrived inSwitzerland, he couldn't get a visum for Palestine. Someone (BF?) wrote to King George and told him about the relationship

of the Katzenbergers to Lord Mountbatten's wife (she was a cousin of both Claire and Blanca from Kassel). This provided the basis for the visum. " David Seldner

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* Lord Mountbatten married Edwina Ashley, whose grandfather , Sir Ernest Cassel, was a baptized Jew, son of Jacob Cassel and Amalia Rosenheim.

Address Note
KF remembered that when her parents first came to Nurnberg , DK lived for some time at Bucherstrasse 23.

In 1938 , DK 's address was Frommanstrasse 19. This apartment was plundered in the "Kristallnacht", November 1938.

Later, and until his deportation, he lived in the Katzenberger villa in Praterstrasse.

Welcome to the Freimann family tree web-site. This site contains genealogical data of individuals related to my family , the Freimanns and the Katzenbergers from Germany , as well as my wife's family , the Lasnicks. I wish to thank Thea and Heinz Skyte , who have done a remarkable research on the Jewish Community of Sugenheim, for so generously sharing their "Freimann" data with me. Special gratitude also goes to David Seldner, my friend and cousin , and to Christiane Kohl , for their crucial help and contribution to the "Katzenberger" research. If you have any information or connections to the above individuals, please let me know. Thank you. Joach Freimann , Israel.

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