Lost innocence whispers from this stone. This is the Mahnmal Antonienheim. It stands as a reminder of a tragic past. The Mahnmal Antonienheim marks the spot where a children’s home once stood. This home was a haven for Jewish children.
In 1925, the Israelitische Jugendhilfe e. V. acquired a house on Antonienstraße 7. It was a beautiful building with 20 rooms. A garden surrounded the house. On March 29, 1926, the children moved in. The home welcomed orphans and children in need. It also took in young women to learn housekeeping and childcare. Elisabeth Kitzinger, the association’s chairwoman, played a crucial role.
From 1933, the Antonienheim became a refuge. It sheltered children whose parents sought ways to survive. These parents hoped to rescue their children from the growing dangers. By 1938, the Gauleiter ordered the home’s closure. Some children were saved via Kindertransports to England. Elisabeth Kitzinger obtained a postponement of the closure. She had good relations with the city’s Jewish authorities. Despite disruptions by the population and city administration, the staff tried to create a safe place for the children. Henny Seidmann, a student at the home, recalled the warmth and care they received. Teachers cared when stones were thrown.
In November 1941, twenty children and four caregivers were deported. They were murdered. Ernst Grube, a former resident, remembered the deportations. Children were taken away at night. They were transported in buses. No one knew where they were going. Most went to Theresienstadt. From there, they went to extermination camps in the East.
By April 1942, the Antonienheim had to close. The remaining children and staff were sent to a camp in Berg am Laim. On March 13, 1943, they were deported to death camps. These included Kaunas and Auschwitz. There, they were murdered. The SS organization Lebensborn e. V. seized the Antonienheim. They established a maternity home. The building was destroyed during a bombing raid on Munich.
Since 2002, this Mahnmal Antonienheim stands as a memorial. It is on the sidewalk in front of where the home once stood. The property owner refused a plaque on the current building. Hermann Kleinknecht created the memorial. It features a transparent screen with a photo. The photo shows two former residents looking out of a window.
Across the street, the school is named Berufliches Schulzentrum Alice Bendix. It is named after the director of the children’s home. The Mahnmal Antonienheim reminds us of Alice Bendix and the children.