Listen closely to the story etched in brass before us. This is the Stolperstein Familie Stenschewski plaque. It marks a place of remembrance. It stands as a stark reminder of a family’s tragic fate during the Shoah.
The Stolpersteine project began with artist Gunter Demnig. He sought to return names to the forgotten. These stones, these Stolpersteine, prevent forgetting. They mark the last known residences of Nazi victims. Each stone bears an inscription. It starts with “Here lived…” It continues with the victim’s name, birth year, and death details.
Before this Stolperstein Familie Stenschewski plaque, consider the story of Alex Stenschewski. He was born in 1894 in Rogasen. He was a merchant. Alex owned a men’s clothing shop in Lauenburg. The shop was at Gerberstrasse 4. It thrived in a two-story building at the corner of Stolperstrasse 12. This building was also the Stenschewski family home.
In 1938, the Nazis ransacked Alex’s business. He was forced to give it up. The family’s property was seized. They had to leave their home. They moved to Stockturmstrasse 2.
In 1940, Alex, his wife Frieda, their children Edith and Rudi, and his mother Henriette fled to Berlin. They sought refuge with Alex’s brother Aron Adolf. The two families, ten people in all, shared a small two-room apartment. It was located at Hohenschönhauser Strasse 84. Today this is Falkenberger Strasse 12.
Henriette Brie was deported to Theresienstadt in October 1942. Alex and Frieda made a heart-wrenching decision. They placed their five-year-old son Rudi in the Jewish Hospital in December 1942. In March 1943, Alex, Frieda, and their daughter Edith were deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. They were murdered. Weeks later, Aron Adolf and his family met the same fate.
Frieda Jablonski, Alex’s wife, was born in Lauenburg in 1896. She bore three children. Egon, Edith, and Rudi. The family endured Nazi persecution. Their store was plundered. Their possessions were confiscated.
Egon, the eldest son, went to a Jewish training camp near Berlin. It was to prepare for emigration to Palestine. He survived the Holocaust. He was later taken in by Sweden. He named his son Alex. It was in remembrance of his father.
Eleven Stolpersteine now lie before us. They honor the Stenschewski families. These stones were laid by Gunter Demnig. Alex Stenschewski’s grandson attended the ceremony. The Wohnungsgenossenschaft Weissensee supported this project.
These stones remind us. They force us to stop and think. They ensure the Stenschewski family is never forgotten. They are a powerful symbol of resilience. They stand against the atrocities committed in Germany’s name. Let us remember their story. Let it serve as a constant reminder of the importance of tolerance and remembrance.