Elisabeth Waldstein - English

Elisabeth Waldstein, Weinzweig by birth, was born May 22, 1871 in Magdeburg as the daughter of the merchant Bernhard Weinzweig and his wife Caroline Lindenthal. After her first marriage with the merchant Leib (Louis) Waldstein from Annaberg and the birth of their daughter Fanny 1895, Elisabeth moved back to Magdeburg after her divorce in 1903.  

Her daughter Fanny studied medicine and became a Doctor of Medicine after her graduation in 1923. The mother-daughter-duo planned their emigration due to increased Nazi persecutions. However, in 1938 Fanny had her medical license revoked, which destroyed her professional existence. Fanny tragically died from pneumonia on October 31, 1940.  

While the persecution of Jews intensified, Elisabeth Waldstein continued to live in oppressive financial circumstances. She had to move to a so-called „Jewhouse“ and payed over 1.000 RM for the restoration of her old apartment. On December 2, 1942 she was deported to Theresienstadt and died on December 13, 1942 under inhumane conditions.  

The cruelty inflicted upon Elisabeth Waldstein and her daughter illustrates the systematic destruction of lives during the Holocaust. Their resistance to persecution and their solidarity with other victims demonstrate the determined struggle against the atrocities of the Nazis.