Hans Gabriel L?wenthal

Hans Gabriel L?wenthal was born in Berlin on 26 May 1912, the eldest child of furniture shop owner Siegfried L?wenthal and housewife Auguste (née Koppel). He had two sisters, Claire Ora, who emigrated to Palestine in 1933, and Ingeborg Hanna, who followed her sister six years later^.1

Hanna's children, Hans L?wenthal's niece and nephew, were able to tell us about their sisters' memories. He was always the "good child" with whom there was not only no trouble and no problems, but who also looked after others rather than himself. He treated his sister Claire like a queen, despite her often mean childhood jokes^.2 His special relationship with his sisters becomes clear in the following lines addressed to Claire in 1939:

"Inge is certainly looking forward to seeing you, especially your little child, she will get used to Inge very quickly, because all the children Inge comes into contact with are after her quite badly. She has to play with them and show off whether she wants to or not. Do you remember, my dear Cl?rchen, that it was the same with you? You two have a lot in common. "³

Although he grew up in a secular family, Hans L?wenthal decided to study to become a rabbi. He attended the School for the Science of ^Judaism4 and was trained as a liberal rabbi. Hans L?wenthal studied "National Education" at the Friedrich Wilhelm University in Berlin^.5 His relatives said that he taught in the New Synagogue in Oranienburger Stra?e and also occasionally conducted the Sabbath service^.6

In view of his sisters' emigration, the question arises as to why Hans L?wenthal remained in Germany. His nephew and niece heard from their mother and aunt that he simply did not want to leave his parents alone^.7 In 1940, an acquaintance who had emigrated to New York tried to bring Hans L?wenthal to the United States via Shanghai. We do not know whether this action would have been possible at all^.8 However, this attempt shows that both the family and those around them already sensed a clear danger at this time.

Although he felt obliged to stay with his parents, Hans L?wenthal longed for Palestine, as he wrote to his sisters, probably in 1940:

"My dears!
[...]
I am learning a lot of Ivrit and can already speak quite well. God willing, I will also come to Eretz Israel to be a Moreh [teacher] there. I don't yet know how that will work out. But we'll have to wait and see. Until the next letter, all the best and best wishes and kisses, Hans. Mazal U'Bracha [happiness and blessings] for your house.^"9

On 24 November 1942, Hans L?wenthal and his parents were evacuated from their flat at Auguststra?e 6. They were deported from Berlin on 29 November 1942. After the war, his sister Hanna learnt that he had been taken to Theresienstadt and that he even taught in the camp. The official sources prove that the three of them died in Auschwitz^.10