THE MICHELS: BROKEN LIVES
THE MICHEL FAMILY
Gertrud and Heinrich Michel, Lilli and Ursula
'Warm greetings and kisses from your father. Be neat and devout until you return home.'
Heinrich Michel writes so touchingly to his daughter Ursula. He is deported in 1942 with his wife Gertrud and their younger daughter Lilli; Ursula has already been living in England since 1939. There is no reunion. The letters reflect despair and hope.
The persecution of Ursula Michel and her family begins in Ludwigshafen am Rhein. Ursula is rescued by a children's transport to England: she survives, while her family is murdered. Ursula Michel and the fate of her family represent the biographies of many victims of the Nazi era. The fate of the Michel family, particularly the journey of the elder daughter Ursula Michel, brings to light the events of the National Socialist period.
The millions of experiences of disenfranchisement, persecution, deportation, and murder of people from 1933 to 1945 in Germany and Europe affect us all. Detailed information about the life and fate of the Michel family can be found in the online memory book of ‘Ludwigshafen setzt Stolpersteine’:
GERTRUD AND HEINRICH MICHEL
Gertrud Michel came from Berlin to Ludwigshafen. She was married to Heinrich Michel and had two daughters, Ursula and Lilli Michel.
Heinrich Michel was a Judicial Inspector at the District Court of Ludwigshafen. After the ‘Night of Broken Glass’ in 1938, he was taken to the Dachau concentration camp for several weeks. In April 1942, Gertrud, Heinrich, and their daughter Lilli were deported to Izbica. There, the traces of Gertrud and Heinrich Michel disappear.
The biographies:
Ursula Michel 1939 at the age of 15
URSULA MICHEL
Ursula Michel, who was born in Ludwigshafen, had to leave her home when she was 15 years old. She fled at the last minute, in August 1939, just before the outbreak of the Second World War, with a children's transport to England.
The biography and the film on Ursula Michel's life:
Ursula was the only member of her family to survive the Holocaust and she went on to establish a new family in England. The letters that her parents and sister Lilli wrote to Ursula before their deportation reveal how painful the separation was for the family. On 17 November 1940, Gertrud Michel wrote to her daughter Ursula:
URSULA FINDS A NEW HOME
Stephanie, Philip and Phyllis Hawthorn with their dog Gypsy
Ursula arrives at the Hawthorn family in North Staffordshire in September 1939. There, she is taken in by Phyllis Hawthorn as if she were her own child. She lives with her new family until her marriage in July 1946. Even afterwards, the relationship with her foster mother Phyllis, whom she calls "Auntie," remains very close. The children, Stephanie and Philip, even refer to Ursula as their ‘German sister’.
Phyllis and Philip Hawthorn with Ursula Michel
Ursula in her English school uniform
SCHOOL, TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT IN ENGLAND
Ursula attends a Girls' Grammar School in Newcastle-under-Lyme in North Staffordshire, in the English Midlands. She had already learned English during her school years in Germany. Nevertheless, it is a remarkable achievement that she passes her final exams with good results after just two years. She then completes her training as a secretary at a business school and works for several years in the education department of the local council.
Portrait of Ursula - at school in England
Marriage to Harold Rhodes in July 1946
WIFE AND MOTHER
In March 1944, Ursula meets Harold Leo Rhodes at a political meeting. He is serving in the coal mines of North Staffordshire, making an important contribution to the war effort. Since his youth, he has been actively interested in leftist politics. He is a kind, intelligent, and articulate young man. Ursula and Harold fall in love and they marry in July 1946. Their only child, Judith, is born in January 1953.
Honeymoon
Ursula with her husband and daughter in summer 1956
URSULA'S RELATIONSHIP WITH GERMANY IN THE YEARS FOLLOWING THE WAR
Efforts to achieve justice - Restitution claims
From the mid-1950s, Ursula submits compensation claims to Germany for the suffering and losses she endured: the murder of her parents and sister, her interrupted education, the theft and destruction of her property during the Reich Pogrom Night, and the loss of family possessions during the deportation of her parents and sister in April 1942. Her legal process continues until the mid-1960s. Although she receives some compensation payments, the process is difficult and painful. Often, the responses are extremely bureaucratic, unhelpful, and even hostile and discriminatory.
Judith Rhodes, the daughter of Ursula Michel, reports:
HOLIDAYS IN GERMANY
During family gatherings in Berlin, memories were shared, and Ursula received some items belonging to her parents that relatives had kept for her. These included valuable antiques such as cutlery, beautiful table linen embroidered with the owner's initials, as well as photos and letters.
Ursula never saw her parents or her sister again. However, all her mother Gertrud's siblings survived the Holocaust, as they had only one Jewish parent and were baptised as Christians. Ursula and Harold travelled to Berlin in 1951 and visited three aunts, an uncle, and a cousin. Ten years later, they made the same journey, this time with their eight-year-old daughter Judith. Conversely, some relatives from the Berlin family came to visit in England.
From the early 1980s onwards, Ursula, along with her daughter and later her husband, took holidays in Germany. They visited places that Ursula remembered from her childhood: the Black Forest, Heidelberg, and Mannheim. She never wanted to return to Ludwigshafen. The pain of the rejection and expulsion she suffered must have been too great.
Ursula in Berlin - August 1961
Harold and Ursula Rhodes
GERMAN COURSES FOR FRIENDS
In their retirement, Ursula and Harold attended a German course. After completing the course, they offered German lessons at their home for some friends. This German instruction continued for several years and was greatly appreciated by their friends: they not only learned the German language but also gained much insight into German culture.
LITTLE LILLI
Lilli Michel was born on 11 December 1927 in Ludwigshafen am Rhein. She died in 1942. Neither the exact time of her death nor the place where she was killed is known. She probably perished in Trawniki, Poland. Together with her parents Gertrud and Heinrich and her older sister Ursula, she had lived in Ludwigshafen until May 1939. After the Night of Broken Glass, the family moved to Mannheim.
The photo shows Lilli at the age of two or three as the mischievous little girl that her sister Ursula will remember.
Lilli writes to her sister Ursula
Lilli was a brave and courageous little girl: at the age of 9, she had her ears pierced without her parents' permission. This boldness remained with her in the following years, as her friend Ulla Schwab (née Rosenfelder) recalls. Lilli and Ulla met in the hospital and became friends. Although Jewish children were no longer allowed to swim or go to the cinema at that time, Lilli, who was now living in Mannheim, encouraged her friend Ulla to go with her across the river to Ludwigshafen. There, they hoped not to be recognised and to swim like other children in the river or go to the cinema.
Mother Gertrud comments on Lilli's letter
Like most little girls of her time, Lilli had a poetry album in which her family and friends – as well as her parents' friends – wrote sayings, poems, and drawings. In January 1937, Louis and Emma Pinkus wrote a poem in Lilli Michel's poetry album. Louis added, 'May you remember your fatherly friend even in later years.' Sadly, there were no later years for Lilli Michel.
In April 1942, Lilli and her parents were deported to Poland. Lilli was 14 years old.
Her last trace is a letter from June 1942, which she addressed to her aunts and uncle in Berlin.
LILLI'S LIFE IN PICTURES
Stumbling stones for Gertrud, Heinrich, Ursula and Lilli Michel were laid in front of the house at Pfalzgrafenstraße 67 in Ludwigshafen am Rhein on May 3, 2010.
THE GRANDDAUGHTER JUDITH RHODES
Judith Barbara Léonie Rhodes, the daughter of Ursula Michel and Harold Rhodes, was born on 16 January 1953.
Even as a child, Judith is aware of her German family. She receives wonderful packages from her relatives in Berlin at Christmas, Easter, and on her birthdays, filled with German books, toys, chocolate, and food. At the age of eight, Judith travels to Berlin with her parents to visit her relatives.
Later, the relatives visit England several times. As Judith grows older, her mother tells her the shocking and tragic story of the Michel family, explaining why her grandparents and aunt are no longer with them.
Shortly before her mother passed away, Judith contacts the Stolpersteine initiative in Ludwigshafen. She initiates the laying of Stolpersteine for Gertrud, Heinrich, Ursula, and Lilli Michel in May 2010 and travels to Ludwigshafen for this purpose. Shortly after Ursula's death, Judith contacts the Stolpersteine team again, and a long research journey into her family's history begins. With the support of the Stolpersteine team, she discovers more about them than she had ever dreamed possible.
AGAINST FORGETTING
Since Judith retired from her job as a librarian, she has been sharing her family history at schools in England and Germany. She shows the film produced by "Ludwigshafen sets Stolpersteine" about her family's fate, along with the small suitcase her mother took on the children's transport, and some items from that time.
Judith is often asked why she does this work. She responds, 'We cannot forget!' This means that we are not able to forget and also that we must not be allowed to forget.
When students ask her, 'If you could meet a member of your family, who would it be?' Judith replies, 'My grandmother, whom I only know through her many sad and loving letters to her daughter, my own mother.'
At the Schifferstadt Gymnasium, 2022
THE SEARCH FOR THE FAMILY
Judith explores her family history in official archives such as the Arolsen Archives and the State Archive in Speyer. In addition, she has her mother's documents: a comprehensive folder containing family letters, poetry albums, photographs, and official documents, mainly concerning Ursula's restitution claims.
Over the years, a detailed picture emerges of her mother's family life, her grandparents, relatives, and friends. Nevertheless, many questions remain unanswered.
Particularly disturbing is the outcome of the search for Judith's aunt: Lilli Michel. Judith reports:
The Search for Lilli
VISIT TO KLINGENMÜNSTER
Her research trip takes Judith to Klingenmünster, a small town in Rhineland-Palatinate: 'My research revealed that although my maternal grandmother was born and grew up in Berlin, both my grandparents had their roots in the same small town in Rhineland-Palatinate: Klingenmünster. There are two stumbling stones in Klingenmünster. And they commemorate two members of my family, Gustav and Alfred Levy!'
Gertrud Michel to her daughter Ursula (no date): 'Recently, Uncle Alfred was with us. He and Gustav are now working on the farm, and they are doing well.'
Judith finds clues about the Levy brothers in her grandmother Gertrud's letters to her mother Ursula. They are referred to as ‘Uncle Gustav’ and ‘Uncle Alfred.’ A letter from the USA, which addresses inheritance matters after the war, also mentions the two. Judith travels to Klingenmünster to visit the Stolpersteine and lay flowers in memory of these men, whom her mother remembered so fondly. The Mayor of Klingenmünster invites her to meet with him, local historian Erich Laux, and some individuals who personally knew the Levy brothers. Mr. Laux presents Judith with his latest findings about the brothers and hands her photographs of the town and its residents. In return, she gives him photos of her great-grandmother, who was born in Klingenmünster. Her maiden name was Levy, and she was related to the brothers.
An eyewitness present shares how popular the Levy brothers were in the village. They were the last remaining Jews in Klingenmünster. Thus, Judith learns firsthand about the day of deportation: Gustav and Alfred Levy were taken to the Gurs concentration camp in the French Pyrenees in October 1940.
THE BROTHERS ALFRED AND GUSTAV LEVY
Three of the four grandparents of Ursula and Lilli had their roots in Klingenmünster, in the Wine Route region. Heinrich Michel's parents, Leopold and Jetta (née Mohr), and Gertrud Michel's mother, Barbara Levy, were members of the local Jewish community. The last two family members remaining in the village were the brothers Gustav (born 1871) and Alfred (born 1881) Levy, who were deported to Gurs in October 1940.
Not only stumbling stones commemorate the brothers Alfred and Gustav Levy in Klingenmünster. Their fate is described in the book ‘History of the Jews of Klingenmünster’ written by Erich Laux. He conducted extensive research in the State Archive of Speyer and interviewed witnesses, including Judith Rhodes. The travel guide ‘111 Places in the Palatinate You Must See’ dedicates an entire page to the stumbling stones and the brothers. The Levys also play a role in a novel: In her book ‘The Glass Happiness,’ Lilo Beil describes the Nazi era, including the deportation of brothers Gustav and Alfred Levy to Gurs.
Alfred Levy
Ursula and Lilli Michel with Uncle Alfred
ALFRED LEVY - WELL-KNOWN AND MUCH LIKED IN THE VILLAGE
The last two family members of the Michels remaining in the village were the brothers Gustav and Alfred Levy, who were deported to the French internment camp Gurs in October 1940. They are remembered by stumbling stones at Weinstraße 40.
In an audio stumbling stone produced by SWR, witnesses speak multiple times. Both brothers were very popular in the village. However, Alfred was the one better known to the villagers, as he owned a shop and drove round the villages in his horse-drawn cart to sell household goods and agricultural tools.
The children particularly liked him: he would give them sweets, play dominoes with them, and even let them ride on his horse.
GUSTAV LEVY - THE LESSER KNOWN BROTHER
Gustav, the older brother of Alfred born in 1871, is less known in the village. He worked in a wine shop in Landau, leaving home early in the morning and returning late in the evening.
No photos of him have survived. A gravestone in Gurs, which honours his memory in Klingenmünster, serves as a reminder of him today.
THE DEPORTATION
The deportation of Gustav and Alfred Levy took place in October 1940 when they were sent to the Gurs camp. Just before this, Alfred asked a fellow citizen to take care of his little horse in case he was taken away. On the day of the deportation, Alfred sat with his suitcase in the marketplace. When a passerby asked him where he was going, he replied, ‘I do not wish to cause a stir, but I have been ordered to be here, and I will be taken away.’
The stumbling stones for Gustav and Alfred Levy were laid in 2006 in front of their last residence at Weinstraße 40.
Gurs, the place to which Gustav and Alfred were taken, is a small locality in what is now the Département Pyrénées-Atlantiques. France had established a camp there in 1939, initially to detain refugees from the Spanish Civil War and, after the outbreak of war, ‘undesirable foreigners.’ On 20 October 1940, the Gauleiters Robert Wagner and Josef Bürckel orchestrated a long-planned deportation, forcibly transporting all Jews from the Baden and Saarpfalz regions to Gurs. Gustav and Alfred fell victim to this action.
Gustav Levy did not survive the brutal conditions in Gurs; he died in 1942. Alfred attempted in vain to escape. Later, he was deported to Auschwitz, where he was murdered.
The stumbling stones for Gustav and Alfred Levy were laid in front of their last home in Weinstraße 40, Klingenmünster in 2006.
FRIENDS
The Michel family does not really belong to the Jewish community in either Ludwigshafen or Mannheim. Gertrud and the two girls are baptised Christians; Heinrich scarcely practises the Jewish faith. Nevertheless, the family has friends and contacts within Jewish circles. These relationships deepen after Heinrich loses his position as a Judicial Inspector at the District Court in Ludwigshafen and begins to provide legal advice to members of the Jewish community.
THE PINKUS FAMILY FROM LUDWIGSHAFEN
Louis Pinkus, his daughter Edith, and granddaughter Germana on the day of their deportation to Gurs.
Louis and Emma Pinkus live with their children Edith and Lothar at Zollhofstraße 11 in Ludwigshafen. Stumbling stones commemorate them and their granddaughters Iris Rau and Germana Pinkus. They maintain a long-standing, warm friendship with the Michel family.
Lothar Pinkus works in Ludwigshafen until the final dissolution of the Jewish Cultural Community in 1942. Heinrich Michel provides him with legal advice for which he receives a small salary. In January 1937, Louis Pinkus and his wife Emma write poems in Lilli Michel's poetry album. Louis adds, ‘May you remember your fatherly friend even in later years.’
The biographies of the family members are documented in the online memorial book of ‘Ludwigshafen setzt Stolpersteine.’
Germana and her older half-sister Iris live in Italy. They are informed about the Stolpersteine and learn that their family is still remembered.
Family Schwab with Hermann Maas
THE SCHWAB FAMILY, MANNHEIM
The Mannheim Schwab family plays a very important role for Ursula Michel and her family, as Mr Schwab initiates Ursula's escape via the children's transport to England.
Lilli Michel and Ulla Schwab attend the same school and become friends while both are hospitalised with scarlet fever. The parents also develop a close friendship. The two girls play together, craft, or do gymnastics. Lilli's insistence leads them to engage in activities that are no longer permitted for Jewish children: they go swimming and watch the latest films at the cinema. The Ursula Michel, four years older, is more serious and keeps her distance from the adventures of the younger girls.
When Mrs Schwab's mother is deported to Gurs, Gertrud Michel visits Mrs Schwab every day to comfort and support her. Heinrich Michel also frequently visits the Schwab family, and the two families grow ever closer.
Mr Schwab is friendly with Pastor Hermann Maas from the Holy Spirit Church in Heidelberg. He tells him about the Michel family. In 1939, Pastor Maas, along with members of the Quakers, the "Religious Society of Friends" from England, organises children's transports. Thanks to Mr Schwab, Ursula Michel is allowed to leave for England in the summer of 1939, just before the outbreak of war.
Even in the spring of 1942, Mr Schwab attempts to help Heinrich and Lilli Michel escape to Switzerland. He drives them to a cemetery near the Swiss border, where they pretend to visit the cemetery to lay a wreath on a grave, hoping to slip across the border unnoticed. At the last moment, they are discovered and arrested by a border guard.
Shortly thereafter, the entire Michel family is deported and later murdered. Mrs Schwab, who is endangered as a Jew, and her two daughters go into hiding and manage to survive the Nazi era.
Ulla Rosenfelder
The Schwab family never forget their friends, the Michel family, and try to contact Ursula after the war. Unfortunately, Ursula initially declines any correspondence with people from her hometown, but after a few years, a brief exchange of letters occurs with Mrs Schwab.
Many years later, Ulla Schwab, now Mrs. Rosenfelder, saw a photograph in the Mannheimer Morgen of Gertrud, Heinrich, Ursula, and Lilli Michel, accompanied by the question of whether anyone remembered the family. She immediately contacted the Ludwigshafen City Archive and was able to provide information.
Käthe, James and Ellen Todtmann, USA, 1948
Kate Todman with her family, US, mid-1980s
FAMILY TODTMANN: JAMES, KÄTHE AND THEIR DAUGHTER ELLEN.
The stumbling stones for the family are located at Geibelstraße 71 in Ludwigshafen Friesenheim. In the 1930s, the family is subjected to severe repression by the Nazis, not only because of their Jewish heritage but also due to the political beliefs and engagement of the Social Democrat James Todtmann. The Todtmann family leaves Germany in the 1930s and lives in England for about ten years before finally settling in the USA. In the USA, they change their surname to Todman, and Käthe becomes Kate.
By chance, Ursula Michel meets the Todtmanns in England, as they live in the same town in the Midlands, Newcastle-under-Lyme. Ursula learns from James Todtmann that he had asked her father Heinrich for legal assistance.
Ursula maintains contact with Kate Todtmann even after the deaths of James and Ellen, until Kate's passing in the late 1990s. And today, the granddaughter of Kate and James Todtmann maintains an email friendship with the granddaughter of Gertrud and Heinrich Michel.
The family's biographies in the memorial book of 'Ludwigshafen setzt Stolpersteine':
Stumbling stones for James, Käthe, and Ellen Todtmann were laid on 16 March 2016 in front of the residence at Geibelstraße 71 in Ludwigshafen Friesenheim.