Ruth's mother; Robert's wife
Erna Esther Gerechter née Lauer
Leipzig, 21 August 1896 – Riga, 8 September 1942
aged 46
Erna Esther Gerechter, born Erna Lauer, was born in Leipzig on 21 August 1896, the daughter of a fur dealer. She grew up in Leipzig and Berlin, and in 1922 she became engaged to Robert Gerechter of Groß Räschen.
They had two daughters, Ruth and Vera, and lived at Frankfurter Allee 17 in Berlin, where Robert had his dental practice. In 1936 Robert died, and Erna was left alone with two girls of twelve and ten.
She went to work, first as a secretary, later at forced labour. Ruth got away. On 31 August 1942 Erna was deported from Berlin with Vera, her father and her sister Paula. They were murdered in Riga on 8 September 1942. Erna was forty-six.
Before 1933
Erna's father Jakob Lauer moved the family from Leipzig to Berlin around 1913. Her engagement to Robert was announced in November 1922 by "J. Lauer and wife" and by Wilhelm Gerechter. Ruth was born at the end of 1923 and Vera in 1926.
1933 – 1938
Robert died on 10 October 1936, after a severe illness. Erna signed his death notice "with the children."
1938 – 1945
By May 1939 Erna, Ruth and Vera were living at Annenstraße 39. Erna worked as a secretary in 1939 and 1940; by 1941 she was listed as a worker, which for a Jewish woman in Berlin then meant forced labour. Her sister Martha left for Shanghai in 1939. Her father and her sister Paula came to live with her.
Ruth left Germany. Erna stayed with Vera. On 31 August 1942 the four of them were deported together from Annenstraße 39 to Riga, where they were murdered on 8 September.
After
Martha survived in Shanghai and searched for her after the war. Ruth searched for her from Stockholm, and in 1977 she wrote her mother's name in a Page of Testimony.
Close family
- HusbandRobert Gerechter 1896 – 1936
- DaughterRuth Brigher, née Gerechter 1923 – 2002
- DaughterVera Gerechter 1926 – 1942
In Armin's films
- Film 2, verhaftet 1938Her father Robert, Armin's brother, died two years ago. She lives with her mother Erna and her sister Vera, who is twelve.
In Ruth's films
- Film 1, Erna-Esther, née LauerNovember 1922. In the Jewish papers: Erna Lauer of Berlin is engaged to Robert Gerechter of Groß Räschen.
- Film 2, Berlin – Annenstrasse 3917 May 1939. On census day the three of them are at Annenstraße 39: Erna, Ruth, Vera.
- Film 3, Deported to the east in August 19425 September 1942. Erna and Vera are deported from Berlin to Riga, with Erna's father Jakob, seventy-six, and her sister Paula.
What we don't know
We do not know how Ruth came to leave without her mother and sister. Ruth believed her mother had died in Auschwitz; it was Riga.
The recordsthe archive's notes, dates and sources
Life events
| Date | Place | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 1922 | Berlin | Engaged to Robert Gerechter BT, IFB |
| 1923 | (Berlin?) | Married [inference] |
| 1926-1936 | Berlin O 34, Frankfurter Allee 17 | Family home and Robert's dental practice ADR-B, GBL |
| 10 Oct 1936 | Berlin | Widowed GBL |
| 1936-1938 | Berlin | Not listed in the address books ADR-B |
| 1939, 1940 | Berlin SW 68, Annenstr. 39 | Address book: "Sekretärin" (secretary) ADR-B, ADR-1940 |
| 17 May 1939 | Annenstr. 39 | Census address, with Ruth and Vera MTL |
| 1941 | Annenstr. 39 | Address book: "Arbeiterin" (worker), i.e. forced labour ADR-B |
| 31 Aug 1942 | Berlin → Riga | Deported on the 19th Osttransport (list no. 780; Kennkarte A030707; Kennzeichen 17606a), with Vera, her father and Paula, all from Annenstr. 39 STAT |
| 8 Sep 1942 | Riga | Murdered GB |
| 1957, 1965 | Berlin (WGA) | Ruth claims restitution (41 WGA 436/57; 45 WGA 89-90/65) WGA |
Sources
- Gedenkbuch de1055226
- 19th Osttransport list, p. 275
- AJDC card (Arolsen 11231805)
- Mapping the Lives
- Berlin address books 1939-1941
- Yad Vashem Page of Testimony 874259
The small letters after an entry name its source: GB the German Memorial Book, JM the Joods Monument, AROL the Arolsen Archives, GENI the family tree on Geni, STOL the stones.