Heinsius, Georg

Mar. 16, 2018
Georg Heinsius was born in Berlin on October 23, 1882, the son of the merchant Alexander Heinsius and his wife Rosa, née Zadeck. After graduating from the Königstädtisches Gymnasium, he studied medicine at the universities of Berlin, Heidelberg and Munich. In between he served with the 4th Guards Regiment in Berlin. His first medical practice was at Nollendorfplatz in Berlin. In September 1914, he volunteered for a tour of duty at the front and served as a doctor in the East and West until the end of World War 1. After his discharge, he practiced temporarily in the Rhineland. In June 1919 he married Gertrude Eger. A short time later he returned to Berlin, where he first worked in Berlin-Rudow at Rudower Str. 75. In 1922 their son Fritz Werner was born in Berlin-Neukölln. Around 1928 he moved to Berlin-Baumschulenweg to Baumschulenstr. 90/91. In this house he also had his practice. Patients were the numerous civil servants living in this district at that time. At the end of March 1933, his address was included in a directory of the NSDAP of the Treptow/Neukölln district in preparation for the nationwide boycott of Jewish doctors and businesses of April 1, 1933. Due to the general Nazi pressure on the clients of his practice, he moved to Wrangelstraße 49 in Berlin-Kreuzberg already at the beginning of 1938. In October 1938, before the November pogrom, his practice was completely expropriated. Subsequently, Dr. Heinsius was subjected to multiple denunciations and police interrogations, so that a few weeks later the Heinsius couple decided to emigrate to the USA. However, like many others, his belongings were confiscated by the Gestapo and later auctioned off. On June 29, 1939, he emigrated to the USA together with his wife. While still on the ship (the "Hansa"), he was subjected to a discriminatory body search. However, a hoped-for new professional start in New York was not possible for him. Completely penniless and after many disappointments, he took his own life in a fit of mental depression on December 23, 1941. The list of the many injuries in the official death certificate is shocking. He was buried in Fresh Pond Cemetery in the borough of Queens.