Boots, Leo

The Jewish couple Mayer Stiefel (born January 5, 1855 Hammelburg, died November 9, 1921 in Kitzingen) and Sophie née Blümlein (born November 11, 1852 in Untereisenheim, died November 9, 1926 in Kitzingen) lived in Kitzingen. They had 4 sons born in Kitzingen: Jakob, born May 28, 1878, Salomon, born June 3, 1879, Leo, born June 12, 1881, and Richard, born March 11, 1887. The family operated a wine shop. Leo received high school education and completed his military service as a "one-year volunteer." After that he lived as a wine merchant in Würzburg. During World War I he served with the rank of sergeant, among others in a train replacement department, a military baker's department; his brother Salomon also fought in World War I. On December 31, 1931, Leo resigned from the Jewish Community in Kitzingen. Leo Stiefel must have lived in Kitzingen again for a while, where he was looked after by the non-Jewish housekeeper Babette Hümmer. Leo Stiefel felt a special obligation towards her, he set her a lifelong monthly pension of 40 RM, also he set her half as his heiress. On January 16, 1937, Leo moved to Berlin, first living in Charlottenburg, Witzlebenstr. 16 I, then in Suarezstr. 55, then in Wielandstr. 22 with Rosalie Priester, from February 1, 1941 in Westarpstr. 3 I with Michaelis, later with Reichmann, he was always a subtenant. Leo Stiefel continued to operate his wine shop in Kitzingen, Rosengasse 7, from Berlin. Leo Stiefel had a Jewish girlfriend, Gerda Kuniansky, born in Plauen on January 2, 1915. Her father Salomon Kuniansky, born in Odessa on February 12, 1884, owned a lace and embroidery factory in Plauen. Leo Stiefel was forced by the Nazi regime to sell his property in Kitzingen, Rosengasse 7, he never received the equivalent value. He also had to give up the wine shop he had taken over from his father, the inventory was sold off, he received only a fraction of the actual value, about 1500 RM. Leo Stiefel made his will on July 3, 1941: as heirs he appointed Miss Gerda Kuniansky (his later wife) and Miss Babette Hümmer each to half of his property. Babette Hümmer was still living in his house in Kitzingen at the time. Leo Stiefel had obviously tried to put an end to his life in view of the impending deportation: he was in the Jewish Hospital in Berlin from October 24, 1942 to November 26, 1942 because of sleeping pills poisoning. From the hospital he arranged for the sale of securities in order to pay the 5th and last installment of the Judenvermögensabgabe and arrears of income and property tax. The day after his release, on November 27, 1942, he had already submitted a declaration of assets at the collection point on Große Hamburger Strasse. He stated that he was an examiner for the Jewish Religious Association, that he was single and that he belonged (again) to the Jewish denomination. His identification card had been taken from him and he no longer had any bank documents, so that he could not provide any information on his assets. The order, according to which his assets were confiscated in favor of the German Reich, was delivered to him on November 27, 1942, at the Große Hamburger Straße collection center. On November 29, 1942, Leo Stiefel was deported to Auschwitz. At this time he was also later declared dead. After the war, Gerda applied for recognition of her free marriage to Leo Stiefel, which led to the issuance of a marriage certificate from the Spandau registry office dated July 23, 1951, according to which the marriage was effective June 12, 1937. Gerda Stiefel had survived in Berlin. In 1944, securities worth RM 18,900.00 were still in Leo Stiefel's custody account at the Bayrische Hypotheken- und Wechselbank. The Vermögensverwertungsstelle had already recorded income of RM 19,603.80 without these items. When the Vermögensverwertungsamt demanded payment from the pension insurance from Gothaer, the latter wanted proof that the insured, Leo Stiefel, had survived the date of June 12, 1947. Alte Leipziger finally paid out a surrender amount of RM 17,603.80 to the Vermögensverwertungsstelle.