Heimann Cohen

Heimann Cohen was married to Hedwig Cohen, née Levi (1883-1942). They had two daughters together. The first daughter Melitta Neugarten, née Cohen was born on August 10, 1911 in Neustadtgödens. Inge Parnes, née Cohen was born ten years later on April 26, 1921 in Streek near Varel. The family lived in Borgstede until they moved to Oldenburg on June 08, 1927.

On 08 June 1927, the family moved from Borgstede to Oldenburg. There Heimann Cohen, his wife Hedwig and their two daughters, Melitta and Inge, lived in a rented apartment at Stau 30 in Oldenburg from July 1930. At that time, Cohen worked as the owner of a livestock business. Where exactly this was located is not known.

On November 27, 1937, Cohen submitted an application for the issuance of a "Wandergewerbeschein für den Handel mit Manufaktur-, Weißwaren und Lederbekleidung" for the following year 1938. At that time, it was not uncommon to register a Wandergewerbe, as many self-employed people sold their goods on the move. In response to the submitted application, however, the current police master of the city of Oldenburg expressed skepticism in an official letter: Cohen was Jewish and additionally had a criminal record (cf. NLA OL, Best. 262-1 G Nr. 406). On July 27, 1937, the Oldenburg court of lay assessors had sentenced Heimann Cohen to a fine of 1000.- RM (approx. 4100 €) for violating §402 of the Reich Tax Code. This order of 1931 regulated the punishment for negligent reduction of tax revenues and for tax evasion. Despite the doubts of the police master, the Minister of Finance issued Heimann Cohen a traveling trade license for the year 1938 on February 1, 1938. This ran under register no. 309 and was valid for the time being. This allowed Cohen to carry a value of goods of 200.- RM (approx. 820 €) in his motor vehicle or on his bicycle.

The income from the business amounted to 150.- to 200.- RM (approx. 615 € to 820 €) per month, whereby the Cohen family already had to pay 75.- RM (approx. 307 €) for the rented apartment. Since Heimann Cohen did not own any real estate or other assets, he was financially supported by his daughter Melitta, who was married in the meantime.

With the circular of the Reich Minister of the Interior, Heimann Cohen was informed that he was no longer qualified to operate his itinerant trade due to the "Law Amending the Trade Regulations of July 6, 1938 (RGBI. p. 823)". In concrete terms, this meant that he was asked to hand in his itinerant trade license.

Cohen initially did not comply with this request, whereupon the Minister of Finance informed the Lord Mayor of the City of Oldenburg. The Lord Mayor reacted with an announcement about the cancellation of the trade.

On October 24, 1938, the Minister of Finance confirmed the cancellation of the bill in another letter, which meant the end of Heimann Cohen's independence. In the same year, the Cohen family moved within Oldenburg to Donnerschweer Straße 120, where they were registered from March 1938 until March 1940.

After the Cohen family had been registered at Faulenstraße 26 in Bremen on March 26, 1940, they had to move to the "Judenhaus" at Elsasser Straße 114 on December 31, 1940. The term "Judenhaus" was used in the official language of National Socialism and referred to houses in which Jewish tenants* were forcibly housed. The reason for the move from Oldenburg to Bremen was the large-scale, systematic expulsion of the Jewish population from East Frisia and Oldenburg.

Together with his wife and two daughters, Heimann Cohen was deported to Minsk (Belarus) on November 18, 1941, along with 567 other Jews from northern Germany. Of the 440 Jews who came from Bremen, only six survived.

Under the reservation that there would be work waiting for them, the Jewish residents were ordered in advance by express letter to prepare themselves for deportation. Therefore, they were urged to pay outstanding bills, e.g. for electricity and water. In the early morning of November 18, Cohen and his family were led in small groups to the Bremen Lloyd train station. From there, a train left the station at 08:40 and arrived in Hamburg around 11:30. There the train carrying Cohen, his wife and daughters was coupled to a car. In this one were another 408 Jewess*Jews who were on their way to Minsk. Both trains arrived in Minsk on November 22, 1941.

The Cohen family was housed in a special ghetto. There, 1,400 of the residents* worked as forced laborers, though it is not known whether Heimann Cohen was one of them. In the following year, Heimann Cohen died in one of the largest extermination actions against the inmates of the ghetto who were not able to work.

In 1942, there were increased visits by German politicians (including Heinrich Himmler) who ordered this "action." Thus, on July 28 and 29, about 10,000 Jews*women were murdered. Heimann Cohen, his wife Hedwig and their two daughters Melitta and Inge also perished on July 28, 1942.