When Jews were forbidden to use public rooms and halls for anti-Semitic reasons, Mr. Max Warburg opened the Community Center on Hartung Street 9-11.
In 1930 it had originally been sponsored as “Henry Jones Lodge”. It passed through many phases and changes, and in 1936 it was dedicated to the Culture Association Hamburg. Plans for its renovations were made, and in 1937 they were made possible with the help of different donations, especially thanks to the generous support of Max Warburg, a prominent banker from Hamburg. The newly renovated center included, among others, a theater and concert hall, reading rooms and a library.
Community Center (see photo album)
Later, this Community Center was used as a transit camp for Jews before some of the seventeen deportations from Hamburg.
But in the meantime the pupils enjoyed watching the play “Ruebezahl”, and the dance of elves, performed by the little dancers, ten year old Elisabeth Sommerich and her six year old sister – under the direction of Erika Milee.
During that forbidding time, Erika Milee (1907-1996) (1907-1996), dancer and dancing teacher, led the girls’ dancing group, where also the three little Carlebach daughters took part. From this group of 18 girls, the only one to survive was Ruth Saalfeld. See photo album
On the stage, solo singers and orchestra competed with each other, as well as youngsters and pupils in different performances.
The amusing comedy “(Poor as) a Church Mouse” by Ladislaus Fodor, performed on 22nd of September 1938, made them forget the tragedy of the present situation – even for a little while. No one knew what was going to happen to all the synagogues throughout Germany – only six weeks afterwards. This play was sort of a prelude to destruction…
But in the meantime, until that fateful moment – one did not stop playing music and studying, exercising and performing, as well as singing the following canon with Jola Jacobsen: Viyehuda leolam teshev…(Yoel 4, 20)
“And Yehuda will always be inhabited
And Jerusalem from generation to generation”
Song and notes from “Hava Nashira”
 Back |
 Next |