Leo Falkenstein

One of three children in a Jewish family, Leo grew up in the small town of Hochneukirch, Germany, about 20 miles northwest of the city of Cologne. As an adult, Leo entered his father’s cigar manufacturing business, Isak Falkenstein and Sons. Leo and his wife, Bertha, lived in a house next door to Leo's parents. Leo and Bertha had five children whom they raised in the Jewish faith.

1933-39: After the Nazis came to power in 1933, life became increasingly difficult for German Jews like Bertha and Leo. In 1937, Leo’s daughter Johanna brought her two daughters, Margot and Lore, to spend the summer with their grandparents in Hochneukirch. The girls enjoyed playing in the Falkensteins’ large backyard and spending time hiking with their relatives.

1940-42: In July 1942, Leo and Bertha were deported to the Theresienstadt ghetto, near Prague. Leo (age 67) and Bertha (age 64) were likely sent to Theresienstadt because of their ages. Nazi officials often cynically and deceptively described Theresienstadt as a “spa town” or “retirement home” where elderly Jews could live out the remainder of their lives in relative comfort. They used various deceptive tactics to convince the deportees that Theresienstadt would be safe. In reality, conditions in Theresienstadt were dire for elderly Jews. Because of their age and ill health, almost half died of starvation and starvation-related diseases. Leo died in Theresienstadt in April 1943 at the age of 68. In May 1944, his wife Bertha was deported to Auschwitz, where she was killed. Leo’s granddaughter Margot survived the Holocaust.