Marie Jonas
Encyclopedia
Marie Anna Jonas, née Levinsohn (12 January 1893 in Fischhausen - 1944 in Auschwitz), was a doctor and a Holocaust victim.
in 1895, where she attended the höhere Mädchenschule, qualifying as a teacher. She then worked for a year as an au pair in England, and then as a teacher. She was a Red Cross nurse in World War I, as was her elder sister, and received the Cross of Honor
in 1934 for those services in the war. After the war she gained her abitur
, and then studied Medicine at the University of Königsberg
, qualifying to practice in 1923. She married Dr. Alberto Jonas, a classics scholar and senior teacher at the Talmud Tora School for boys in Hamburg
. When her husband became principal of the Israelitischen Töchterschule, a girls' school, in 1924, she became its school doctor. Their only child, daughter Esther, was born on 13 March 1924. The family lived in the Grindel suburb of Hamburg until 1925, and then moved to Eppendorf
. In 1932, she was laid off, and did voluntary work in the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf and then the Israelitischen Krankenhaus. In 1940, her husband became the last headmaster of the Talmud Tora School.
. Jonas worked as a doctor. Her daughter Esther married in Theresienstadt and was transported to Auschwitz with her husband, who was murdered there. On 12 October 1944, Jonas was deported to Auschwitz and was murdered there. Her daughter Esther survived.
, where she lived. The square on the corner of Eppendorfer Landstraße and Kümmellstraße was named Marie-Jonas-Platz on 19 February 2009 at a ceremony attended by her daughter.
Early life
Jonas was born in Fischhausen, East Prussia in 1893, and moved to KönigsbergKaliningrad
Kaliningrad is a seaport and the administrative center of Kaliningrad Oblast, the Russian exclave between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea...
in 1895, where she attended the höhere Mädchenschule, qualifying as a teacher. She then worked for a year as an au pair in England, and then as a teacher. She was a Red Cross nurse in World War I, as was her elder sister, and received the Cross of Honor
Cross of Honor
The Cross of Honor, also known as the Honor Cross or, popularly, the Hindenburg Cross, was a commemorative medal inaugurated on July 13, 1934 by Reichspräsident Paul von Hindenburg for those soldiers of Imperial Germany who fought in World War I...
in 1934 for those services in the war. After the war she gained her abitur
Abitur
Abitur is a designation used in Germany, Finland and Estonia for final exams that pupils take at the end of their secondary education, usually after 12 or 13 years of schooling, see also for Germany Abitur after twelve years.The Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife, often referred to as...
, and then studied Medicine at the University of Königsberg
University of Königsberg
The University of Königsberg was the university of Königsberg in East Prussia. It was founded in 1544 as second Protestant academy by Duke Albert of Prussia, and was commonly known as the Albertina....
, qualifying to practice in 1923. She married Dr. Alberto Jonas, a classics scholar and senior teacher at the Talmud Tora School for boys in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
. When her husband became principal of the Israelitischen Töchterschule, a girls' school, in 1924, she became its school doctor. Their only child, daughter Esther, was born on 13 March 1924. The family lived in the Grindel suburb of Hamburg until 1925, and then moved to Eppendorf
Eppendorf, Hamburg
Eppendorf is one of thirteen quarters in the Hamburg-Nord borough of Hamburg, Germany, and lies north of the Außenalster. In 2007 the population was 23,021.-History:...
. In 1932, she was laid off, and did voluntary work in the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf and then the Israelitischen Krankenhaus. In 1940, her husband became the last headmaster of the Talmud Tora School.
Deportation
On 19 July 1942, Jonas was deported with her husband and daughter to Theresienstadt. Dr. Alberto Jonas died six weeks later of meningitisMeningitis
Meningitis is inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, known collectively as the meninges. The inflammation may be caused by infection with viruses, bacteria, or other microorganisms, and less commonly by certain drugs...
. Jonas worked as a doctor. Her daughter Esther married in Theresienstadt and was transported to Auschwitz with her husband, who was murdered there. On 12 October 1944, Jonas was deported to Auschwitz and was murdered there. Her daughter Esther survived.
Honours
A stumbling stone has been laid in front of the house in Woldsenweg in Eppendorf, HamburgHamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, where she lived. The square on the corner of Eppendorfer Landstraße and Kümmellstraße was named Marie-Jonas-Platz on 19 February 2009 at a ceremony attended by her daughter.