Marie Anna Jonas, née Levinsohn (12 January 1893 in Fischhausen – 1944 in

Auschwitz Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It con ...

), was a medical doctor and a

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

victim.

Early life

Jonas was born in Fischhausen, East Prussia (now Primorsk, Kaliningrad Oblast) in 1893, and moved to

Königsberg Königsberg (, ) was the historic Prussian city that is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was named ...

in 1895, where she attended the ''

höhere Mädchenschule Höhere Mädchenschule or Höhere Töchterschule were names of historic schools for the higher education of girls in German-speaking countries between the beginning of the 19th century and 1908. The names may mean higher education, but also educati ...

'', qualifying to become a teacher. She then worked for a year as an

au pair An au pair (; plural: au pairs) is a helper from a foreign country working for, and living as part of, a host family. Typically, au pairs take on a share of the family's responsibility for childcare as well as some housework, and receive a monet ...

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

Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 The Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 (german: Das Ehrenkreuz des Weltkrieges 1914/1918), commonly, but incorrectly, known as the Hindenburg Cross or the German WWI Service Cross was established by Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg, Presiden ...

in 1934 for those services in the war. After the war she gained her ''

abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...

'', and then studied Medicine at the

University of Königsberg The University of Königsberg (german: Albertus-Universität Königsberg) was the university of Königsberg in East Prussia. It was founded in 1544 as the world's second Protestant academy (after the University of Marburg) by Duke Albert of Prussi ...

, 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 (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

. 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 The University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (german: Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE)) is the teaching hospital of the University of Hamburg and the largest hospital in Hamburg, Germany. The UKE has 1,738 beds and 121 day-care pl ...

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 Theresienstadt Ghetto was established by the Schutzstaffel, SS during World War II in the fortress town of Terezín, in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (German occupation of Czechoslovakia, German-occupied Czechoslovakia). Theresienstad ...

. Dr. Alberto Jonas died six weeks later of

meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, headache, and neck stiffness. Other symptoms include confusion or ...

. Jonas worked as a doctor. Her daughter Esther married in Theresienstadt and was transported to

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

Stolperstein A (; plural ; literally 'stumbling stone', metaphorically a 'stumbling block') is a sett-size, concrete cube bearing a brass plate inscribed with the name and life dates of victims of Nazi extermination or persecution. The project, initiat ...

("stumbling stone") has been laid in front of the house in Woldsenweg in Eppendorf,

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

, 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.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jonas, Marie 1893 births 1944 deaths People from Primorsk, Kaliningrad Oblast People from East Prussia German Jews 20th-century German physicians 20th-century German women physicians Jewish physicians Jewish women scientists University of Königsberg alumni German women in World War I Female wartime nurses Theresienstadt Ghetto prisoners German Jews who died in the Holocaust German civilians killed in World War II German people who died in Auschwitz concentration camp