Senate Chancellery
Mourning for Martin Bialystock
24/01/2020
Bremen’s Mayor Andreas Bovenschulte reacted to the news of Martin Bialystock’s death with deep regret and great sympathy. The 96-year-old Bremen-born Jew died in Israel on Thursday (January 23, 2020). Just on the day on which the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the prisoners of the Auschwitz concentration camp on January 27, 1945 was commemorated in Israel in the presence of President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and the central memorial event of the Senate on the International Day of Remembrance in Bremen the victims of National Socialism took place.
Mayor Bovenschulte: “We mourn the loss of Martin Bialystock. Despite persecution and displacement by the Nazi regime, he never lost contact with Bremen into old age. In November 2009 he was the guest of honor at the memorial ceremony for the victims of the November pogroms in 1938 in Dechanatstrasse. In addition, he, his daughter and his grandson Yuval Dvir were guests of honor at the "Night of Youth" in Bremen City Hall.”
1938 - Terror - Looting - Murder | Photo from the Bremen State Archives
Martin Bialystock’s parents once owned the “Adler men’s clothing store” Am Brill. The business was looted by the Nazi regime. His family was deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp and murdered there, and he himself managed to escape. In Bremen, “stumbling blocks” remind of his family.
The mayor continues: “Martin Bialystock has always remained connected to his hometown. As an eyewitness, he told young people about his suffering, told about his life so that oppression, hatred and persecution would not be repeated. We will honor his memory and merits for reconciliation. His life reminds us that we are challenged every day to work for a human, free and peaceful society.”
Background:
A remarkable film by Radio Bremen reports on the Pogrom Night in Bremen and the fate of the Bialystock family:
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Ein Zeitzeuge berichtet von der Pogromnacht in Bremen
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Reichspogromnacht: Das geschah vor 80 Jahren in Bremen und umzu