KölnerWolkspeigel 

It was "amazing" that in front of the house where her great-grandparents used to live, there are now memorial stones, Lydia Stux described movingly. The great-granddaughter of Sigmund and Martha Moises had come specially from the United States to participate in the installation of memorial plaques (Stolpersteine) for her ancestors at Aachener Strasse 412.

Artist Gunter Demnig personally installs every Stolperstein.

As Hitler rose in power, normal life was over for Stux`great-grandparents in Cologne. As Jews, they were humiliated and disenfranchised.

Sigmund Moises was born on September 25, 1859 in Stommeln. On September 6, 1900, he married Martha Oberlander from Mannheim who was born in 1880. In 1901 the couple's only child was born in Cologne, daughter Gertrude, called Trude. For over thirty years, Sigmund Moises headed the menswear business E. Oberländer & Cie at Glockengasse 20. In 1932 he retired. 

Music students from Irmgardis Gymnasium participated in the installation on Aachener Strasse.

Daughter Trude married Max Ichenhäuser, a physician, and the couple had two children. The family, Trude, Max and their daughters Renate and Erika, was able to emigrate to the United States in 1938 via England. 

Sigmund Moises died on 25 March 1942 in the Jewish hospital in Ehrenfeld. He was buried in the Jewish cemetery in Bocklemünd. His wife Martha was deported to the ghetto Theresienstadt on 19 September 1942. In mid-May 1944, the Nazis deported her to Auschwitz where she was murdered.

Sponsors of the Moises’ Stolpersteine are students of the Archbishop Irmgardis Gymnasium in Bayenthal. In religion class, the young people recently studied the relationship of the Catholic Church to National Socialism, especially the behavior of the then-Pope towards the Jews. When their teacher, Judith Föcker, suggested that they sponsor Stolpersteine, the students were immediately enthusiastic about the idea. "We think anti-semitism is an important issue. The Stolpersteine are a way to engage the younger generation with history.”

“Creativity also plays a role in the project,” Ms. Föcker said. “By examining the individual lives of a specific Jewish couple, the students can better understood what was done to these people.”

Sigmund and Martha Moises

Artist Gunter Demnig is founder of the Stolperstein project. At the installation, students presented what they had learned about the life story of the Moises family. Members of the school orchestra accompanied the small ceremony musically as the students sang Hebrew songs. At the end, all present laid flowers, candles and paper doves on the new memorial stones.

Lydia Stux did not know her great-grandparents but her mother had told her about them and about their house in Cologne. Now, by the act of laying the memorial stones, she has been able to share her family history.

Morocco Jan 21-Feb 4

Greta Stux Bayer

Greta Bayer, Allison Goldberg, Ted Stux,  Bill Shore, Erica Stux, Lydia Stux, Philip and Diana Shore in 2000

Jan 26, 2019

It is with great sadness that I cannot be here today to celebrate the life of our beloved aunt Greta. She lived an amazingly long life, both amazing for longevity and for her many accomplishments.

While small children we had little face-to-face time with Greta, but received birthday greetings, Hanukkah gifts and postcards with stamps from the many exotic locales she traveled to. Greta has said more than once that I get my love of traveling from her, which must be true, since I didn’t get that from either parent. In fact, I am writing these words from Meknes, Morocco.

As we got older, our contact with Greta increased with visits to California. Greta was straightforward and plain-spoken. Don’t let that beautiful, lilting Viennese accent fool you. She was a woman of strong opinions and firm convictions. I admit that as a young person in the 1970s, I sometimes chafed at her comments and attitudes. As Ted will attest, I changed my mind abruptly later in life, saying, “I may not agree or like what she has to say, but she is always right.” And she was.

I also want to remark on Greta's amazing generosity. If I came to California to attend Seder with my mother, Greta always found a bottle of wine for me to present to my hosts with her best wishes and a gift for mom. If I brought one of my boys to visit, she had a bag of toys at the ready for him. 

Both my boys were absolutely devoted for their great-aunt Greta and with good reason . . . . For example, Jeff once told her that he liked the feel of fur (this is typical for individuals with autism.... they have strong sensory likes and dislikes). Greta replied that she liked fur too, and followed this up with gifts of a fake fur throw, plush pillow and furry hats for both boys. All these items are treasured mementoes.

Greta lived an incredible and long life, and my sons and I will miss her greatly.