"Jew, die!" – with these cries, a pogrom began on the morning of November 10, 1938, at Soltau's Marktstraße 8, which changed the lives of the Jewish Lennhoff and Feilmann families forever. Soltau SA units and numerous onlookers gathered in front of Simon "Sally" Lennhoff's textile store. Stones flew, shop windows shattered, and smoke bombs were thrown into the building. Amid the jeers of the crowd—"Hello, the synagogue is burning, the Jew Sally Lennhoff is in his shirt!"— men stormed the building, throwing furniture, clothing, and household goods into the street. Nine-year-old Ursula Feilmann witnessed all this firsthand. Her grandfather, Sally Lennhoff, and her father, Harry Feilmann, were led away with blows from clubs. Walking through the densely packed crowd was like running the gauntlet. The business was ruined, family members were taken into so-called protective custody, and ultimately, everyone from the families was expelled from Soltau.
87 years later, the town of Soltau and the citizens' initiative "Soltau Shows History" are commemorating this dark chapter: a memorial site is being built in front of the former textile store. The first step will take place on November 6, 2025, at 9 a.m., with the laying of seven Remembrance Stones. Relatives of Ursula, who was nine years old at the time, are traveling from California to attend. In a second step, memorial plaques will be erected, but not until 2026.
After a welcome from Mayor Karsten Brockmann, Steven Sasso will address everyone shortly after 9 a.m. He is the great-grandson of Sally and Henny Lennhoff. Barbara Meier will conclude the event. She is a historian and spokesperson for "Soltau Shows History". During the laying of the stones, seven short texts will commemorate the lives of the victims: Ursula Feilmann, Paula and Harry Feilmann, Henny and Sally Lennhoff, Selma Lennhoff and Emma Rosenbach
The Heidekreis Music School will provide a sonorous backdrop for the solemn memorial event. Afterwards, starting at 10:30 a.m., we and our guests of honor will visit the special exhibition "The End of My Childhood" at the Waldmühle Library, Mühlenweg 4. It runs from October 30 to November 8 and features touching paintings and sculptures by students from Soltau High School and works by artist Dietlind Horstmann-Köpper.
The city of Soltau and the initiative "Soltau Shows History" would be delighted if as many people as possible found the time to remember together. Visits from vocational schools and secondary school classes in the Heidekreis with their teachers are expressly encouraged.
Attachments:
Artist Gunter Demnig at a Stolperstein laying ceremony and pictures of some of the seven victims
