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The Tragic Fate of the Alsberg Family – The Human Cost of "Aryanization" and the Role of Helmut Horten ​

The story of the Alsberg family and their once-flourishing department store empire is a harrowing testimony to the crimes of National Socialism and the systematic destruction of Jewish life and entrepreneurship in Germany. It exemplifies the foundation of injustice and human suffering upon which the wealth of some profiteers of the Nazi era, such as Helmut Horten, was built. This article sheds light on the individual fates, the economic dispossession, and the profound impact that Nazi ideology had on the lives of these German citizens.

The Roots of a Department Store Giant: The Alsberg Family and "Gebrüder Alsberg AG" ​

The family history of the Alsbergs, inextricably linked with the rise of the modern department store in Germany, begins with Salomon Alsberg, a merchant and father of eleven children. One of his children, Siegfried Alsberg (1850–1935), was to become the visionary founder and motor of one of the most significant department store groups in the German Reich: "Gebrüder Alsberg AG," headquartered in Cologne.

Under Siegfried Alsberg's leadership, and with the participation of his wife Emma Alsberg (née Hess, 1857–1942) and other family members, the company developed into a flourishing empire. Alsberg department stores were known for their quality, broad assortment, and innovative business practices. They shaped the city centers of numerous German metropolises and medium-sized towns, including:

  • Bochum: With the imposing "Kortumhaus" on Hochstraße (now Kortumstraße), built between 1913 and 1921, the first large department store in the city.
  • Duisburg: A flagship at the corner of Beekstraße / Universitätsstraße.
  • Neuss: A central point for textiles and fashion at Oberstraße 91.
  • Gelsenkirchen: At Bahnhofstraße 53 (now WEKA-Karree) and Gelsenkirchen-Buer.
  • Dresden: On Wilsdruffer Straße, König-Albert-Passage, and Schloßstraße.
  • Further locations: Osnabrück, Recklinghausen, Witten, Bielefeld, Detmold, Hagen, Hamm, Hildesheim, Iserlohn, Kassel, Koblenz, Lüdenscheid, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Oberhausen, Oldenburg, Remscheid, Solingen, Wanne-Eickel, Wattenscheid, and Wuppertal-Elberfeld.

This presence made "Gebrüder Alsberg AG" a cornerstone of German retail and the Alsberg family a respected fixture of the economic bourgeoisie.

"Aryanization": Systematic Dispossession and Destruction of Jewish Life ​

With the Nazi seizure of power in January 1933, an unprecedented process of persecution, discrimination, and systematic dispossession of Jewish citizens began, euphemistically termed "Aryanization." Jewish businesspeople were targeted and pressured to sell their companies far below value or forced to give them up. This was not just an economic act, but a brutal assault on the livelihoods and dignity of Jewish families.

The Case of Duisburg and the Role of Helmut Horten ​

A particularly prominent and historically significant example of "Aryanization" concerns the Alsberg department store in Duisburg. On May 1, 1938, the then only 27-year-old Helmut Horten took over this major store of the Alsberg chain. This transaction was not an ordinary business takeover under fair market conditions. It took place in the context of massive state pressure, boycott measures, and the life-threatening situation of the Jewish owners. Horten, who profited from these policies, laid the foundation for his later department store empire with this and similar "Aryanizations." His wealth is thus inextricably linked to the injustice and suffering inflicted upon the Alsberg family and countless other Jewish entrepreneurs in the course of "Aryanization."

Individual Fates: The Human Tragedy of the Alsberg Family ​

The personal suffering of the Alsberg family went far beyond the loss of their life's work. It is a story of expulsion, degradation, deportation, and murder that reveals the full extent of Nazi crimes.

Siegfried and Emma Alsberg: The Founding Generation ​

Siegfried Alsberg passed away in 1935, before the most brutal phases of persecution. His widow, Emma Alsberg (née Hess), born on November 29, 1857, in Kempen, experienced the escalation of terror. Her last freely chosen residence was at Stadtwaldgürtel 43 in Cologne. From there, she was deported to the Theresienstadt ghetto on June 15, 1942. The conditions in Theresienstadt, which served as a "model ghetto" for Nazi propaganda but was in reality a transit and death camp, were inhumane. Emma Alsberg died there on December 1, 1942, at the age of 85, from exhaustion and the consequences of imprisonment.

Dr. Alfred Alsberg and Martha Alsberg: The End of a Family ​

Their son, the lawyer and World War I officer Dr. Alfred Alsberg (born 1883), was not only a co-owner but also a director of Gebrüder Alsberg AG and managed, among others, the store in Bochum (Kortumhaus). Even after the Nazi takeover, he was initially tolerated as a manager because his expertise was essential for operations. But the pressure grew incessantly. The Kortumhaus was forcibly renamed "Kaufhaus Kortum" in 1933/1935 to erase the Jewish name.

Alfred Alsberg and his wife Martha Alsberg (née Eichengrün, 1895–1944) lived last at Morsdorfer Hof 35 in Cologne. In October 1941, they were deported from there to the Litzmannstadt (Łódź) ghetto. Catastrophic conditions prevailed in this ghetto. Alfred Alsberg starved to death there on November 14, 1943. Martha Alsberg was taken to the Kulmhof (Chełmno) extermination camp in 1944 after her deportation from Litzmannstadt and murdered there. Her death in the extermination camp is further evidence of the systematic genocide committed by the National Socialists.

The Surviving Children of Alfred and Martha: A Flight into the Unknown ​

Amidst this immeasurable suffering, there were also stories of survival, often through heroic efforts or fortunate circumstances. Three children of Alfred and Martha Alsberg were able to escape the Holocaust:

  • Eva Alsberg (born 1924) managed to escape to England on a Kindertransport. She later married diplomat Herbert Samuel Walker. Her fate is also commemorated by a Stolperstein (stumbling stone) in front of her former school, the Königin-Luise-Schule in Cologne.
  • Her brothers Fritz Alsberg (1920–2009) and Heinz Alsberg (1921–2008) were also able to flee abroad in time and thus escape certain death.

The Josephs Family in Neuss: An Extinguished Generation ​

The tragedy of the Alsbergs was not limited to the direct founding family. Closely connected to the company was the Josephs family in Neuss. The manager of the Alsberg department store in Neuss, Gustav Josephs (born 1881), was a defining figure in local economic life. After the "Aryanization" of the store in 1939, he fled with his family to the Netherlands. But they were not safe from the German occupation there either. The family was interned in the Westerbork transit camp and deported from there to Auschwitz.

  • Gustav Josephs was murdered in Auschwitz on September 17, 1942.
  • His wife Käthe Josephs (née Felsenthal, 1890) shared his fate and was also murdered in Auschwitz on September 17, 1942.
  • Their three daughters were also murdered in Auschwitz:
    • Ruth Josephs (born 1921) on September 17, 1942.
    • Lotte Josephs (born 1917) on September 30, 1942.
    • Ilse Josephs (born 1919) on September 30, 1942.

The entire core Josephs family was wiped out by the Holocaust – a staggering example of the regime's intent to annihilate. Their story is preserved in Neuss through five Stolpersteine in front of their last freely chosen residence at Loerickstraße 6, sponsored by students from the Marienberg Gymnasium.

Other Victims from the Extended Circle ​

Other relatives of the Alsbergs also fell victim to racial madness. Laura Johanna Alsberg (née Oppenheim, 1861–1943), the wife of Rudolf Alsberg (a relative of Siegfried), lived last at Lindenthalgürtel 43 in Cologne. She, too, was deported to the Theresienstadt ghetto and murdered there. Her fate is also honored by a Stolperstein in Cologne.

Two more Stolpersteine in Neuss commemorate Albert Joseph (born 1862) and Julie Joseph (born 1866) at Drususallee 81. They, too, were deported to Theresienstadt on July 22, 1942. Albert Joseph died there on September 27, 1942, and Julie Joseph on January 9, 1943. Although the direct connection of these Josephs to Gustav Josephs is not explicit, their fates bear witness to the widespread terror against the Jewish population.

Remembrance, Warning, and the Processing of History ​

Commemorating the victims of the Alsberg family and all those who had to suffer under National Socialist tyranny is of immense importance. Stolpersteine, small brass plaques in the pavement in front of the victims' last freely chosen homes, now remind people in Cologne, Gelsenkirchen, and Neuss of the lives and murders of these individuals.

Their names are also immortalized in the databases of Holocaust memorials, such as the Yad Vashem database of Shoah victims' names. Local initiatives, such as research by students at the Königin-Luise-Schule in Cologne, actively contribute to keeping these stories from being forgotten.

The story of the Alsberg family is a powerful reminder that the wealth acquired through "Aryanization" is based on coercion, suffering, and murder. It warns us to understand the mechanisms of such crimes, to critically question the role of profiteers, and to actively stand against antisemitism, racism, and any form of discrimination. The continued engagement with the history of the Alsbergs is an important contribution to the culture of remembrance and to shaping a responsible future.