Deportation

Although we know little about the childhood and life of Paula Dienstag, the day before her deportation and the remaining of her property was documented in detail by the Nazis. In the “Brandenburgisches Landeshauptarchiv Potsdam“ a file to Paula Dienstag is archived. The first document in that file is a 16-site-long declaration of her property, that was signed by her one day before the deportation on 11th of January 1943. According to that declaration Paula Dienstag owned only 150 Reichsmark on a bank account of the Sparkasse Berlin.

In the file there is also a disposal of the Gestapo (secret state police) dated 11th of January 1943. It said that „all of the property will be drawn in favor of the German Empire“. The document was sent to Paula Dienstag to the transit camp Große Hamburger Straße 26 the same day. The transit camp was the last station for Berlin Jews before they were deported to different concentration camps. Presumably Paula Dienstag has written down the declaration property in her flat in Goethestraße 12. That would
mean that she was arrested and brought to the transit camp Große
Hamburger Straße the same day.

The next day, on 12th of January 1943, Paula Dienstag was deported together with 1195 other Berlin Jews in the 26th “Osttransport” to Auschwitz. The transport reached Auschwitz on 13th of January 1943. Only 127 men were “separated” as forced labourers. All the others were most likely brutally murdered in the gas chambers as soon as they arrived.