Walter Frankenstein

 Walter Frankenstein, a Holocaust Survivor, died on April 21, 2025 at the age of 100.

Walter was born on June 30, 1924 in Flatow, Posen–West Prussia, Prussia, Germany (now Złotów, Poland.)

His Father died in 1929 and his Uncle became his Guardian.

In 1936 the Germans no longer allowed him or other Jews to attend School.

Also, in 1936 he saw American Jesse Owens win several Gold Medals at the Berlin Summer Olympics (going against Hitler’s Propaganda of what Blacks and Jews could do.)

He moved to Berlin and trained to be a Bricklayer at the Jewish Community’s Vocational School and lived at the Jewish Auerbach’sche Orphanage (where he met his Future Wife, Leonie Rosner.)

At 14 years old Walter witnessed Kristallnacht (the Night of Broken Glass) where the Germans killed 91 Jews, vandalized 7,500 Jewish Business, burned 1,400 Synagogues and sent 30,000 Jewish Men to Concentration Camps.

In 1941 Walter was made to do Forced Labor.

He married Leonie on February 20, 1942.

In 1943 the Germans wanted to make Berlin (Juden Rein or Free of Jews) and started deporting Men, Women and Children.

Walter, his Wife, Leonie and their 5 week old Son, Peter-Uri, went into hiding.

A second Son, Michael, was born in 1944.

They spent 25 months hiding in the Nazi Capital evading the Nazis, the Gestapo, Jewish Gestapo Collaborators and Air Raids.

7,000 Jews hid in Berlin during World War 2, but only 1,700 survived the War.

In the Fall of 1945 his Wife and Children went to British Mandatory Palestine (today Israel), but the British did not allow Walter to go with his Family until October 1946.

During the day he worked as a Tiler in his own business and at night he helped protect Jewish Settlements from the Arabs (the British did nothing and even gave the Arabs their leftover weapons when they left in 1948.)

He then joined the fight for Independence in 1948 and afterwards did hard-labor around the country.

In 1956 they immigrated to Sweden where he had kept in touch with an old Friend who helped his Family.

In 1964 Walter finally graduated High School.

In 1970 he became a Civil Engineer.

On June 30, 2019 Walter was awarded the Order of Merit by Germany.

He died in Stockholm, Sweden on April 21, 2025 at 100 years old.