Kurt Rübsteck (1913 - 1988)

Born 27 Dec 1913 in Hemmerden, Grevenbroich, Rhein, Preußen, Deutschland

Died 10 Jan 1988 at age 74 in Bad Honnef, Rhein-Sieg-Kreis, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Deutschland

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Kurt Rübsteck survived the Riga ghetto, Stutthoff concentration camp, Buchenwald concentration camp, Remsdorf concentration camp, and finally the Theresienstadt concentration camp, from which he was liberated at the end of World War II. Join: Holocaust Project Discuss: holocaust

Biography

Kurt was born December 27, 1913 in Hemmerden, Grevenbroich, Rhein, Prussia, Germany.^[1] His parents were Jacob Rübsteck and Henrietta (Blum) Rübsteck.^[2]

From 1937 until May 1938, Kurt was a locksmith in Hemmerden working for Otto Stock. Forced by persecution to leave his job, Kurt worked for Arie Decker as a farmhand until he was deported to Riga, Latvia in December 1941. He was a laborer in the Riga ghetto until August 1943, when he was reassigned as a locksmith. In August 1944, Kurt was moved to the Stutthof concentration camp for a month, then transferred to the Buchenwald concentration camp in September 1944, where he was a laborer. In February 1945 he was moved again, to Remsdorf concentration camp where he worked as a locksmith until April 1945, when he was transferred to the Theresienstadt concentration camp. After a month there, Kurt was liberated in May 1945.^[1]

Kurt set out for his home town of Hemmerden. It is not known whether he actually got there because he married Ilse Falkenstein May 13, 1945 in Hochneukirch (see Notes) and the couple appears to have remained there. In June 1945 Kurt began working there as an independent forwarding agent, which he was still doing as of August 4, 1949.^[1]

Kurt and Ilse applied to the International Refugee Organization for assistance December 20, 1948 in the British administered sector of Germany^[1] (see Notes). They were both issued certificates of eligibility on that same date, however the word "cancelled" is hand written across their certificates.^[3] There is no indication of when or why the certificates were cancelled.

Kurt and Ilse were documented as members of the synagogue in Mönchengladbach, Germany December 21, 1948.^[4]

Kurt and Ilse were apparently in a resettlement camp in Wentorf, Germany, where they were issued passports and scheduled to travel from Bremen, Germany November 11, 1949 aboard a ship transporting refugees to the United States. Kurt's occupation is shown as farm worker and their final destination is shown as Ilse's aunt Fanny Henlein at 610 West 141^st in Manhattan, New York, New York. Based on hand drawn lines through their names,^[5] it is believed that they were not aboard that ship and that they never went to the United States because no records have been found there for either of them.

Kurt may have died January 10, 1988 in Bad Honnef, Rhein-Sieg-Kreis, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.^[2]

Notes

Marriage
Kurt, who was from Hemmerden, and Ilse, whose home town was Hochneukirch, lived less than eight miles apart, but probably didn't know each other while growing up because they were nine years apart in age and Ilse was only fifteen years old when she left to live with a family thirty miles away as a house maid.

It is believed more likely that they met when they were both in the Riga concentration camp at the same time for a year, then both in Stutthof for another three months, before being moved to a series of different camps.

Kurt probably sought her out on his way back home after having been liberated from the Theresienstadt concentration camp at the end of World War II. Ilse, also, would have just been arriving back home after having been liberated from Gotendorf concentration camp, then working briefly in a hospital. When they met again, after both had miraculously survived, they were married.

International Refugee Organization Application
This document is dated December 20, 1948 on several of its seven pages, however:

• Page 4 indicates that several documents were submitted in late January 1949.^[1]
• Page 6 has two stamps indicating that the document was entered in registration and eligibility statistics on January 4, 1949, which seems reasonable, but it also includes an entry showing an address for Kurt and Ilse as of 1951.^[1]

How is it possible for a document to include references to other documents submitted after it was filed and references to events that occurred after it was filed?

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6} International Refugee Organization Assistance Application for Kurt and Ilse Ruebsteck.

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2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Ancestry Profile. A more reliable source for this information is required. A paid subscription is required to access this information, which includes:

   Kurt Ruebsteck 1913–1988

   Birth 27 DEC 1913 in Hemmerden, Rhein-Kreis Neuss, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

   Death 10 JAN 1988 in Bad Honnef, Rhein-Sieg-Kreis, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

   Parents

   Jacob Ruebsteck

   Henriette Blum

   Siblings

   Ernst (Erich) Ruebsteck 1909–1945

   Spouse

   Ilse Berta Falkenstein 1922–2018

3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} International Refugee Organization Certificate of Eligibility for Kurt Ruebsteck.

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4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Certification by the Board of the Mönchengladbach Jewish Community

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5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} Arolsen Archives, Lists of Passengers who emigrated from Europe, Africa, and Asia between 1946 and 1971, includes:

   Name: Ilse Ruebsteck

   Gender: Female

   Nationality: Germany

   Marital status: Married

   Departure Age: 27

   Birth Date: abt 1922

   Birth Place: Germany

   Occupation: Housewife

   Religion: Jew.

   Passport Place: Wentorf

   Departure Date: 11 Nov 1949

   Departure Place: Wentorf

   Resettlement Camp: Wentorf, Germany

   Arrival Place: Bremen-Grohn (Bremen), Germany

   Destination: 610 W 141st Street, New York, New York, USA

   Traveled With: Kurt Ruebsteck, age 36, farm worker

   NOTE: both names have line drawn through them