In the presence of the Israeli Ambassador Ron Prosor On Monday evening, four stumbling blocks were laid in front of Eisenzahnstrasse 3 in Wilmersdorf. In 1933, it was the last freely chosen residential address of the Proskauer family, who were able to leave the country just in time.
91 years later, Ron Prosor stands in front of the entrance to the Wilhelminian-era building and watches as Stolperstein initiator Gunter Demnig sets the four shiny memorial stones into the pavement. Prosor is the grandson of Elfriede and Berthold Proskauer, nephew of Liselotte and son of Ulrich Proskauer.
The relocation was supposed to take place almost a year ago, but the date was postponed following the terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7. On Monday, too, a strong police presence with a complete closure of the cross street to Ku’damm was a clear sign of how the war in the Middle East public events with Israel-related aspects have also changed in BerlinPolice send sniffer dogs through the streets and clear garbage cans out of reach.
© Henning Onken
It has become more difficult for Jews to assert themselves in Berlin in the face of a new wave of hatred. But the laying of the Stolperstein on Monday is also an event that gives hope to many guests. This is emphasized by initiator Gunter Demnig in a short speech, which was also listened to by Bundestag President Bärbel Bas (SPD) and Holocaust survivor Margot Friedländer.
“We are happy about every single stone,” says the artist with the wide-brimmed hat. His project is now represented in 32 European countries with stumbling blocks in the pavement that commemorate Nazi crimes. Neighbours who were deported and murdered. And others who managed to escape in time, like Ron Prosor’s family.
He was a true German patriot.
Israel’s Ambassador Ron Prosor about his grandfather Berthold Proskauer
The family had followed the wise advice of their grandmother and had been able to save themselves. In October 1933, the door of the five-room apartment on the second floor of the house closed for the last time. They emigrated to Israel.
Ron Prosor wonders today how Grandfather Berthold must have felt about it. “He was a real German patriot,” says the ambassador, pointing to a photo showing Berthold in uniform and spiked helmet. German culture remained a part of him until his last breath.
For Ron Prosor, the four stumbling blocks not only tell the story of loss and a life left behind. For the ambassador, they also testify to resilience and the beginning of a new life in the re-established state of Israel. Berthold and Elfriede Proskauer might have been pleased with the symbolic return to their hometown of Berlin.
