Max Springer

Max Springer was a brother of my great-grandfather David Springer. He was born in München on March 23, 1870, the son of the businessman Israel Springer and Babette Springer, née Schwab. He had four brothers and sisters: Lina, David, Rosa and Josef. Max attended the Kreisrealschule (District Middle School) München from 1879 to 1884, then the technical department of the Königliche Industrieschule (Royal Industrial School) München. He studied in the mechanical-technical faculty of the Technische Hochschule (Technical University) München from 1887 to 1891 and passed the diploma examination there on March 30, 1906. In his career as a mechanical engineer he designed and inspected thermal engines. Max never married. On October 10, 1931 he moved to Rosental 19 (now Sendlinger Strasse 3), where his sister-in-law and cousin Dorline, the widow of his older brother David, lived. The house belonged to her and other members of the Springer family.
It is unclear whether Max Springer remained at his workplace after the Nazi accession to power and was subjected to harassment there as a Jew or was dismissed from his post because of his descent. In any case, in 1938 he is known to have held the status of retired employee and received a pension. From August 16, 1939 he was compelled to live in a so-called “Judenhaus” (“Jews’ house”) at Landwehrstrasse 44, where he was again registered as a member of Dorline Springer’s household. On January 15, 1942 the Gestapo committed him to the “Judensiedling Milbertshofen” (“Milbertshofen Jews’ Colony”), a barracks camp at Knorrstrasse 148, and on June 26, 1942 to the Theresienstadt Ghetto. A few weeks later, on September 19, 1942, the SS transported him from there to the Treblinka extermination camp. Max Springer was probably murdered immediately upon arrival of the train on September 21 or 22, 1942. His sister Rosa Reis, née Springer was on the same transport and met the same fate.
Nearly everything we know about Max is information from archives. No personal memories of him have come down in our family, only photos: the photo albums his niece Anny Rosenthal, née Springer, took with her from Munich when she emigrated to the U.S. in 1936 contain several photos of him in various phases of his life.(Text and translation: Judith Rosenthal; editor: C. Fritsche)