Leopold Paul (Paul L.) Goldlust

Leopold Paul Goldlust, born on January 18, 1876 to Johanna and Sigmund Goldlust, came from Preßburg (Bratislava). In September 1903 he married Gisela Klein, the daughter of the leather trader Johann Klein and his wife Hermina. Leopold and Gisela Goldlust initially lived in Vienna before moving to Munich in 1906. Leopold Goldlust first worked for the Munich film company Weiß-Blau-Film, before becoming a prop master at the Munich Schauspielhaus under the head dramaturg Otto Falckenberg. At the time the theatre was considered the most important stage outside Berlin. In December 1927 Leopold and Gisela Goldlust moved into the rear building of the Jewish community center at Herzog-Max-Straße 7. Leopold Goldlust was meanwhile caretaker of the main synagogue. The childless couple were very popular amongst the children of their neighbors because there were always toys and chocolate at their place.
On October 28, 1938 the authorities arrested all Jews with Polish citizenship and deported them to the border with Poland, including Leopold and Gisela Goldlust. Although they could return to Munich just a few days later, during the “Kristallnacht” pogroms of November 9-10, 1938 the National Socialists hauled Leopold Goldlust from his apartment and staged a mock hanging of him at the entrance gate of the apartment block, which he only just survived. On December 3, 1938 the couple were forced to leave their home and move to the collective accommodation of the Jewish communityin Lindwurmstraße 125. After the outbreak of the Second World the Gestapo (Secret Police) arrested Leopold Goldlust and transported him to Buchenwald concentration camp. He was murdered there by the SS on December 8, 1939. Gisela Goldlust was deported to Theresienstadt ghetto on July 23, 1942. She endured the starvation and hardships there for just on two years. On April 24, 1944 Gisela Goldlust died in Theresienstadt. (text: Ilse Macek, editor: C. Fritsche, translation: Paul Bowman)