Babette Frank née Wertheimer (1882 - 1942/5)

Babette Wertheimer was born on November 12, 1882 in Bodersweier (today a part of Kehl) as daughter of the butcher Michael Wertheimer and his wife Sara née Kahnheimer ◊.

The couple Michael and Sara Wertheimer had married on February 19, 1873 in Bodersweier ◊. They had five daugters: Hannchen (*1873), Carolina (*1875), Maria (*1877), Sara and Hedwig (*1887) ◊.

On August 20, 1903 Babette married Salomon Frank (*1872) from Nonnweiler ◊. The couple later lived in Bodersweier in Grabengasse 7, where Salomon Frank had his business as cattle trader ◊.

On February 16, 1905 daughter Alice was born. On November 7, 1931 Alice married  Josef Weil (1899 – 1949) from Steinsfurt ◊. So Babette Frank was mother in law of the last chairman of the Steinsfurt Jewish community.

After the beginning of WWII Babette Frank, her husband Salomon Frank and their neighbours Emanuel Merklinger (1880 - 1942/45) and Luise Merklinger née Frank (1877 - 1942/45) moved to Steinsfurt on September 5, 1939. After more than one year, on October 14, 1940 they left Steinsfurt ◊. Only a week later all four were seized in Bodersweier and transported to Gurs .

From Gurs Babette Frank and the neighbours were transported to Auschwitz on September 1942 and murdered.

Salomon Frank escaped from Gurs. He died in November 1976 in Illinois ◊.

Memorials

On the memorial stone in the cemetery in Bodersweier the names of the three murdered persons are inscribed.

There are entries for Babette Frank in the memorial book (867217) and in YadVashem (7373880, 8077790 and others)

There are entries for Luise Merklinger née Frank in the memorial book  (930084) and in YadVashem (1315869, 9142595 and others)

There are entries for Emanuel Merklinger in the memorial book (930079) and in YadVashem (1315868, 9142594 and others)