EN

Fritzi Markowitz

Fritzi Markovits lost her husband and son in Mauthausen. She married Otto Frank in 1953.

Person

  • Elfriede Edith Geiringer - Markovits
  • Born on: Feb. 13, 1905
  • Born in: Wenen, Oostenrijk
  • Died on: Oct. 2, 1998
  • Died in: Londen, Groot-Brittannië

Fritzi Markovits was born in the Austrian capital Vienna and died in London at the age of 93. Her parents were Rudolf Markovits (1874-1951) and Helene Schubert (1879-1963). She had a younger sister Sylvia Renée (1910-1977).

On 27 May 1923, she married Erich Geiringer in Vienna. They had two children: Heinz Felix on 12 July 1926 and Eva Minni on 11 May 1929.[1] After Austria's Anschluss in 1938, the family left Vienna. Erich settled in Loon op Zand in the Netherlands, and Fritzi went to Brussels with the children.[2] There she was issued a passport by the German embassy on 18 November 1938. On 22 March 1939, her passport was stamped that the name Sara was added 'ex officio'.[3] Erich visited his family regularly.[4]

They later moved to Amsterdam, where the Civil Register registered them on 4 April 1940.[5] She invested the proceeds of sold properties in jewellery, which she managed to smuggle into the Netherlands. Once there, she and her husband also bought houses and securities.[6] The German consulate in Amsterdam renewed Fritzi's passport once more on 21 September 1940.[3]

In September 1942, Fritzi and her family went into hiding. She and her daughter ended up in a different place from her husband and son: Fritzi and Eva stayed at an address in Amsterdam-Zuid, Erich and Heinz with the Katee-Walda couple in Soestdijk. They did keep in touch; under the name 'Annie' (Akkerman), Fritzi sent postcards to pass on information and announce visits.[7]

After problems with Katee-Waldas, the family wanted to move to a different address. When they tried to go into hiding again, they were betrayed. The whole family was put on a transport to Auschwitz on 19 May 1944. Fritzi's husband and son both perished in Mauthausen concentration camp,[8] she and her daughter survived. She and Eva made the same repatriation trip as Otto Frank, leaving Odessa on the Monowai on 21 May 1945. They sailed via Istanbul to Marseille, arriving there on 27 May 1945. Fritzi was able to return to her home on Merwedeplein because it was in someone else's name.[9]

The aftermath of the persecution involved several proceedings for Fritzi. As the Netherlands considered her an 'enemy subject', the Beheersinstituut administered her assets. After an elaborately argued request, she regained the disposal of her assets with effect from 24 May 1947.[10] In May 1949, she testified before the Special Court about the betrayal of her husband and son. She became so upset that she was led out of the courtroom.[11]

Fritzi met Otto on the journey home from Auschwitz. Later he visited her at Merwedeplein. The name 'Geiringer' appeared repeatedly in Otto's diaries in the following years and an intimate relationship developed. This is evident in correspondence from autumn 1952, when he spent some time in the US.[12]

On 10 November 1953, she married Otto Frank in Amsterdam. The witnesses were Miep Gies and Jo Kleiman.[13] Three days earlier, they signed a prenuptial agreement and both also had a will drawn up.[14] Otto was already living in Basel by then, and she joined him. Fritzi became more prominent in the public eye in later years, participating in interviews on a number of occasions.[15] She also had a major role in answering the many letters Otto Frank received.[16]

Due to all the persecution and the death of her husband and son, Fritzi remained averse to Germany. Otto travelled to the Netherlands via Germany in 1954, but Fritzi stayed at home because she wanted to avoid that country.[17]

She was widowed again by his death on 19 August 1980. She remained in contact with some of the regular letter writers for a long time afterwards, such as Zofia and Adam Kukulski, whom Otto met shortly after the liberation of Auschwitz.[18]

Source personal data.[19] Addresses: Vienna; Brussels; Merwedeplein 46-I, Amsterdam; Basel (Birsfelden).

Footnotes

  1. ^ Stadsarchief Amsterdam (SAA), Dienst Bevolkingsregister, Archiefkaarten (toegangsnummer 30238): Archiefkaart E.E. Geiringer.
  2. ^ Eva Schloss, Herinneringen van een Joods meisje, 3e druk, Breda: De Geus, 2005, p. 22-24.
  3. a, b Privébezit familie Schloss: ‘Reisepass’ nr. 1680 t.n.v. Elfriede Geiringer.
  4. ^ Privébezit familie Schloss: ‘Reisepass’ nr. 1237/N38 t.n.v. Erich Geiringer.
  5. ^ SAA, Dienst Bevolkingsregister, Archiefkaarten (toegangsnummer 30238): Archiefkaart E.E. Geiringer.
  6. ^ Nationaal Archief (NL-HaNA), Den Haag, Nederlandsch Beheersinstituut (NBI), toegang 2.09.16.05, inv. nr. 79002: rapport NBI, 26 juni 1946.
  7. ^ Familiearchief Anne Frank Fonds (AFF), Bazel, OtF_pdoc_019, tien kaarten aan Katee-Walda, 1943; privécollectie Eva Schloss-Geiringer: kaart aan Katee-Walda, 1943. De schuilnaam Akkerman noemt Katee-Walda in een naoorlogs verhoor. 
  8. ^ SAA, Dienst Bevolkingsregister, Archiefkaarten: (toegangsnummer 30238): Archiefkaarten E. Geiringer en H. Geiringer.
  9. ^ Schloss, Herinneringen, p. 197-198.
  10. ^ NL-HaNA, NBI, inv. nr. 79002: beschikking NBI, 24 mei 1947.
  11. ^ 'Werkte “Miep” voor vriend en vijand?  Het Parool, 14 mei 1949.
  12. ^ AFF, Otto Frank, AFF_OtF_corr_005; Anne Frank Stichting (AFS), Anne Frank Collectie (AFC), Otto Frank Archief, reg. code OFA_074.
  13. ^ Gemeente Amsterdam, afdeling Burgerlijke Stand: huwelijksakte 149, 10 november 1953.
  14. ^ Alle drie de stukken zijn opgemaakt door notaris Jacob van Hasselt en hebben in zijn repertorium over dat jaar de nummers 393, 394 (Fritzi) en 395 (Otto). Telefonische mededeling van de waarnemer van opvolgend notaris A.E. Blom, Kees-Jan van Zijden aan Gertjan Broek (AFS), 17 juni 2021.
  15. ^ Zie b.v. AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_2011:Iinterview met Otto Frank door Arthur Unger, 1979. In dit interview komt Fritzi geregeld aan het woord. 
  16. ^ AFS, AFC, Getuigenverhalen: interview met Eva Schloss door David de Jongh en Teresien da Silva, Amsterdam, 12 en 13 november 2008, tijdcode 00.27.08 e.v., 00.33.05 e.v.
  17. ^ AFS, AFC, A_Gies_I_139a: Otto Frank aan Jan en Miep Gies, 26 mei 1954.
  18. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_040: Notitieboekje van Otto Frank, 1945. Zofia Kukulska noteert kennelijk zelf en met eigen pen haar naam en adres. Het is althans met inkt en zeker niet het handschrift van Otto Frank. Correspondentie in OFA en notitie in ‘rode boekje’
  19. ^ SAA, Dienst Bevolkingsregister, Archiefkaarten (toegangsnummer 30238): Archiefkaart E.E. Markovits; 'Obituary: Fritzi Frank', The Independent, 8 oktober 1998.