The Israel Family
Charlotte Israel was a participant in the Rosenstrasse Protest. Her husband, Julius Israel, was Jewish and was held at Rosenstrasse 2-4.
Charlotte and her husband Julius met at their tailoring jobs. They became engaged in 1933- they knew the precarious situation in which they were putting themselves into but chose to stay engaged. Charlotte’s family was incredible disapproving of her marrying a Jew. Her brother-in-law was an SS officer, her brother a member of the Nazi party and her family was in support of the Nazis.
Charlotte and Julius felt the anti-Semitic policies in their daily lives- Julius was barred from playing the piano at concerts and venues, losing money. As they were both tailors, they opened a shop in Charlotte’s name as to avoid being labeled as a Jewish business; however, the business was boycotted as laws became stricter, which resulted in the couple having to shut down the shop. Charlotte had to work various jobs to keep the couple financially stable, eventually having to illegally work as a seamstress. The pair decided to immigrate to the United States as their situation became more desperate, but the Joint Distribution Committee (a Jewish organization) was unable to fund Charlotte, who was not Jewish.
On February 27, 1943, Julius was detained by SS officers and taken to Rosenstrasse 2-4 with other Jewish men. He managed to give his telephone number to a bystander and told them to call his wife and inform her of the situation. An already worried Charlotte had her suspicions confirmed from this telephone call, and she departed to Rosenstrasse, where she found other worried wives outside. Charlotte protested alongside these other women, securing her husbands release on March 6, 1943.
Written by Sheighlin Hagerty