Stumbling Stones in Chemnitz
Irmgard Goeritz
Irmgard Goeritz, married name Selver, née Frank
Born: 24 August 1906
Died: 19.01.2004
Installation location:
Hoffmannstraße 52Stumbling stone laying on:
29 May 2024
Photos of the laying of the Stumbling Stones
Life path
On 2 November 2012, three Stolpersteine were laid in front of the house at Hoffmannstraße 52 in memory of the entrepreneur and art collector Karl Goeritz and his children Frank-Stefan and Irene Beatrice, who died as a result of the violent sinking of the Dutch passenger ship "Simon Bolivar" off the coast of England. Karl's wife Irmgard was one of the survivors.
She was born in Chemnitz as the youngest child of Julius Frank and Katharina Mallison. Irmi, as she was affectionately called by everyone, initially attended the II. Höhere Volksschule für Mädchen (Kanzlerstraße 9) from Easter 1913, before transferring to the renowned Höhere Mädchenbildungsanstalt (Reichsstraße 45) at Easter 1916. Irmi, who was interested in art, went on to study art history at the University of Lausanne.
In December 1926, she married Karl August Goeritz. The couple subsequently lived at Hoffmannstraße 52 and on 4 February 1932, their son Frank-Stefan was born at the State Women's Clinic.
Irmi Goeritz was involved in Jewish women's organisations in Chemnitz. She was a member of the board of the Jewish Women's Association. She also supported the plans of the local branch of the Jewish Women's Association to found a Jewish kindergarten in Chemnitz. During this time, the couple began to build up their own art collection. Their collection focussed on fine art, as well as ceramics and furniture. However, they also acted as supporters of Jewish sport in Chemnitz. For example, they donated the "Irmi and Karl Goeritz Challenge Prize", which was played for in the Jewish "Tennis Club 1926".
In autumn 1936, Mr and Mrs Goeritz made the grave decision to leave their homeland. In November 1937, the family emigrated to Holland. They rented a house near a tulip field in Aerdenhout near Haarlem, where they waited for their passage to South America. In exile in Holland, their daughter Irene Beatrice was born on 3 February 1938. In July 1939, the couple were expatriated by the Nazi authorities. When the family was finally allowed to travel to Curaçao on the passenger ship "Simon Bolivar" on the evening of 17 November 1939, the journey ended in disaster the very next day. Irmi Goeritz was able to save herself and her niece Ilse Brandenstein on land.
After the shipwreck, Irmi Goeritz initially entered into another marriage. She followed her husband to New York around 1940, where they separated shortly afterwards. In 1942, Irmi married Heinrich Selver, a teacher from Chemnitz. The couple had two daughters: Irene and Veronica. In 1949, the family moved to Versailles (France), where Henry Selver became the director of a Jewish training centre. He died there in 1958.
Irmi Selver, who paid a visit to the town of her birth and the Jewish cemetery in 1984, lived in New York until her death. Irene Selver will take part in the laying of the new Stolperstein.
Author: Dr Jürgen Nitsche
Here lies the stumbling block for Irmgard Goeritz:
Stumbling Stones in Chemnitz
It is a project against forgetting: stumbling stones have been laid in Chemnitz every year since 2007.
Embedded in the pavement, the memorial stones commemorate the tragic fates of fellow citizens who were persecuted, deported, murdered or driven to their deaths during the National Socialist regime.
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