Marx Isidor

From 1918 onwards, Isidor and Rosa Marx the Israelite Orphanage at Röderbergweg 87 in the Frankfurt Ostend operated there. Initially, there were around 75 children living there – mostly orphans. In the mid-1930s, the picture changed: More and more Jewish families from rural regions and small towns brought their children to Frankfurt out of concern about the growing antisemitism – in the hope that they would be better protected in the urban environment of the orphanage.

The home under the leadership of the Marxens had an excellent reputation – far beyond Frankfurt. Children from separated homes, orphanages, or difficult family situations were also accepted. The number of residents increased significantly. After the November pogrom in 1938, the house was finally overcrowded. Rosa Marx Isidor and his wife made every effort to bring as many children as possible to safety – to countries like England, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Palestine, and the USA. Thanks to the contacts he had built up in Isidor Marx previous years with international aid organizations, the rescue of many children became possible.

As early as the end of 1938, the first groups of children were able to be brought to the Netherlands and Belgium. After the invasion of the Wehrmacht, some children managed to escape from there or hide. On January 5, 1939, around 97 boys and girls from Frankfurt and 200 children from other parts of Germany reached the safe Switzerland – a transport that would hardly have been possible without the involvement of the Marxens.

Until the start of the Second World War in September 1939, Isidor and Rosa organized numerous other transports. At the end of August, Isidor Marx another group accompanied them to Great Britain. At his wife’s advice, he remained in exile and survived. Rosa remained in Frankfurt and continued to run the orphanage. As early as March 1940, as reported by Angelika Rieber (chairwoman of the association „Project Jewish Life in Frankfurt“), she managed to bring a group of girls from Trieste to Palestine. She herself did not want to flee. Rosa decided to stay with the children and was presumably deported and murdered in June 1942.

With their tireless efforts, Isidor and Rosa Marx almost 1,000 children were able to save them from persecution and give them a future. Their courage, determination, and humanity remain unforgettable.

*Anja Laud: Jewish children in Frankfurt saved from being murdered. FR, 12.01.2024.