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Housing Trusts.
The former Minkel Salomon David Kalker-Stiftung für Freiwohnungen, a housing trust providing subsidized houding, was founded in 1878. The first board meeting of the Kalker Stiftung took place on 1.01.1879, with the founder Salomon David Kalker being present. At this time the trust owned a property at No. 28/29 Schaarmarkt, in the Neustadt district. The trust sold this property to the city of Hamburg in 1903, and acquired the property at No. 25a Rutschbahn on 1.03.1904. This property comprised three buildings of four houses, each containing six flats with three rooms and kitchen. Houses 2 and 3 situated at the end were allocated rent free. Houses 1 and 4 were rented.
The purpose of the trust was the allocation of flats in accordance with the founding principles of the Lazarus Gumpel-Stift, that moved into No. 46/48 Schlachterstraße, in the Neustadt district in 1838. Flats were to be made available free of rent to needy, "sober, upright, peace-loving Jews" who due to "financial difficulty" or by "honest industry" were unable to afford to pay rent. The flats were to be allocated to married couples, widows or widowers, (with or without children), or to aged, "respectable", unmarried women for so long as their circumstances did not improve to the extent that they no longer required such support. People, already totally impoverished, or regularly receiving financial support from the poor box were, when not entirely excluded, disadvantaged in terms of those who could to some degree maintain themselves and whose inclusion precluded any financial burden to the trust. Beggars were not admitted. Those admitted were to be of the Jewish religion. The head of the family was to be at least 40 years old. The Kalker Stiftung also explicitly stipulated that those living in a mixed marriage were not living contrary to Jewish religious laws. In 1909, Albert Wolf was president, Leopold David treasurer, and Albert Hauer administration.
In addition to the Kalker-Stift, the founder, Salomon David Kalker, founded three Salomon David Kalkersche Familien-Stiftungen in his 1888 will. The Salomon David Kalkersche Familien-Stiftungen für Mieteunterstützung (rental support), was founded in memory of his father. Its function was to support particular individuals chosen by the founder. The other occupants were to be poor local Jews. The Salomon David Kalkersche Familien-Stiftungen für Bräute (for brides to be), was founded in the memory of his mother, Frau Minkel Kalker née Polack. Its function was the annual selection, by way of a draw, of a needy, local Jewish girl and her support following her marriage carried out in accordance with Jewish religious law. The Salomon David Kalkersche Familien-Stiftungen für Vorschuß (for loans), was founded in the memory of his sister Eva Meier, née Kalker. Its function was to lend money interest free to needy Jews. The capital loans (up to 500 Mark) were principally intended for the improvement of small businesses. The occupiers of the Minkel Kalkerstift were not to be supported by the Kalkerschen Familien-Stiftungen. In 1919, due to the unfavourable financial circumstances of the trust, the administration were forced to request 1 Mark per week from the occupants, to finance repairs and maintain the property. In 1929 the entire property was renovated and in 1930 a number of decoration works were carried out. Leo Wittmund was head of administration from 1.11.1931 onwards. The tenant Frau Hoop, who lived free of rent on the groundfloor of House 1, was "Vizedienste" (vice-domestic) for years. She also collected the rent. In 1932, Nathan Hirsch Offenburg was elected the new president after the daeth of Albert Wolf. The latter had been on the board of the trust since 1897, and president since 1909. He was most popular with the board and tenants. His charming, modest nature, and his religiousness and charitableness were repeated stressed in public and in the press. In 1933, Rabbi Ber Resnik, lecturer in the yeshiva and M. Geller, Torah writer, both lived in House 2. In 1941, the ownership of the trust was in the hands of the Jüdische Religionsverband (Jewish Religious Federation). In Spring 1942 the houses of the Kalker-Stifts became "Judenhäuser" ("Jewish buildings"). All Jews registered by the gestapo had to be accommodated in Jüdische Religionsverband buildings before April 1942. The buildings were named "Judenhäuser" ("Jewish buildings") by the Gestapo.
The following names are representative of those deported on the named deportation transports to ghettos, concentration camps and extermination camps, whose last address in Hamburg was the Kalker-Stift, i.e. No. 25 a Rutschbahn:
Following the deportations in July 1942 the Gestapo ordered that Jews living in "nichtprivilegierten" Mischehen ("non- privileged" mixed marriages) - there being a few exceptions - were also to be accommodated in "Judenhäuser" ("Jewish buildings"). The Kalker-Stift at No. 25a Rutschbahn was one of these buildings. In accordance with Paragraph 5 of the 10. Verordnung zum Reichsbürgergesetz (Reich Citizenship Act), of 4.07.1939, in the course of 1942 the Kalker-Stift, with the Kalker Familien-Stiftung, was incorporated into the "Reichsvereinigung der Juden in Deutschland" ("Reich Organization of Jews in Germany"). All "Jews" (as defined by the Nuremberg decrees) living in the Reich became compulsory members. The "Reichsvereinigung der Juden in Deutschland" was a registered society with its office in Berlin. The local branches of the "Reichsvereinigung der Juden in Deutschland" replaced the local Jewish religious associations. The organizations had the goal of promoting the forced emigration. It was also responsible for Jewish education and social welfare.
Today two of the four Kalker-Stift houses remain, House 1 (No. 25a) and House 4 opposite. A parking space occupies the place where the former Houses 2 and 3 (semi-detached) once stood.
German text: Dipl.-Pol. Wilhelm Mosel, Deutsch-Jüdische Gesellschaft, Hamburg.
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