The origin of this story is an image of a postcard sent to Sigmund Schmatnik in Bershad from Herman Lieb Stummer at return address Avram Iancu Nr 6 – discovered on one of my periodic crawls through the online archives at the US Holocaust Museum. The current location for this building is Zan’kovets’koi St. 6.

In researching the origin of the postcard I learned much about the other residents of this wartime address, their familial relationships to the Schmatnik family, and a little about their personal histories.

postcard image Courtesy USHMM.

Avram Iancu #6

According to a “List of Jewish residents from Cernauti 08/1942), this home at Avram Iancu #6 during the year 1942 was home to all of the below – A little research brings their connections to light. Schmatnik connections!

  • Herman Stummer – more below
  • Regina Kinsbruner – Sigmund’s 28-year-old wife
  • Abraham Lieb & Taube Kinsbruner – Regina’s parents
  • Lotte Schmatnik – Sigmund’s sister – married name Lotte Zand or Sand
  • Gittel Roza Engler Schmatnik – Sigmund and Lotte’s mother

Kinsbruner & Stummer families of Radautz

As I’ve researched my Schmatnik ancestors I have also become interested in their spouses. Regina Kinsbruner Schmatnik’s family is well documented in the Czernowitz-Ehpes databases, so I know that she had several siblings: Daniel b.1918, Fanny b.1909, Carl b.1906, and Rachelle b.1907 and lived for some time in Radautz, close to Czernowitz, also in the Bukovina region. Jewish vendors and traders at the weekly market made up the early Jewish community in the early 1800s.

By the middle of that century, some residents began to emigrate to America, and founded the Radautz Society. A written history of the Jewish community in Radautz is published on the Jewishgen website.

From Ehpes.com – Market in Radautz early 20th century

Rachelle Kinsbrunner married “Lieb Stummer” in 1931. Lieb Stummer is almost certainly Herman Lieb Stummer, making Herman Sigmund Schmatnik’s brother-in-law.

I was able to locate their marriage record, Rachelle and Herman married in 1931 in Czernowitz.

Hersch Lieb Stummer was born in the village of Putna – recorded in the larger town of Radautz on November 19 1904. The birth is “legitimate” by the recorded marriage of parents Josef Stummer and Babi-Feige Kofler, as the couple were married in August of 1904. Two younger children were also born in Putna. Nuchim Stummer born March 2, 1908  and Klara born September 11, 1909.

Father Josef (ben Nachum) Stummer was born around 1877 and died April 30, 1926 to parents Nachum and Czarnei. He is buried in the Radautz cemetery.

Herman’s brother Nachum and sister Klara were both deported to Bershad, Transnistria in July 1942, according to the Odessa State Archives.

Herman Stummer

Herman was also deported to Bershad, but more records are easily found showing his trajectory.

He may have survived the holocaust, as his name appears in lists from 1951 Romania Claims Conference (survivors petitioning the German government for material compensation after the war). Generally, these listings include name, birth information, place of internment, codes and other remarks. His birthplace is listed as Bucharest – possibly the same person, as the village of Putna is 2 hours by car from Bucharest. A Herman Lieb Stummer is listed as interred in the Czernewitz ghetto, and released from labor for medical reasons – these records came from the Romanian Ministry of Defense collection. An absolutely fascinating document on Edgar Houster’s Radautz Blog details “the usage of Jews assigned for forced labor” including rules on lodging, medical care, and the rights of the labor squads.

Herman was deported to Bershad during the war, and appears on a list showing receipts of financial aid sent to Jews deported to Bershad as late as March and April 1942. 

Below are some of the interesting sites I found researching the Stummer and Kinsbruner families in Radautz.