Wednesday, September 2, 2020

Taken because of being Jewish by Gestapo died 29 yers old in July 1945 at Borgarskolan in Malmö, Sweden.

Information from the DP-2 card issued at the Transit Centre (Swedish Transit Hospital) in Lübeck on June 24th, 1945.


DP-2 card issued at the Transit Centre (Swedish Transit Hospital) on June 24th, 1945.

At the end of the war in 1945, Malmö Nya Borgarskola served as an emergency hospital for refugees. Now, in collaboration with Malmö City Archives and Malmö Museums, the school is now creating an exhibition from that time.


Cycling on the way yesterday from the National Archives I have received a call on my mobile.

Hi it's Peter, I have spent a few hours at the Old Jewish cemetery in Malmö and actually ′′ found ′′ everyone who, as we know so far, was at Borgarskolan and tragically did not live that long after arrival in freedom in Sweden. I am looking for facts about Sofie Alterwein, turned 29 years old. Sofie was born April 8, 1916, in Sosnowiec, Poland. She died at the Reserve Hospital Borgarskolan, on July 11, 1945, and was buried at Old Jewish Burial Location, located on Föreningsgatan in Malmö.

Peter is Peter Vig who does a fantastic job in Malmö trying to identify the Holocaust survivors who died in Malmö. And also, of course, to find traces, both back and forth of the lives from those who managed to survive and somehow built a new life. There was 1031 people who at any point between April-August in 1945, were patients at the reserve hospital at the Malmö High School, Borgarskolan.

I recognize the name. Her name is Zofia and not Sofie and she was brought on the first White boat from Lübeck. The boat M/S Karskär stood overnight at the redden in Travemünde and in the morning of June 28, it came to Malmö.

At home in the Swedish Holocaust Memory Association Archives I find ′′ Zofia from Sosnowiec ′′ and send the documents to Peter Vig who does a fantastic job in Malmö trying to to identify the Holocaust survivors who died in Malmö. What is significant that the Jewish Congregation there does not put all his powers to counteract his work. This is is contrary to the experience in Stockholm where the Congregation has not only created obstacles to the work but actually destroyed the Memorial of the Holocaust survivors.

At the end of the war in 1945, Malmö Nya Borgarskola served as an emergency hospital for refugees. Now, in collaboration with Malmö City Archives and Malmö Museums, the school is now creating an exhibition from that time.


Zofia was brought on the first White boat from Lübeck. The boat M/S Karskär stood overnight at the redden in Travemünde and in the morning of June 28, it came to Malmö.