On the afternoon of Thursday, November 27, three Stolpersteine were placed in front of the building at Dr. van Mierlostraat 14. These memorial stones commemorate Jacob Engelman, Sara Engelman-van Bueren, and Marianna Koperberg, who were deported and murdered during World War II. The ceremony took place in the presence of Mayor Paul Depla and various guests.
Stolpersteine
‘Stolpersteine’, or stumbling stones, are a European monument created by German artist Gunter Demnig. Spread across numerous cities in Europe, these stones with brass plaques commemorate victims of National Socialism. The stones are placed in the pavement in front of the former homes of people who were expelled, deported, or murdered by the Nazis.
In Breda, the Stolpersteine commemorate the murdered Jewish residents and possibly other groups such as Sinti and Roma, who were killed because of their origin. More information can be found at stolpersteinebreda(link is external).
About Jacob Engelman, Sara Engelman-van Bueren, and Marianna Koperberg
Jacob Engelman and his wife Sara van Bueren were well-known entrepreneurs from Breda. They ran a fashion store at the Grote Markt and were involved in several businesses in the city, including the Paleis Bioscope and the Variété Theater.
During the occupation, they lost all their possessions due to anti-Jewish measures. Jacob was deported in 1943 from the hospital in Breda via Westerbork to Sobibor and was murdered on March 13, 1943. Sara, who was in hiding with the Hofman family, was arrested after betrayal and also murdered in Sobibor on July 9, 1943.
Marianna Koperberg, Jacobs half-sister, lived with the couple at Dr. van Mierlostraat. Marianna was called to report at Oude Vest and was deported from there along with a group of Jewish residents. She was murdered in Auschwitz on September 3, 1942.
The address Dr. van Mierlostraat 14 gained special symbolic value after the war: it was temporarily used as a synagogue for the Jewish community in Breda.
Mayor Paul Depla emphasized during the ceremony the importance of this lasting remembrance: “By placing these Stolpersteine, we give Jacob, Sara, and Marianna their place back in our city’s history. We may literally walk over them, but precisely because of that, we are reminded every day of what should never have happened. It is our shared responsibility to keep their stories alive and pass them on to future generations.”
With the city, for the city
The initiative for the Stolpersteine in Breda comes from a specially formed project group consisting of residents and representatives of the City Archive & Archaeology Breda. The municipality of Breda wholeheartedly supports this initiative. Residents of Breda who want to contribute to placing Stolpersteine, or who have questions, can contact via the form on stolpersteinebreda.nl.(link is external)
