Berta Sterzitz lived in Bad Kissingen for only a short time. She was there looking for a new employment but only found one for one season.

Berta was born in Vienna on February 1, 1906. Her father Samuel Sterzitz had moved from Poland into the Austrian capital. There he had married Rachel Regina, née Kriss in 1901. In the same year their oldest daughter Helene was born. Five years later, the twins Berta and Norbert were born. (Jüdische Matriken Wien, Genteam – Genealogische Datenbank)

Not much is known about Berta’s further life. In May 1938, she moved from Vienna to Bad Kissingen into Bismarckstrasse where she found an employment in “Sanatorium Rosenau” as a household help for one season. On October 1, 1938, she left Bad Kissingen and checked out for Aachen (registration files of Bad Kissingen).

Shortly afterwards – probably still in the same year – she emigrated to Holland. As a response to an advertisement, she had got an employment as a nurse and could immigrate to the Netherlands. She saved some money from what she earned and sent it to her brother in Vienna to enable him, his partner and her son to escape to Belgium. But one of the so-called “escape helpers” betrayed them to the Germans and the flight failed. (Interview with Freimut-Lutz Wolfgang, Transkriptionen der FU Berlin).

After the occupation of the Netherlands by German troops, Berta Sterzitz was again exposed to Nazi tyranny. In April 1943, she was deported from Westerbork Collective Camp to Sobibor and murdered. As her date of death April 30, 1943 is registered.

Her brother also became a victim of the Shoa. He was deported to Auschwitz/ Oświęcim Extermination Camp and died there on November 30, 1942.