Born on March 31, 1876 in Stuttgart
Murdered in the Ghetto Theresienstadt concentration camp on May 24, 1943
Interned in Weißenstein in February 1942

Else, also known as Elsa, was the last of seven children born to Jeanette, née Rosenwald, and Samuel Moses Wormser. Her father first appeared in the Stuttgart address books in 1864; he was a merchant or ‘product dealer’ by profession.

Like her sister Ida, who was one year older, Else Wormser remained unmarried; she earned her living as a music teacher. Musical talent was not uncommon in the family: Sister Ida was a writer, her nephew Hans Mayer an actor. Unlike many of her siblings, Else remained a resident of Stuttgart throughout her life.

Else Wormser in 1923 (Source: State Archives Ludwigsburg)

Else Wormser probably did not find enough pupils as a music teacher during the Nazi era, as she also advertised a tea trade from the 1935 address book onwards. She changed her home several times in the last few years, presumably not voluntarily. Her last address in Stuttgart was Rankestraße 44, from where she had to move to the Schloss Weißenstein forced residence at the beginning of February.

Her internment there lasted until August, when she was deported from Stuttgart to the Theresienstadt concentration camp together with her sister Ida, who had been in the castle with her. Else died there on May 24, 1943 and Ida Wormser on August 12, 1943 due to deliberate neglect.

See also the Stuttgart Stumbling Stone biography of Else Wormser.

(29.09.2023 kmr/ww)