Kashi Behrstock speaking, daughter Ela on left: Photo Klaus Fesche

“Wunstorf is also now free of Jews” the local Nazi-boss and Mayor declared in a letter to “all the soldiers from our lovely Wunstorf” in 1942. Decades after, a group of citizens committed themselves to individual memorials to the victims of Nazism in this small town in Germany by laying “Stolpersteine – stumbling stones. https://www.wunstorf.de/WunstorferStolpersteine One of this group, Hans Hanebuth tracked down descendants of Elfriede and Emil Kraft, two of the 60 neighbours, deported and murdered. On 18 March, 2026, Kashi Behrstock and her daughter Ela from New York took part in the second laying of Stolpersteine together with more than 100 other Wunstorfers. For us (Margo and Schorse) their speeches were a celebration of hope and connection that inspire us to look beyond the horrors of the past and face the fears of today. Kashi and Ela’s words stress “the humanity that ties us all together”. This is what they shared with us:

Kashi: “… I still remember the day I got the letter from Hans, someone who I did not know, from a town I had not heard of, expressing his goal of looking for Emil and Elfriede’s family.  These names were unfamiliar to me, but from his description of the genealogy they were clearly my great grandparents. To be introduced to my maternal ancestors as a 50-year-old is quite remarkable. Hans gave me knowledge that had been lost and buried from fear. To protect us from the horrors of the Holocaust, I did not know anything about this side of the family, and I think neither did my mom who had emigrated to the United States in 1939 when she was three years old.

Having dug through archives and searched for local documents, Hans shared historical information about my family and their history which had been lost to us. I read every word that Hans sends with concentration and it leaves me with a sense of warmth and connection. The role that Emil and Elfriede played in Wunstorf, the generosity that they demonstrated, the morality with which they lived, the distinguished citizen s that they were: he was an elected Senator and she opened the town’s first kindergarten. All this I found incredible and endearing to learn. Even though the exact details of the past were unknown to me, much of their philosophy of caring for humanity was passed on. Although I did not know the details of this family history, what I found incredible was that when I was reading it, it was both unknown and known to me at the same time. A long lost past being reunited with the present.

I want to know every little detail of Emil and Elfriede, and their children Julius and Flora.  It is a difficult history, but also contains much light. I am filled with hope and comfort from being here and from the knowledge that this town has done so much to retain the stories and honor the Jews that lived here. We all have our unique upbringing and life paths, but humanity ties us all together. 

Words can not express the gratitude that I and my family feel. Both my mom Yvonne, my brother Hari, my older daughter Kaia and other members of my family wish to send their gratitude. They would be here today if they could. I want to thank my husband Jason and daughter Ela for joining me here today. Ela, my younger daughter, would like to express her thoughts directly to you.”

Kashi also paid special tribute to the research of Hans Hanebuth and to the warmth and hospitality of Hans, Andrea, Signe-Lou Hanebuth.

The words of her daughter Ela Behrstock give us hope for the future:  “I am the great-great-granddaughter of Emil and Elfriede Kraft. While their concrete stories were never told to me, learning about them has felt more like recalling a long lost memory than meeting them for the first time. I never really understood the importance of knowing our ancestors, however uncovering these facts and anecdotes of the Kraft’s has given me a larger understanding of my grandma, my mom, and myself, for which I am eternally grateful. Going forward, it warms me to know I will carry Emil’s thirst for knowledge, Elfriede’s relentless kindness, and their shared spirit of equality. I wish more than anything they know the energy they put into the world has shaped the next four generations of Krafts, and will continue to impact the world for the better. And, if Emil and Elfriede can hear me, thank you for your persistence through the most difficult of times, your perseverance inspires me every day.”

Hier ist die Übersetzung ins Deutsche (von Hanebuth): https://margogorman.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2026-03-18-kashi-ela-deutsch-pdf.pdf

Here you find a good article in the local newspaper (Leinezeitung vom 20.03.2026):https://margogorman.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/lz260320.pdf

See our blog from November 2024 for more on stumbling stones/Stolpersteine:https://margogorman.com/2024/11/19/stumbling-stones/