Kolmar, Gertrud, 1894-1943?

The poet Gertrud Kolmar was born 1894 as Gertrud Chodziesner in Berlin. She was raised in an assimilated Jewish family in the Charlottenburg district and was a cousin of Walter Benjamin. She attended private schools and received a certificate in English and French. She worked in various capacities as a translator, interpretor, teacher and secretary.

Chodziesner's poetic career began in 1917 with the publication of her first volume of poems, for which she assumed the pseudonym Kolmar, the German name for the Polish city of Chodzież, from which her surname was derived. She continued to publish regularly until 1938. After that time, further publication became impossible because of the political circumstances in Germany. She was eventually deported to Auschwitz and was executed, likely in 1943.

From the guide to the Gertrud Kolmar Collection, 1867-1965, (Leo Baeck Institute Archives)