01
1917 - 1934
The Origins, Structure, and Siege of the Regime
Dietrich Gerstel’s birth in Berlin during World War I and a childhood marked by intensive medical care; his educational journey up to the drastic turning point brought about by National Socialism in 1933; his business training at the Oskar-Helene-Heim; and the completion of his studies under the regime’s oppression.
A Birth Marked by Challenges: Between War and Medical Complexity
Dietrich Fritz Gerstel Dannenbaum was born on August 31, 1917, in Berlin, Germany, at 15 Tiergartenstraße, a highly prestigious residential area of the capital. He was the son of Walter Gerstel, a prominent engineer and CEO of industrial companies such as Permutit A.G., and Lili Dannenbaum, a member of a distinguished upper-middle-class family. Despite the stability of his family background, his birth coincided with the final years of World War I, a period marked by devastation and severe shortages that were ravaging the country.
Dietrich’s birth was marked by an extremely complex physical condition. He was born with phocomelia, characterized by the absence of lower limbs—of which he had only short stumps—the absence of his left arm, and a right arm whose hand had only four fingers. Added to this was the subsequent diagnosis of situs inversus, a condition in which the internal organs are located on the opposite side from the usual.
Official Record No. 399, recording his birth on August 31, 1917, at Tiergartenstraße 15 in Berlin. Certified copy issued in April 1937.
Orthopedic Innovation and My Years at the Oskar-Helene-Heim
From the very beginning of his life, Dietrich’s existence was linked to cutting-edge orthopedic medicine. He was a patient of Dr. Hermann Gocht, a leading figure in German orthopedics and director of the Oskar-Helene-Heim (OHH), a prestigious Berlin institution founded in 1914 for the treatment and education of children with physical disabilities.
Dietrich spent much of his childhood and adolescence either as an inpatient or receiving daily therapy at the OHH. There, he was fitted with extremely complex prosthetics—brace systems with leg extensions connected to a corset—that allowed him to stand and walk, although he required assistance to put them on. Faced with this challenge, the Gerstel family consistently covered the costs of maintaining and replacing these devices, as well as purchasing specialized wheelchairs with pneumatic tires to ensure his mobility.
Document issued by the Carl Hohmann Hospital Furniture Factory in Berlin in the name of Lili Gerstel (née Dannenbaum).
Document issued by the Carl Hohmann Hospital Furniture Factory in Berlin in the name of Lili Gerstel (née Dannenbaum).
The First Classrooms and a Shield of Faith
After being educated by private tutors during the first ten years of his childhood, Dietrich passed his primary school examinations in 1927 and entered the Falk-Realgymnasium in Berlin, a secondary school oriented toward modern sciences and the humanities. Its proximity to the family residence on Tiergartenstraße made his commute easier, and there he demonstrated notable academic performance, with intellectual aptitudes that more than compensated for his physical limitations.
The document certifies his official admission to secondary education, showing outstanding grades in conduct and attentiveness.
Simultaneously with his entry into school life and in an attempt to protect the family from rising antisemitism in Germany, his father, Walter Gerstel, decided to baptize him in the Evangelical Lutheran faith. The ceremony took place on April 22, 1927, at the Dankeskirche in Berlin. Although the family was of Jewish origin and his mother, Lili, maintained her religious identity, this act sought to facilitate the child’s social assimilation in an increasingly hostile environment. Years later, in 1932, Dietrich would reaffirm this bond by being confirmed in the Evangelical Parish of St. Matthew.
The document certifies the administration of the sacrament under registry No. 77, validated with the official seals of the institution and the pastor’s signature.
Parish newsletter Der Matthäusbote containing the confirmation record of Dietrich Gerstel (1932)
List of the 19 young people confirmed on the final page of the newsletter, where Dietrich is recorded under his diminutive, Dieter Gerstel.
Dietrich's Family Breakdown and Educational Journey
Adolf Hitler’s rise to power in January 1933 marked the beginning of a catastrophe for the Gerstels. Despite his prestige as a CEO and his World War I decorations, Walter Gerstel was relentlessly persecuted because of his Jewish heritage. After being removed from his executive positions at Permutit A.G. and other companies, he had his bank accounts frozen and was subjected to temporary detentions.
The economic and social pressure soon became unsustainable. Deprived of their wealth, the Gerstels could no longer afford Dietrich’s extensive medical needs; the maintenance, repair, and upgrading of his prosthetics and wheelchairs became financially unfeasible. At the same time, in September 1933, Dietrich was forced to leave the Falk-Realgymnasium, receiving in the process a certificate of good conduct to begin a vocational apprenticeship, since a university education had become an unfeasible option for young people of Jewish descent.
The school issued this document with the handwritten note: “His conduct was impeccable,” allowing him to begin an apprenticeship.
Cornered by the relentless Nazi siege, Walter Gerstel committed suicide on May 24, 1934, at a sanatorium in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. His death left the family in a state of extreme vulnerability, both emotionally and financially, forcing them to abandon their luxurious residence at Tiergartenstraße 25 and move to a much more modest home. At just 16 years old, Dietrich was left fatherless and in the care of a mother who had to face the dismantling of her family’s assets by the Nazi regime.
Just one month after the tragedy, in June 1934, the young man formally began his apprenticeship as a commercial clerk at the Oskar-Helene-Heim, thus transforming his former place of medical treatment into his new vocational training center. Alongside his training at the OHH, Dietrich was enrolled at the Berlin-Zehlendorf Vocational School of Commerce and Industry. This arrangement allowed him to combine hands-on experience in the institution’s workshops with theoretical learning in the classrooms.
Dietrich Gerstel's Commercial Apprenticeship Contract at the Oskar-Helene-Heim (1934)
A document signed by her mother, Lili Gerstel, and the orthopedic clinic regarding her vocational training. It bears the official seal of the Berlin Chamber of Industry and Commerce.
The report attests to excellent conduct and strong overall performance.
Dietrich’s vocational training lasted two years. In March 1936, the Berlin-Zehlendorf Vocational School of Commerce and Industry issued a certificate of completion, attesting to his studies in business, typing, and accounting. Just two months later, in May, the administration of the Oskar-Helene-Heim (OHH) also marked the end of this phase at the center with a document praising the diligence, ambition, and “great energy” with which he overcame his physical limitations. However, her continued stay there became impossible: the German Labor Front (Deutsche Arbeitsfront) had taken control of the institution, and so, under the regime’s racial laws, Dietrich was classified as “non-Aryan” and forced to leave.
The document attests to exemplary conduct (“very good”) and strong academic performance upon completion of his schooling.
The official document details his independent responsibilities in accounting, payroll, cash handling, and customer record management.
Historical Documents
First World War (1914–1918)
Dietrich was born during the final year of the war, in a Germany devastated by conflict and marked by food shortages.
Weimar Republic (1919–1933)
A democratic period in Germany characterized by cultural effervescence, political instability, and significant medical advances, such as those at the Oskar-Helene-Heim.
Crisis of 1923
Catastrophic hyperinflation in Germany. A loaf of bread cost up to 200 billion marks. The middle class lost its savings.
January 30, 1933
Adolf Hitler assumed the position of Chancellor of Germany, marking the end of democracy. In March, the first antisemitic laws were enacted
Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service (April 1933)
The first law that expelled Jews from public offices and liberal professions. It directly affected Walter Gerstel in his executive positions
1934: Year of Nazi Consolidation
Hitler eliminated internal opposition and proclaimed himself Führer. Thousands of German Jews began to emigrate, although many still believed it would “blow over.”
Jewish Population in Germany (1933)
~500,000 people (0.75% of the total)
Jews in Berlin
~160,000, the largest Jewish community in Germany
Jewish Suicide Rate (1933–1945)
Increased by more than 500%
Phocomelia
Occurs in 1 out of every 100,000 births
Oskar-Helene-Heim
Founded in 1905, pioneer in pediatric orthopedics
Permutit A.G
Contexto Histórico
Primera Guerra Mundial (1914-1918)
Dietrich nació durante el último año de la guerra, en una Alemania devastada por el conflicto y marcada por la escasez alimentaria.
República de Weimar (1919-1933)
Período democrático en Alemania caracterizado por efervescencia cultural, inestabilidad política y avances médicos significativos, como los del Oskar-Helene-Heim.
Crisis de 1923
Hiperinflación catastrófica en Alemania. Un pan llegó a costar 200 mil millones de marcos. La clase media perdió sus ahorros.
30 de enero de 1933
Adolf Hitler asume como Canciller de Alemania, marcando el fin de la democracia. En marzo se aprueban las primeras leyes antisemitas.
Ley de Restauración del Funcionariado (abril 1933)
Primera ley que expulsó a judíos de cargos públicos y profesiones liberales. Afectó directamente a Walter Gerstel en sus posiciones directivas.
1934: Año de consolidación nazi
Hitler elimina oposición interna y se proclama Führer. Miles de judíos alemanes comienzan a emigrar, aunque muchos aún confían en que “pasará”.
Datos Clave
Población judía en Alemania (1933)
~500,000 personas (0.75% del total)
Judíos en Berlín
~160,000, la comunidad judía más grande de Alemania
Tasa de suicidios judíos (1933-1945)
Aumentó más del 500%
Focomelia
Ocurre en 1 de cada 100,000 nacimientos
Oskar-Helene-Heim
Fundado en 1905, pionero en ortopedia pediátrica
