Finkelstein Foundation lays stumbling stones for Hans and Berthold Finkelstein    

Measuring just under ten centimeters long, wide, and deep, and adorning streets in over 30 countries, more than 100,000 stumbling stones have been laid by the German artist Gunter Demnig since 1992. These small memorial plaques bear the names of individuals who were persecuted, expelled, deported, or murdered during the time of National Socialism, along with their dates of birth and death. Two of these now commemorate the namesakes of the Hans and Berthold Finkelstein Foundation outside the family's former residence.

The chemist Hans Finkelstein was the inventor of the so-called Finkelstein reaction. He hailed from a liberal Jewish family and served as a research leader at Chemische Fabriken vorm. Weiler-ter Meer in Uerdingen, a company that merged into I.G. Farben in 1925. Research by historian Rüdiger Borstel in the archives of Bayer AG – one of the successor companies of I.G. Farben – revealed that Hans Finkelstein was forced to leave the company as part of the Aryanization process in 1938. He took his own life later that same year. His son, Berthold Finkelstein, was later subjected to forced labor at I.G. Farben. After 1945, Berthold Finkelstein was actively involved in European understanding and political youth education. He is the founder of the Gustav Stresemann Institute in Bonn. The biographies of the Finkelsteins symbolize the stories of countless individuals who suffered injustice and persecution during the National Socialist era, often paying with their lives.  

As part of a joint evening event, Rüdiger Borstel presented his personal story of the research work on Hans Finkelstein's file. This was followed by a panel discussion on the topic of local remembrance and engagement in Krefeld.  

Culture of Remembrance at Bayer  

Last year, Bayer established a memorial for the victims of forced labor at the former Lower Rhine sites of I.G. Farben in Leverkusen – as a visible symbol in an active process of remembrance. In order to firmly anchor a new culture of remembrance within the company, it founded the Finkelstein Foundation alongside other activities. The foundation supports and promotes diverse projects related to the role of I.G. Farben in National Socialism and the strengthening of human rights, and develops programs for a corporate and leadership culture shaped by historical responsibility. Its goal is to strengthen resistance against discrimination, particularly antisemitism, racism, and all forms of hatred.