Erna Haney
died 1990-05-12
Erna Friedlaender was born in Lissa in the province of Posen, on September 5, 1895. She attended a commercial college and moved to Berlin in 1911, working as a secretary in an attorney’s office. Her parents also moved to Berlin in 1922 and opened a grocery store.
In 1921 Erna Friedlaender married Gottfried Haney, who was Catholic. Their first son Franz was born that same year, followed by Wolfgang in 1924. Gottfried Haney was a pianist and ran his own music school. Since he refused to divorce his Jewish wife, he was banned from working in his profession and had to close the school. He had to perform forced labor in various armaments factories.
Erna Haney was also forced into labor, working from January to April 1945 as an unskilled laborer in the workshop for the blind. Her marriage to Gottfried Haney initially protected her and their sons from deportation. After being summoned by the Gestapo, however, she went underground briefly for several short periods. Erna Haney died at the age of 94 on May 12, 1990.