born 23 August 1891 in Obernkirchen
died 10 July 1956 in Auckland, New Zealand
Historical former address Am Markt 9
today Am Markt 5
Stumbling stone Am Markt 4
Date of stone-laying 19 May 2022

Hildegard Adler was born into a Jewish family in Obernkirchen in Lower Saxony on 23 August 1891. Her parents Samuel Philipp Adler and Emilie Seline (née Doernberg) had three more children, two sons named Walter and Philipp and a daughter named Gertrud.
Hildegard married Julius Fürst, a merchant from Fürstenwalde, on 8 February 1919. Julius already had a son, Gerhard, born in 1910, from his first marriage to Thea (née Bonn). The Fürst family ran a department store at Am Markt 9 in Fürstenwalde.

When the National Socialists seized power in 1933, Hildegard and Julius Fürst decided to leave Germany. On 7 February 1935, they departed London for New Zealand on the New Zealand Shipping Company Limited’s ship “Rangitane”, which was bound for Wellington. In New Zealand, the family ran a farm and simplified the spelling of their German surname to “Furst”. On 27 May 1946, Hildegard was granted New Zealand citizenship. She died in Auckland on 10 July 1956.

Family members:
Edith Fürst née Meyer (later Furst)
Gerhard Otto Georg Fürst (later Furst)
Julius Fürst (later Furst)