Ernst and Margarete Cohn took over the Leinenhaus Cohn in Halberstadt after Hugo retired. Ernst and Margarete also had a spacious apartment in the store building on Westendorf No. 34a across from the main post office in Halberstadt – the very place you are in right now.Ernst and Margarete had two children: Werner was born in 1922, followed by Lilly in 1928. The children grew up in a home filled with music, art and socializing. Their connection to the Jewish community was a matter of course, which meant attending services, keeping the Sabbath and Jewish holidays, being involved in various clubs and having the children attend the Jewish school.The thought of leaving never crossed their minds. This changed with the rise of Nazism. Plans were made to emigrate to New York. Thus, the necessary affidavit for entry into the USA was secured. It is no longer possible today to determine with certainty what the reason was, but the Cohns’ emigration did not proceed. Further qualifications and documents kept being demanded from New York, and the process of expropriating the Jews in Germany was proceeding rapidly, so that the required payments could no longer be made.Now that you have met some families, at the next station you will learn how the families fared after 1933. To do this, please follow the route to the Stones of Remembrance.