Marx, Judith

Businesswoman, board member of the Patriotic Women's Association of the Red Cross

Born: 26.12.1855 in Biebrich

died: 25.06.1928 in Wiesbaden-Biebrich

Marx came from a religious, highly educated Jewish family in which charity was a religious obligation. Her grandfather Joseph Altmeyer (later Allmayer) moved to Biebrich at the beginning of the 19th century. Marx's father, Gerson Allmayer, ran a fashion and white goods store, founded the Biebrich "Volksbildungsverein" together with the entrepreneur Friedrich (Fritz) Kalle in 1871 and was active on the board of the Biebrich Verkehrs- und Verschönerungsverein. Together with her husband Nathan, Marx ran a textile business and was involved in the Patriotic Women's Association of the Red Cross, of which she was a member of the board from 1883 to 1923.

In addition to providing practical help for sick people, Marx was also involved in the development and introduction of new models with a nationwide model character to support young mothers and combat infant mortality. For example, she was involved in the introduction of the "maternity care" project (1894), which provided for women from the working class to receive financial support for nine days after the birth of a child. In 1908, a milk kitchen was introduced, where children, sick people and women who had recently given birth received free milk - this was intended to reduce the high infant mortality rate. In 1913, Marx's husband was one of the first Jews from Biebrich to be elected to the town council - in accordance with the three-class electoral law in the 2nd class. However, he died in 1915.

When Marx had to end her social commitment in 1923 for health reasons, she was made an honorary member of the Vaterländischer Frauenverein. An obituary from the women's association reads: "Judith Marx put herself at the service of the good cause with rare devotion to duty and sacrifice." Her youngest son, named after her grandfather Joseph, died in Theresienstadt concentration camp on October 22, 1942.