November 7, 2016

Lillian Rachelle Stemmler Goldberger

Lillian Rachelle Stemmler Goldberger was born in Berlin to a Jewish father and a Catholic mother named Teresa. Her father's family ran a grocery store in Berlin before World War One, during which he was taken prisoner in Russia for several years and grew to love the Russian people who cared for him. Returning to Berlin, he joined his brother in the film business and became a film operator, working for a company and befriending famous movie stars, including one after whom Lillian was named. Though her mother was Catholic and faced disapproval for marrying a Jewish man, the couple wed in a civil ceremony in Berlin.

As Nazi persecution intensified, the family left Germany, spending time in France before settling in Barcelona, where her father found work among fellow German-Jewish emigres and made many films. The family also lived in Portugal for a period, where her father produced a film about the Portuguese colonies in Africa. Lillian grew up in Spain living what she described as a privileged life, deeply involved in the Jewish community and developing her talent as an artist and painter. On a visit to California, she met an American man named Harry, and after reconnecting years later, they married and she moved to the United States.

Lillian and her husband settled in the Dallas area, where he built a career in retail management, joining Target early in the company's history. They lived happily for many years until his health declined following a heart attack and, later, cancer. Throughout her life Lillian remained a devoted daughter, keeping close ties to her parents in Spain, and she carried lasting grief over family conflicts surrounding their estates. In Dallas she sought out Jewish community connections and was active in the International Women's Club. She spoke warmly of a cherished cousin, Hilda, a Holocaust survivor, and expressed her wish to leave part of her artwork and estate to the Jewish community in honor of her father.

Read Full Transcript