Manfred Rübner fled from Germany to the Netherlands, where he arrived in Eindhoven on 5 January 1939. He lived as a ward at the Paviljoen Loosdrechtse Rade youth aliyah home in Loosdrecht from 11 September 1939 until 7 December 1940. Because he was very caring and responsible toward the other group members, he was known as 'Papa'. He was renowned for his knowledge of biblical Hebrew and of modern Hebrew literature.
After the home in Loosdrecht closed, he went into hiding in Rotterdam. In Rotterdam he was caught and deported to Auschwitz.
F. van der Straaten, Om nooit te vergeten. Herinneringen en belevenissen aan/van Palestina-Pioniers in Nederland gedrurende de oorlogsjaren 1939-1945 (Mijnsheerenland s.a.)
The mayor of Loosdrecht requested that Manfred Rübner, who had changed his place of residence without the required authorization, be located, detained and brought to trial. This description referred to Jews who had gone into hiding.
Algemeen Politieblad, nr 35, 3 September 1942, 997, notice 1722;
This person is commemorated on a memorial in Loosdrecht. More information on this memorial can be found (in Dutch) on the website of the Nationaal Comité 4 en 5 mei.
More information about Manfred Rübner can be found on www.dokin.nl