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Gabriele Carmen Hammerstein 1923 - 2018

Gabriele Carmen Hammerstein was born on October 3, 1923 in Bad Landeck Germany, and died at age 95 years old in 2018 at Jackson Heights in Queens County, New York United States. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Gabriele Carmen Hammerstein.

Gabriele Carmen Hammerstein
Name
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Last residence
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October 3, 1923
Bad Landeck, Germany
Birth
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2018
Jackson Heights in Queens County, New York, United States
Death
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Updated: July 27, 2021
Biography ID: 192757760 What's this
Gabriele Carmen Hammerstein Gabriele Hammerstein (1923 - 2018)
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Gabriele Carmen Hammerstein's History: 1923 - 2018

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  • Introduction

    Biography Gabriele Hammerstein, nèe Rosenhain, died peacefully at her home on June 10, 2018. She was 94. Born in East Germany in 1923, Ms. Hammerstein spent her childhood in Schwerin, a city in Mecklenburg, Germany. In 1936, she was sent to the US to live with her uncle, Felix Rosenhain in Forest Hills, NY. The rest of her family followed in 1936, and the family moved to Jackson Heights, Queens, where her mother set up a medical practice. The family lived in the back rooms of the apartment, and her mother saw patients in the front. After graduating from high school, Ms. Hammerstein, attended New York University for a year. She and also attended classes at the Academy of Dramatic Arts. She was active in the USO during World War II and was a civilian employee of the American High Commission in Frankfurt, Germany, from 1950 to 1953. Before 1962, she was performing performed as a Wagnerian soprano in East German opera houses. While in East Germany, she became involved in producing fake documents for Soviet intelligence. She was arrested in East Berlin on Jan. 2, 1962, and held for interrogation until August of that year when she was tried. She was sentenced after a one‐day trial to six years’ imprisonment as a spy. She served 27 months in East German and Russian prisons. Her family appealed her imprisonment, and clemency was granted in March of 1964, when she was released to her mother, Gertrud Rosenhain, and returned to the United States. Two US airmen were also freed as part of a prisoner exchange with the Soviet Union. After her return to the US, Ms. Hammerstein wrote several articles about her imprisonment, then compiled them into a book, which was ghostwritten by Mike McGrady. It was never published. During the 1970’s and 80’s, Ms. Hammerstein occasionally worked as an interpreter. She lived with and cared for her mother after her mother was incapacitated by a stroke. After the death of her mother in 1983, Ms. Hammerstein continued to reside in the Jackson Heights apartment that had housed the family since they settled in the US. She filed numerous lawsuits to retrieve family property seized by the Nazis. In 2014, Ms. Hammerstein slipped on the sidewalk and broke her hip. After her surgery, she struggled to maintain her health, but never regained her former level of activity. Her circulation continued to decline, and she was admitted into the hospital for infection in December of 2017. She spent two months in a rehabilitation center, and returned to her apartment in February of 2017, where she died surrounded by her belongings and artifacts from her life and her family. She is survived by her sister’s children: Eric, Helen, Miriam and Alice Nightengale. Her sister, Beatrice Nightengale and brother, Helmut Rosenhain, predecease her. Gabriele Carmen Felicitas (Rosenhain) Hammerstein OCTOBER 3, 1923 – JUNE 10, 2018 PLAY TRIBUTE MOVIE Gabriele Carmen Felicitas (Rosenhain) Hammerstein was born on October 3, 1923 in Bad Landeck, Lower Silesia and passed away on June 10, 2018 in Jackson Heights, New York • Memorial Service Sunday, July 1, 2018 Gabriele Carmen Felicitas (Rosenhain) Hammerstein Ines Meyer November 18, 2018 My deepest sympathy goes to the family. I have just been with the death of a wife Hammerstein read. Although she reached a very old age, I am a bit sad. I often think of Mrs. Hammerstein. I met her in the year 2000. Back then I worked in an American Express travel agency in Schwerin.Until 2003, she always visited me during her stays in Schwerin. we always had nice coffee / tea and lots of telling. She was always a remarkable woman for me. I always wanted to go to New York and meet her. Unfortunately, it never worked. I will never forget Mrs. Hammerstein. remember in silent Ines Meyer
  • 10/3
    1923

    Birthday

    October 3, 1923
    Birthdate
    Bad Landeck Germany
    Birthplace
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  • Ethnicity & Family History

    German Jewish

  • Nationality & Locations

    American

  • Religious Beliefs

    Jewish

  • Military Service

    She was active in the USO during World War II

  • Professional Career

    Opera Singer
  • mm/10
    2018

    Death

    2018
    Death date
    Unknown
    Cause of death
    Jackson Heights in Queens County, New York United States
    Death location
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  • Obituary

    Gabrielle Hammerstein, an opera singer, yesterday told of her experiences in East German prisons during detentions of 27 months on charges of espionage. The 40‐year‐old Miss Hammerstein, who was released this week, said she had been beaten by men and women warders in the Communists’ prisons. After ane beating by trunchions, she added, she had to be taken to a hospital. She described life in the various prisons in which she had been held as a nightmare, with the days and nights filled with the screams of other inmates. Miss Hammerstein responded carefully to questions. She spoke in her mother's home in Jackson Heights, to which she returned Tuesday after her sudden release. The singer's mother, Dr. Gertrude Rosenhain, met her in West Berlin. The familywas from German Silesia, in a district now in Poland, and came to the United States when Miss Hammerstein was a child. Continue reading the main story She related that she had been arrested in a street in East Berlin on Jan. 2, 1962, and held for interrogation until August of that year when she was tried. She was sentenced after a one‐day trial to six years’ imprisonment as a spy. She declared that the charges were false, but added that after a month of interrogation she had signed various documents under pressure. Miss Hammerstein said she was in East Berlin to rehearse Wagnerian roles for a production of the Ring Cycle by the East German opera, for which she had auditioned earlier. She said she had studied music here and in Germany. She also said she was active in the USO during World War II and wasacivilian em ploye of the American High Commission in Frankfurt, Germany, from 1950 to 1953. March 28, 1964, Page 2
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13 Memories, Stories & Photos about Gabriele

Gabriele Carmen Hammerstein
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Gabriele Carmen Hammerstein
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
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07/01/2019
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Gabriele Carmen Hammerstein
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
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07/01/2019
Gabriele Carmen Hammerstein
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Gabriele Carmen Hammerstein
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
17.8k+ favorites
07/01/2019
Gabriele Carmen Hammerstein
A photo of Gabriele Carmen Hammerstein
Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.
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Gabriele Carmen Hammerstein
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
17.8k+ favorites
07/01/2019
Gabriele Carmen Hammerstein
A photo of Gabriele Carmen Hammerstein
Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.
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Gabriele Carmen Hammerstein
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
17.8k+ favorites
07/01/2019
Gabriele Carmen Hammerstein
A photo of Gabriele Carmen Hammerstein
Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.
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Gabriele Carmen Hammerstein
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
17.8k+ favorites
07/01/2019
Gabriele Carmen Hammerstein
A photo of Gabriele Carmen Hammerstein
Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.
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Gabriele Carmen Hammerstein
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
17.8k+ favorites
07/01/2019
Gabriele Carmen Hammerstein
A photo of Gabriele Carmen Hammerstein
Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.
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Other Biographies

Other Hammerstein Family Biographies

Hammerstein, Oscar (1895 - 1960) Hammerstein, Christina (Feb 4, 1919 - Nov 19, 2005) Hammerstein, Sarah (May 1, 1890 - Mar 1979) Hammerstein, Herman (May 10, 1898 - Dec 1977) Hammerstein, Fanny (May 2, 1898 - Sep 15, 1987) Hammerstein, Lucille (Nov 9, 1908 - May 1996) Hammerstein, Walter (Sep 11, 1902 - Dec 25, 1989) Hammerstein, William (Oct 26, 1918 - Mar 9, 2001) Hammerstein, James (Nov 15, 1897 - Apr 1982) Hammerstein, Frederick (May 14, 1927 - Oct 29, 2000)
Hammerstein, Sam (Nov 27, 1891 - Jan 1982) Hammerstein, Emmi (Aug 21, 1904 - Dec 1990) Hammerstein, Alice (Apr 30, 1920 - Jan 6, 2008) Hammerstein, Karl (Apr 26, 1893 - Aug 1977) Hammerstein, Max (Jun 23, 1884 - Nov 1963) Hammerstein, William (Oct 8, 1891 - Jan 1971) Hammerstein, Leo (Sep 28, 1913 - Jul 1984) Hammerstein, Joe (Jan 29, 1888 - Feb 1974) Hammerstein, John (Jun 14, 1914 - Nov 4, 1997) Hammerstein, Sadie (Feb 14, 1891 - Sep 1984)
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