The Berliner Margarete Asch was single and received a small pension, until Jews lost their entitlement to pensions in November 1938. She then lived on welfare. When she was due to be deported on June 1, 1942, she went into hiding at the age of 60. It was hard for her to find safe quarters during her first year of living illegally. She was mainly taken in by other Jewish people, who were at risk themselves. On two occasions, she only narrowly evaded arrest.
In mid-1943 Margarete Asch found refuge in Otto Jogmin’s apartment at Wielandstraße 18 in Berlin-Charlottenburg. He was the building’s custodian. Asch lived with him, posing as an aunt by the name of Lehmann and running his household. Later, Margarete Asch also placed her sister Antonie Lieban and Lieban’s husband in the same building.
In March of 1945, a police officer came to Jogmin’s apartment, seeking a Jewish woman in hiding after an anonymous tip-off. Jogmin’s confident manner saved the situation, but Margarete Asch had to find a new place to stay. She lodged with a friend until the end of the war. After the war, she worked for a property management company and moved back into Wielandstraße 18.