Only little is known about Max Stern, since he lived and worked in Schleusingen for only a short time. Through the Henneberger Kreisblatt he is traceable in Schleusingen from 1915 until his bankruptcy in 1924.
In August 1915 he was taken prisoner in Russia and could only return to Schleusingen on 18 June 1918. He sent New Year's wishes from his captivity in East Siberia via the "Henneberger Kreisblatt" to the citizens of Schleusingen. In May 1922 he opened a shop in Bahnhofstraße 4 - a business building next to that of the Müller and Schwab families.
In the years 1919, 1923 and 1924 the "Henneberger Kreisblatt" gives information about burglaries with Jewish businessmen. In 1923, on Whitsunday, Max Stern's stocks of goods were so large that he had to file for bankruptcy. He offered a reward of 500,000 marks for seizing the perpetrator. His declaration of honour of 16 June 1923, in which he apologised to a hairdresser's assistant whom he had publicly suspected of burglary, shows how much pressure he must have been under. Stern had to close his shop, he was bankrupt.