Rudi Schwab: The Forgotten Letters by Daniel Schwab

The Forgotten Letters
Surviving the Holocaust in Africa

Daniel Brian Ralph Schwab
First published by Schwab Family AV 5771 September 2011

In honour of Tzion Aryeh Schwab's Bar Mitzvah
Jerusalem, Israel
2nd Edition
Copyright 2016 Schwab Family
1. Holocaust memoirs, letters, history
Translations by Omer Vanvoorden, Bronagh Bowerman
When a young Jew by the name of Rudolph Schwab ventured out alone and afraid from Nazi Germany
in 1933, he had no idea that his escape would ensure the survival of a long line of flourishing family
ties. Sadly, his father, mother and brother would not live to see it. This is his story.
IF WE WISH TO LIVE AND TO BEQUEATH LIFE TO OUR OFFSPRING, IF WE BELIEVE THAT WE ARE TO
PAVE THE WAY TO THE FUTURE, THEN WE MUST FIRST OF ALL NOT FORGET. (PROF. BEN ZION DINUR,
YAD VASHEM, 1956.)
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Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................................................................... 4
Preface ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Foreword................................................................................................................................................................................. 7
The Letters.............................................................................................................................................................................. 8
Hanau Historian ................................................................................................................................................................ 14
Illustrious Family History ............................................................................................................................................. 16
Growing up in Germany ................................................................................................................................................. 27
First World War Bravery ............................................................................................................................................... 35
Hanau am Main, Germany ............................................................................................................................................. 40
Hanau's Jews ....................................................................................................................................................................... 42
From Europe to South Africa ....................................................................................................................................... 47
Rudolph becomes Ralph ................................................................................................................................................ 57
A Most Defiant Bar Mitzvah .......................................................................................................................................... 62
Storm Clouds on the Horizon ....................................................................................................................................... 66
A Terrifying Experience ................................................................................................................................................. 69
Hopeless Attempt to Escape ......................................................................................................................................... 74
A Terrible End .................................................................................................................................................................... 77
Search for Survivors ........................................................................................................................................................ 83
Fighting for Restitution .................................................................................................................................................. 93
Testimonies of Nazi Crimes .......................................................................................................................................... 98
Fulfilling Last Wishes .................................................................................................................................................... 104
Caring for the Older Generation ............................................................................................................................... 109
Community Service ........................................................................................................................................................ 118
The Next Generation...................................................................................................................................................... 122
Return to Hanau .............................................................................................................................................................. 128
Jerusalem............................................................................................................................................................................ 131
Recollections ..................................................................................................................................................................... 132
What it all Means............................................................................................................................................................. 138
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
A very special thank you is owed to Omer Vanvoorden, who has donated many hours of his time and
energy to the translation of hundreds of Ralph Schwabs letters, in exchange for nothing more than
the sincere gratitude of the Schwab family.
Robert Fallenstein has likewise made an invaluable contribution to the process of reading and
cataloguing Ralphs letters, and has deciphered many pages of very poor handwriting. Without his
help the translation of many hundreds of letters would not have been possible.
Other volunteer translators who have contributed to project are: Britta du Preez, Shulamit Beit Yanai,
Nadine Schmidt, Esther Evans, Mirjam Arthof, Alexander Thalmann and Naomi Mittelman.
Thanks are also due to the archive staff at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem, who
took on the daunting task of sorting boxes of Ralphs letters by date and by topic. They also provided
digital copies of each and every one of over 4,000 letters, newspaper clippings and photographs. This
work has greatly facilitated the translation and research process.
I would like to thank Bronagh Bowerman for editing and helping with the writing of this book.
Bronagh your enthusiasm for this project was a great inspiration.
There are numerous people who provided assistance and advice all along the way including Steven
Glazer, Valerie Ben Or, Ilana Weiser and Yaakov Borut from Yad Vashem. A special thank you to the
Kaplan Foundation who contributed generously to the project by funding Dr Shirli Gilberts work and
helping with the more detailed cataloguing work and professional translation of many of the letters.
I would like to thank my sisters Ricci and Lori, father Norman, and mother Carol, my kids Tzion Aryeh,
Reut, Ayelet Hashachar, Sara, Tifferet, Chava and Moriah. Lastly and most importantly, Miriam my
wife who has tolerated my obsession with writing this book for the past eight years. Miriam, your
unwavering support and patience has been the key to my ability to get to this point. Thank you!
Finally the Ribbono Shel Olam has brought us to this point and allowed me to put this together.
Hopefully I have fulfilled the purpose I was meant to achieve by publishing this book.
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PREFACE
By Miriam Schwab
Ralph Schwab was your typical South African citizen. He worked hard to support his family and raise
his son, Norman, to be a principled and responsible man. He was also active in the Jewish community,
Chairman of the first Reform temple in Johannesburg.
Norman knew that his father was originally from Germany, and that his grandparents and uncle had
been killed by the Nazis. But details were scarce, as Ralph rarely spoke about his past and conducted
himself like most other South African fathers. Yet Norman vividly recalls how every Sunday, his father
would put on dress clothes and a bow tie, position himself in front of his typewriter, and write letters.
He wrote for hours, but what he wrote was unknown.
Tragedy befell the Schwab family when Ralph was hit by a car and killed in 1971. His letters were
forgotten, abandoned on a shelf in the family garage for over thirty years, until the end of 2009.
The Discovery
Daniel Schwab, Normans son, moved to Israel in 1995. In 2008, he found himself spending more and
more time in South Africa for business. He welcomed the opportunity to get to know his family again
after ten years apart. One day, Daniel was in his parents garage and noticed some boxes that didnt
seem to fit the general theme of the work tools stored there. Curious, he opened them to see what
they contained.
What he found would affect his identity in profound ways. Letters, well over 2,000 of them, written
in German, French and English, telling the stories of Ralphs family, friends, and of the Jewish
community of their home town, Hanau, as they struggled with the new reality of Nazi Germany. Not
only that, the letters also documented Ralphs determination after the war to discover what had
happened to those he loved. Ralph had made carbon copies of almost every letter he wrote, and had
kept the letters he had received in return. The letters contain descriptions of day-to-day life, such as
the preparations for his brother Hans Bar Mitzvah, as well as the efforts he made to help his family
escape Nazi Germany. The letters include communication with governments and humanitarian
organisations, such as a rejection letter from the South African government refusing his family
permission to immigrate, and letters from and via the Red Cross related to his parents and brother.
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A dedicated team of translators and researchers has now been working on the letters for nine months,
and Ralphs story though by no means yet complete has begun to emerge. In this booklet we have
included some of the details that will be of interest to his family and to those who knew him.
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FOREWORD
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Page 7
THE LETTERS
Writing about ones family history is not necessarily a simple pursuit, particularly if those who know
the facts are no longer alive to tell their stories. So why have I decided to take on such a complicated
project? Although its difficult for me to pinpoint the precise motive behind my burning desire to write
a book about my family, there are several contributing factors:
Firstly, as an immigrant to Israel and during my business travels around Europe and the United
States, almost everyone Ive met has had no prior reference to me or my family. So many of these new
encounters started either with the question Are you related to Charles Schwab1 the famous stock
broker? or if the person was a Torah Observant Jew Are you related to the famous Rabbi Shimon
Schwab2? (of the Khal Adat Yeshurun congregation3 in Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York).
Living in Israel in particular Ive met quite a few people who know other Schwabs and have asked
me if we might be related.
My usual answer has always been that I dont actually know, but I do have a family tree that goes
back 15 generations on the Schwab side, and that one day Ill have to do some research to see whether
there may be a connection. Well, as it turned out, that one day actually fell into my lap without
warning.
Although Ive carried the name Schwab from my fathers side of the family all my life and in fact
my grandfathers name Ralph is one of my middle names until now Ive known very little about my
fathers side of my family. My grandfather Ralph died before I was born, and I was only three years
http://www.schwabfoundation.org/About-CHSF/Charles-Schwab.aspx
2http://www.ishiur.com/Speakers/P1/Schwab-Ztl-Shimon-7.html,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shimon_Schwab, see also: Email

correspondence with Rabbi Schwabs eldest son: On Wed, Jan 6, 2010 at 12:01 AM, Moses Schwab wrote:
> Dear Daniel: Thank you for your Genealogical Table which is very interesting. However, I doubt if we are related. The name Schwab
occurred quite commonly among Jews in southern Germany A/K/A Schwaben. In fact, many non-Jews whose families originate from
Schwaben also carry that name. To the best of our knowledge, the Schwabs that we descend from came from Ulfeld, Bavaria. The earliest
record we have is of one Moses von Schwaben born in 1690 who lived in Ulfeld. I am attaching a listing of his descendants with some data
of their lives through my father, Horav Shimon Schwab, ZTL. All of these descendants lived in Frankfurt. I am my parents eldest son, named
after my fathers grandfather, Moses (Lob) Schwab, and was born in Darmstadt, Hessen, Germany in 1932. We emigrated to the USA in 1936
from Ichenhausen , Bavaria, where my father was the Bezirksrabbiner (District Rabbi). I was four years of age when we left Germany, so I
have no personal recollections of Frankfurt. I hope this information is helpful to you. Best regards, Moses L. Schwab Brooklyn, New York.
The community most credited for the continuation of the pioneering philosophy, referred to as Torah im Derech Eretz (loosely
translated as combining deep study and practice of the oral and written Torah with general studies), of Rabbi Shimson Raphael Hirsch,
the famous Orthodox Rabbi of the 1800s, during the enlightenment period. Re. the Khal Adat Yeshurun congregation , see also:
http://www.kajinc.org/index.php?page=History
3
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old when my grandmother died. My own father, Norman, is an only child except for his half-brother
(Louis Prades) from his mother's previous marriage, who lived in England and was ten years older
than my father. Though we heard about him and he always made sure to be at important family events
(and always brought the best presents!), the relationship was quite distant.
Then there was Louise Hack, my fathers step-sister from Ralphs second marriage, and her family.
Here again, wonderful people, but as is common with step-family, I always felt some distance. It seems
that from an early age I recognised the difference between blood-relations and distant family. But my
feeling that something was missing was down to more than just that: there always seemed to be a
gaping hole in my familys collective memory of its own history.
Perhaps my interest in our heritage was stirred by the large and impressive family tree that hung
at the entrance to my parents home. I used to gaze at this family tree but never really understood it.
It had been prepared by my grandfather Ralph and always fascinated me, but that was all I never
knew the real story behind it. Who were these people? Why did he make it? What did he have to do
to find out the details?
Or perhaps it was the painting of one of my ancestors, with beard and yarmulke, looking down on
me, but without a name or a history, that gave me this sense of unanswered questions about my
familys past.
Whenever I asked my father about his family, the usual response was Grandpa came from
Germany and most of his family was killed in the Holocaust That was all. Though I never really did
anything about it except to keep on asking the same questions again and again this black hole
remained, and in hindsight it seems to have built in me a strong desire to know more about my
familys roots. Although I found the absence of information strange, I let the topic rest, because the
usual stresses of life were much stronger than my curiosity about my family history. Or perhaps my
journey towards a deeper understanding of Judaism offered me an outlet to this curiosity.
***
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At age 344, during an extended stay at my parents' house at 5 Watson Road Glenhazel, Johannesburg,
South Africa, I found a box of my grandfather Ralphs possessions. In the box there were thousands of
his letters, still wrapped in the original paper and string. It seems that no one read the letters since
Ralph had died in 1971 in a hit-and-run car accident. So, despite a busy schedule, and perhaps because
of it, I decided to spend a few hours of a typical lazy South African Sunday finding out what was in the
letters.
As I read, and began to learn more and more details about my grandfather and his life, several
things became clear in my mind: firstly, I realized that my grandfather had written letters consistently
over most of his adult life, and secondly, I realised that I had come across a potential gold mine of
information about my "Schwab family history the missing piece if you will. It turned out that as
my father then opened up and told me every Sunday Grandpa Ralph would dress up in a suit with a
bow tie and type letters, but it seems he never really shared the contents of these letters with anyone,
even his only child my father.
There was now no doubt in my mind that Id found a treasure of historical information. All I had to
do was dig a little. Unfortunately most of the letters were written in German so it was almost
impossible to know the contents of the letters. I started scanning the letters and noticed the dates of
the letters go back to the mid 1930s. For example, it turned out that in the 1930s Ralph had known a
lady by the name of Iris Braby, of Hatfield, England. From the letters it seemed possible that this Mrs
Braby had been instrumental in helping Grandpa Ralph to escape Europe, and had made tremendous
efforts to get Grandpa Ralphs parents and brother out of Germany after it became evident what the
Nazis had in store for the Jews. Alas those efforts did not bear fruit; nevertheless Grandpa did seem
to credit Mrs Braby with his own successful escape from the European territory that Hitler could
potentially have occupied.
Though the majority of the letters were in German5, some were in English, so I began to scan those
letters to try to glean some information that might be of interest. During those few hours I learned a
few facts about Grandpa Ralph.
(in 2009)
Thanks to Gundula Kreuzer and Miriam Trinh for their advice on translations from German.
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1) He was extremely organised. He had typed and filed almost every letter, thousands of them, and
he had carefully stored every letter sent to him.
2) He had made copies of each of the letters he wrote no mean feat in the time before
computerized word processors.
3) His English was truly excellent, despite the fact that he had been exposed to the language only
later in life. His spelling, grammar, and vocabulary were all of an extremely high standard.
4) Despite my father and mother having described Grandpa Ralph as a very tough person, the
letters revealed a far more complex personality, someone who cared dearly about his only son,
showing affection for him and pride in his excellent school results.
5) He had written hundreds of letters seeking to find his relatives with whom he had lost touch
during and after the war, going to great lengths to seek them out despite being situated in deep, dark
Africa.
6) The realisation that his parents, Max and Martha, and his younger brother Hans Ferdinand, had
perished at the hands of the brutal German Nazis had caused him great pain and anxiety.
7) He had invested a large amount of time and effort in recovering the property the Nazis had
stolen and expropriated from his family members, and in so doing appeared to have taken on the role
of family representative for his surviving cousins, aunts and uncles, without any clear or guaranteed
financial benefit for himself. Had he volunteered for this role, or was he appointed by the family?
Perhaps the rest of the letters will reveal the story.
What struck me most, however, was the detailed descriptions of his life in South Africa in some of his
personal letters. He writes about Safari trips he took with my father, Norman, his voluntary
community work, and his efforts to build up his business in entomology, a field that was only just
getting off the ground in South Africa at that time. Where had he found the strength to be so positive
and industrious? Yes, he may have been a very hard person (as family members described him), but
was that really him? Was there another, deeper layer to his personality that he revealed only through
his letters?
With the luxury of a third generation perspective (being removed from direct contact with Ralph),
I thought to myself; Heres a young man in his mid-twenties, who flees the horrors of Germany, where
he had been making a successful life for himself (already being a leader of a Jewish youth
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organisation6 and part of a family with deep German roots), who leaves his parents and brother, loses
all his immediate family in the Holocaust plus aunts, uncles and cousins and he not only bounces
back, marries and builds a family, but becomes a major contributor to South African society and to
the Jewish community. He had worked for the Bnai Brith association, the Union of Progressive Jewish
communities in Johannesburg, and for professional organisations connected to entomology and the
South African railway, among others. Despite the strain of this busy professional and religious life, his
concern for his son Norman runs through many of his letters, and whenever he gets a chance he
mentions Normans development and growth. Also in his letters, Grandpa Ralph demonstrates
interesting insights into world politics, with references to the aftermath of the war in Europe, conflicts
in the Middle East and in other parts of the world.
***
Below are just of some the questions I started out with while discovering the contents of my
grandfathers letters:
1) Given my personal journey from Reform to Orthodox Judaism, was anyone in my family a Torah
Observant Jew?
2) Since I grew up without any cousins or grandparents from my dads side, are there any living
ancestors with a direct connection to my fathers side of the family?
3) What did Max do in the Great War to be honoured by the German government for bravery7?
4) What was the restitution that my grandfather received?
5) How did Ralph feel about Germanys efforts to provide compensation to its victims?
6) What were Ralphs views about Judaism, Germany, Israel, the Holocaust, Nazis, the future etc.?
One or two of these questions have been answered as the translation and reading of the letters
progresses, and layer-by-layer the story of the Schwabs is being revealed. However, the wealth of
information in the letters has surpassed even my greatest expectations, and as a result, countless new
questions have arisen. Im therefore delighted that Dr Shirli Gilbert, a South African historian and
expert on the Holocaust who teaches at Southampton University, England, has seen potential in the
letter collection not just for a booklet for Ralphs friends and family, but for a professionally
researched and written account of his story in the wider context of the Holocaust and South African
See Pinkas, Kehilot Yehudai Germania

http://digital.cjh.org:1801/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=242195 , Hirsch, Claus, German-Jewish Solders in World War I
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history. Dr Gilbert completed writing the book and it will be published in May 2017 by Wayne State
University press.
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HANAU HISTORIAN
Max Schwab (Ralphs father) was a proud son of Hanau and a very keen member of Hanaus
Historical Society. He researched, wrote and published numerous articles on the towns history.
Article by Max Schwab in the Hanau Magazine, a monthly newsletter on local history, on the
contributions made by Jews to the German side in the Freiheitskrieg (The War of the Sixth
Coalition, 1813-1814)8.
ARTICLE 1
Ref. 170, file 1
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Article that appeared in the year that was section of the Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper
about Max Schwabs historical research on the contribution of Hanau Jews to the defence of
the town in 1813. The photo9 is from 1942, showing Jews in Hanau with yellow stars stuck to
their jackets being forced to clear snow from the streets.
ARTICLE 2
Ref. No. 177, file 1
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ILLUSTRIOUS FAMILY HISTORY 10

Family history was important to Max Schwab, and for good reason. The ancestors of the Schwabs who
lived in Hanau in the 1930s first arrived in the town centuries before. Many Schwabs had lived, died
and were buried in Hanau. Max was extremely proud of his familys connection to Hanau and to
Germany, and of the contribution he and his predecessors had made to the local community. Even
before Ralph left Germany in 1933 it seems that Max had been compiling a family tree. As the
persecution of the Jews in Germany intensified, Max wrote to Ralph to ask him to continue this work.
21st November 1934: Max in Hanau, Germany to Ralph in Belgium

...The family tree Ive been able to make [...] is 10 times bigger and copying it is very time
consuming, so this will have to be done at a later stage [...] I hope that my sons continue the family
tradition Ive cared for, and do not lose any of the family tombstones that have been found. A
shovel and a chisel can do wonders! [...] Anyway, tradition and feelings for this type of thing is
something that a family must have otherwise it will not work! I have to leave something for you
and have often thought about this. Anyway, the family tree is an important part of it.
Cordial greetings,
Your father...
10
http://www.lbi.org/Stammbaum.html
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Max was not able, at the time, to send Ralph the actual scrolls he had already completed, just some
written notes that helped Ralph start over again, many years later.
In 1954, Ralph wrote a letter to Dr. E.D. Goldschmidt of the Archive for Jewish Family Research
requesting information on the famous rabbi the Marahil. In the letter Ralph says he is researching his
ancestors and has established that he is descended from this rabbi. A handwritten note added to the
bottom of this letter says the following:
...Norman expects to celebrate his 13th birthday in Sept. this year. I want to incorporate as much
information as possible on this scroll, which I want to present him with on this occasion...
Today, this same scroll is proudly displayed in the home of Maxs grandson, Norman Schwab.
Schwab Family Tree
All male direct descendants of the family mentioned herein were born and domiciled in Hanau on
...Ralph finished the scroll

and we have it on our wall in the
entrance to our home.
He
finished it up to what he knew

before he died in 1971. It is now
for my generation and then
Daniel and Tzion to carry on the
tradition... Norman Schwab
LETTER 1
Main, Germany, with the exception of the first, who seem to have settled there some years before his
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death, having arrived from the south of Germany (Schwaben). The surname of the family is derived
from this fact, and the house that his son built, No. 10 Judengasse [Jews Alley], later No. 11
Nordstrasse, was called Zum Schwaben.
THE SCHWAB FAMILY TREE
The family can trace its ancestry back to the MAHARIL Rabbi Jekuthiel Halevi born 1290, died approx.
1350, who was the father of Moses ben Jekuthiel HaLevy Molln, died in Mainz 1390, who was Rabbi
in Mainz and wrote Ordin and Responsa in 1369, 1381, and 1386. MAHARIL R. JEKUTHIEL (Jacob
Siegal), Simon R. Zelmelin of Erfurt, Simhah, Bonlin or Bonchin.
MArenu HArow Rabbi Jacob ben Moses ha-Levy Moelln Mahari Segal Mahari Moelln Molin also
called Jacon Billn Most Pious Rabbi Illustrious Rabbi of Mayence, born between 135565,
Greatest Authority of his Time Member of Rhenish Academy Founder of Seminary Mainz Maharil,
and his teacher Rabbi Shalom of Austria (Wiener Neustadt), were the first to bear the title. He
succeeded his father as Rabbi of Mayence in 1390. His chief works were:
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MINHAGIM (Sefer Maharil); first published in Sabionetta in 1549.
RESPONSA (233 in number); printed in Venice in 1556.
BIURIM TO YOREH DE'AH manuscript.
During the Hussite Wars he ordered a seven-day fast throughout Germany in September 1421.
He first married the daughter of Rabbi Moses Neumark Cohen (Katz) of Verona (Baronna?). It is
unclear whether they divorced or the wife died. Second marriage was to a Gimchen, a widow, the
daughter of Rabbi Abraham, who died in Cheshvan 1425.
MAHARIL was Rabbi of Worms, Germany, and died there on 21 Elul 1427.
Direct line to Rabbi Maharil emigrated from Spain to Worms and Mainz in approximately 1250. See
Encyclopaedia Judaica. The following is the direct chain of the Schwab family through the generations.
Each number refers to the patrilineal link:
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Rabbi Avrohom Family

1) Morenu Raw Rabbi Avrohom The pious Rabbi;
died in [5365], 1605
2) Morenu Raw Rabbi Schmuel Ben Avrohom Bikrach

Schwab Urchos The Wonderer; died [5397], 1636
3) Morenu Raw Rabbi Joseph Hazaddik Bikrach

(Schwab); died [5432], 1672 OR Alexander Suesskind
Ben Schmuel; died [5432], 1672
Ascher ben Alexander Family

4) Rabbi Ascher ben Alexander Suesskind; died [5442], 1682
5) Morenu Raw Rabbi Hachover Samwil ben Ascher Bikrach

(Tax Collector); died [5487], 1727
Feiel, daughter
of Schmuel
Umstadt; died
[5498], 1738
6) Morenu Raw Rabbi Alexander Suesskind; died

[5518], 1758
Chaje - died
[5484] August
1724
Morenu Raw
Jaune Bikrach
died [5506],
17461
1. Chaje may have had another child
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Joseph ben Panross Family

Bilha1 - married
18.10.1767; died [5556],
September 1796
Second marriage Henriette Scheuer of

Offenbach; born 1773;
died [5617], 11.4.1856
7) Joseph ben Panross

(Parness Manhig), Morenu
Raw Rabbi Joseph
Suesskind, died [5551],
1791
8) Samwil Joseph2 born

1775, died [5601],
2.7.1840
Morenu Raw Rabbi

Suesskind ben Rabbi
Joseph
First marriage - daughter

of Loeb Elias Reiss Dower
Tauv of Frankfurt on
Main
1. daughter of Jonas Schwab (Painter of porcelain pendants and miniatures)

2. Haberdasher, purveyor to H.R.H. Prince Elect Wilhelm of Hesse
Alexander Samuel Family

Married
(2.12.1848)
Jeanette3
Hachenburger4
born Darmstadt
13.4.1827, died
Hanau 26.5.1904
Gotha (born
1854, died
1936)
9) Alexander Samuel (Picture Gallery owner &

antiques trader). Born 6.4.1814. Died [5642],
11.1.1881
child (unknown
name)
Abraham
Schwab5 died
1922/23)
10) Samuel
Alexander1.
born
16.10.1851;
died Dresden2,
28.1.1917
1. wholesale tobacco trader and later wholesale jeweller

2. buried in Hanau plot 248a
3. Her parents were Abraham Hachenburger (Musician) born Darmstadt 1778, and mother Rebecca Moses, born June 1792
4. Haberdashery
5. Wholesale jeweller who moved to Berlin
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Gotha Fleischmann Family
Gustav Fleischmann2,3,
born in Hanau on
14.4.1894
Ernest Fleischmann
born in Frankfurt
7.12.1924; died USA
June 2010
Gotha
Mayer Fleischmann
born in 1851; died in
1913
Adolf Fleischmann1 born 20.03.1892.

killed on 30.12.1938
in Dachau Nazi
Camp4
Jettchen5 or Alex or Rosel

born on 17.7.1884 or
2.10.1886 or 28.7.1888,
killed by Nazis during WW2,
1943 Lodz, Poland
Kurt Fleischmann
born Frankfurt on
Main 9.8.1930
1. Prior to WWII he lived in Frankfurt on Main,

Germany
2. Immigrated to South Africa
3. Married Toni Koch
4. Based on a List of victims from Germany found in
the Gedenkbuch - Opfer der Verfolgung der Juden
unter der nationalsozialistischen Gewaltherrschaft in
Deutschland 1933-1945, Bundesarchiv (German
National Archives), Koblenz 1986
5. Prior to WWII she lived in Frankfurt am Main,
Germany
Ernest Fleischmann Family
Ernest Fleischmann (famous

conductor) born in Frankfurt
7.12.1924
Stephanie
Martin
Elsa Leviseur
ended in
divorce
Jessica
http://theforgottenletters.org/fleischmann-connection/
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Samuel Alexander Family

Rosa Schwab
married
Siegfried
Tuteur
(import
agent), was
born
21/12/1881,
deported by
Nazis in
1940 to
Clairac,
France
(Pyrenees)
Lived in
Heidelberg,
Germany at
the time of
her death in
1967
10) Samuel Alexander1, born 16.10.1851, died

in Dresden, 28.1.1917; buried in Hanau plot
248a
Kaufmann
Alexander
Schwab
Helene
Demuth
11) Max
Israel
Schwab
Married (13.2.1877)
Regina Recha Hanau born
in Frankfurt a/M
12.8.1858 and died in
Hanau 9.10.1911.
Erna Heymann
perished in
1944 in
Theresienstad,
Czechoslovakia
3.
4.
5.
6.
1. wholesale tobacco trader and later wholesale jeweller

2. Regina's parents were Jacob Moses Halevi Hanau (Teacher of
Religion) who was born 7.4.1807 and died 4.7.1894 (Jacob Moses'
father was Moses Jacob Halevi Hanau who died in Offenbach
29.7.1828) and Helene Scheuer born 11.9.1812 and died 3.10.1868.
Helene's parents were Herz Scheuer (born Offenbach 1766 and died
6.10.1840 and mother Judith Meyer (born Offenbach in 1773 and
died 25.1.1843. Regina had 6 other brothers and sisters
Based on a List of victims from Germany found in the Gedenkbuch - Opfer der Verfolgung der Juden unter
der nationalsozialistischen Gewaltherrschaft in Deutschland 1933-1945, Bundesarchiv (German National
Archives), Koblenz 1986
According to Terezinska Pametni Kniha/Theresienstaedter Gedenkbuch, Terezinska Iniciativa, vol. I-II
Melantrich, Praha 1995, vol. III Academia Verlag, Prag 2000, Erna was born 24/07/1886. Exact date of
death was 14/03/1944. Transport XII/2 from Frankfurt am main to Terezin on 02/09/1942. Spoke Czech
Lived in 66 Alcock Road, Alcock Home Shangahai, China, Stammbaumm, Issue 10, December 1996, page 9
Her last address was Giro-Kto. 16177 Bez. Sparkasse Heidelberg
Max Schwab Family

Martha Sarah
Hausmann
11) Max Schwab was born 21st February 1878, in Hanau died in
18.2.1942 in Oranienburg/Sachsenhausen concentration camp; reinterred to graveyard in Hanau next to his mother and fathers grave.
He was a merchant and married Martha Sarah Hausmann
) Rudolph Erwin
Alexander Schwab
Hans Ferdinand
Schwab
13) Norman
2nd Edition
Page 23
Elias Hausmann Family

Elias Hausmann (Drapery
in Worms, born in
Moellsheim/Rhein) and
died 22.1.1927
Johanna (nee Stern)

married to Elias. born
in Ingelheim 17.5.1862
Killed by Nazis in
Poland in 1941. Lived
in Worms, Germany
Martha
Sarah
Hausmann
daughter Lotte born

13.2.1921 in Worms and
deported by Nazis to Lodz,
Poland; killed there 1941
Alice born in Worms on

1.3.1894 married Oskar Frank.
Both deported by Nazis to
Poland and killed there in
1941 During war she lived in
Cologne, Germany
Walter Hoexter (Ralphs first

cousin) (son of Ella and Mor
Hoexter) born in 20.9.1921,
imprisoned by Nazis in 1936
perished in Auschwitz, Camp
Ella Hausmann born

on 18.1.1890 and
married to Mor
Hoexter. Immigrated
to Sao Paulo, Brazil
(Mor was a scrap
metal merchant).
Ella had two children
and died 16.1.1939
Reny (Irene) Levy born in

Frankfurt on Main, immigrated
to Brazil married Kurt Levy in
September 1945, divorced in
1951. Second marriage in 1951
to Rudi Wormser
Ralph & Rachel Schwab Family

12) Rudolf (Ralph) Erwin Alexander
Schwab born in Hanau on 21.10.1911.
Left Germany in 1936. Died 23.3.1971
13) Norman Samuel

Schwab was born in
Johannesburg South Africa
on 7.9.1942
Lori Ann born in

Johannesburg on
26.9.1970.
2nd Edition
Ricci Lee born in

Johannesburg on
24.10.1972. Ricci
married Craig
Warwick Lyons
born
Johannesburg
18.6.1970
Carol Lynn Matus on the

25.2.1968. born in Johannesburg,
South Africa on 5.3.1946
14) Daniel Brian

Ralph Schwab
born JHB
16.9.1975
Married
Rachel
Feinberg
18.11.1939.
Rachel born in
Pretoria on
18.5.1903,
first husband
(David
Prades), had
son Louis
Trevor Prades,
who was born
Pretoria
23.5.1932.
divorced
13.9.1951
Page 24
Ralph & Miriam Schwab Family

12) Ralph
Erwin
Alexander
Schwab
Second marriage to
Miriam Mandelstam
David Mandlestam
who was born
24.3.1946
Ingrid born
23.9.1960
Louise born
23.9.1936
married Sidney
Hack (Architect)
Jonathan
June born
15.6.1931 and
divorced
Barney in 1964
Gideon
Susan born
3.10.1953
Norman Schwab Family

13) Norman Samuel Schwab was
born in Johannesburg South Africa
on 7.9.1942
Lori Ann born in

Johannesburg on
26.9.1970.
2nd Edition
Ricci Lee born in

Johannesburg on
24.10.1972. Ricci
married Craig
Warwick Lyons born
Johannesburg
18.6.1970
Carol Lynn Matus on the 25.2.1968. born in

Johannesburg, South Africa on 5.3.1946
14) Daniel Brian Ralph

Schwab born JHB
16.9.1975
Page 25
Daniel Schwab Family
14) Daniel Brian Ralph Schwab

was born in Johannesburg
16.9.1975
15) Tzion
Aryeh
born
Jerusalem
29.8.1998
Reut
30.3.2000
Ayelet
Hashachar
08.05.2002
Sarah
21.07.2004
Miriam Esther Levenstein

born in Toronto Canada on
19.5.1976 parents are Jack
and Etta (Rosenzweig)
Levenstein
Tifferet
31.12.2006
Chava
19.11.2009
Ricci and Lori Families

Ricci & Craig Lyons
Eden (Rachel) born

JHB SA born
21.5.2007
Cameron Jess
(Devorah) born JHB
SA
21.5.2007
Tana (Arielle) born
JHB SA
Lori & Martin

Frank
Joshua born
in Sydney
Australia,
born
11.6.2004
Kira Lee
born in
Syndey
Australia,
born
15.1.2011
21.5.2007
2nd Edition
Page 26
GROWING UP IN GERMANY
So far, the letters have produced relatively few clues telling us what sort of childhood Hans and Ralph,
or Rudi as he was known then, experienced in Hanau. Most of the letters in which Ralph does talk
about his earlier years were written after the war. In the letters Ralph shared with his loved ones
before and during the war, there were more pressing matters namely emigration to discuss, and
little time for reminiscing. The only hints we get as to what day-to-day life in Nazi Germany was like
for Hans are in the notes he sometimes added to his parents correspondence with his older brother.
HANS FERDINAND SCHWAB BAR MITZVAH SUITE
PHOTO 2
2nd Edition
PHOTO 1
Page 27
Hans Ferdinand, Hanau, Germany to Ralph, Johannesburg (sent before 1941)

Dear Rudi,
I was very pleased with your kind letter. I take private English lessons now. The teacher taught
me a lot in just one hour and was satisfied with me. In my opinion only four professions come into
question for me, namely: locksmith, carpenter, electrician and specialist mechanic. Please write
to me with your opinion about this. When are you able to let me come? Do you think Ill first have
to start as an apprentice, or will I have to go to school for one more year? During the holidays I
went swimming a lot with my friend. Im able to dive from the 2-meter board now. One evening,
just when I wanted to ride home, I had a flat tyre, so I had to push. Today there was a fire in the
glue- factory. The fire was extinguished by the fire brigade of Hanau and Frankfurt.
How many inhabitants does Springs have? Since I dont know of any more news for today, I remain
with cordial greetings and kisses. Your loving. Brother Hans
P.s. Many thanks for the stamps, I was very happy with them. By shipping post you soon will receive
a lot of German and Italian stamps.
2nd Edition
Page 28

Hans school leaving certificate translated into English, presumably in preparation for
emigration11.
We know that Max had a wide range of interests and participated in many clubs and societies.
Presumably he shared these interests with his sons. In Hanau, Max was a member of the Historical
Society, the Zoological Society, the Gymnastics Club, and the Stamp Collection Society, among others.
11
Ref. No. 33, file 1
2nd Edition
Page 29

His enthusiasm for stamp collecting was confirmed in this email sent to Daniel Schwab (Maxs great
grandson) by William Schwabe, regarding the discovery of Ralphs letters.
On Tue, Jul 27, 2010 wrote:12

...I was born in Hanau in 1923 and lived there until my parents, my sister and I
emigrated in 1938, literally on the last train out of Nazi Germany. Of course, some
years have gone by and my memories are not as vivid as they would have been some
years earlier.
Your great grandfather was known as Max Schwab - thus apparently the name of the
family was changed. Hanau had a Walloon church which I saw in 2002 when, like you,
I was invited by the Mayor of Hanau as an ex-citizen. Your great-grandfather lived in
a house at the south-western corner of the church plaza.
Your grandfather, Rudolf, (I remember him as Hans) was an occasional playmate. I
heard that he left for South Africa. Your great-grandfathers house was recognizable
by a large wooden door, the top of which was oval in shape.
Max Schwab was very proud to show me his vast postage stamp collection. It was
housed in a file cabinet and as Max pulled out the drawers I grew with envy because
I, too, collected stamps but my collection was insignificant compared to what he had
collected.
I recall that Max also had a coin collection. My grand uncle also had a collection of
gold coins and, therefore, I was interested in Maxs collection. As a 10 or 11 year old,
I looked at gold coins as beautiful but I did not appreciate their value.
The stamps, the coins, and many other items belonging to Max have disappeared. I
wonder whether you were able to achieve some restitution.
12
at 5:07 PM, <Wm500@aol.com>
2nd Edition
Page 30
Max was extremely proud of his service in the German army during World War I. His
medals were prominently displayed as well other patriotic items. I remember that the
Iron Cross first class was one of medals. Max insisted, and firmly believed, that the
Nazis would not touch him in recognition of his WWI service. Because of this, he
refused to take steps to secure a visa to flee. Of course, it turned out that his belief was
erroneous. I heard that he did not succeed to leave Germany and that he was
murdered as were the other Jews who remained in Hanau.
There were two distinct Jewish groups in Hanau; a very observant one and a very
liberal one. Dr Gradenwitz was the orthodox Rabbi. I believe Max Schwab was
an observant Jew - but of that I am not sure.
I saw your grandfather [Ralph] not as frequently as other friends, primarily because
he lived in the southern part of Hanau and I in the northern. I do, however, recall that
he and I canoed down the Kinzig River in a rented canoe. Perhaps he participated
when, surrounded by the-then existing German military tradition, we played soldier.
Of course, we had no idea at that time that as Jews we were different, nor what
soldiering was really like. Bicycles were our main means of transportation.
Automobiles were rare but there was a street tram which connected some parts of
Hanau...
In South Africa, Ralph encouraged his own son Norman to get involved in stamp
collecting, and thus sending a few stamps for Norman became a habitual part of Aunt
Rosa and Uncle Alexs (both of whom survived the war) correspondence with Ralph.
2nd Edition
Page 31
STAMP COLLECTION 1
After the war, when Ralph got back into contact with his old friend in Hanau, Karl Kipfer, his letters
mention some of the things he did for fun in his youth. For example, he and Karl talk a lot about a
fencing club of which they were both members (it turns out that Max was also keen on fencing and
supported this club too).
19th January 1948: Karl Kipfer, Langendiebach, Germany, to Ralph, Johannesburg, SA

...now perhaps youll be interested to hear a little about our fencing crowd. After all it was
you who made a fencer out of me, and I gladly admit that this sport has become my favourite
pastime; thanks to it I have spent many pleasant hours. It will give you satisfaction to know
that in the end, you brought out of me not a fencing dud, but rather a tournament fencer and
a trainer, whose blade was feared among the experts...
2nd Edition
Page 32
In other post-war letters between Ralph and Edgar Tuteur (a nephew of Ralphs Aunt Rosa on
her husbands side of the family), Edgar says he remembers being taken for rides on a fire truck
around Hanau. Records reveal that Ralphs grandfather, Samuel, and Max himself, were
volunteers in the local fire brigade.
Map of modern day
Hanau with Schwab
residences
demarcated.
MAP 1
30 May 1961: Ralph, Johannesburg, South Africa, to Edgar Tuteur, New York, USA:
...Yes I still remember that my Grandfather let you ride on a fire-truck, and my father also
often spoke about the pleasant times, which he spent with your family, when he came to
Hamburg on business. You may be interested to hear that I could still look up both their
records in the Hanau Fire Brigade [...] during my trip last year...
2nd Edition
Page 33

Lastly, we know that Ralph himself was a leader in a Jewish youth organisation in Hanau, which may
well be the reason why he attracted the attention of the Nazis so early on, and had to leave Hanau in
1933 or face arrest.
2nd Edition
Page 34
FIRST WORLD WAR BRAVERY

A theme that has come up again and again throughout Ralphs letter collection is that of Maxs
stubborn refusal to leave Hanau when so many others were fleeing, and the reasons behind his
determination to stay. Max was a proud German, who could not fathom that his motherland was
turning against him. Max had fought in the German in army in the First World War, even volunteering
to go to the front lines when he had the option of serving in a safer role. While serving he was captured
by the French and spent two years as a prisoner of war in France. He was subsequently decorated
with a medal for bravery, and after the war was extremely active in war veterans associations. The
excerpt below comes from a letter written by Ralph after the war, to a member of Hanaus city council
who was preparing a memorial book for Hanaus Jews:
Max Schwab in World
War 1 German Army
uniform
PHOTO 3
2nd Edition
Page 35

MAX SCHWAB IN WW1 GERMANY ARMY UNIFORM 1
1961: Ralph, Johannesburg, SA, to Oskar Schenk, Hanau City Council, Germany
... my father [...] served as a soldier in division 166 and volunteered on the first day of World
War 1 (I dont have the exact rank). Since his division was not sent to the front lines straight
away, he made every effort to get transferred to another division to increase his chances of
being sent to the front lines. He was concerned that he might not participate in the German
victory. His superiors did not allow him to go to the front because they did not want to lose a
soldier of my fathers calibre. In the end however he succeeded in being transferred to the
front lines in division 8/60. Since he knew French quite well after living in the French part of
Switzerland, he was posted into the French passes and soon after received a commander
position. In the battle of the Somme River in the spring of 1915, a French post was conquered
and he was subsequently taken prisoner of war. He arrived in the prison of Le Havre. He did
not say what the reason was and only returned to Germany in 1920...
The following words written by Max himself express a mixture of despair at being excluded from
fighting for Germany in the Second World War, and confusion and outrage at having been
rejected by the society and the military he had given so much of his life to. Nevertheless, he
affirms his undying loyalty to his country.
2nd Edition
Page 36
1939: Max, Hanau, Germany, to Ralph, Johannesburg, South Africa

... It is terrible for us, of course, that we are not permitted to fight for Germany in the war,
and I do not say that purely because as an old Company Commander of the former
Champagne Front I could never comprehend it, but rather, speaking in a completely
general sense. Because if you think this gives us any sort of advantage then you are gravely
mistaken. This reminds me of the motto the sons of England wrote on their banner: Right
or wrong, my country! This is still the way I think, and no one will hold this against me
for almost 2,000 years we have lived in Germany, 336 of those in Hanau these are not just
matters of arithmetic; the bones of our forefathers rest in peace in this earth, and G-d
willing they will continue to do so, and this earth is sacred to me, and I therefore pray for
an honourable peace that should leave no hatred in its wake! The fact that our family was
among the most respected citizens of this town, that I did everything to remain their equal,
and that I achieved the same level of success, what good does it do? That until 33 I
proudly carried the regimental flag in all the big parades, that I have been active in veteran
and military associations for over three decades, and that I never, not even for a moment, let
my sword knot from the battle of Champagne out of my grasp while I was a prisoner of war
(now I keep it with my medals and decorations) what does it matter? These are sacred
memories for me, myself, and they will come with me to the very last place in which I will live!
This is my only war trophy...
Max was not the only Schwab to have served Germany in the First World War. His brother, Alex (who
immigrated to Shanghai in 1939 and survived the war) was likewise decorated for bravery. The
astonishing thing about Alexs Cross of Honour was that it was awarded in 1936 in the name of the
Fuehrer and the Reich Chancellor. Yes, Alex Schwab, a Jew, was awarded a First World War medal in
the name of Hitler himself! And not only that: this happened three years after the Nazis had come to
power, when the persecution of the Jews, while not at its height, was nevertheless well underway.
2nd Edition
Page 37
Certificate stating that Alexander Schwab has been awarded the Cross of Honour for Front
Veterans13
13
Ref. No. 31, file 1
2nd Edition
Page 38

Jew who was decorated by Hitler this article about Alexs medal, which appeared in a South
African newspaper after the war, is among Ralph Schwabs papers.
2nd Edition
Page 39
HANAU AM MAIN, GERMANY 14

The earliest record of Hanau (today located about 25 kilometres east of Frankfurt in the German state
of Hesse) is dated 1143. At that time Hanau was the site of a castle belonging to the von Hanau noble
family. A village grew up around the castle and was officially recognised as the town of Hanau in 1303
(Photographs from Hanau15).
HISTORIC SPA OF WILHELMSBAD - TODAY
At
the
end
of
the
16th
century
Count
Philipp
Ludwig
II
allowed Protestant refugees from the Netherlands to found their own

settlement near Hanau, to which they brought their knowledge of jewellery
production. As a result of this tradition, Hanau is still a centre of training for
goldsmiths even today. 16 The new settlement these refugees founded was referred to as the
Neustadt or New Town and was merged with the rest of Hanau in the 19th century.
The Brothers Grimm, publishers of the famous Grimms Fairy Tales, were both born in Hanau in
the late 18th century. Moritz Daniel Oppenheim, a German painter regarded as the first Jewish painter
of the modern era, was also born in Hanau in 1800.
PHILIPPSRUHE PALACE OF HANAU
Hanau became a centre for the German democratic movement during the 19 th
century, and residents of the town made significant contributions to the
revolutionary movements against the traditional authorities of 1830 and 1848. Also
in 1848, the German Gymnastic League (Turnerbund) was founded in Hanau.17 18
14
Much of the information in this section has been sourced from Wikipedia.
15
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanau
Max Schwab, Ralphs father, made a living as a jeweler and diamond trader through his company Abraham Schwab & Co., registered
address 15 Franzoesischer Alle, Hanau am Main, see: Hanauer Juden, 1933-1945: Entrechtung, Verfolgung, Deportation, published by the
Evangelischer Arbeitskreis Christen-Juden Hanau, ed. Monika Ilona Pfeifer and Monica Kingreen, Hanau, Germany, 1998.
16
The letters and documents translated so far seem to suggest that Max Schwab and Ralph Schwab may have been associated with this
club, see in particular the newspaper article from 1962, ref. no. 169 in file 1 of the Yad Vashem archive of the letters, where it says:
Representatives of the gymnastics society, to whose fencing department Schwab gave particular support [] promised that the
deceaseds [Max Schwab] name would be remembered in their clubs.
17
The letters and documents translated so far seem to suggest that Max Schwab and Ralph Schwab may have been associated with this
club, see in particular the newspaper article from 1962, ref. no. 169 in file 1 of the Yad Vashem archive of the letters, where it says:
Representatives of the gymnastics society, to whose fencing department Schwab gave particular support [] promised that the
deceaseds [Max Schwab] name would be remembered in their clubs.
18
2nd Edition
Page 40

During the Second World War, Hanau was hit by air raids for the first time in 1944 and suffered
light damage. On the 6th January 1945, in an attack led by the British Bomber Command, and again on
19th March 194519, the inner city was almost completely obliterated. Only seven
houses were left standing. The March air raid took place just a few days before
the town was taken by the United States army. It remained a large U.S. army
garrison until 2008.
GERMAN HOUSE OF GOLDSMITHS (OLD TOWN HALL
LION AT THE PHILIPPSRUHE PALACE
Nowadays Hanau has a population of around 88,600. Many of its inhabitants

work in the technological industry or commute to Frankfurt. Frankfurt
International Airport is only 30 kilometres away.
Map of Hesse20 showing Frankfurt and Hanau, among other surrounding towns and villages.
In many of his post-war letters regarding the familys restitution claims, Ralph complains that the authorities and banks in Hanau may
be using the excuse that their records were burned during this air raid as a way of avoiding responsibility for their activities during the
Nazi period.
19
Where Once We Walked: A Guide to the Jewish Communities Destroyed in the Holocaust, Revised Edition, by Gary Mokotoff and
Sallyann Amdur Sack with Alexander Sharon (Teaneck, NJ: Avotaynu, Inc., 2002).
20
2nd Edition
Page 41
HANAU'S JEWS 21
As Max mentions in his letters to Ralph, he was proud to able to trace his ancestral lineage in Hanau
back more than 300 years. Indeed, there had been a Jewish presence in Hanau since the thirteenth
century. The towns Jews suffered persecution and expulsion during the medieval period (as was the
case for Jews throughout Germany), before enjoying the development and growth of the Jewish
emancipation. In the twentieth century, one of the first things Hitlers henchmen did after the Nazis
rise to power was to begin systematically dismantling the livelihoods and achievements of the Jews,
in preparation for removing them from German society altogether.
Hanaus Jews in the Middle Ages
Jews22 settled in the territory of the von Hanau nobles in the first half of the thirteenth century.
Reinhard of Hanau was one of the princes who pledged the kings peace in 1265, probably intending
thereby to protect the Jews living within his domain. In 1277 and 1286, King Rudolph made
assignments of the Jews of Hanau, and pawned the Jews of Assenheim, Mnzenberg, and Nidda; in
1300, King Albert disposed similarly of the Jews of Hanau, Windecken, Babenhausen, and Steinau;
and in 1310, King Henry VII. also concluded some transactions of a similar nature. In 1285, the Jews
of Wetterau emigrated with Rabbi Mer of Rothenburg to escape their German oppressors. The Jews
of Hanau also suffered in the general persecutions of 1337 and 1349. The 1349 pogrom, initiated by
the nobleman Graf Ulrich, claimed many Jewish lives and forced the survivors to leave Hanau. Jews
eventually returned at the end of the 14th century, but their numbers remained low, and in 1592 they
were expelled from the territory once more, only to return again in 1600.
Before 1603 there are only occasional references to Jews in the county of Hanau. Thereafter, Jews
began to contribute significantly to trade and finance in the town, and a Judengasse [Jews Alley] was
built next to the city walls.
Hebrew Printing in Hanau23
21
Numerous sources were consulted during the writing of this text: Alemannia Judaica: http://www.alemannia-judaica.de/index.htm; Synagogen
Internet Archiv: http://www.synagogen.info/; Lexikon der jdischen Gemeinde in Deutschen Sprachraum, Klaus Dieter-Alicke (Gtersloher
Verlagshaus 2008); Fhrer durch die Jdische Gemeindeverwaltung und Wohlfahrtspflege in Deutschland 1923-1933; The Encyclopedia of
Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust, Shmuel Spector (ed.) (Yad Vashem and New York University Press, 2001); Die Jdischen
Gemeinden in Hessen (Paul Arnsberg), Synagogen in Hessen (Thea Altaras); Hanauer Juden, 1933-1945: Entrechtung, Verfolgung, Deportation,
published by the Evangelischer Arbeitskreis Christen-Juden Hanau, ed. Monika Ilona Pfeifer and Monica Kingreen, Hanau, Germany, 1998.
22Much of the information in this section has been quoted from JewishEncyclopedia.com:
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=223&letter=H
For more information on the topic of Jewish printing in Hanau, see the excellent study by Stephen G. Burret, entitled Hebrew
Censorship in Hanau: A Mirror Of Jewish-Christian Co-Existence in Seventeenth Century Germany, University of Nebraska, Faculty
23
2nd Edition
Page 42

Jewish printing was rare in Germany before 1650. Between the Peace of Augsburg24 in 1555 and the
Peace of Westphalia25 there were only three Jewish presses active within Germany itself; one of them
was in Hanau. This Hebrew printing house was established in 1610. Sources differ as to the name of
its founder: either Jacob Hena or Mordechai ben Jacob (from Pressniz). This printing house operated
until 1630 when the Thirty Years War forced its shutdown. Michael Hanau opened a new printing
press in 1725, and another oriental printing house was opened in 1707. The famous Hebrew book
publisher, Seligman ben Hirz Reis, printed many Jewish books here in 1710.
Jewish Emancipation and Economic Success
When Count Philipp Ludwig II came into power he invited many wealthy Jews to his city (1603),
permitted them to build a synagogue, and gave them a definite legal status. In spite of the intolerance
of the Christian clergy the condition of the Jews was favourable, and continued to be so under the
successive governments of the Landgraf [Landgrave] of Hesse (1736), of France (1803), of the grand
duchy of Frankfort (1810), of Hesse (1813), and of Prussia (1866). In fact, during the French
occupation, Jews were permitted to live outside the Judengasse ghetto area and were given family
surnames.
Life steadily improved for Hanaus Jews. The community had a synagogue, a cemetery, a
bakehouse, a kosher slaughter-house, a hospital, and a shelter for the homeless (hekdesh), as well
as its own fire-engine and night-watchman. Many of its members made a living through moneylending, a profession subject to restrictions imposed by the authorities. Jewish property ownership
was also strictly regulated. Jews were becoming more integrated in the local population. Some even
joined local Germans to fight in defence of the town in the war of 1813-1815.26
The life of Moritz Daniel Oppenheim (1800-1882) reflects the new possibilities opened up to Jews
by the emancipation. Born in the Hanau ghetto, near Frankfurt, he was raised in a strictly Orthodox
Publications, Classics and Religious Studies Department, 1994, available online at:
http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1045&context=classicsfacpub
24
The Peace of Augsburg, also called the Augsburg Settlement, was a treaty between Charles V and the forces of the Schmalkaldic League, an
alliance of Lutheran princes, on September 25, 1555, at the imperial city of Augsburg, now in present-day Bavaria, Germany:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_of_Augsburg .
25
The Peace of Westphalia was a series of peace treaties signed between May and October of 1648 in Osnabrck and Mnster. These treaties
ended the Thirty Years' War (16181648) in the Holy Roman Empire, and the Eighty Years' War (15681648) between Spain and the Dutch
Republic: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_of_Westphalia
Max Schwab researched, wrote and published articles on the contribution of Hanaus Jews to the defence of the town in these wars; see
the chapter in this booklet entitled Hanau.
26
2nd Edition
Page 43

home, but his parents raised no objections to their sons artistic aspirations. Oppenheim received his
art training in Hanau, Frankfurt, Munich and Paris. From 1821 to 1825 Oppenheim lived in Rome,
which was then the European art centre. Having obtained the patronage of Adolph Rothschild on a
trip to Naples in 1823, Oppenheims career was launched. After his return to Frankfurt, his clientele
included the five Rothschild brothers and, through Goethe, the protection of the Grand Duke of SaxeWeimar. His fame later in life was based on his Scenes of Traditional Jewish Family Life. They were
popular in reproductions all over Europe. His career, therefore, marks a significant turning point in
the modern history of Jewish artists, since Oppenheim was the first to attain general prominence
while remaining an observant Jew throughout his life. Adolph Karl Rothschild was the third son of
Carl von Rothschild who led the Naples branch of the bank. Adolph Karl took over the leadership of
the bank in 1856, after his fathers death until the final closing of the branch in 186127.
In the twentieth century, certain Jewish families in Hanau began to enjoy great success. A Jewish
private bank Gebrueder Stern28 (or the Stern Brothers) was a major investor in Hanaus aspiring
industrial, commercial and diamond trading sectors. This bank was the cornerstone and primary
investor in the diamond business (in which Max Schwab made his living). The Stern Bros. bank was
eliminated soon after Hitler came to power. Other Jewish businesses in town included textile
manufacturers, cigar factories, an iron works, a silverware factory, butchers, bakeries, and restaurant
owners. Jews were also active in the local media, theatre, law and the municipal authorities.
Religious and Community Life
Hanaus first Jewish prayer hall was established in 1362. The Jewish cemetery was established in
1603 on Muehltorstrasse and was enlarged numerous times over the centuries.
A synagogue was built on the Judengasse (later renamed Nordstrasse) in 1608, renovated in 1845
and enlarged in 1922. It contained 350 seats and a separate classroom. A Jewish community hall was
established in the 18th century. This building had a meeting hall that accommodated 100 people, a
27
Entire paragraph quoted from the Centre for Jewish History, Digital Collections:
http://digital.cjh.org/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=108871&local_base=GEN01
28
The letters indicate that Ralph Schwab and his best German friend, Karl Kipfer, with whom he regained contact after the war, were both
employed in this bank prior to Ralphs escape from Germany.
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mikvah, living quarters for the Jewish schoolteacher, and classrooms. There was also a Jewish
elementary school that opened in 1890 on Nuernberger Strasse.29
Several clubs and associations contributed to the welfare of the community, among them a local
branch of the Central Jewish Welfare Association (opened in 1923), which distributed matzoth and
coal, and offered economic support to local as well as visiting Jews. There was also a burial society
(founded in 1650); a womens club (founded 1901), and a Jewish youth association.
The following scholars and rabbis of Hanau, some of whom directed the yeshiva, are particularly
worthy of note:
Naphtali b. Aaron Mordecai Schnaittach
David Cohn
Menahem b. Elhanan (d. 1636)
Jacob Simon Bunems (d. 1677)
Haggai Enoch Frnkel (d. 1690)
Maier Elsass (d. 1704)
Moses Brod (c.1720)
Israel b. Naphtali (d. 1791)
Moses Tobias Sondheim (d. 1830)
Samson Felsenstein (d. 1882)
Dr. Koref (successor of the preceding)
Dr. S. Bamberger (successor of the preceding)
The grammarian Solomon Hanau was born

in Hanau (in 1687)
Hitlers Rise to Power and the End of the Community

At the beginning of 1933 Hanau had approximately 600 Jewish residents, but that was soon to change.
When the Nazis came to power that year they quickly made their menacing presence felt. The antiJewish economic boycott of April that year was just a taste of the persecution and financial distress
Hanaus Jewish businessmen (and Jews in general) would face before Hitler implemented his Final
Solution. This was the year that Ralph Schwab fled Germany to escape arrest. For those Jews left
behind, life became tougher every day. Jewish businesses and properties were Aryanised (usually
by forcing the owners to sell at outrageously low prices) and Jews became increasing excluded from
The letters indicate that prior to Maxs death and Martha and Hans deportation they were forced out of their home and into communal
Jewish accommodation in a Jewish-owned community centre on Nuernberger Strasse. It seems likely that this Jewish school building was
their last home.
29
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sports associations, social clubs, and life in general. In Hanau, A private school was set up to
accommodate 32 Jewish children and four children from mixed marriages, all of whom were facing
exclusion from mainstream German schools. In this atmosphere, Jewish emigration from Hanau
steadily increased.
By the late 1930s anti-semitic actions and intimidation had become daily occurrences. In May
1938, the entrances to the synagogue on Nordstrasse where bricked up. The Jewish community had
great trouble finding a workman who was willing to take down the bricks, and the man who
eventually did so was later reprimanded by the Nazi authorities. In the Kristallnacht pogrom 30 of
November that year, the synagogue was burned down. Seven Torah scrolls were desecrated and torn
apart in public. Forty Jewish men were arrested and deported to Buchenwald. Private houses were
looted and demolished, as was the Jewish cemetery.
In the 1940s those Jews who had not managed to leave Hanau were deported to the East, along
with their Rabbi, Dr H. Gradenwitz. The vast majority of them perished there. Ralphs mother and
brother were among those deported and murdered. His father Max had already died in detention at
Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg concentration camp.
Rebirth
No survivors from Hanaus former Jewish community returned to the town after 1945, but by the
mid-1960s there were around 20 Jews living in Hanau again. A new Jewish congregation was
eventually established in 2005. A memorial has been erected at the site of the former synagogue. In
2010, memorial plaques dedicated to the towns murdered Jews were unveiled at the place where
Jews were rounded up for deportation. Two of Ralph Schwabs grandchildren, Daniel and Ricci, 31
attended the unveiling ceremony.
30
31
See chapter in this booklet entitled: The Kristallnacht Pogrom.

See chapter in this booklet entitled: Return to Hanau.
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FROM EUROPE TO SOUTH AFRICA
Having been tipped off by Karl Kipfer, a non-Jewish friend, that his arrest by the Nazis was imminent,
Ralph fled Germany. This would not be the last time that Karl would be of great service to the Schwab
family. Ralph then spent two or three years in Europe searching for a safe place to settle and rebuild
his life. He lived and worked in Belgium, the Netherlands and England. His letters from that period
and from later years show us that during that time he formed relationships, launched his own
business enterprises, and of course, kept in touch with his worried family back in Hanau.
Balmoral Castle, the ship on which
Ralph Schwab traveled from
Southampton to Cape Town in 1936
30th May 1961: Ralph Schwab, Johannesburg, to Edgar Tuteur, New York32
I am not a bank official any more either, which was my original work in Germany before the
Nazis. I had a varying and colourful career during the almost 20 years since leaving Germany,
as Dry Cleaning & Laundry Proprietor in Brussels, Bricklayer & Plasterer in Holland & when
I first came to this country, then started my own Building Contract business, and then became
a Wood Preservation Engineer & Consultant. Entomologist, which I am to this day. It was a
difficult life for the first 20 years since 1933, but I hope, that the next 20 years will be a bit
easier...
32
Group 6 YV no. 1961
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The certificate below is an entry in the Brussels Registry of Commerce from 1933, indicating
that Mr Rudolphe Schwab had established a launderette business in the city33.
33
Yad Vashem Ref. No. 18, file 1
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A copy of Ralphs Belgian residency permit from 193334
34
Yad Vashem Ref. 21, file 1
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3rd January 1949: Ralph Schwab, Johannesburg, to Karl Kipfer, Langendiebach, Germany 35
...My girlfriend in Brussels in 1934 made a first-class fruit spirit (similar to our Kirschwasser
[cherry brandy]), in a large preserving jar from four or five different types of berries and
other fruits over which she poured alcohol every day, and then left it standing in the kitchen
window the entire time to ferment more. Unfortunately she didnt survive the war either;
otherwise I would get the recipe from her for you. She disappeared, like so many others,
without a trace into a concentration camp.
In 1936, Ralph boarded a ship (Balmoral Castle) sailing from Southampton, England, to South Africa,
the country that was to become his second homeland. Some of the letters he wrote and received
during this period reveal a friendship with an Englishwoman, Iris Braby. It seems that Ms Braby may
also have tried at a later stage to help Ralph get other members of his family out of Germany.
35
YV file 8 ref no. 2583
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1936: Iris Braby, London, England, to Ralph Schwab, en route to South Africa36
Dear Rudolf Schwab,
I hope that the good luck that brought us together will follow you to South Africa. We shall
be anxious to know how you get on, and will look forward to letters from you.
I am very sorry indeed not to see you this evening, particularly as it is really goodbye. This is
only a little present, just a few cigarettes for your journey, but will you please accept them
with my very best wishes for your future?
I am very full of sympathy for you with so many difficulties to face but I know your courage
will carry you through.
It has been such a pleasure to meet you.
Bon voyage then, and every good wish from,
Yours sincerely,
Iris M. Braby
The letter below was sent to Ralph by his cousin Reny just before he embarked on his voyage
from Southampton. In the end Reny also managed to escape Germany and eventually settled in
Sao Paulo, Brazil. She and Ralph resumed their correspondence after the war.
36
YV File 3 ref. 596
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5th April 1936: Reny Hoexter, Frankfurt, Germany, to Ralph, in Europe preparing to
leave for South Africa
My dear Rudi,
As Ive heard you really are starting off, I couldnt fail to write to you at least once while
youre still on European soil. Unfortunately our correspondence completely subsided during
the last few months; I was always expecting to hear something from you in reply to my last
letter. So, dear Rudi, I wish you, from the bottom of my heart, a good arrival in a foreign
country. May good luck accompany you in all your enterprises, so that everything will go as
you wish. Its much easier for you because youve already been away for such a long time and
you know how things are abroad, and above all because youve learned a trade. I recently
received a message about South Africa saying that the trade you chose is very much in
demand there.
[...] I always think, regarding my many friends and relatives whove left during the last few
months (I dont have anyone here anymore) that one day well meet again, and today, dear
Rudi, I also think the same about you. So please be in touch as often as possible so that we
dont become too distanced from one another. Anyway, be well, and take my best and most
cordial wishes with you when you leave.
Wishing you a very good trip, and for today many warm wishes and kisses.
Yours, Reny.
During this period of new beginnings, wandering and great uncertainty, Ralph of course kept up a
correspondence with his parents and his brother Hans back in Germany. In these letters we get a
sense of the deep anxiety and foreboding that had enveloped his father and mother Max and Martha,
and of their concern that Ralph should settle in well in South Africa.
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3rd May 1936, Martha Schwab, Hanau, Germany, to Ralph Schwab, en route to South
Africa37
My dear boy,
All day long Ive been thinking about the large box that is carrying you minute by minute
further away from us. By now youve already been on your way for 10 days and I hope youve
had a fine voyage without any sea-sickness. How many beautiful things you must have
already seen and experienced. Youve probably passed through Madeira and we can expect
post from you any day now. [...] Ive read a lot of letters from Edith Boehr, who is doing
well over there [in South Africa]. [...] She writes: Rudi you must have no fear. You will get
here and well also be looking out for you in advance! I hope that you will soon succeed in
building a pleasant existence here and that youll feel happy. Edith writes that her parents
are packing and will soon go to her; then her happiness will be complete. In the meantime,
my dear boy, you will have landed there and written to us. We will write to each other all the
time by airmail so that it wont take too long. It would be lovely if you could send a telegram
when you arrive....
7th May 1936, Max Schwab, Hanau, Germany, to Rudolph Schwab, South Africa
Dear Rudi, Scholaum Aleichem! A cordial welcome to South African soil!
From your [...] messages from on board the Balmoral Castle we see that youve had a good
journey so far now and remain free from illness! Its not far now to Cape Town and to
Johannesburg. My card to Southampton, sent poste restante, will have reached you by now,
along with some other messages from there. In the meantime Ive been taking action on your
behalf and I dealt with the Director of Emigration Services of an organization that supports
Jewish immigrants [...] So Im giving you the address of the Union of Jewish Front Veterans in
37
YV File 3 ref 612
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Johannesburg and of the South African Jewish Service League, where you will be
recommended [...] all by airmail before you even arrive!...
22nd May 1936: Max Schwab, Hanau, Germany, to Rudolph, Johannesburg, South Africa38
Dear Rudi,
It has been a long time now since we heard from you and we all are really strained like an
open umbrella waiting for information about your new future and existence. Here and there
I meet people who, when they hear that you are travelling to Johannesburg, want to help by
providing addresses. As soon as I have some I will send them. Whether among them there
really are people who can help is something you must judge for yourself [...]
The sending of the Jews away from Germany continues more and more violently, the elderly
are dying away, in 10 years it will all be over! I hope there soon will be peace in Palestine!...
Although it is evident in Max and Marthas letters that Ralph was indeed writing to them during this
period (although perhaps not as often as they would have liked!) very few of the messages he wrote
while in Europe or on the journey to South Africa are in the collection. Perhaps Ralph had not yet
begun to make copies of his own letters, or the copies he did make were lost as he moved from
country to country.
38
YV file 3 ref. 620
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15th May 1936: Rudolph Schwab, Johannesburg, South Africa, to Martha and Max Schwab,
Hanau, Germany39
My dears,
I hope that in the meantime youve received my telegram as well as my letter from Cape
Town. It was like the "Story of 1001 Nights" when, after 14 days at sea during which we never
saw even a piece of land, we finally saw the lights of Cape Town that morning. It was really a
tremendous view when, shortly afterwards, the sun shone over this marvellous landscape. I
was one of the first to go to the immigration officer, who without delay gave me permission
to land...
39
YV file 3. Ref 618
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BALMORAL CASTLE SHIP MANIFESTO
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RUDOLPH BECOMES RALPH

In South Africa, Rudi as Rudolph had been affectionately known in Germany, became Ralph. To
some extent Rudi took on a second identity along with this new, more mature, English name. In his
everyday life, Ralph Schwab the English speaker was a stern yet devoted father, a hardworking South
African businessman, and a leading figure in Johannesburgs Jewish community. Rudi Schwab the
letter writer, on the other hand, was a German Jewish refugee, a grieving orphan, and to his surviving
older relatives a loyal nephew who struggled for well over a decade to get justice for the crimes
committed against his family in the Holocaust.
For years Rudi dealt with these issues through his typewriter, expressing his worries and pain only
in the letters he wrote. Those around him never knew more than the few details he shared: he had
escaped Germany, his parents and brother had been killed. As the picture becomes clearer through
the letters, the horror of what he must have experienced is revealed. The pain of leaving his family;
the fear of the unknown that lay ahead; the guilt that he did not succeed in convincing them to come
with him; the struggle to start a new life alone; the joy of raising his son, Norman. All this and more
are revealed in the letters.
In addition to these seemingly dual personality traits, Rudi also struggled with his Jewish identity. We
learn from the letters that Rudi often debated with Max the need for holding onto Jewish tradition. It
seems that during his twenties, Rudi drifted away from his Torah observant roots. Despite this he had
a tremendous respect for tradition and supported his parents' need to keep strictly kosher right up
until 1939 when the Nazi's were fiercely stripping Jews of their Jewish identity. The following letters
demonstrate by way of small acts, the effort it required and importance the Schwab family viewed the
need to keep kosher and honour the Jewish holidays. Although they never knew it at the time, these
acts would eventually be the reason they should be considered Jewish heroes and died a martyr's
death.
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Martha Schwab, Hanau, to Rudolph Schwab, Johannesburg 21st October 193740

My dear Rudi,
Although it is very late, I would not let your birthday go by without having written you some lines
as a sign that I remember you. Otherwise you would think I forgot you! We celebrated your
birthday at the Heg family who as you know was born on the same day as you, (unfortunately you
forgot to congratulate him) and ate cake and drank coffee in honour of your health.
Dear father [Max] is away since Sunday. He started in Mannheim and visited his dear sister. On
Tuesday morning he met Edgar Tuteur from Hamburg, a newly married bridegroom. Edgar came
from Hamburg and was engaged there with an apparently wealthy lady of good family with the
wedding planned for Christmas. We received a card from Stuttgart, where your father [Max]
meets Mine, drives to Nuernberg , Wuerzburg etc. Until now he has not yet announced any sales.
In the meantime we enjoy being alone and the quietness for good reason. Some days ago, the
confirmation of your payment for kosher meat arrived, as was mentioned in your letter of August
8th. I am sorry that you have to spend your money on that.
40
YV file 3. Ref. 628
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Max to Rudi (circa April, 1939)41

Dear Rudi,
We received your kind letter on March 29th and were happy to hear you are well. That is the
most important thing these days. Pesach (Passover) has arrived with its holy Seder evenings. We
will have the regular guests this year. With only a little kosher meat and the bare minimum I do
not know what will be. Above all else, thanks so much for the money which was used to buy a
pound of kosher meat.
41
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What more will be revealed in the letters? Only time will tell.
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Below are excerpts of two letters from 1967, almost the very last letters in the collection, in which
Ralph re-establishes contact with his cousin Armand in Canada after a break in correspondence of
many years. Note that Armand mentions Rudis new name:
9th April, 1967: Armand Demuth, Montreal, Canada, to Ralph, Johannesburg, South Africa
Dear Rudi (or Ralph as you call yourself now). This was indeed a lovely letter which we have
received last week for which we thank you very much. And, of course your life story has
interested us as you can imagine. [...] Of course you can correspond in English, and when your
letter came here in German, dear Helen read it while I was still in the office, and, believe me she
could understand every word of it. To use her own words: If it is typewritten I can understand,
but when somebody writes by hand (as I do) then she is at a loss! In fact she studied German
while at the university and that is it. In the meantime I studied French, Spanish and of course
English and I am also still able to speak and write German. You are, as I could see still very good
in your mother tongue...
Ralphs response:
17th April, 1967: Ralph, Johannesburg, to Armand Demuth, Montreal, Canada
...It is many years ago, that anybody called me Rudi, and at my age a petname somehow does
not seem to be suitable, so I dropped it long ago. As Ralph is the nearest translation for Rudolf,
it has been that for a long time...
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A MOST DEFIANT BAR MITZVAH

In 1937, with pressure mounting on Jews throughout Germany, the Schwabs pressed ahead with
preparations for Hans Ferdinands Bar Mitzvah. Within just one or two years the persecution of the
Jews would reach such intensity that it would become incredibly dangerous, if not completely
impossible, to hold a Jewish religious ceremony of this kind. Hans big day took place in November
(this was during Ralphs first full year in South Africa). Hans talks about the familys enthusiastic
preparations for the event in a letter to Ralph.
1937: Hans Ferdinand Schwab, Hanau, Germany, to Ralph Schwab, South Africa
Dear Rudi,
Today we bottled the Laubenheimer Barmitzwoh wine. The old love eagerly lent a
hand. Mutti banged the corks in for me, Vati also had a job to do: he tried it instantly. I
picked and shelled the beans in the garden. Since its already quite cold here where we
are, I assume that over there the change of seasons is over and that the sun is turning to
your side. The day of The Barmitzwoh is getting closer. My voice has become stronger
after Mr Wgn. led the all the singing a hundred times over. Mutti and I have just been
thinking about what Ill do with the boys well invite over. At Chanucka Im supposed to
be in a theatre play again. For your [...] we ordered 44 Marks worth of frozen meat. One
kilo for each week. Was it a great feast for you???????!!!! How are you getting on in your
new bachelor life? Hopefully not all over the place like that of your uncle?
Cordial greetings and kisses from your loving brother,
Hans-Ferdinand
Unfortunately, there seems to have been a delay in the post, because Ralphs letter to congratulate
Hans did not make it to Hanau in time. Martha expressed her displeasure in no uncertain terms!
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11th December 1937: Martha, Hanau, to Ralph, Johannesburg, South Africa
My dear Rudi,
When I arrived home just now I found a card from your dear grandmother, in which she
was hurrying to let me know shes just received a lovely letter from you, dated the 29.XI.
This is the first sign of life from you after a break of 3 weeks. The last card came on
November 8. You can well imagine just how much this has tormented us. And doubly
incomprehensible is the fact that during that time, 14 days ago today (on November 27th)
it was dear Hans Bar Mitzvah, and needless to say we certainly expected to receive some
post from you for that occasion. Did something get lost? In any case, I now have another
stone in my heart, because you wrote to your dear grandmother that she should just send
the letter on to us when she has read it sufficiently. When post arrives from you, then you
are near to me and I can live your life with you, but when you dont write then you are so
endlessly far away and unreachable. I ask you now, again, not to let such long breaks
occur because Im so ill at ease and our lives are, after all, full of enough upset and worry
without this as well...
Whether the missing letter was because of a problem with the post or Ralphs busy life as he
struggled to settle into life in Johannesburg, is not clear. However, the letter below, written by
Hans, indicates that a message did eventually arrive from Ralph and that family peace was
restored. It seems that Hans enjoyed the Bar Mitzvah experience very much, and that his
parents were very proud of him. Judging by some of the gifts Hans received it seems that many
people were assuming he would soon be going on a long journey out of Germany, just like his
older brother.
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20th December 1937: Hans Schwab, Hanau, Germany, to Ralph, Johannesburg, South Africa
My dear brother,
Many, many thanks for your kind Barmitzwoh letter and the beautiful present. I didnt
receive it yet. Your kind message arrived on 17.XII. My Barmitzwoh was on 27.XI. How
can it be that the Jewish date is completely different in South Africa than it is in Hanau?
Actually, it was Ernsts turn on 20.XI (Schabbos wajichlach). My Barm. went very well,
despite me being very scared. The only guest from out of town was dear Oma. She arrived
on Friday afternoon. The Hoexters were there in the synagogue that morning along with
many other people. For fear that he wouldnt know the Berocho, Uncle Mor wrote out
the Berocho at half past three in the morning and learned it by heart. But he wasnt
called up. When my turn finally came I droned at great speed through the 1 st Parsche.
The second one went much better and finally, when the stage fright was gone and I was
really getting into it, it all was over.
For my Barmitzwoh I received the following: a golden watch + a tie pin etc. (Vati); a
coat, a cap + an umbrella etc. (Mutti); 30 Marks + Barm. suit (Oma); football + 5 Marks
(Francs), table tennis stuff, 18 books, 8 mechanical pencils, 3 portable eating utensils, a
lamp + dynamo, a travel blanket, a suitcase, cigarette case + pencil case, a travel first
aid kit, tools, a wallet, visiting cards, etc. On Sunday the boys were invited over. First I
made a welcome speech and then we drank coffee. Then someone said something. I
asked another boy if he would also like to say something. He said Yes and lifted his cup
and said something. After that I read the Schmonzes Militaria, but the laughing didnt
cause any damage to the house. Then it was time to light the Channukah candles. In the
magnificent light shining from those candles, a gramophone we borrowed played the
Moaus zur... Then I made a Channukah speech. [] Shortly after that we got cigarettes
and then went to the synagogue. How is the heat affecting you? Theres already ice on
the Kaiserteich pond. Do you also celebrate at Christmas with a plum pudding? Do you
still remember the Christmas market? On Friday were going to Worms and Ill write to
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you from there.
Cordial greetings and kisses from your brother Hans.
11th December 1937: Martha Schwab, Hanau, to Ralph, Johannesburg, South Africa
...We are all in good health and hope the same for you. Over there youre now in the
height of summer; hopefully its not too hot. So far we cant complain about the winter.
The Barmitzwah went really well and completely according to plan. He did what he had
to do very well, even though he was very nervous and afraid. Your dear Grandmother
was the only guest to come on Friday at noon; Ella and Mor went to the synagogue in
the morning and came home with us for breakfast. While all the visitors were there they
cleared off without anybody noticing. But, after all, no one was invited, and its
understandable that they didnt want to stay uninvited. On the other hand we were
happy to have the Hayfischs and Alex for lunch. On Sunday afternoon the boys were
invited over and that was the most fun for Hans. They enjoyed each others company
very much and they found the food very tasty. It was the first evening of Chanukah, so
there was a special itinerary. Helene was here too, on Wednesday, and the Heys, of
course, and there were a few more visitors apart from them. Your dear Grandmother
went back on Monday, stayed another day in Frankfurt, and I was happy when I knew
she had arrived back home safely
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STORM CLOUDS ON THE HORIZON

Despite Max and Marthas attempts to put on a brave face and reassure Rudolph in their
correspondence, their anxiety is palpable in several letters written while antisemitic persecution was
increasing during the 1930s and in the run-up to outbreak of war. At this time Max and Martha were
becoming increasingly isolated. Maxs business had been targeted by the Nazis anti-Jewish boycott
since 1933 and was ransacked and looted in the Kristallnacht pogrom of November 1938. 42
Furthermore, their Jewish neighbours and friends were emigrating, or moving in droves to Frankfurt
in the hope of escaping persecution in the anonymity of a larger city. The letter below indicates that
non-Jewish acquaintances in Hanau were abandoning them too.
1938: Max Schwab, Hanau, Germany, to Ralph, Johannesburg, South Africa

...Actually, no one greets us anymore and dozens of deceivers are lying in wait in the streets,
and therefore faith in G-d must help us and give us new courage to persist with any work at
the moment. If youve made good connections then they have to be nurtured and always kept
alive to make sure you remain one with whom people want to deal, otherwise they fade away
and you remain an outsider. Even in South Africa. There are many political parties that
might interest you, insofar as you must to treat your English host country loyally and become
a decent English citizen as soon as possible. I believe you understand me when I say that it
was a Jewish Committee that brought you this far, and a pious Jew who bailed you out, and
that only your Jewish companions in faith will help you
Loyalty to his country was the motto by which Max, a German patriot and First World War veteran,
had lived his life. He, like many established German Jews, had great difficulty accepting the fact that
German society was now rejecting him. Thus, for a long time (clearly too long), he stubbornly refused
to be driven out of his home town, where he was a member of no fewer than 20 local clubs societies,
and a respected businessman trading in jewellery and precious stones. 43 Despite Maxs refusal to
Hanauer Juden, 1933-1945: Entrechtung, Verfolgung, Deportation, published by the Evangelischer Arbeitskreis Christen-Juden Hanau,
ed. Monika Ilona Pfeifer and Monica Kingreen, Hanau, Germany, 1998
42
43
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leave Germany himself, he and Marthas desperate and ultimately unsuccessful attempts to send Hans
Ferdinand abroad suggest that they did not hold any illusions that the young boys future in Germany
was anything but bleak. No stone was left unturned in the effort to get young Hans a visa, but every
escape plan encountered bureaucratic obstacles and eventually led to nothing.
18th January 1939: Hans Schwab, Hanau, Germany, to Ralph, Johannesburg, South Africa
...Dear Rudi! We were very happy with your last letter, especially because we learned from it
that you are in good health again. Some time ago, a man from London was in Frankfurt, to
whom the candidates for Australia were presented. Of course I was among them. Even though
I was accepted, the whole thing has come to a standstill since then. I congratulate you warmly
on the New Year and wish you all the best, especially health. Lets hope that the year 5700 will
be the year of our reunion and brings only pleasant things for us. Cordial greetings and kisses
from your loving brother Hans.
18th January 1939: Martha Schwab, Hanau, Germany, to Ralph, Johannesburg, South Africa
...I hope the war soon will be at an end. As far as Ive heard, the emigration is continuing, and
we are still making special efforts on behalf of dear Hans. There may be a possibility of
Denmark, Sweden or Norway...
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1st March 1940: Martha Schwab, Hanau, Germany, to Ralph, Johannesburg, South Africa
We havent made much progress with our plans for emigration. For Hans there is the
possibility from the Palestine Office of a hascharach [agricultural training school] abroad. But
money from family or even strangers has to be available for this. I therefore have to ask you to
write us to tell us whether or not it is possible for you to do something for your brother. For the
same reason I also wrote to Karl N. in New York and I hope that he wont let me down
Although outwardly Max declared that he was unwilling to leave Hanau, his letters to Ralph do suggest
that he was considering other options.
1939: Max Schwab, Hanau, Germany, to Ralph, Johannesburg, South Africa
...So, my dear son, be well, think of me from time to time, I have always tried to do good by all
people so long as they were upright, honest and G-d fearing, my future is veiled in darkness,
whatever the Almighty decides will be good enough for me.
[...] As soon as the blockade on trains to Frankfurt is lifted we intend to move there, just like the
others who have not yet emigrated, this is how we have lost all our friends and acquaintances.
Without doubt the new apartment will be small, but what does that matter? Although even
small apartments are now few and far between...
In the end, Max remained in Hanau until his arrest and imprisonment by the Nazi authorities, and his
subsequent death. Hans and Martha were also still living in Hanau at the time of their deportation.
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A TERRIFYING EXPERIENCE
The town of Hanau was not spared the pogrom that ripped through Jewish communities throughout
Germany and Austria on the night of November 9-10, 1938. The Nazis used the assassination of a
German embassy official in Paris, Ernst vom Rath, by a young Polish Jew, Herschel Grynszpan, as a
pretext for this outburst of spontaneous outrage and indignation against the Jews. Throughout the
country, organised gangs attacked, burned and vandalised synagogues. Jewish homes and businesses
were ransacked; Jewish men were arrested and sent to concentration camps. Some Jews were
murdered, others committed suicide. In many places, SS and Nazi thugs were assisted by members of
the local population in destroying Jewish institutions and property.
In their book on the Jews of Hanau, published in 1998, Monica Kingreen and Monika Ilona Pfeifer
describe the events surrounding the pogrom in Hanau as follows:
In the meantime, Ortsgruppenleiter Bender and Sicherheitsdienst leader Kern, together with
their helpers, had made arrangements so that during the late afternoon several hundred people
gathered in the streets and made their way yelling and shouting to the synagogue. Bender, Kern
and other people from the crowd forced their way into the synagogue. They began by
demolishing the interior furnishings; Bender and Kern started a fire. Whilst the synagogue
burned down to its foundation walls the fire brigade, which had been called to the scene, limited
itself to protecting neighbouring homes from the spread of the flames.
After storming the synagogue, those in the crowd directed their lust for destruction at the Jewish
cemetery on Muehltorstrasse. They desecrated it by burning the mortuary and ripping up the
gravestones.
At around 2 p.m. a group of men forced their way into the Jewish school on Nuernberger Strasse.
Once inside the building, the group split up. A few searched on the ground floor for the apartment
of the teacher, Sulzbacher, and demolished its interior. Whilst Mrs Sulzbacher ran out screaming
into the street with her two children, an unknown perpetrator kicked Mr Sulzbacher, who was
lying ill in bed, hard in the stomach. Whether or not his death the following day was the result of
this severe physical abuse could not be determined. The rest of the men got to work on the 1st
floor. There they ripped open all the cupboards and chests. They threw all the objects they got
their hands on, including Torah scrolls, files, and books, into the crowd that had gathered on
Nuernberger Strasse. Even the tables and benches from the Jewish school ended up out on the
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street. Scarcely a Jewish shop or private house was spared the destruction on 10th November
1938.
The attack on Max Schwabs business is also mentioned:
On the evening of the 10th November, the attacks moved on to private residences. [...] On the
instructions of Ortsgruppenleiter Bender, suitcases were packed full and brought from the rooms
of the jeweller Max Schwab on Franzoesischer Allee [...] to the office of the Nazi Party regional
branch for Altstadt.44
Ralph did not discover what had happened to his family that night until after the war. He managed to
get into contact with non-Jewish friends of the family who had witnessed the events. In the letter
below, written in 1948, a family friend describes to Rudolph how, after the pogrom violence had
subsided and the Nazi attackers had left the Schwabs home, he had found Hans and Martha cowering
in terror in an outhouse. Max had been away that night to visit Ralphs grandmother in Worms. We
can only imagine the tremendous fear young Hans must have felt, holding his unconscious mother in
his arms, not knowing if or when his father would return.
1st December 1948: Seppel Weigelt, Guedensburg, Germany, to Ralph, Johannesburg45

Dear Rudi,
I got your address from Mr Kipfer, who was at our house because of the story concerning your
inheritance, and now I want to write you something about your parents and your brother Hans.
As you know I was always friends with your family; even the Nazis could not change that. Five
times I was reported by our lovely neighbours and five times I was brought before
Ortsgruppenleiter Neustadt, and Lser, the District Administrator, to explain my visits to the
Jewish Schwab family, as the accusations were. But I wasnt afraid even of this, I didnt let it bother
me, and every evening until I was called up for the army in June 1942, I visited your parents. [...]
But now lets go back some time to the year 1938, 8th November, the so-called Kristallnacht as
people call it now. On the evening in question I was with your mother and Hans at about 9:30 in
44
45
YV file 4. Ref 1176
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the evening. Your father was in Worms at your grandmothers. I hadnt been home for even half
an hour when I heard noises from your house. I ran there and on the street, in front of the door,
was a car. At that very moment four or five man came out of the front door, jumped in the car and
drove away. [...] I went to them right away and, oh G-d, even on the stairway I already knew what
had happened. Can you believe it, dear Rudi, that I wasnt afraid, but such a thing does lay heavily
on my heart.
In the vestibule, all the windows were broken and the doors demolished. I climbed over the debris
and went to the other rooms, all smashed to smithereens. In your parents bedroom everything
had been opened up and demolished, even the feathers from the bed covers were blowing around
the room in the wind. In the bathroom even the water pipes were broken and the water was
flowing out. I was able to close the lead pipe (using an axe that was lying in the bedroom). Your
mother and Hans were nowhere to be seen. [...] Then I saw that the door to the garden was open,
and I entered and called out for Hans. In your old hut were your mother and Hans, embracing one
other, badly dressed, sitting in a corner on an old wooden box. Your mother was unconscious and
I carried her back into the house and she woke up. Hans went upstairs and took the clothes and
coats. I closed up the front room and the door with wood and nails, as well as I possibly could, and
took your mother and Hans to my house until the morning. The next morning I didnt go to work,
but rather left for Worms to meet your father. In Worms at your grandmothers it was exactly the
same. We immediately drove back to Hanau...
We can only speculate as to why Max and Martha never mentioned the pogrom to Ralph in their
letters. They probably wanted to spare him the worry. In any case, finding this out only after the war
left Ralph feeling distressed and confused, as indicated in this letter he wrote to fellow survivor,
Alex Schwab (his fathers brother), after the war:
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Ralph, Johannesburg, South Africa, to Alex, Minnesota, United States (March 1948)46
...My friend in Germany, Julius Spengler, and my neighbour Sepp Weigelt said that the
whole apartment was damaged [on Kristallnacht], and that all the jewellery, boxes of
precious stones and other valuables were damaged. [...] I believe that even if the jewels
and other precious stones were damaged on the evening of Kristallnacht, they must
have been repaired afterwards and the apartment put back into order. If the mess
was so great Im convinced that my mother would have mentioned something about
this terrible event in one of the many letters she wrote to me. My mother wrote clearly
to me in 1939 that she had put in a brand new and modern kitchen, and that she had
changed the eating space in preparation for their imminent emigration. She offered
to send me white linen shortly before my wedding. I cannot believe that she didnt tell
me about such a catastrophic event...
Alex Schwabs response47:

...There is no answer as to why your mother didnt tell you about what happened during
Kristallnacht, but I remember shortly before I left for Shanghai, your mother said to me
that a tax collector had come to ask your father what work he did. Your father answered
that he was a precious stone trader. The tax collector said thats what you were once!
and took some stones. I dont know how many stones he took. Your mother didnt say...
46
YV file 4. Ref 1087
47
YV file 4. Ref 1098
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After the pogrom, which marked the beginning of the end for all the Jewish communities of
Germany, life in Hanau must have become truly unbearable for the family. According to Seppel
Weigelt and his ex-wife, Max sold both the familys houses that year, and in October 1941, Max,
Martha and Hans were forced to move into the Jewish school on Nuernberger Strasse, along with
many other Jewish families. They lived there until Maxs death and the deportation of Martha and
Hans to the East.
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HOPELESS ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE

As the circumstances of the declining Jewish community in Hanau worsened, and more and more of
the Schwabs relatives and friends migrated to larger German cities, or, better still, out of Germany
altogether, Ralph tried desperately to make similar arrangements for Max, Martha and Hans. While
Max and Martha sought to obtain visas for Hans to go anywhere possible, from Australia, to
Scandinavia, to Palestine, without success, Ralph was hoping to bring the whole family to join him in
South Africa. The South African authorities, however, refused the request twice. It seemed that no
matter which way they turned, Max, Martha and Hans had every door slammed in their faces. This
rejection, combined with what Ralph himself described as Maxs unjustified optimism about the
situation in Germany, may have been what sealed their fate48.
24th July 1939: Max Schwab, Hanau, Germany, to

Ralph Schwab, Johannesburg, South Africa
...We have been refused by South Africa for the second
time and only exceptional circumstances would allow
for a new request for entry. This is very bitter for us,
but everything I am writing in this letter is in no way a
reproach to you; only, it cannot go on like this and I can
no longer be blind to such an important matter as is
our emigration. Today I feel the decisive necessity to
speak to you only in an open and honest way: it cannot
go on like this...The refusal of the South African
authorities to grant entry to the Schwabs is
something that Ralphs descendants, now an
established and flourishing South African Jewish
family, have found hard to comprehend.
There were however 9 survivors from the immediate family: Rudolf Erwin Alexander Schwab, Rosa Schwab, Kaufmann Alexander
Schwab, Armand Demuth, Montreal Quebec, Alfons (son of Helene and Jonas) Demuth, Ella Hausman, Irene Hoexter, Gustav Fleischmann,
Toni Koch
48
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In the words of Daniel Schwab, Ralphs grandson:
My grandfather was one of the lucky few to have escaped the horrors of Nazi Germany.
According to historical records Even before the beginning of World War II, many Jews sought
to escape from countries under Nazi control. Between 1933 and 1939, more than 90,000 German
and Austrian Jews fled to neighbouring countries (France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark,
Czechoslovakia, and Switzerland). [...] After the war began on September 1, 1939, escape became
much more difficult. Nazi Germany technically permitted emigration from the Reich until
November 1941. However, there were few countries willing to accept Jewish refugees and
wartime conditions hindered those trying to escape. In 1941-1942, with the beginning of
systematic shooting of Jews in the Soviet Union and the deportation of European Jews to
extermination camps, escape literally became a matter of life and death.49
For my family, it meant death. Some organisations and individuals, though very few, did try to
help Jews. These included: the the Joint Distribution Committee, the Jewish Agency for
Palestine, and the World Jewish Congress. In addition, sympathetic non-Jews, motivated by
opposition to Nazism, by moral and religious principles, or by human compassion, provided
assistance to Jews at sometimes tremendous personal risk.
The following are excerpts of letters about the attempt to save Max, Martha and Hans
Ferdinand Schwab:
1. Dated May 27th 1941, from the South African Red Cross Society to my grandfather Ralph
Schwab. This letter informs Ralph of the Red Crosss success in connecting with his parents
who are extremely anxious to join you out here [South Africa]. The Red Cross informs him that
its representatives do not ourselves feel that there is any likelihood of obtaining a permit under
present conditions. They then invite Ralph to a meeting to discuss the matter. The letter is
signed, by hand, by the General Secretary.
2. Dated March 31st 1941, from Augusta Mayerson, Acting Director, of the Migration Department
of the National Refugee Services, New York City, sent to the S.A. Fund for Germany Jewry,
Johannesburg. Ms. Mayerson acknowledges receipt of a request regarding Max, Martha and
Hans Schwab and says that they are discussing the matter with Mr Carl Nathan, who, it seems,
could have provided funds to pay for their entry to the US.
49 http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005470
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3. May 1st 1941, again from the National Refugee Services to the South African Fund for German
Jewry50. This letter states that Mr Nathan could pay up to $200 but not the entire $1,200 that
was required. Could it be true that my great grandparents and my great uncle were killed by
the Nazis because no one in the world could come up with $1,000 [with inflation this would
be equivalent to $14,909.93 in 2009]?
4. A letter from my grandfather from July 28th 1941, to a friend in Sweden, says Well ever since
I have been here [South Africa] I have begged my parents to try and come out here, while there
was still a reasonable chance, but my father held too optimistic a view about the whole
situation and so missed the famous last boat. The next paragraph says I have been trying to
get my parents an immigration permit to one of the few remaining neutral countries, but
without foreign currencies this is quite impossible, and even if I had the money available, it is
entirely out of the question to get permission to send anything only faintly approximating the
amount required. [...] I still have not given up hope, that there might be a better chance turning
up soon. In the meantime we can only wait and hope for the best.
http://www.ctholocaust.co.za/view.asp?pg=refuge_sa_3, Jewish Politics and Rescue: The Founding of the Council for German Jewry
Silberklang Holocaust Genocide Studies.1993; 7: 333-371, http://www.wjr.org.uk/who-we-are/background,
http://www.ctholocaust.co.za/view.asp?pg=refuge1
50
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A TERRIBLE END
According to the Yad Vashem51 online database52, 894 people53 with the surname Schwab perished
in the Holocaust. This is a staggering number given that this is only one family name out of thousands.
Furthermore, Yad Vashem has only a fraction of the six million Holocaust victims in its database.
The Nazis and their collaborators sought to murder each and every Jew and to obliterate their
memory. Where there was an attempt to annihilate, we must now make the attempt to remember.
How did they die?
The Nazis were responsible for the deaths of all Ralphs immediate family members. Max died in
Sachsenhausen concentration camp on 19th February 1942. Martha and Hans were deported on the
very first transport out of Hanau at the end of May that year apparently to Sobibor and were
exterminated shortly after arrival on June 3rd54.
Martha was notified of her husbands death by telegram. His body had been cremated and his ashes
buried in the Jewish cemetery in Frankfurt. Ralph later discovered that his mothers request to move
Maxs remains to the Jewish cemetery in Hanau, in accordance with his last wishes, had been refused
by the authorities. It appears that Marthas situation was so desperate (they had been dispossessed
of their home and were living in communal accommodation in the Jewish school building on
Nuernberger Strasse) that she could inform Ralph of his fathers passing only by telegram sent via the
Red Cross. No letter. This message was sent just three weeks before Martha and Hans were
themselves deported on 30th May 1942.
Out of 20 family members living in Hanau between 1933 and 1939: 11 murdered (9 escaped to the
following countries: China, USA, Canada, France, Brazil, Argentina, Belgium, Holland, South Africa)
Max Schwab, Martha Schwab, Hans Ferdinand Schwab, Helen Schwab, Erna Schwab, Johanna
Hausmann , Jettchen Fleischmann, Adolf Fleischmann, Alice Frank, Oskar Frank, Lotte Frank.
51 www.yadvashem.org
52 http://www.yadvashem.org/wps/portal/IY_HON_Welcome
53http://www.yadvashem.org/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_FL?last_name=Schwab&first_name=&location=&next_form=results
54
This is according to the Gedenkbuk at the Bundestadarchiv
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Red Cross telegram informing Ralph that his father has died. It reads: ...Mother, Hans, healthy.
Grandmother alone Cologne. Father deceased 19.2., heart weakness. Burial in Frankfurt. All the
best, kisses, Hans Israel Schwab, Martha Sara Schwab. (Both Hans and Martha have signed
using the middle names all Jews were forced to adopt as part of the Nazis measures to isolate
them.55)
55
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This letter, sent by a non-Jewish friend of Max in 1942, told Ralph a little more about what had
happened to his father.
16th November 1942, Sal J. Fuert, Sweden, to Ralph, Johannesburg, South Africa56
Dear Mr Schwab,
The reason for this letter to you is the events in Germany. The great problems that the
Jews in Germany have had to deal with have also reached your family. I feel obliged, as a
friend of your father, to write you and tell you what happened. Because I did not hear
from your father for a long time, I wrote to a lady in Frankfurt who saw your father and
often spoke to him, and was informed about his situation. Then I received a message on
16th April that he was ill, without further details. A letter to him went unanswered. Then,
on 5th June 1942, I received a postcard from your mother that contained the following
tragic news:
[...] We travel tomorrow. Since October 1941 we have been living at 3 Nuernberger
Strasse. The desire of my late husband [...] to be buried in the local cemetery
unfortunately could not be fulfilled. The urn was placed in Frankfurt. Now I cordially
ask you for my part of the friendship that united you with my husband since your youth.
[...] 57 We will need your help more than ever.
This was all I heard and I must conclude that your fathers life ended in a concentration
camp that he was dragged away to for some reason. What a sad end for this noble and
generous man. Be assured of my sincere compassion.
And now your mother: full of courage and firmness she went in uncertainty on her trip
to Poland, from where no one, not even a message from those who were sent there,
returned to the outer world. What sad times we have to live in, why? Only because those
56
57
YV file 3. Ref 746
The handwriting in some parts of this letter is illegible, which is why the first part of this sentence is missing.
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who are the guardians of culture and power did not recognize in time what an outrage
that monster of a man would commit, in this, the twentieth century.
I do not have to assure you of how very sorry I feel not to have supported you during
your hard times. But I did not know the slightest thing about what was happening in H.
With best regards. Yours, Sal J. Fuert
Of course, having not received word from Martha or Hans since 1942, Ralph presumed that they had
also perished. In late 1947, he published a letter in a newspaper in Frankfurt (the largest city near
Hanau), asking for anyone who had information about what had happened to his family to contact
him. From the letters he received in response, he was able piece together something of the fate of
Max, Martha and Hans.
10th October 1948: Kaete Weigelt, Guedensberg, Germany, to Ralph, Johannesburg, South
Africa58
...When they [Ralphs family] lived on Nuernbergerstrasse, my mother and I went at least
every second day to her; one had to be careful but we always were lucky. Your mother was
always happy when we came because her mother also needed things and they could not go
to any shop. I was a saleswoman in a warehouse and it was not very difficult to fulfil all their
wishes. When your dear parents were living on Nuernbergerstrasse they still had a bedroom,
kitchen, a couch and some smaller objects. Everything that was still there after the
deportation was brought to the inn on Nimburgerhof and was to be sold. But we never heard
tell of a sale; in any case, the gentlemen just took whatever they fancied...
58
YV file 4. 1161
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Ralph learned that the apparent reason for Maxs arrest was that he had purchased some wine
from a non-Jewish trader.
2nd March 1948: Ralph, Johannesburg, South Africa, to Alex, Shanghai, China59
...Some months ago I placed an advertisement for information in the Frankfurter Rundschau
newspaper because I finally wanted to know what I could find out about my dear parents and
Hans and their estate. And I received 15 letters as in reply, many from people I dont
remember anymore, and many from former so-called good friends. Now Ive been thinking
for weeks about whether I should tell you about these replies, because I didnt want to trouble
you needlessly.
But, I am convinced that you have the right to know, and that not knowing is perhaps worse
than anything else.
Firstly, Hanau has been 85% destroyed. Apart from the Lamby quarter and Kesselstadt areas
nothing remains standing. The old town and the Neustadt, including our former homes, are
nothing but heaps of debris, with some ruined buildings poking out here and there. Someone
sent me a small publicity leaflet about the reconstruction, and its interesting to see from the
pictures that something like justice does exist after all. The Americans did this in a short blast
of 16 minutes, on 6th Jan. 1945, early in the morning: very businesslike.
About the general conditions I dont have to tell you anything. Given that you emigrated in
1939 you know better than I. Now Ive received a letter from Val. Schilling, in which he
mentions that back in those days he sold you wine from time to time. He knew that you were
planning to immigrate to Shanghai and hopes that you arrived there safely. He writes that
my father also bought wine from him. It seems that father sold both the houses to the famous
Nazi hero, the butcher Bien, son-in-law of Kalbfleisch, and that he sold it to the Red Cross in
1941, meaning that my parents had to move into the Judenschule [Jewish school] on the
Nuernberger Strasse. Because they had only one or two rooms there, they had to sell their all
the contents of their house, which was mercifully allowed by the Nazis. Mr Schilling bought
some of the smaller objects and gave my father five bottles of wine in return. A waiter by the
59
YV file 4. Ref. 1087
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name of Klein (at the Stadtgarten pub) knew about this and immediately denounced his boss
[...]. Schillings business, the Stadtgarten and the Stadthalle was confiscated, and both he and
my father were put into political detention. According Schillings declarations, they were
treated in a relatively decent way; in any case he says that my father was not mistreated, but
it was difficult for him to keep up with the pace every morning at the exercises. Therefore
Schilling and the other prisoners made a slower fast pace for him and then it was better. As
you know, my father had had heart disease for a long time and that might have been the
reason. After 4 to 5 weeks Schilling was released even though he had been threatened with
the concentration camp. Father was, however, brought to the concentration camp. The
general opinion in Hanau is that he died there of a heart disease [...] The rumours range from
suicide (Mr Goenner) to pneumonia, to him being burned alive (Julius Spengler, Hanau). As
you know, he died on 19.2.42 and it was not permitted to bring the ashes to the Jewish
cemetery in Hanau, although mother went herself to mayor to ask if this was possible. No one
knows any details about the whereabouts of mother and Hans, because all the related
documents were supposedly burned on 19.3.45...
14th April 1948: Ralph, Johannesburg, South Africa, to Karl Kipfer, Langendiebach,
Germany60
For example, can you, who always had a great interest in the law, perhaps explain what
crime my father committed when he bought some bottles of wine for the high Jewish feast
days? As far as I know, there was no law forbidding Jews to buy wine and this was not rationed
at that time. As far as I officially know, he died, after a short imprisonment in Hanau, in the
Oranienburg concentration camp after a short illness, where he was sent following his
outrageous crime, without any trial at all
60
YV file 7 ref 2338
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However, it turns out that Mr Schillings statement to Ralph may have been falsified or exaggerated.
In later letters, Ralphs friend Karl Kipfer warns Ralph that Mr Schilling has admitted to him that he
was not in fact imprisoned at the same time as Max. Why on earth would someone take the trouble
to write to Ralph to help him out with information, then only to lie? Well, Schillings letter was
written in 1948. At that time, Germany was still recovering from a devastating defeat in the war.
Basic food stuffs were hard to come by. Karl Kipfer seems to have believed that Schilling and many
of the other Germans who wrote to Ralph may have exaggerated the value of what they knew in the
hope of receiving food packages from Ralph as a thank you. Whether or not this really was the case
with Mr Schilling is just one of the unresolved questions which will hopefully be cleared up as
research on the letter collection progresses.
SEARCH FOR SURVIVORS

When the war ended Ralph set about tracking down his missing family members, shooting off letters
here and there, to whatever organisation or whichever person he thought could help him. He was,
however, delighted to discover some relatives (but very, very few) still alive, yet scattered around the
world. The main people with whom he maintained correspondence thereafter were: his uncle Alex
Schwab (Maxs brother, who had survived the war in Shanghai and later moved to the United States);
Maxs sister (Ralphs aunt, Rosa Tuteur and her husband Siegfried who were living in France); His
cousin, Armand Demuth (who had escaped the Nazis by fleeing to England and later moved to
Canada); and another cousin, Reny Wormser (formerly Reny Hoexter), who was living in Sao Paulo,
Brazil.
HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS OF SCHWAB FAMILY FROM HANAU61

1. Rudolf Erwin Alexander Schwab (son of Max and Martha Schwab)
was born Hanau 21.10.1911. Left Germany in 1936. Spent time in
Holland and England. Immigrated to South Africa approximately
1938. Died 23.3.1971. Had one son, Norman Schwab. Married
Rachel Feinberg 18.11.1939. Divorced Rachel Feinberg 13.9.1951.
Married Miriam Mandlestam (nee Lipson) who was born 26.4.1911
2. Rosa Schwab (sister of Max Schwab) married Siegfried Tuteur
(Import Agent) born 21/12/1881 deported by Nazis in 1940 to
Clairac France (Pyrannees) wrote letters to Rudolf Schwab until
61
Children:
Norman
Samuel
Schwab
Children?
Edgar Tuteur
in New York,
Hanau am Main, Germany 5008' N 0855' E 409 km SW of Berlin
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3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
1950's. Lived in Heidelberg, Germany until she died in 1967 Last

Rosa's
address Giro-Kto. 16177 Bez. Sparkasse Heidelberg
nephew?62
Kaufmann Alexander Schwab (brother of Max Schwab) immigrated Married?
in 1939 to Shanghai63. In July 1948 emigrated to St. Paul, Minnesota Children65?
U.S.A. Born 27/1/1889. Was honored by Adolf Hitler himself.
Where?
(Cross of Honour of a Frontline Fighter by the Reichs-president
General Field-Marshal von Hindenburg64) soldier in the German
army and fought in the First World War for Germany. Died 21
March 1961
Armand Demuth, Montreal Quebec (married Helen) son of Helene
Children66?
(sister of Max Schwab) who was deported to Poland by Nazis and
Where?
killed there in 1941) and Jonas Demuth (who died in Frankfurt in
1921).
Alfons (son of Helene and Jonas) Demuth emigrated to Buenos
Where?
Aires last heard of at the U.S. Embassy Argentina 1939/40 (born
Children67?
1901)
Ella (married to Mor Hoexter) (Ella is sister of Martha Hausmann,
wife of Max Schwab) Hausmann married Mor Hoexter born
18.1.1890 died 16.1.1939 emigrated to Brasil Sao Paulo (Scrap
Metal Merchant)
Reny (Irene) Levy daughter of Ella and Mor Hoexter (Ella is sister
Where?
of Martha Hausmann, wife of Max Schwab) born Frankfurt M first
Children?
married Kurt Levy September 1945 divorced in 1951. Second
marriage in 1951 to Rudi Wormser immigrated to Brazil.
FLEISCHMANN FAMILY SURVIVORS

1. Mayer Fleischmann married Gotha, (sister of Abraham and Samuel
Alexander Schwab who was the father of Max Schwab)
Where are the

Children?
2. Gustav Fleischmann (Rudolph's Great Aunt Gotha's son)

immigrated to South Africa with family and married Toni Koch.
Children of Gustav: Ernest Fleischmann68 (moved to London; was a
Do they have
children?
Where?
62
Where are they today?
63
Lived in 66 Alcock Road, Alcock Home Shangahai, China
64
http://www.answers.com/topic/paul-von-hindenburg
65
Norman Schwab says he had children. Details unknown
66
Norman Schwab says they had children. Details unknown
67
Norman Schwab says he had children. Details unknown
A lost son is returning to Germany. Ernest Fleischmann, one of the most successful orchestra managers in the world, had left Frankfurt
at age 12 when his parents fled from Adolf Hitler to settle in Cape Town. As a mere teenager in South Africa, he organized two music
festivals, and at age 35 Fleischmann was hired as general director by the London Symphony Orchestra. In 1969, he took over the Los
Angeles Philharmonic, where he guided the orchestra's direction for 29 years. During that time, he transformed a good provincial
orchestra into an orchestra with world reputation. He attracted music directors of international stature, created links to the film music
industry and made the traditional Hollywood Bowl America's largest summer festival. A half-year ago (in March 1998), he passed his
68
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famous conductor69) born in Frankfurt 7.12.1924 and Kurt
Fleischmann born Frankfurt M 9.8.1930.
KILLED IN HOLOCAUST
1. (Max) Schwab born 27 or 21 of February 1878 died in 1942 Nazis
Oranienburg interred to graveyard in Hanau next to his mother and father's
grave. According to Yad Vashem70, Max Schwab was born in Hanau in 1878
to Shmuel and Recha. He was a merchant and married to Martha. Prior to
WWII he lived in Hanau, Germany. During the war he was in Hanau,
Germany. Max perished in 1942 in Oranienburg, Germany at the age of 6471.
Max was a decorated soldier. Max was a leader in the Hanau Jewish
community and was honored by all who knew him. In July 22nd 1962, his
remains were interred and buried in Hanau next to his parents' gravesite.
2. Martha Schwab, (nee Hausmann) wife of Max Schwab born Worms/Rh.
14.2.1888, deported by Nazis 6.6.1942 to Poland and killed there. According
to Yad Vashem, Martha Schwab was born in Worms in 1888 to Elias and
Johanna nee Stern. She was a housewife and married to Max. Prior to WWII
she lived in Hanau, Germany. Martha perished in 1942 in Poland at the age
of 5472.
3. Hans Ferdinand Samuel Schwab, (brother of Rudolph Erwin Alexander, son
of Martha and Max Schwab) was born in 14.12.1924, deported by the Nazis
to Poland with his mother and died there. Hans Schwab was born in Hanau
in 1924 to Max and Martha. He was a pupil and single. Prior to WWII he
lived in Hanau, Germany. During the war he was in Hanau, Germany. Hans
perished in Poland73.
4. Helene (nee Schwab, sister of Max Schwab) married Jonas Demuth (died in
Frankfurt M. 1921) born 27/11/1879, deported by Nazis to Poland and
killed there in 1941. Helene Demuth was born in 1879. Prior to WWII lived
in Frankfurt Am Main, Germany. Helene perished in the Shoah. 74
position at the Philharmonic on to a young Dutchman by the name Willem Wijnbergen. However, retirement is not an issue for 74-yearold Fleischmann. He just started a new company consisting of himself and one assistant. The cultural counseling company is called
"Fleischmann Arts, " and it has customers in all parts of America and in Germany. He regularly visits the NDR Symphony Orchestra in
Hamburg to give management advise. Georg Hirsch has a profile of this mover and shaker from Los Angeles. See
http://www.georghirsch.com/summaries/eng/1998/ghfleime.html and http://www.nytimes.com/1997/04/27/arts/exit-a-man-oftaste-and-guile.html
69
According to Norman Schwab and Louis Prades
Max Schwab was born in Hanau in 1878. Max perished in Sachsenhausen, Germany at the age of 64. This information is based on a Yad
Vashem Page of Testimony submitted by Frank Mann.
70
71
This information is based on a Yad Vashem Page of Testimony submitted by his grand son, Norman Schwab.
72
This information is based on a Yad Vashem Page of Testimony submitted on 01-Jan-1994 by her grandson Norman Schwab.
73
This information is based on a Yad Vashem Page of Testimony submitted by his Nephew Norman Schwab.
This information is based on a List of victims from Germany found in the Gedenkbuch - Opfer der Verfolgung der Juden unter der
nationalsozialistischen Gewaltherrschaft in Deutschland 1933-1945, Bundesarchiv (German National Archives), Koblenz 1986.
74
2nd Edition
Page 85

5. Erna (nee Schwab sister of Max Schwab) married Louis Heymann Insurance
Agent in Hanau, both deported by Nazis to Poland and killed there in
1941/2. According to the Yad Vashem dbase, Erna was born in 1886. Prior
to WWII she lived in Frankfurt Am Main, Germany. Erna perished in 1944 in
Theresienstadt, Czechoslovakia75.
6. Johanna (nee Stern) married to Elias Hausmann, Mother of Martha
Hausmann born Ingelheim 17.5.1862 deported by Nazis to Poland killed
there in 1941. According to Yad Vashem dbase, Johanna Hausmann nee
Stern was born in Ingelheim in 1862. She was a housewife and married to
Elias. Prior to WWII she lived in Worms, Germany. During the war she was
in Worms, Germany. Johanna perished in 1941 in Poland at the age of 7976.
7. Jettchen or Alex or Rosel (Child of Mayer and Gotha Fleischmann killed by
Nazis) born 17.7.1884 or 2.10.1886 or 28.7.1888. (Rudolph's Great Aunt
Gotha's daughter). According to Yad Vashem dbase, Jettchen Fleischmann
was born in 1884. Prior to WWII she lived in Frankfurt Am Main, Germany.
Jettchen perished in 1943 in Lodz, Poland77.
8. Adolf Fleischmann (Rudolph's Great Aunt Gotha's son) was born in
20/03/1892. Prior to WWII he lived in Frankfurt Am Main, Germany. Adolf
killed 30.12.1938 in Dachau Nazi Camp78
9. Alice (nee Hausmann, Martha's sister) (Rudolph's Aunt) married to Oskar
Frank. Both were deported by Nazis to Poland killed there 1941. According
to Yad Vashem, Alice Frank nee Hausmann was born in Worms in born
1.3.1894 to Elias and Johanna. She was a housewife and married to Oskar.
Prior to WWII she lived in Worms, Germany. During the war she was in
Koeln, Germany. Alice perished in Lodz, Poland79.
10. Oskar Frank (Rudolph's uncle) was born in Oeynhausen in 1888 to Moritz
and Henriette. He was a merchant and married to Alice nee Hausmann. Prior
to WWII he lived in Worms, Germany. During the war he was in Koeln,
Germany. Oskar perished in Lodz, Poland80.
nationalsozialistischen Gewaltherrschaft in Deutschland 1933-1945, Bundesarchiv (German National Archives), Koblenz 1986. According
to Terezinska Pametni Kniha/Theresienstaedter Gedenkbuch, Terezinska Iniciativa, vol. I-II Melantrich, Praha 1995, vol. III Academia
Verlag, Prag 2000, Erna was born 24/07/1886. Exact date of death was 14/03/1944. Transport XII/2 from Frankfurt am main to Terezin
on 02/09/1942. Spoke Czech.
75
Yad Vashem website reference number is 18443. Question since according to Alex Salm, a survivor says that Johanna Hausmann, was
born to David and Rosalie Stern, born in 1862 in Nieder Ingelheim, Hesse, Germany, was married to Elias resided in Worms, Hesse,
Germany. During the ware she lived in Koeln, Rhine Province, Germany. Place of Death Minsk, Minsk City Belarussia (USSR). This
information was submitted in 17.11.1999.
76
77
78
This information is based on a Page of Testimony submitted on 04-Apr-1999 by her researcher, a Shoah survivor. Alex Salm,
researcher. Lodz Names - List of the ghetto inhabitants 1940-1944, Yad Vashem and the Organization of former residents of Lodz in
Israel, Jerusalem 1994.
79
80
This information is based on a Page of Testimony submitted on 04-Apr-1999 by his researcher, a Shoah survivor, Alex Salm.
2nd Edition
Page 86

11. Lotte (Rudolph's first cousin) (son of Alice and Oskar Frank) born 13.2.1921
deported by Nazis to Poland killed there 1941. According to Yad Vashem,
Lotte Frank was born in Worms in 1921 to Oskar and Alice. She was single.
Prior to WWII she lived in Worms, Germany. During the war she was in
Koeln, Germany. Lotte perished in Lodz, Poland81.
12. Walter Hoexter (Rudolph's first cousin) (son of Ella and Mor Hoexter) born
20.9.1921 imprisoned by Nazis in 1936. According to Yad Vashem, Walter
Hoexter was born in 1921. Prior to WWII he lived in Frankfurt Am Main,
Germany. Walter perished in Auschwitz, Camp82.
RACHEL FEINBERG FAMILY

Married Rudolf Erwin Alexander Schwab born Pretoria 18.5.1903, Died
11.03.1978; divorced David Prades;
Son Louis Trevor (Prades) born Pretoria 23.5.1932
Son Norman (Schwab) born Johannesburg 7.9.1942
PEOPLE WITH WHOM RUDOLPH CORRESPONDED DURING AND AFTER WWII
81
Professor Dr. Walter.

Braeuer married to Leni
Massmannstr. 4 (3a) Rostock, Mecklenburg, Germany

Russian Zone / Solingen Nibelungenstr. 40, Germany
Edgar Tuteur (grew up in

Hamburg, Germany)
92 Pinehurst Avenue, New York 33, N.Y. in 1967 his

address was 120 Cabrini Boulevard New York, N.Y. 10033
Miss. Iris M Braby
Hatfield 3, 17 Thurlow Road, Hampstead N.W. 3 England

and 33, Tavistock Square, London, W.C.1. Museum 1059,
The Hermitage, High Hurstwood, Uckfield.
Brenda Griffiths
10 Cortwright Gardens London, W.G. 33 Tavistock Square,

London W.C.1. Museum 1059
Armand and Helen Demuth
159 Sherbrooke Str. East Montreal Quebec P.2 Canada.

Business address is 5021 Queen Mary Road Montreal,
Quebec (1948) alternative address 1085 Lucerne Road
Town of Mt Royal 16, Quebec Canada (1967)
Mr. Mrs Philip Marx
72 Kerkstraat, Antwerp, Belgium
This information is based on a Page of Testimony submitted on 04-Apr-1999 by her researcher, a Shoah survivor Alex Salm.
82
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Page 87

Mrs. Regine Korngold and
her sister Mrs. Paula
Censer,
Casablanca, Morocco, 4 Rue Docteur Mauchamp
Mr. and Mrs. Arnold

Nussbaum
Son Mr Fernand Nussbaum, Diamond Dealers Club, 95

Nassau Street, New York City, U.S.A.
Rosa and Siegfried Tuteur
Pyrannees, Clairac (Let & Garonne) France
Kaufmann Alexander
Schwab
812 Ashland Ave. Saint Paul Minnesota U.S.A. 195283
Irene (Levy) Wormser nee.

Hoexter
Sao Paulo Caixa Postal 4290
Selma H Bauer. (husband

Stanley Bauer) Ralph
Schwab wrote to her in
connection with Erna (nee
Schwab) Heymann's estate
5147 N. 16th Street Philedelphia, 41, Pa. 1958 husband

Stanley, Grandchildren Fred who was 20 yrs in 1958 and
Donald 11 yrs. Aunt Bertha Heymann, father Max
Heymann; 1404 Jupiter Avenue Elkins Park 17, Penna.
Daisy married to Hermann

(Hugo) (died 1954)
Heymann
Living in Majestic Hotel Miami Beach, Florida in 1958

(reference to Death certificate of Amanda Heymann (died
October 1st 1955 (Selama's mother) and Hugo Heymann)
In 1962 lived in Hotel Roosevelt, 1255 Penn Avenue
Miami Beach, Miami Florida
Karl F. J. Kipfer84
- represented Ralph in Germany for restitution and family

affairs
Nussbaum family
August Walter85
corresponded late 40's early 50's
Morris Rosenblatt86
Close friend of Alex Schwab, informed Ralph of Alex's

passing
Charlotte Reichmann
E.P. Reichmann 5022 Junkersdorf bei Koln, Frankenstr. 30

letters in 1966
83
239 Fuller Avenue, Saint Paul Minnesota 1.5.1951 ; Saint Paul, Minnesota Hague Avenue 833 U.S.A. 1951
84
(16) Langendiebach Kreis Hanau/Main Engegasse 10
85
Koln Bruck Am Klausenberg 61
86
771 Hague Avenue St. Paul Minnesota USA
2nd Edition
Page 88

Gustav Frank
Notar Worms a Rh. Wilhelm Leuschnerstrasse 26, seems

to be the lawyer who worked to obtain restitution for
family's properties
21st May 1946: Rosa Tuteur, Clairac, France, to Ralph, Johannesburg, South Africa87
Dear Rudi,
I hope you and your loved ones are in good health. We are too, thank G-d.
Five years ago I received a Red Cross letter from you, which I resend to you to now, but did
not hear anything more from you. [...] I got your address from our nephew Edgar Tuteur in
the USA, and he already wrote to you three times, but unfortunately you did not yet answer
them.
He is such a fine man and very worried about us, he did a lot for his aunt Rol BluemTuteur, my sister-in-law. He sends her clothes, linen and shoes. But he cannot do everything
alone and you must do something for me, dear Rudi. Perhaps I am your only aunt and relative
who still is alive.
Did you hear something from your dear mother and brother Hans? I dont know where they
all went to. I heard from dear Erna for the last time from Theresienstadt on 8th March 1942,
via Helene Hirsch-Messinger, who is originally from Hanau and is married in Bern,
Switzerland.
We correspond a lot and she also does a lot for me. Five years ago she sent me a summer
gown, two pairs of stockings. She is not related to me at all. So, dear Rudi, I need clothes,
underwear and shoes, size 38, and house shoes. I am 64 and dear Ticka [Rosas husband,
Siegfried Tuteur] turns 81 in July. We are old people with young hearts. Ticka is good-hearted.
You used to like your aunt Rosa when I came to Hanau back then and also I liked you, my
87
YV file 4 ref 860
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dear Rudi. Now when Im in distress, you will help me. We have no dollars. We cannot go back
to Germany, because as you have read, everything has been destroyed. In Mannheim there is
not one house, we dont have a home anymore.
The French language is not comfortable for me like German, which I love, my homeland. I
heard from our dear Alex in Shanghai that he is in misery, he doesnt have one dollar and he
never received his clothes, underwear and suitcases. He left in August 1939 and thank G-d
remained alive, but he must be helped too. Those Nazi dogs stole our gold, clothes and money.
[...] your dear mother wanted to go to Johannesburg for such a long time. Perhaps she is
already with you and also your brother Hans. I would be very glad if so. So, dear Rudi answer
the letter from Edgar Tuteur and show that you are my real nephew.
[...] If only our loved ones were alive, that would be too wonderful, and I could see them all.
The war pulled us apart.
[...] May the good Lord take you under his protection, and also us and our loved ones.
Cordial greetings and kisses. Your loving Aunt Rosa.
29th June 1946: Ralph, Johannesburg, South Africa, to Rosa Tuteur, Clairac, France88
Dear Aunt Rosa,
I received your letter of May 21st and learned from it that you still are in good health and as
young as ever. I have written to you often since 1941, dear Aunt Rosa, but only ever received
an answer to my first Red Cross request. Obviously my other requests did not reach their
destination. Edgar Tuteur seems to have written to me at an address from which I moved
eight years ago, and the new renters didnt forward my post. It was only after writing to the
88
YV file 4. Ref 871
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local Jewish Office that I finally received his letter. I immediately to wrote him and to you, and
now Im expecting an answer from him. I immediately sent you a parcel with food which you
will have received. In the next few days I will send another one and I hope youll have it soon. I
regularly hear from Armand Demuth. His address is: 5872 Durocher Ave. Montreal, P.Q.
Canada. Hes also had a rough time, but for a relatively young man its not so difficult. His last
letter was dated 7th April 46.
[...] I too have been married since 1939 and my dear wife of course is a Jewish girl, born here
(not a black one!!!). You must have known your brother well enough to understand his first
class jokes of this kind. In addition to the son I received for free as a wedding present, I
received another one who now is almost 4 years old, energetic, optimistic and lively. The
eldest one is 14, goes to college and is an intelligent, energetic boy. He collects stamps like
his father and his late grandfather, and besides that does all that a boy of his age normally
does or, better said, should not do.
Weve just moved into a smaller house which I built, not far from the Fleischmann folks. This
was approximately the sixth move in the last three years. But besides that we are well!
Apart from Armand Demuth and Uncle Alex, it seems to me that you really are my only
relative, because so far I havent heard from anyone else.
As far as Ive heard, my dear mother and Hans as well as the other relatives were all were
dragged away to Poland; I havent had even a shade of a message. I havent stopped hoping,
but every day it becomes more difficult to believe that they will re-appear.
What have those criminals, whore now receiving a proper trial in Nuremberg, done to the
world?
Even if they hang, along with thousand other less important little bastards, all this misery
cannot be made good again. Nor will our loved ones come back alive. One mustnt think
about all this; otherwise it might drive one insane.
Unfortunately my dear father and all my other relatives didnt listen to me between 1933 and
1938, and simply made jokes and laughed at me. They all could have been living in peace and
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Page 91
quiet in another country in the new world for years by now. The last train, which was still
early enough for them, left without them. And when they finally did decide to come here, it
was too late and in spite of my greatest efforts and energy I was no longer able to help. One
mustnt think about it ... as I said in the last paragraph...
Photo of what
remained of the
Schwab home
after the War
and the Allied
bombing of
Hanau.
Ralph held no illusions about the probable fate of his mother and brother. In the late 1940s, when
Rudolphs friend in Germany, Karl Kipfer, considered using a service for tracing war victims to
establish what had happened to Martha and Hans, in the end Rudolph advised him not to spend his
much needed money on the fees for the service: the most they would ever learn was which camp they
had been deported to.
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FIGHTING FOR RESTITUTION

Like every other German-Jewish family, the Schwabs had had everything they owned stolen from
them. Max had been forced to sell his properties to Aryan buyers for ridiculously low prices, and to
hand over the stock of precious stones from his jewellery business to a local bank in Hanau. Even the
contents of the Schwab family home had been raided and confiscated. Finally, they had been coerced
into moving out of their house and taking up residence in Hanaus Jewish school. All this was part the
Nazis plan to isolate and break the Jews emotionally and financially. After the war, Ralph could not
undo the deaths of his father, mother and brother. But he could demand compensation for the
property that had been stolen from them. Furthermore, his surviving elderly relatives were now living
under great financial strain and needed this money desperately. This was the beginning of a fight for
restitution that would last many years.
11th September 1950: Rosa and Siegfried Tuteur, Clairac, France to Ralph, Johannesburg,
SA89
Dear Rudi and dear family,
Your letter of 30 July arrived in good order and pleased me very much. Finally some news
from you and your dear family. I hope you all are again in good health. Pneumonia is
dangerous and not to joke with. One must protect oneself against cold. I also was very ill in
July and August and got two injections, and doctor and the pharmacy were very expensive.
[...] When will we finally see the money that I need very much and also Alex and you. We need
money! ...
In his on-going struggle to squeeze compensation out of the reluctant German authorities,
Ralph was aided by his childhood friend from Hanau, Karl Kipfer, and by various lawyers
and accountants in Germany. It seems that Ralph thought long and hard about whether or
not he could really trust Karl, but in the end, decided his desire to help was genuine.
89
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11th February 1949: Ralph Schwab, Johannesburg, South Africa, to Rosa Tuteur, Clairac,
France90
...About Mr Kipfer I also cant judge 100%, just as with anyone else in Germany today. Its
certain they were Nazis, all of them; this man admits it publically and honestly, but most of
them swear blind that they didnt even know there was a Nazi government in Germany. [...] I
know that in spite of his military character, he in his early days was a very decent man and
for years he was my best friend. I cannot complain about his way of doing business because
he has found out things for me and obtained witness statements which any normal person
would have thought impossible...
It is also worth noting that Karl had suffered devastating injuries in the war, including the loss of the
use of his limbs. This did not stop him from fighting hard on Ralphs behalf, including making long
trips on public transport to Hanau and Frankfurt to do research, which must have been extremely
difficult for him.
90
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January 1948: Karl Kipfer, Langendiebach, Germany, to Ralph, Johannesburg, South

Africa91
... since September 1940 I have been a cripple [...] As a souvenir [of the war] I have a spinal
damage, and as result a completely paralyzed left arm and a partially paralyzed right arm, and
both legs are paralyzed. On my left arm I have an artificial limb and a supporting device on my
right leg. I can walk only with the help of a crutch...
In the desperate economic conditions that prevailed in Germany just after the war, and due to
restrictions on transferring money in and out of the country, the only way Ralph could
compensate Karl for his work was by sending food parcels. Karl was grateful to receive these
packages full of coveted goods such as coffee, spices, and cooking fat and even sold some of
them to finance his work on the Schwab familys restitution claim.
91
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24th November 1948: Karl, Langendiebach, Germany, to Ralph, Johannesburg, SA92

...In the last few months the only parcels I received from you were the first one with the
powdered milk and sugar mixture; the second one with the two cans of fat and then the parcel
of coffee from the Hekid-Omos company. I confirmed the arrival of all three in my letter and
deducted them from the expenses calculations nos. 1-3. If youve ordered anything else in
addition then it would be good if you read them the riot act, and loudly, one more time. Of
course its not that they take the money and dont make the delivery. On the 18.11. I received
another parcel. However, the postage stamp from the post office was very unclear. It seems
to have been stamped on the 2.10. But youll be able to work out which one it is from the
enclosed list of contents. When the postman put the parcel on the table I got a severe fright
because brown dust came out of it, and I feared that the spices had been mixed up inside it.
Happily though, that was not the case; in fact only a packet of cocoa and a carton of coffee
had exploded. I put this mixture through a hair sieve and managed to save most of it in this
way. There will of course of have been some degree of loss. I transferred the spices to small
packets. [...] The sales are already happily underway, everything apart from the coffee, and I
was even able make a better profit with the fat than I did the last time. Im not in such a rush
with the coffee because I dont want to lower the price. Youll receive the calculations for all
this at the end of the month. Then Ill be able to write off another big wave of bills and
receipts...
It would well be over a decade before Ralph to secure some financial compensation for himself and
his relatives, and the exact amount they did receive remains unclear. Perhaps this too will be revealed
as research goes on.
92
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24th March 1962: Ralph, Johannesburg, SA, to Edgar Tuteur, New York, United States93
Dear Edgar,
Many thanks for your copy of the letter to Auntie Rosa, which reached me on the same day as
the letter from the attorneys of the 18th Febr. This closes the last chapter of the Estate late
Louis & Erna Heymann, which, if it hadnt been so sad, would really have been excellent
material for a humorous book. I presume that one of these days I will get a cheque from the
attorneys; so far it has not yet arrived.
[...] Altogether we had been busy with it now for about 15 years, obtaining Death and
Inheritance certificates, fighting the case before the German courts, getting the allocation,
etc. (you know best what a paper war all this involves), and if we hadnt had your assistance
in the end, we would not have reached the finishing post yet. Having fought this thing for so
many years, I know from my own experience how expensive, quite apart from timeconsuming, this type of thing is, and am doubly grateful for your efforts...
In the end the amount was smaller than what he believed they were entitled to, but was enough to
provide Aunt Rosa with a reasonable monthly pension. Unfortunately, Alex Schwab passed away in
the United States before receiving any money. There he had worked long hours in a physically
demanding job for years, even though he was well into his sixties.
93
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TESTIMONIES OF NAZI CRIMES

As part of his efforts to obtain compensation for the crimes committed by the Nazis against his family,
Ralph and several witnesses he contacted in Germany gave statements to the restitution authorities
describing what had been done to his father, mother and brother, and what property his father and
mother had possessed before it was stolen from them under Nazi persecution.
Regional Court, Restitution Chamber 24th February, 195394
Testimony: Witnesses to persecution of the Schwab family by the Nazis
The following witnesses declared:
Personal details: I am Josef Weigelt, 49 years old, living in Hanau, at 55 Dieberbachweg; not
related to the parties concerned and not related by marriage.
Regarding the case: For many years I lived in the same neighbourhood as Max Schwab. I
know from my own experience that during Kristallnacht, Max Schwabs Biedermeier room,
among others, was demolished. A few days later this room was put back together by a
carpenter. I do not know who ordered this. Later, the contents of the Biedermeier room and
of a one-person bedroom (painted white), belonging to the Max Schwabs son, as well as an
office table, two office seats and a large oil-painting, were confiscated. The confiscation was
carried out by the local commander Bender, some three weeks after Kristallnacht. I myself
watched as these objects were carried away by SA members. Sometime after this confiscation,
insofar as I can remember, Max Schwabs jewels, including the diamonds, were taken away
by the Landesleihbank. Max Schwab did, however, receive back the jewels and diamonds. It
might have been in 1940, that the above-mentioned jewellery and diamonds, as well as a
number of precious stones (coloured stones) and a private collection of coloured stones, were
confiscated by two SA men, two SS men and one civilian. Max Schwabs wife was maltreated
as was his son and Max himself. Among the confiscated goods there was also a collection of
postage stamps. However, I cannot attest to its confiscation as an eye witness, but I heard
about all this from Mr Schwab the next day. He personally showed me the evidence of his
94
YV File 10 ref. 3621
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maltreatment. The fate of the confiscated goods is unknown to me.

After the confiscation of the jewels, Maw Schwab told me that he learned from the Gestapo
(secret police) that the confiscation was above board. I also know that a series of oil paintings
was cut into pieces during the Kristallnacht. I cannot give any more information about this.
Second witness: Mrs Margarete Schmitt: My name is Margarete Schmitt, born Kirschner, 65
years old. Housewife, not related to the parties, not related by marriage.
Regarding the case: I know from my own experience that a complete kitchen set was
officially sold in Hanau. This belonged to the family of Max Schwab. I, myself was not present
at the auction. Max Schwabs wife told me that, after the confiscation, her easy-chair was
brought to the office of the [Nazi] Party on the Roemerstrasse. During the war, I personally
helped to the mattresses when Mrs Schwab had to leave with her son... I cannot give more
information.
Third witness, personal details: I am Julius Hau, 63 years old, a plumber in Hanau.
Regarding the case: I lived close to Mr Schwab. I know that on Kristallnacht that is to say,
here it took place a few days later the complete contents of Mr Schwabs house was
destroyed. The offenders were SA men. The next morning, Mrs Schwab called me; I looked at
the damage and drew the conclusion that almost everything had been completely
demolished. Of 12 chairs, just one remained intact. I do not know anything about
confiscations or similar actions. I cannot give more information.
Ralph made statements of his own too.

30th August 1956: Ralph Schwab, Johannesburg, South Africa95
I, the undersigned Rudolf Erwin Alexander Schwab, was born on October 21, 1911 in
95
YV file 9 ref 3468
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Hanau/Main, 15, Franzoessische Allee, son of the Jewish couple Max Schwab and Mrs Martha,
nee Hausmann.
Starting out from the above-mentioned address I left Germany in 1933 (enclosed is a copy of
a police identity card and an attestation of good behaviour as a proof of my last address). I
fled from Germany because I was warned by a friend, an official of the Party, a Mr Kipfer, that
I was about to be arrested. As a Jew, I was subject to the well-known persecution that followed
the delegation of power (enclosed is a copy of a declaration by the provincial rabbinate of
Hanau of the 24th May 1933, proving my Jewish origins). At the time of the delegation of
power I was an employee of the Wronker A.G. firm in Hanau, and was discharged in April
1933, because I was a Jew. After a short period I escaped to Belgium, following the warning
mentioned above, but was not able to obtain permission to work there. From there I moved
to Holland, because I was allowed into construction as a manual labourer in a Jewish training
camp in Nieuwesluis. (Enclosed is a copy and translation of the certification from this work
camp, dated of 4th March 4).
After training for only one and a half years as a steel-concrete worker and bricklayer I had to
leave Holland, because my permission to stay was not renewed, and I immigrated to South
Africa to build there a new life.
My father Max Schwab died in the Oranienburg concentration camp on 19th February 1942.
My mother, Martha Schwab, and my younger brother, Hans Ferdinand Schwab, were
deported during the racial persecution, and have been, according to their death certificates,
declared deceased on 8th May 1945. (Certificates regarding the deaths of my family are
available and can be presented).
I swear under oath that I have made the above declaration to the best of my knowledge and
in good conscience. I understand the meaning of a declaration under oath.
Johannesburg South Africa, 30th August 1956.
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12th March 1958: Ralph Schwab, Johannesburg, South Africa96

Rudolf Schwab
B1: Description of the persecution
My father, Max Schwab, the persecuted party, died on 19th February 1942 in the Oranienburg
concentration camp.
My mother, Martha Schwab, and my brother, Hans Ferdinand Schwab, were deported and did not
return from deportation. Their last address in the country was Hanau/Main, 3
Nuernbergsterstrasse.
B 2: Description of the damage.
IV 1: Damage to life.
My father was obliged, as per the legal decrees of 19 September 1941, to wear a Jewish star. It is
possible that his arrest and transport to Oranienburg took place earlier. At the age of about 64
years he died in the Oranienburg concentration camp, two days before his birthday.
My mother, Martha Schwab, who presumably died on 8th May 1945, might have had a claim for
damages to life after my fathers death. As the sole survivor of my family, I now claim these
damages to life, based on the right of succession. My mother might have been able, up until the
presumed day of her death, to claim for restitution of capital and rent, and for damages to life,
after the death of my father, her husband, and this claim is passed to me by succession.
IV 2: Damage to body and health.
My father and my mother and my younger brother also were, at the time when the
jewellery was confiscated, abused by SS and SA members. (See the witness statements of Mr
Weigelt to the First Restitution Chamber of the Court of Frankfurt /Main-1 Wi R 4260 of 9th
Jan. 1958, and to the Second Restitution Chamber of the Court of Frankfurt /Main -2 Wi 4260)
of 24th Feb. 1953).
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It is highly probably that this abuse damaged my father in terms of his body and health, and
his death on 19 February 1942 in Oranienburg at the age of 64 may be viewed in connection
with the treatment he suffered and his wounds.
Therefore I claim compensation for the damage to body and health of my father.
IV 3: Damage to freedom.
I claim herewith compensation for the damage to freedom, suffered by my father, at the very
least for the period from 19th September 1941 until 19th February 1942.
IV 4: Damage to property.
Some the furniture was destroyed on the Kristallnacht. The above-mentioned declaration by
the witness Weigelt states the facts. Some of the furniture was repaired, and the witness
Weigelt provides details in this regard also. A claim for restitution for furniture and household
items is pending [...].
Some of the furniture, the jewellery and other objects including precious metals and precious
coloured stones were plundered by SS and SA men, by members of the Gestapo or by Party
officials [...]. Declarations from witnesses are available and more evidence will be presented
during the process.
I claim restitution for damage to property.
IV 5: Damage to fortune.
My father was the sole proprietor of the firm Abr. Schwab & Co., wholesaler of jewels in
Hanau/Main. The firm was founded by my grandfather in 1875. It was a very important firm.
The firm was destroyed by the persecutions.
Herewith I claim compensation for the commercial value of the firm [...].
IV 6: Damage from special taxes
My father, without doubt, had to pay enormous taxes on Jewish fortune because he owned
two rented houses in Hanau, namely nos. 13 and 15 Franzoesischer Allee. He would surely
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have had to pay taxes on his fortune for these houses, and I claim restitution for this. [...]
IV 7a Damage to professional success
My father suffered a great deal of damage to his professional success. His firm was ruined and
he was deprived of an income. The boycott of his firm started as early as 1 st April 1933. He
was extremely knowledgeable in semi precious stones (coloured stones) and he was one of
the most well-known specialists in this area in Central Europe.
[...] Herewith I claim compensation for the professional damage done to my deceased father.
I assure under oath that the above statements have been made to the best of my knowledge
and in good conscience. I understand the meaning of a declaration under oath.
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FULFILLING LAST WISHES

Max Schwab had always let it be known that his last wish was to be buried alongside his ancestors in
the Jewish cemetery in Hanau. After his death in Sachsenhausen concentration camp, the Nazi
authorities denied Martha, his wife, permission to bury his ashes in Hanau; his remains were
therefore interred in the Jewish cemetery in Frankfurt am Main. It would be many years until the
Nazis final insult to Max and his family would be corrected. In 1960, on a business trip to Europe,
Ralph visited Hanau and met a town councillor named Oskar Schenk. Two years later, Schenk had
arranged for Maxs remains to be re-interred in Hanau. He invited Ralph to attend the ceremony,
which of course Ralph duly did.
Ralph at the re-burial of his fathers remains in Hanau97
97
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Article from the South African Jewish Chronicle on the re-burial of Max Schwabs remains,
196298
98
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Ralph also used this chance to visit his fathers surviving sister, Rosa Tuteur. By this time, Edgar
Tuteur, the nephew of Rosas now deceased husband Siegfried (who survived the war with her), had
arranged for Rosa to return to Germany. After having survived as a refugee in France and lived in
great poverty for many years, Rosa had by now received some financial compensation from Germany
and was living in a Jewish home for the retired in Heidelberg, where she remained until her death.
Daniel cleaning his ancestors'

tombstones off during a visit to
Hanau in 2010
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9th June 1962: Ralph, Johannesburg, South Africa, to Rosa Tuteur, Heidelberg, Germany99
...You write that you hope Ill come back to Germany again soon, and if that were to happen,
that youd very much like to travel to Hanau with me. So, I must tell you now that this summer
Ill be on a business trip to Europe again, and Ill visit you, probably on Sunday, July 22, in
Heidelberg. [...] And there is something else. When I was in Hanau 2 years ago, I got to know
a town councillor who is responsible for culture. One of his tasks is to publish a work on our
Jewish fellow citizens. He was, it seems, always one of those few decent citizens, and wants
to make this work as complete as possible, in order to show how cruel, unjust , hateful and
indecent the Nazis were, so that the younger generation will learn about what happened
during that time. At the time I helped him out with everything I still know from my father
about our family and also about Hanau, and at the same time, I told him that after he died in
Oranienburg100 concentration camp, it was not permitted to bury the ashes of my father, your
brother Max, in the Hanau cemetery. The Nazis did not allow it. Since it was the last wish of
your brother, may his memory be blessed, to be buried in the same cemetery in which our
forefathers have rested in peace for more than 350 years, the town councillor has now
managed to arrange for the State to carry out this reburial. [...] So, I could gladly pick you up
in Heidelberg on the Sunday, if thats what you wish, and if your heart and bowels are back
in good working order again, and if it wouldnt be an impossibly difficult exertion for you. I
would, of course, pick you up in a car. Edgar fears that such a completely unnecessary
journey would be too stressful for you, and if that is indeed the case, that is to say, if you
agree, then of course we simply wont do it. Edgars view was that we ought to tell you about
the transfer [of the ashes] only afterwards. Dont reproach him for this; Im convinced that
his intentions were good...
99
100
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May be incorrect records indicate that Max Schwab died in Sachsenhausen
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12th August 1962: Ralph, Johannesburg, SA, to Rosa Tuteur, Heidelberg, Germany101
...Now its exactly 3 weeks since I visited you in Heidelberg and we were able to spend a few
very pleasant hours together.
During a further visit to Hanau I spoke with the town councillor, Oskar Schenk, and asked
him to send you a couple of photographs of the ceremony that took place for the reburial of
my dear fathers urn, and also a cut-out from the newspaper with a report about it, so that
you too could see how solemn and dignified the reburial was. As I told you when I visited you,
the state rabbi, Dr Lichtinfeld and the new Lord Mayor of Hanau spoke at the graveside, as
did various representatives of non-Jewish organisations. My father was, as I wrote to you
many years ago, killed in Oranienburg concentration camp in the year 1942, and his ashes
were sent to my mother by delivery. The Nazis did not, at the time, allow my mother to bury
them in Hanau, and the municipal administration of Hanau has now corrected this
injustice...
101
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CARING FOR THE OLDER GENERATION

After re-establishing contact with his uncle Alex Schwab who lived out the war in Shanghai before
moving to the United States and with his elderly Aunt Rosa who survived the war in France and
later returned to live in Germany Ralph stayed in regular contact with both for the rest of their lives.
At times, Alex and Rosa were living in very difficult financial circumstances, but aside from pushing
forward their case for compensation from Germany, there was little that Ralph, who had his own
commitments to his family, his business and the local Johannesburg Jewish community, could do to
help his aunt and uncle on a practical level. Ralph did, however, endeavour to write to his relatives on
the occasion of each Jewish holiday and birthday.
8th January 1961: Alex, Minnesota, USA, to Ralph and Norman Schwab, Johannesburg,
SA102
Dear Rudi and dear Norman,
I received your kind letter of the 23rd of the 12th and it pleased me very much to hear
something from you both again. At the same time, I want to thank you sincerely for the good
wishes and congratulations for my upcoming birthday
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20th September 1965: Ralph, Johannesburg, SA to Rosa Tuteur, Heidelberg, Germany103

Dear Aunt Rosa, we all wish you Lshanah tova, good health and all the very best for the
upcoming holidays. We hope to hear from you again soon. Perhaps one of these days I really
will be able to visit Europe again, although with all this work that wont be easy.
With many warm wishes and kisses,
From all your loving
Schwabs...
Alex was working hard to learn English and become a fully-integrated citizen of the United States.
Ralph helped him by writing to Alex in English instead of German and encouraged him to reply in
English too. It appears that sometimes Ralph even corrected Alexs errors in spelling and grammar
and sent the corrections back to him to help him improve.
103
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27th December 1948: Alex, Minnesota, United States, to Ralph Schwab, Johannesburg,
SA104
My dears,
I have got your letter from 19th December and I am very glad to hear, that you are all very
well. I am writing on Mr. Kipfer all the dates, which I know and I thank you very much for the
good wishes to my coming 60th anniversary. In St. Paul it is very cold and all days is snowing.
Yesterday I have kindle the first light for Chanukah and today, the seconds. Rosa had writer
me a letter from Clairac, and I will to reply this letter next to that. I hope, you understand my
letter!
[] So, I wish you all good Chanukah and a happy new year 1949. Expecting to hear from you
all again very soon, I remain with best regards and kisses, to all my dear Schwabs.
Your Uncle Alex
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ALEXANDER SCHWAB
When Alex died, Ralph was very concerned that he should have a Jewish funeral that would have
fulfilled his wishes. Ralph therefore communicated with the Jewish community in Minnesota, where
Alex lived, to ensure that this happened.
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24th March 1961: Morris Rosenblatt, Minnesota, USA, to Ralph Schwab, Johannesburg,
SA105
Dear Mr Schwab,
First of all I want to express to you my heartfelt sympathy regarding the loss of your dear uncle.
Your uncle was not ill. He went in the morning to the temple to pray; there he fell down and died
immediately. At least he did not suffer.
Your dear uncle left behind a will, and in his will, he named me as the person who should bring
all his affairs to a close. We got him a very nice coffin and many German people came to the
funeral too. We have given a very frumm (religious) man the task of saying kaddish for him for
the whole year...
30th May 1961: Ralph Schwab, Johannesburg, SA, to Rosa Tuteur, Heidelberg, Germany106
Dear Aunt Rosa,
Thank you very much for your lovely letter of the 15.3. I was very shocked to hear of the
passing of dear Uncle Alex. But I know that no matter how much I am suffering, your grief
must go much deeper, for he was your youngest brother, the only survivor among your
brothers and sisters. He was always such a loving, undemanding, God-fearing person, who
never hurt anyone else. At the very least, he was given the chance to spend his last years in
peace and, as I have heard, at least not in complete poverty. His death was also, thank G-d,
quick and painless, during the prayer service in the temple. If I were allowed to choose, I could
imagine no better death for myself. Of course, I say kaddish for him regularly. The last time
we saw each other was a long time ago now, and we both hoped then that I would be able to
105
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106
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visit him again in America. We wrote to each other about it shortly before his death, but it
wasnt possible...
Towards the end of Rosas life, despite the fact that she and Ralph had not always had the easiest of
relationships, he worked together with her other nephew, Edgar Tuteur, to ensure that she was
comfortable, had money and was receiving the medical care she required.
9th August 1964: Ralph Schwab, Johannesburg, SA, to Rosa Tuteur, Heidelberg,
Germany107
...How are you? What does your doctor say? I hope you are now doing better; it makes no
sense to save money, if he comes more often it wont do any harm. Life is too short to twist
and turn three times over every Mark. So what if we inherit a little less in 50 years, that is not
so dangerous, just as long as you do not go short and have as much fun as possible. Apart
from the doctor, take a taxi every now and then and go for a trip with your friends into the
green countryside, with coffee and cake. That is not wasteful. Enjoy life for as long as you can
tomorrow its too late...
Even after Rosa became too deaf and blind to write letters, Ralph continued to correspond with her.
107
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27th February 1966: Edgar Tuteur, New York, USA, to Ralph, Johannesburg, SA108
Dear Rudi,
Aunt Rosa has asked me to write to you that she received your congratulations at the time
of her birthday and was very happy that everyone everywhere remembers their own old
auntie.
Unfortunately she cant write anymore because her eyes are bad and every short letter is a
really big effort for her. But she asks that you continue to write to her even if you dont hear
from her. Its a great joy for her to hear from her nephew.
I hope that you and your family are well.
With best regards, I remain
Yours,
Edgar
108
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17th December 1966: Ralph, Johannesburg, SA, to Rosa Tuteur, Heidelberg, Germany109
Dear Aunt Rosa,
We hear from Edgar Tuteur now and then that you are still in good health, and you must not
worry about not being able to write to us very often. We completely understand.
Everything with us is continuing in the old track. Dear Norman is working hard in our
business and is a great help to me. My stepson, David, passed his second year engineering
exams yesterday with two subjects in first class and two more with a good, which is most
proficient given the high demands of the local university here. Two of his best friends didnt
even pass, and the number of drop outs is very high. Hes working at the moment for two
months on a practical internship in a very good English firm that manufactures precision
tools. The faculty requires them to do practical work every year during their holidays in order
to learn a little extra. Thank G-d, his father, may his name be blessed, left behind enough
money for him for all this; I wouldnt have been able to cover the cost.
Our oldest granddaughter celebrated her Bat Mitzvah two months ago; the day after
tomorrow we are celebrating the wedding of a niece (we have, thank G-d, another 9 nieces
aged between 10 and 16 and four nephews who are a little older, apart from our own sons,
so in the next few years we have good prospects of further family celebrations). And this is
how we spend our short days.
Theres not much more to report. We congratulate you warmly for your upcoming birthday
and wish you all the best for the New Year. We remain, with best regards and kisses,
Your loving,
Schwabs
109
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ROSA & SIEGFRIED TUTEUR
Rosa died peacefully in her sleep on 23rd March 1967. Edgar Tuteur was able to fly to Germany to
attend her funeral at the Jewish cemetery in Heidelberg.
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COMMUNITY SERVICE
Active in both the BNai Brith Association of South Africa and the South African Union of Progressive
Judaism, Ralph became an energetic and important member of the local Johannesburg Jewish
community. His letters suggest that he dedicated so much time and energy to the Reform synagogue
of which he was a member, and to the various Jewish societies and organizations he helped to lead,
that he pushed himself to the point of exhaustion. Ralph often compared himself to his father Max in
this regard, and was proud to have continued the family tradition of active involvement in Jewish
community life.
9th November 1953: Ralph, Johannesburg, SA, to Reny Wormser, Sao Paulo, Brazil110
Due to the delays mentioned above, I have missed my opportunity to wish you all the best
for Rosh Hashana, and want to make up for it with this. I am now part of a large community
here (reform), 3,000 adults and 700 children, so our temple was packed over the high
holidays as is customary everywhere else in the world too. As a member of the school board
it was my duty to sit on the altar next to the rabbi during the Kol Nidre service, leading the
childrens worship, which had to be held separately, of course, given the size of the
community. Would not our grandfather and your uncle Max be delighted to hear this if they
could? [] The children find it interesting because they can participate, and the adults come
for the childrens sake, if they come at all. This is my reason for going as well. --- The voluntary
position mentioned above earns me just as little as the others. I have taken it, however, in
order to have more influence on Normans religious upbringing. As he started late, it is
particularly important that he fits in well with the community
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November 1953: Ralph Schwab, Johannesburg, SA, to Alex, Minnesota, USA111

I want to return our best wishes for Rosh Hashanah and Good luck with the fasting!! I am
part of a great community here now; we are about 3,000 adults and 700 children, so our
temple should be very busy during the important holidays. As I am part of the school board it
is my duty to sit next to our rabbi on the altar during Kol Nidre, and act as chairman of the
childrens worship, which, due to the size of our community, has to be held separately.
Wouldnt your brother Max be happy to see this!
In many letters to Aunt Rosa, who felt that Ralph did not write to her often enough, he
emphasises just how many commitments he has professionally and, later, to the local Jewish
community.
5th December 1948: Rudolph, Johannesburg, to Rosa and Siegfried Tuteur, Cannes,
France112
Dear Aunt Rosa and Uncle Siegfried,
Your kind letter did arrive in good time and I have to excuse myself for letting you wait for
an answer. I was very busy in my business, and also the inheritance case and the restitution
claims in Germany took up a lot of time during the last few months. Despite that, I was busy
creating new wood treatment machines to offer our customers. So far this has cost a lot of
money and much time, but perhaps some result will come of it. Besides that I have been given
another honorary post, which also takes up time. After all, my family complains that I have
little time for them...
111
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112
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20th September 1965: Ralph, Johannesburg, SA, to Rosa Tuteur, Heidelberg, Germany113
...The president of our congregation stood down in July, and as the oldest vice president I had
to take over his position overnight as temporary president. Its a massive amount of work
that I really couldnt afford to take on, so in the end I got hold of one of my colleagues, who
stepped into the breach. But those were a couple of hectic weeks. Then, since May, Ive been
a delegate at 4 national congresses, one of these took place in Durban (400 miles away from
here). Because Im the vice head of this organisation (our professional association), I had to
participate actively in the all the preliminary work, rope in the Minister of Agriculture as the
national patron, and make one hundred other important and not-so-important preparations,
so that everything would go smoothly. And well, thats now already in the past, and it went
most satisfactorily too.
Then our temple decided a few months ago that we really must, one of these days, begin to
put up a new building for religious instruction, halls, offices, a library and a kindergarten,
etc. Since this type of thing cant be done without money, we first have to begin collecting the
money. The preparations took a lot of time, but are now almost finished, meaning that
tomorrow evening at a large celebration we can inform our members how much we want to
get from them. I am, along with our rabbi, the main speaker - a great honour for me.
Hopefully it will all go well.
22/9 it did all go well. The celebration went like clockwork. We had 415 people there, the
largest gathering since the founding of our community approximately 32 years ago, and the
nicest. Everyone was very enthusiastic and dozens of people came to me afterwards to
congratulate me on my speech. The Lord Mayor was there too and spoke very nicely. Now we
have to visit each member personally and get the money into the collection box. That will be
more difficult. And in the meantime all the preparations have to be made so that the religious
service will go off in an orderly fashion during the High Holidays. Hopefully that will work
out too...
113
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Ralph enjoying a community

event with his friends at Bnei
Brith; below a letter of
recommendation from Member
of Parliament and well known
South African politician Harry
Schwarz
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THE NEXT GENERATION

After October 1939: Hans Schwab, Hanau, Germany to Ralph, Johannesburg, SA114
Dear Rudi, after a long period of waiting we received your kind letter of Oct. 19 th with the
joyful message that you are engaged to a certain lady. On this happy occasion I congratulate
you and your dear fianc in the most cordial way, and I am very glad that you already have
a son. [..]. We are enormously pleased about our dear Rudi [...] It is a pity that I could not be
present at the wedding [...] I hope that youve made the correct choice in the Schwab way and
will be happy and satisfied with your charming wife [...] Cordial greetings and kisses to you,
my sister-in-law and my nephew. Hans Ferdinand
3rd December 1939: Max Schwab, Hanau, Germany, to Rudolph Schwab, Johannesburg,
SA115
Dear Rudi [...] your kind letter of Oct. 39 has arrived with the pleasant news that you are
engaged and in all probability have married in the meantime. And so I am hurrying, dear son,
and your kind wife, to send my cordial congratulations, and to ask the Good Lord to grant
you all the best. I sent my regards to your dear wife, my daughter-in-law, and your little son
as my dear grandchild. Furthermore, I send greetings to the mother of your kind wife, and all
her loved ones, and welcome them cordially...
114
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9th January 1951: Ralph, Johannesburg, SA, to August and Leni Walter, Cologne, Germany
...This time I really have to apologise for keeping you waiting for a reply for such a long time.
In the last six months I had so many troubles in my private life, quite apart from in my
business, that I had neither the time nor the energy to do anything more than the work that
was absolutely essential. It will surely be sufficient if I tell you that I am, at this very moment,
divorced. If I hadnt been the type of person, as you, dear Walter, can confirm, who does not
take his duties lightly, then perhaps many things would have been easier for me in the last
few years. [...] The positive aspect of this very sad business is my son, almost 9 years old, about
whose education and welfare I am most concerned. At the end of January I had to send him
to a boarding school [] Thank God I found one with a first class reputation, which was not
yet full, where he came out top of the class in the mid-year exams at the end of June, with
90.5% (19/20 for reading, 8/10 for spelling, composition 38/40, Afrikaans 88/100,
Geography 8/10, History 10/10, Arithmetic 59/60, Mechanical Arithmetic 40/40, etc). As he
had clearly earned himself a nice present for such good work, and since I, after 3 or 4 years
of work without a holiday, also felt that a small holiday trip wouldnt be too luxurious for me,
but rather a necessity for my health, particularly after the private worries mentioned above,
I decided to travel to the world famous Kruger National Park for a couple of weeks.
We travelled in a truck because I dont have a passenger vehicle, and started in the north of
the huge wildlife park, 430 miles from the culture of Johannesburg, after a quiet and pleasant
journey through the chasms, hills and valleys, parts of which are incredibly beautiful, of the
north east Transvaal between Pietersburg and Tzaneen. The outback of the park itself (here
its not a real tropical forest) is between 25 and 50 miles wide, and from north to south is
almost 300 miles long, and contains almost every type of wildlife there is in South Africa and,
apart from sandy paths and camps, is still in its natural state as it has been for thousands of
years. During the almost three weeks that we were there, we saw, in addition to the at times
huge herds of various types of gazelle and antelope, such as, for example, impala, kudu, sable,
blue wildebeest, duiker, steenbuck, inyala, Klipspringer and waterbuck; also elephants, lions,
leopards, cheetahs, giraffes, warthogs, bushpigs, hippopotami, crocodiles, hyenas, jackals,
wild dogs, zebras, eagles, vultures, and many other animals and birds, which one would
otherwise see only in zoos, walking around free in their natural habitat. That is to say, that
in this strange, massive zoo park, its the people who sit behind bars (in the truck), the
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animals who walk around free. You mustnt dare leave the vehicle on pain of prosecution,
until youre back in an unfenced camp. The living conditions are, of course, the most primitive
possible: a few huts, many tents, and whoever arrives late during the high season has to sleep
out in the open or in his car. That happened to us four times in total, but because I had
equipped the delivery surface of my truck with mattresses and tarpaulin for this purpose, and
because I am, nevertheless, still not that senile, these stresses and strains didnt bother me
too much. July is high season because here the African winter is free from epidemics and the
children have school holidays, which meant that we had to make do with whatever we got.
You cook in the open on wood fires (the outback supplies this free of charge in great
quantities) when it doesnt rain; thank G-d the winter is also the dry season here and we had
rain only twice. Lighting, apart from that which comes from the huts in the two main camps,
is by petroleum lanterns, meaning that in the evening one can barely read or write, and that
we, along with the other animals, had to go to sleep between 7 and 8. By local standards it
was sometimes rather cold at night but the temperature during the day at times climbed to
30 oF, which in itself is somewhat stressful. On top of everything else it means changing your
clothes three times. The best thing about the camps are the bathrooms with baths in which
you dunk yourself, buckets, and sometimes even water closets, and lots of hot water for
washing and cooking. All in all it was a very interesting, wonderful experience for both of us,
and in any case I couldnt have afforded a stay for both of us in a luxury hotel, particularly as
the amount of gasoline we used was incredibly high. At the end of the trip we went digging
in a neighbouring native reservation for white ants, in particular a species that exists only in
this part of the world. This is a very large type of ant, in Latin, scientists call it macro termes
goliath, and it bit my finger hard before I had put on my gloves. [...] The journey back through
the fruit and vegetable gardens of the eastern Transvaal, with their thousands of orange
trees, grapefruits, etc., was incredibly beautiful, until we slowly but surely arrived in the stark,
craggy, high mountains of Witwatersrand, our home
30th May 1961: Ralph Schwab, Johannesburg, South Africa, to Rosa Tuteur, Heidelberg,
Germany
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...In the meantime, Norman has passed his school leaving exams, and has begun studying
chemistry and entomology a few months ago. He is a good boy, and I dont have any worries
about him. Unfortunately hes not at home right now; otherwise he would of course add a
note to this letter. I have never taught him German, because we never speak it at home...
30th May 1961: Ralph Schwab, Johannesburg, South Africa, to Reny Wormser, Sao Paulo,
Brazil
...He [Norman] is a good boy and I have knock on wood no worries for him. My other
(step) children are loving and respectable, and I cant complain. Quite the contrary, I couldnt
have had it better. In total, its now 2 sons and 2 daughters, 3 children, for we were just
blessed with our first grandson; you wont believe it, but everyone says he looks like me...
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27th March 1967: Ralph Schwab, Johannesburg, South Africa, to Armand and Helen
Demuth, Montreal, Canada
...I have just found, among my old papers, a copy of a letter from around 1952, so its not
really so very long ago that we heard from one another. But 15 years is actually a long time
too. Every now and then I heard via Uncle Alex, Aunt Rosa and Edgar Tuteur about you; but
direct correspondence is of course much better. I am pleased that you both are doing well,
and can report the same for us.
Now for a short report on everything that happened to me during this time: After my divorce
in the year 1951 I married again in 1958. My dear Miriam was a widow with 3 children (2
daughters and 1 son) and 4 grandchildren. Together with my Norman (now 24 years old) its
a very nice family. Miriam comes from a family of 7 children (4 daughters, 3 sons), who, along
with their children and the rest of the respective family and friends, could populate an entire
town. Given that we too have our own nice circle of friends, we never need to feel lonely.
In my business (wood protection and pest control) there is a lot of work and little money. 2
years ago my Norman passed his exams as B. Sc. Ent. (Entomology) at the university, and
fulfilled his compulsory service as an officer in the military. And since then he has been
working for me in the business. During the low season last year, I sent him for further
specialist training to Europe and England; he came back with a lot of modern methods and
ideas...
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NORMAN OUTSIDE HIS HOUSE IN JOHANNESBURG
Letter of condolence sent to Norman

by Armand Demuth, Ralphs cousin in
Canada, after Ralphs death in 19721
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RETURN TO HANAU
Back in 1962, Ralph felt compelled to make the long trip to Germany, and more specifically to the
Jewish cemetery in Hanau, to re-inter his fathers remains. Almost 50 years later, in May 2010, Ralphs
grandchildren Daniel and Ricci, now adults of course, followed in his footsteps to take part in a
memorial ceremony for Hanaus Jewish Holocaust victims. The ceremony was held to coincide with
the date of the first deportation of Jews from Hanau to what was euphemistically referred to as the
East. As part of the ceremony, individual plaques dedicated to Max, Martha, and Hans, among other
victims, were erected at the spot where Hanaus Jews were rounded up before being sent to their
deaths. Daniel and Ricci were able to visit Maxs grave in the Jewish cemetery in Hanau. The following
day, Daniel gave a presentation at a local school about Ralph and the fate of the wider Schwab family.
When Daniel first came across his grandfather Ralphs letters in 2009, He wondered how or if the
people of Hanau now remember the Jews that were once part of their community, and whether or not
there was a memorial for Hanaus Holocaust victims in the town. Now, this question least has been
answered, but the answers to many more lie in the letters themselves, and are yet to be revealed.
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Memorial plaques placed by the

Mayor of Hanau on the old Ghetto
wall in Central Hanau May 31st 2010
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JERUSALEM
I don't believe I would have succeeded in discovering and translating my grandfather's letters without
having arrived back in Israel and in particular Jerusalem. There are both spiritual and practical
reasons why this is true. From a spiritual perspective, the fact that it took me until the age of 34 and
that I was the one to discover and reveal the fascinating story of my father's father is hard to explain.
I have been living in Israel for the past fifteen years and so practically speaking I was the least likely
to find the letters and spend time understanding them.
Being in Jerusalem has also given me a unique opportunity to benefit from personal relationships
with people who are deeply passionate about Jewish history and in particular the study of the
Holocaust. As the home of Yad Vashem, Jerusalem has amongst its residents a plethora of researchers,
academics and laymen with whom I've had the fortune to discuss this project with and receive advice.
Our volunteers and professional translators were mainly sourced through these relationships.
My hope is that my children will also benefit from the rich cultural, spiritual and academic treasures
that exist in Jerusalem.
When I read about my grandfather's wish to donate his uncle's war time certificate to Yad Vashem
and his interactions with historians at Hebrew University of Jerusalem and pondering whether it was
possible for him to make Aliya (live in Israel) as well as Hans' eventual wish to escape to "Palestine"
Israel bring the point home that Israel and Jerusalem in particular has always been central to my
family and hopefully will always be.
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RECOLLECTIONS
On Tue, Mar 23, 2010 at 10:03 PM, Omer Vanvoorden wrote:

Good evening,
Thank you for your kind words.
You know, I am retired and living about 60 km from the German border. I was eight
years old when the liberating tanks with American soldiers drove around in our village.
One of the cruel aspects of the story of the Jewish people was that the persecution was
organised in the most diabolic way. Long before the war, not taken into account the
silent persecution during centuries by special laws etc, the Germans started about
1933.
Slowly the system started turning on an ever faster speed and little by little personal
freedom was limited. Obligation to sell their properties to Aryans at ridiculous prices,
obligation to move to larger towns, to disturb communities, putting their money on
blocked accounts, etc. The Jews, very religious and with an enormous belief and an
understandable faith did not realise what in reality was happening around them.
Remember what the mother once happily wrote in her letter to that friend in Sweden:
Tomorrow we leave on a journey!
The sad reality was that she was put on a train to what was called the East; which stands
for extermination camp. At that moment they start realising that no escape is possible.
The father Schwab gives the impression that he realized what was going to happen,
while the mother was longing for her son in South Africa.
The most remarkable words in the letters always are the ones of hope. How many times
does the word hope figure in their texts? But not complaining, but as almost as a
simple determination of the facts. No protest arose and slowly the final solution came
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near.
In my opinion, only a strong belief is possible to keep people upright in such situations.
Its remarkable the stupid way in which German officials reacted in the later years, just
seeking problems in every corner of the documents before paying back what their
predecessors had stolen away from innocent civilians whom they murdered
afterwards.
I am translating the letters of the family members as completely as possible. It seems
perhaps useless, but I think the constant repetition of their simple story emphasises
the underlying seriousness. So far, some personal comments of mine, with my apologies
if some of my words might hurt...
Memories of William J. Schwabe July 2010:

Dear Mr. Schwab,
My computer has the hiccups. It would not allow a direct reply to your
email. Therefore, I am writing you in this manner.
I was born in Hanau in 1923 and lived there until my parents, my sister and I emigrated
in 1938, literally on the last train out of Nazi Germany. Of course, some years have gone
by and my memories are not as vivid as they would have been some years earlier
Your great grandfather was known as Max Schwaab - thus apparently the name of the
family was changed. Hanau had a Waloon church which I saw in 2002 when, like you, I
was invited by the Mayor of Hanau as an ex citizen. Your great-grandfather lived in a
house at the southwestern corner of the church plaza.
Your grandfather, Rudolf, (I remember him as Hans) was an occasional playmate. I
heard that he left for South Africa. Your great-grandfather's house was recognizable by
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a large wooden door, the top which which was oval in shape.
Max Schwaab was very proud to show me his vast postage stamp collection. It was
housed in a file cabinet and as Max pulled out the drawers I grew with envy because I,
too, collected stamps but my collection was insignificant compared to what he had
collected.
I recall that Max also had a coin collection. My grand uncle also had a collection of gold
coins and, therefore, I was interested in Max's collection. As an 10 or 11 year old, I
looked at gold coins as beautiful but I did nor appreciate their value.
The stamps, the coins, and many other items belonging to Max have disappeared. I
wonder whether you were able to achieve some restitution.
Max was extremely proud of his service in the German army during World War I. His
medals were prominently displayed as well other other patriotic items. I remember
that the Iron Cross first class was one of medals. Max insisted, and firmly believed, that
the Nazi's would not touch him in recognition of his WWI service. Because of this, he
refused to take steps to secure a visa to flee. Of course, it turned out that his belief was
erroneous. I heard that he did not succeed to leave Germany and that he was murdered
as were the other Jews who remained in Hanau.
...Probably you heard about my uncle on your visit. He was a most beloved physician in
Hanau as evidenced by the many who attended his burial even when they were subject
to being photographed by the Gestapo. As I mentioned previously, my uncle and his
family had a visa to the United States and were prepared to emigrate within a few days.
A few days before my uncle's intended departure, an ex-patient tried to blackmail him,
threatening to accuse him of sexual advances unless he paid to prevent such an
accusation. My uncle who trusted his reputation in Hanau went to the police barracks
to cause the arrest of the blackmailer. Instead, however, of causing the arrest, the
Gestapo apparently subjected my uncle to an inquisition. He either was pushed or
jumped out the window of the police building to his death on the sidewalk. A bronze
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memorial plaque on the sidewalk shows where he saw the last seconds of life.
When I visited Hanau, my cousin and I saw a document of a witness who said he was in
the office where my uncle was examined. He claimed that my uncle jumped out of the
window. His testimony, we found, was inconsistent. We also saw a police report about
the blackmailer. A line across and a note Do not arrest proved the intended action of
the police and I suspect that the blackmailer was in fact connected with the authorities
to squeeze the Jew for his last pennies. John and I decided to not further pursue the
matter since the witnesses and the perpetrator were probably no longer available.
At the time I was at Johns Hopkins I received a telephone call from Germany. Our store
was vandalized. My father had been arrested and was in the Buchenwald concentration
camp. My mother was desperately trying to sort out the vandalized remnants of the
store which then were stored in the nearby small room when a brave, faithful Catholic
employee, Liesel Pelzer, came to her aid. The telephone call was from Liesel Pelzers
son, Joachim. He had heard from his mother about the time she came to my mothers
aid. He said he was close to our family and that he was anxious to maintain contact. I
had corresponded with Joachim for many years and became very close to the Pelzer
family and its problems. However, I had never met Joachim in person. It was a very
emotional meeting when I stepped off the bus in Hanau.
While my son. Andy, experienced Hanau as a tourist, for me it was a very emotional
visit. Hanau rolled out the red carpet (as I am sure they did for you). The mayor
pointed with pride to the resurrected Jewish community. I remembered the signs Jews
not invited in Hanau store windows...
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David Mandelstam, Mon, Jan 18, 2010 at 5:14 PM

Hi Daniel,
So nice to hear from you. I hear that you are doing well and have many (I dont know how many)
children. I remember Ralphs genealogical chart that he had in his office. Many of the names
come back to me as I read them. His chart only went back to 1650, I think. But I remember him
telling me that he had records going back to 1250 in Spain.
I always thought of your grandfather as very German: meticulous, controlled and very
much the "Boss". I remember for instance one winter night when he would not eat a
pear because they were too cold, and your Dad warming a pear for him by twirling it
in front of the heater. He took the offering as his due.
We used to drink Ricoffee (a mainly artificial coffee made mostly of chicory), but
Ralph had his real coffee in a special cup with a filter which we considered awfully
grand.
Being on the reef at 2000 m, the boiling point of water was about 94oC, so getting his
filter coffee to him while still hot was a major procedure.
He was very kind and totally dedicated to his family. When my sister June went
through her divorce with some very ugly behaviour by some people, Ralph took
charge and just cleared away the bad guys in a way that my mother was eternally
grateful for.
Ralph was very active at his shul, as I am sure you know. He was very community
minded...
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Monica Kingreen on Sun, Jan 31, 2010 at 2:09 PM

Dear Daniel Schwab,
I am familiar with Max Schwab and his sad end of his life: My suggestion to your
question is:
write to the memorial museum in Sachsenhausen and ask there how things were
organised when somebody was brought to death.
Relatives could ask for the ashes (which usually were not the original ones) and paid
for it some Marks. The Hanau cemetery was closed by the Nazis by that time, so it was
the Frankfurt cemetery. Then Rudolf Schwab in 1962 decided to have his father buried
in his hometown in Frankfurt and the Urne (I dont know the English word) was
transferred to the Hanau cemetery and a ceremony held there. You should not mix up
this death of Max Schwab with the people of the mass deportations, which is
something very different.
Please let me know, what answer you get from Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg.
Greetings, Monica Kingreen116
116
http://www.obermayer.us/award/awardees/kingreen-eng.htm
WINDECKEN, GERMANY
MONICA
KINGREEN
Nominated by Peter and Carole-Ann Wyant, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada The books and articles written by Monica Kingreen are without equal.
They serve as an inspiration to scholars from all over the world. Her original research covering thirty Jewish communities and seven hundred years
of history recreates, in exquisite detail, Jewish life in an entire region. She has initiated many new projects, which have served as a model for others
and encouraged them to do further work. For example, her biography of Moritz Daniel Oppenheim, the most famous 19th-century painter of Jewish
subjects, set the stage for the Frankfurt Museum to prepare a major exhibit of the painters work, which is now touring the United States. From early
childhood Monica Kingreen had been educated by her parents about the persecution of the Jews and their horrendous fate during the Nazi era. In
1983, Mrs. Kingreen and her family moved to the small village of Windecken near Frankfurt am Main. It was this family move that inspired a life
of research, coupled with her career as a school teacher.
Monica Kingreen soon learned that the very house she now lived in had been the home of Jewish families for more than 200 years. It was located
next door to the former Jewish synagogue, which was burnt down on Kristallnacht. Their very street, Braugasse, had once been the Judengasse, or
the main street of the Jewish community. Frau Kingreen began to research the fate of the Jewish families who had lived and prospered in Windecken.
She searched the world for those who had emigrated and for the descendants of those who had been deported. Her research eventually led to the
publication of a comprehensive 650-year history of Jewish life in Windecken until its destruction under the National Socialists. Mrs. Kingreens
interest in Jewish history quickly expanded to include the two neighboring villages of Heldenbergen and Ostheim. In 1985, Frau Kingreen was
instrumental in having plaques erected commemorating the locations of the former synagogues of Windecken and Heldenbergen. In 1986, she
organized an exhibition focusing on the lives of former Jewish citizens from all three villages. In 1988, she initiated the establishment of a memorial
week in Windecken, Heldenbergen and Ostheim. Jewish descendants, now living throughout the world, were encouraged to return to their ancestral
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WHAT IT ALL MEANS

It would be wonderful to know what the meaning behind discovering our family history is and why it
is so important for people to know where they come from, but it seems that family history is part of
the mystery of life. Our family history is the legacy we are given without choice, so we must do with
it what we think best. My hope is that presenting our family history in this booklet will provide our
children and our future generations the guidelines for how to conduct themselves in life.
For me, unravelling my family's history has been like solving a tremendously large puzzle. Living my
early life with one perception of who I am and then rediscovering my identity all over again.
On this occasion of Tzion Aryeh's Bar Mitzvah we are fortunate to be together enjoying a true family
simcha. May we be blessed to spend many more smachot together in the future.
home. Several dozen returned and were warmly welcomed. She became intensely involved in writing a detailed description of specific Jewish
deportations from Hessen and Hanau and the fates of those deported. She published significant research on those German citizens who helped Jews
to survive during the war. Her research was inspired by a heartfelt need to preserve a rich culture that had disappeared, and to pay homage to a
period in history when Christians and Jews lived together in harmony.
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Rudi Schwab: The Forgotten Letters by Daniel Schwab

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The Forgotten Letters

Surviving the Holocaust in Africa

The Forgotten Letters

First published by Schwab Family AV 5771 September 2011

The Forgotten Letters

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shimon_Schwab, see also: Email

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See Pinkas, Kehilot Yehudai Germania

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Ref. 170, file 1

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Ref. No. 177, file 1

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ILLUSTRIOUS FAMILY HISTORY 10

21st November 1934: Max in Hanau, Germany to Ralph in Belgium

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...Ralph finished the scroll

finished it up to what he knew

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THE SCHWAB FAMILY TREE

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Rabbi Avrohom Family

2) Morenu Raw Rabbi Schmuel Ben Avrohom Bikrach

3) Morenu Raw Rabbi Joseph Hazaddik Bikrach

Ascher ben Alexander Family

5) Morenu Raw Rabbi Hachover Samwil ben Ascher Bikrach

6) Morenu Raw Rabbi Alexander Suesskind; died

1. Chaje may have had another child

The Forgotten Letters

Joseph ben Panross Family

Second marriage Henriette Scheuer of

7) Joseph ben Panross

8) Samwil Joseph2 born

Morenu Raw Rabbi

First marriage - daughter

1. daughter of Jonas Schwab (Painter of porcelain pendants and miniatures)

Alexander Samuel Family

9) Alexander Samuel (Picture Gallery owner &

1. wholesale tobacco trader and later wholesale jeweller

The Forgotten Letters

Gotha Fleischmann Family

Adolf Fleischmann1 born 20.03.1892.

Jettchen5 or Alex or Rosel

1. Prior to WWII he lived in Frankfurt on Main,

Ernest Fleischmann Family

Ernest Fleischmann (famous

The Forgotten Letters

Samuel Alexander Family

10) Samuel Alexander1, born 16.10.1851, died

1. wholesale tobacco trader and later wholesale jeweller

Max Schwab Family

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Elias Hausmann Family

Johanna (nee Stern)

daughter Lotte born

Alice born in Worms on

Walter Hoexter (Ralphs first