Content

Sandy Einstein remembers

Udo Bayer – CARL LAEMMLE

1. Laemmle and Germany

2. The American policy of immigration

3. Laemmle’s correspondence in detail

Acknowledgements

The author

List of documents in the US National Archives concerning Carl Laemmle’s affidavits activities

Literature

Imprint

Books published by Carl Laemmle Press

Sandy Einstein remembers

Growing up my father rarely talked about his past and I really did not have much interest in asking him about it. He did say he was ransomed out of Germany during the Nazi reign of terror in the 1930’s by a Hollywood producer and was a tutor to the producer‘s son teaching him Hebrew since in Germany he was a Hebrew teacher and a cantor. My father passed away when I was 20 and my mother passed away when I was 37. She left a handwritten will, some financial documents and around 40 or so letters of my father written in German; all in an apparel box.

Late 2010, 28 years after my mother passed away, I decided I would like to know more about my ancestry since it was of no concern to me in my youth. I looked into the apparel box and found my fathers letters; one stood out to me in particular; the letter he wrote to Carl Laemmle, the Hollywood producer. I had it translated and found out that in the letter he agreed to come to America with him. After reading the letter I became intrigued and wanted to learn more about my father‘s past and my heritage. I searched the internet and found out more about Carl Laemmle and discovered an essay written in 1998 by Udo Bayer for the “Film History Journal” titled‚ “Laemmle’s List”. It discussed among other things Carl Laemmle issuing affidavits to rescue German Jews from the oppression of the Nazi Regime of the 1930‘s. After reading the essay I realized my father was one of the affidavits on “Laemmle’s List”. This was a major revelation for me.

I made contact with Udo Bayer the noted Laemmle historian in Laupheim, Laemmle’s birthplace, sent him my father’s 40 or so letters to be translated and that was the beginning of our friendship. After reading Udo’s essay, I felt that the world should be made aware of Carl Laemmle’s unknown humanitarian deeds and proceeded to try and create an awareness of this fact in the media. Udo and myself started e-mailing each other giving me background on Laemmle, his issuing of affidavits, the political situation in Germany in the 1930’s and sending me archival documents from the National Archives in Washington DC and other sources. This information would help me in trying to get articles published; however, even with the valuable information given to me by Udo, it was very difficult to get any of the media interested in wanting to publish an article on Laemmle and his unknown humanitarian deeds. I persevered and did not give up. I was finally able to get local and regional publications to publish articles and my greatest achievement was when I made contact with the esteemed author and lecturer, Neal Gabler. After much effort, Mr. Gabler and myself were able to get the New York Times to publish an article on Laemmle that was syndicated worldwide.

In September 2013 I made a trip to Laupheim to meet Udo. He was the ultimate host and tour guide. He took me to the site of the Jewish school where my father taught, the synagogue where he was a cantor, and the Museum of Christian and Jewish History where there is an entire wing dedicated to Laemmle. I had dinner at his home where he prepared the meal and introduced me to his wife Gabi. We then traveled to nearby Bad Buchau, my fathers birthplace. Udo introduced me to the town historian, Charlotte Mayenberger, who took me on a tour of the town, introduced me to the mayor, Peter Diesch, and showed my the site where my family’s home once stood. She also gave me a copy of my family tree reaching back to my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather in 1665.

With regards to me researching my roots, I have come full circle. My journey began discovering Udo Bayer‘s essay “Laemmle’s List” and along the way I was able to establish a friendship with Udo and also create an awareness of Carl Laemmle‘s humanitarian efforts rescuing German Jews from Nazi oppression of the 1930’s. Unfortunately Udo passed away September 25, 2015. The world has lost a generous soul.

CA, Walnut Creek, USA, Oktober 2016

Udo Bayer – CARL LAEMMLE

Laemmle’s List – Affidavits save lives1

Before Carl Laemmle’s death on 24 September 1939, one of his great humanitarian deeds was the granting of affidavits for persecuted Jews. He wrote that he had never felt so much sympathy for any one thing in his life, and had only done what his heart had dictated. Until now the only pub­lished information on this has been the statement by the former chief executive of the Jewish Oberrat in Stuttgart, J. Wissmann,2 who mentions more than three-hundred affidavits. The most important source of documentation is to be found in the National Archives in Washington DC. The discovery of these documents was accomplished toward the end of 1994 thanks to Karin Schick of Laupheim. Her research brought to light 45 documents consisting mostly of Laemmle’s correspondence with American officials from November 1936 until May 1939. At times the actual files were not available, only index cards with date and names of the persons concerned; the actual files can be found in a branch of the Archives in Maryland. We could not determine the reason for the gaps in the material stored in the Archives.

It is acknowledged that the persecution of Jews in the territories controlled by the Third Reich was unique, and is hardly comparable to the many reasons for migration and asy­lum seeking today. The one and only reason for their persecution was their ethnic origin, and was completely unrelated to any of their actions; for them this reason was immutable. Emigration was thus their sole option to escape with their lives. In spite of increasing obstacles set up by German authorities, and in spite of increasing restrictions enacted by possible guest countries, emigration was possible to some extent until the second half of 1941.

The many American publications regarding the rescue of European Jews are almost completely devoted to administrative actions and the activities of persons in authority, even including those concerned with Jewish organisations. It is remarkable, however, that the difficulties in granting affidavits are neglected, even though they were the main condition for the rescue by flight.

Carl Laemmle’s correspondence would be of great importance in shedding light on this topic, but the present whereabouts of most of his letters are unknown. Carl Laemmle’s son in law, Stanley Bergerman, has do­nated some memorabilia and a few letters to the City of Laupheim. The Kohner collection in the Stiftung Kinemathek in Berlin owns the letters from Laemmle to Paul Kohner, and now and then some other pieces of the correspondence in this matter also emerge.

The fragmentary correspondence from the National Archives must be read against American immigration policies and the political events in Germany about which Laemmle was very well informed. He had first-hand information from his relatives in Laupheim.

Germany, some of them from Laupheim; contact with emigrants (one of the most prominent was Thomas Mann); and he made yearly trips to Carlsbad, Switzerland and Paris. Beyond that, Laemmle engaged Joseph Roos, a German-born public relations specialist, who later would conduct an investigation of the Nazis for General Marshall.3 Stanley Bergerman has been able to supply an interesting letter which Laemmle wrote 1936 to his old friend and attorney, Edwin Loeb:

“For a long time I have been a subscriber to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency which submits daily confidential reports on the Nazi situation, not only in Germany but in every country throughout the world. These confidential reports are extremely interesting and keep one thoroughly posted as to what is going on.”

Beyond that, of course, Laemmle was immediately confronted with the situation of persecution through the letters of petitioners from Germany. After the 1 April 1933 boykott, Laemmle stopped the film production of Deutsche Universal in Germany, and the general manager of the corporation and Laemmle’s representative for Europe, Max Friedland of Laupheim, emigrated.