pesphoto
Veteran
This was sent ot me in an email by a family friend. It's a bit long but a very Interesting read.
>>> Subject: Freedom Train
>>>
>>> The Leica is the pioneer 35mm camera. From a nitpicking point of
>>> view, it wasn't the very first still camera to use 35mm movie
film,
>>> but it was the first to be widely publicized and successfully
marketed.
>>>
>>> It created the "candid camera" boom of the 1930s.
>>>
>>> It is a German product - precise, minimalist, utterly efficient
>>> Behind its worldwide acceptance as a creative tool was a
family-owned,
>>> socially oriented firm that, during the Nazi era, acted with
uncommon
>>> grace, generosity and modesty.
>>>
>>> E. Leitz Inc., designer a nd manufacturer of Germany's most famous
>>> photographic product, saved its Jews.
>>>
>>> And Ernst Leitz II, the steely eyed Protestant patriarch who headed
>>> the closely held firm as the Holocaust loomed across Europe, acted
in
>>> such a way as to earn the title, "the photography industry's
Schindler."
>>>
>>> As George Gilbert, a veteran writer on topics photographic, told
the
>>> story at last week's convention of the Leica Historical Society of
>>> America in Portland, Ore. , Leitz Inc., founded in Wetzlar in
1869,
>>> had a tradition of enlightened behavior toward its workers.
Pensions,
>>> sick leave, health insurance - all were instituted early on at
Leitz,
>>> which depended for its work force upon generations of skilled
>>> employees - many of whom were Jewish.
>>>
>>> The 'Leica Freedom Train'
>>>
>>> As soon as Adolf Hitler was named chancellor of Germany in 1933,
Ernst
>>> Leitz II began receiving frantic calls from Jewish associates,
asking
>>> for his help in getting them and their families out of the
country.
>>>
>>> As Christians, Leitz and his family were immune to Nazi Germany's
>>> Nuremberg laws, which restricted the movement of Jews and limited
>>> their professional activities.
>>>
>>> To help his Jewish workers and colleagues, Leitz quietly
established
>>> what has become known among historians of the Holocaust as "the
Leica
>>> Freedom Train," a covert means of allowing Jews to leave Germany in
>>> the guise of Leitz employe es being assigned overseas.
>>>
>>> Employees, retailers, family members, even friends of family
members
>>> were "assigned" to Leitz sales offices in France, Britain, Hong
Kong
>>> and the United States.
>>>
>>> Leitz's activities intensified after the Kristallnacht of November
>>> 1938, during which synagogues and Jewish shops were burned across
>>> Germany.
>>>
>>> Before long, German "employees" were disembarking from the ocean
liner
>>> Bremen at a New York pier and making their way to the Manhattan
office
>>> of Leitz Inc., where executives quickly found them jobs in the
>>> photographic industry.
>>>
>>> Each new arrival had around his or her ne ck the symbol of freedom
- a
>>> new Leica.
>>>
>>> The refugees were paid a stipend until they could find work. Out of
>>> this migration came designers, repair technicians, salespeople,
>>> marketers and writers for the photographic press.
>>>
>>> Keeping the story quiet
>>>
>>> The "Leica Freedom Train" was at its height in 1938 and early 1939,
>>> delivering groups of refugees to New York every few weeks. Then,
with
>>> the invasion of Poland on Sept. 1, 1939, Germany closed its
borders.
>>>
>>> By that time, hundreds of endangered Jews had escaped to America,
>>> thanks to the Leitzes' efforts.
>>>
>>> How did Ernst Leitz II and his staff get away with it?
>>>
>>> Leitz Inc. was an internationally recognized brand that reflected
>>> credit on the newly resurgent Reich. The company produced
>>> range-finders and other optical systems for the German military.
Also,
>>> the Nazi government desperately needed hard currency from abroad,
and
>>> Leitz's single biggest market for optical goods was the United
States.
>>>
>>> Even so, members of the Leitz family and firm suffered for their
good
>>> works. A top executive, Alfred Turk, was jailed for working to help
>>> Jews and freed only after the payment of a large bribe.
>>>
>>> Leitz's daughter, Elsie Kuhn-Leitz, was imprisoned by the Gestapo
af
>>> ter she was caught at the border, helping Jewish women cross into
>>> Switzerland. She eventually was freed but endured rough treatment
in
>>> the course of questioning.
>>>
>>> She also fell under suspicion when she attempted to improve the
living
>>> conditions of 700 t o 800 Ukrainian slave laborers, all of them
women,
>>> who had been assigned to work in the plant during the 1940s.
>>>
>>> (After the war, Kuhn-Leitz received numerous honors for her
>>> humanitarian efforts, among them the Officier d'honneur des Palms
>>> Academic from France in 1965 and the Aristide Briand Medal from
the
>>> European Academy in the 1970s.)
>>>
>>> Why has no one told this story until now? According to the late
>>> Norman Lipton, a freelance writer and editor, the Leitz family
wanted
>>> no publicity for its heroic efforts.
>>>
>>> Only after the last member of the Leitz family was dead did the
"Leica
>>> Freedom Train" finally come to light.
>>>
>>> It is now the subject of a book, "The Greatest Invention of the
Leitz
>>> Family: The Leica Freedom Train," by Frank Dabba Smith, a
>>> California-born rabbi currently living in England.
>>>
>>> I was certain that one and all would be interested in this historic
>>> item that was little known and should certainly be brought to
light.
>>> thank you for reading the above, and if you feel inclined as I did,
to
>>> pass it on to others, please do so. it only takes a few minutes.
>>> Subject: Freedom Train
>>>
>>> The Leica is the pioneer 35mm camera. From a nitpicking point of
>>> view, it wasn't the very first still camera to use 35mm movie
film,
>>> but it was the first to be widely publicized and successfully
marketed.
>>>
>>> It created the "candid camera" boom of the 1930s.
>>>
>>> It is a German product - precise, minimalist, utterly efficient
>>> Behind its worldwide acceptance as a creative tool was a
family-owned,
>>> socially oriented firm that, during the Nazi era, acted with
uncommon
>>> grace, generosity and modesty.
>>>
>>> E. Leitz Inc., designer a nd manufacturer of Germany's most famous
>>> photographic product, saved its Jews.
>>>
>>> And Ernst Leitz II, the steely eyed Protestant patriarch who headed
>>> the closely held firm as the Holocaust loomed across Europe, acted
in
>>> such a way as to earn the title, "the photography industry's
Schindler."
>>>
>>> As George Gilbert, a veteran writer on topics photographic, told
the
>>> story at last week's convention of the Leica Historical Society of
>>> America in Portland, Ore. , Leitz Inc., founded in Wetzlar in
1869,
>>> had a tradition of enlightened behavior toward its workers.
Pensions,
>>> sick leave, health insurance - all were instituted early on at
Leitz,
>>> which depended for its work force upon generations of skilled
>>> employees - many of whom were Jewish.
>>>
>>> The 'Leica Freedom Train'
>>>
>>> As soon as Adolf Hitler was named chancellor of Germany in 1933,
Ernst
>>> Leitz II began receiving frantic calls from Jewish associates,
asking
>>> for his help in getting them and their families out of the
country.
>>>
>>> As Christians, Leitz and his family were immune to Nazi Germany's
>>> Nuremberg laws, which restricted the movement of Jews and limited
>>> their professional activities.
>>>
>>> To help his Jewish workers and colleagues, Leitz quietly
established
>>> what has become known among historians of the Holocaust as "the
Leica
>>> Freedom Train," a covert means of allowing Jews to leave Germany in
>>> the guise of Leitz employe es being assigned overseas.
>>>
>>> Employees, retailers, family members, even friends of family
members
>>> were "assigned" to Leitz sales offices in France, Britain, Hong
Kong
>>> and the United States.
>>>
>>> Leitz's activities intensified after the Kristallnacht of November
>>> 1938, during which synagogues and Jewish shops were burned across
>>> Germany.
>>>
>>> Before long, German "employees" were disembarking from the ocean
liner
>>> Bremen at a New York pier and making their way to the Manhattan
office
>>> of Leitz Inc., where executives quickly found them jobs in the
>>> photographic industry.
>>>
>>> Each new arrival had around his or her ne ck the symbol of freedom
- a
>>> new Leica.
>>>
>>> The refugees were paid a stipend until they could find work. Out of
>>> this migration came designers, repair technicians, salespeople,
>>> marketers and writers for the photographic press.
>>>
>>> Keeping the story quiet
>>>
>>> The "Leica Freedom Train" was at its height in 1938 and early 1939,
>>> delivering groups of refugees to New York every few weeks. Then,
with
>>> the invasion of Poland on Sept. 1, 1939, Germany closed its
borders.
>>>
>>> By that time, hundreds of endangered Jews had escaped to America,
>>> thanks to the Leitzes' efforts.
>>>
>>> How did Ernst Leitz II and his staff get away with it?
>>>
>>> Leitz Inc. was an internationally recognized brand that reflected
>>> credit on the newly resurgent Reich. The company produced
>>> range-finders and other optical systems for the German military.
Also,
>>> the Nazi government desperately needed hard currency from abroad,
and
>>> Leitz's single biggest market for optical goods was the United
States.
>>>
>>> Even so, members of the Leitz family and firm suffered for their
good
>>> works. A top executive, Alfred Turk, was jailed for working to help
>>> Jews and freed only after the payment of a large bribe.
>>>
>>> Leitz's daughter, Elsie Kuhn-Leitz, was imprisoned by the Gestapo
af
>>> ter she was caught at the border, helping Jewish women cross into
>>> Switzerland. She eventually was freed but endured rough treatment
in
>>> the course of questioning.
>>>
>>> She also fell under suspicion when she attempted to improve the
living
>>> conditions of 700 t o 800 Ukrainian slave laborers, all of them
women,
>>> who had been assigned to work in the plant during the 1940s.
>>>
>>> (After the war, Kuhn-Leitz received numerous honors for her
>>> humanitarian efforts, among them the Officier d'honneur des Palms
>>> Academic from France in 1965 and the Aristide Briand Medal from
the
>>> European Academy in the 1970s.)
>>>
>>> Why has no one told this story until now? According to the late
>>> Norman Lipton, a freelance writer and editor, the Leitz family
wanted
>>> no publicity for its heroic efforts.
>>>
>>> Only after the last member of the Leitz family was dead did the
"Leica
>>> Freedom Train" finally come to light.
>>>
>>> It is now the subject of a book, "The Greatest Invention of the
Leitz
>>> Family: The Leica Freedom Train," by Frank Dabba Smith, a
>>> California-born rabbi currently living in England.
>>>
>>> I was certain that one and all would be interested in this historic
>>> item that was little known and should certainly be brought to
light.
>>> thank you for reading the above, and if you feel inclined as I did,
to
>>> pass it on to others, please do so. it only takes a few minutes.
