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Claude M. Erlanger (Klaus) " I was born as Klaus Erlanger in 1923, in Mannheim. My father, Joseph, was born in Altenstadt, Bayern (Bavaria), and my mother, nee Roos, in Chemnitz. Both died in Los Angeles, California. I had one brother, Paul, also born in Mannheim, in 1919. He died in Los Angeles in 1982. We first lived on Rheinstrasse -- both Ernst "Erwo" Michel (see also) and I were born in the same apartment during the inflation. We then moved to 18 Mollstrasse, corner of Augusta Anlage. My wife, Dorothea Inge Gimbel, now Dotty. and her brother Rudolph, now Roger, lived on Augusta Anlage and Rosengarten. We belonged to Hauptsynagogue (main synagogue) and my father's seat was next to professor Billingheimer, who passed away in Australia. Dr. Max Gruenwald (see also) barmitzvahed both Paul, on December 2, 1932 and myself, on August 1, 1936. Both Paul and I were very active in the Jugend Gottesdienst (youth synagogue services) with Werner Hirsch, under the direction of Cantor Hugo Adler, organist Seppl Levi, who died here in Los Angeles, and Rabbi Dr. Laemle. I visited Dr. Laemle in Rio de Janeiro, who .incidentally was my in-laws' Rabbi when the Gimbles all lived in Rio de Janeiro from 1943 till 1949. Dr. Laemle also barmitzvahed my brother-in-law. Roger Gimbel, in Rio. I also remember Rabbi Oppenheimer, his son Ludwig, and Dr. Una, who were teachers at the Jewish school. Some of my friends were Karlsruher, aeppenheimer (see also), Karlebach, Wolf, Feibelman. and my cousin, Eric Samson (see also), now Sao Paulo, Brazil. I collect stamps, and have complete first day issues for United States since 1942, complete United Nations, and complete Israel first day cover collections . Our departure from Mannheim, for my parents and brother Paul, and myself actually started in 1912! "How come", you ask? Well, let me tell you about it. Joseph Erlanger, my father, a partner with his brother Max in M.Marum G.M.B.a. located in Mannheim, ran a branch office in Milan, Italy, prior to WWI. Dad's office was next door to Corriera Dela Sera, the renowned newspaper, on whose staff was a young reporter -- same age as my father, about 26 years old, and the two bachelors were good friends. I was told they palled around together until .the outbreak of WWI, His name: Benito Mussolini ! When World War I started, Dad returned to the Vaterland to become a Frontsoldat (soldier) in the German Imperial Army, and Benito entered the Italian Imperial Army as a Carabineri. And so it came to pass that in 1923 Benito became Il Duce! We were told that the friendship continued and I remember as a little boy, about Weihnachtzeit (around Christmas) the Italian Consulate, which was right down the street from where we lived, on the Rheinstrasse, would send beautiful floral arrangements to my parents. Marum was engaged in export of iron and steel to the Balkan and to Italy, and my father, on many of his business trips to Italy, would have an audience with the Duce in Rome. When the Nazis came to power in 1933, my father received an assurance from Mussolini, if ever he needed help, to come and settle in Italy and to contact someone. Whom, we do not know, but Dad must have had the phone number engraved in his brain or tatooed around his naval! The years 1933, 1934- 1936, and 1937 went by.I went from Adolf Hitler Real Gymnasium to the Jewish School. My father was designated a Sonder Jude (special jew) for bringing foreign currency into Germany, and selling German steel in Italy. Paul was selling condoms and other rubber goods made in Germany, also in the Balkan. Suddenly in March 1938 my grandmother passed away in Amsterdam. My mother had in aller Stiege (in all secrecy) all our furniture packed and put into storage. On March 7, 1938 the Nazis were kind enough to issue mother a passport valid for seven days to attend her mother's funeral in Amsterdam. Six days later the Erlanger Family travelled on the French side of the Rhine to Milan. At the Guestura (police), like all other foreigners, we immediately registered, only to be told, like in the Haggadah : "Wi-Hineh Bachazi Halaila" (from the Hebrew:may it come to pass at midnight)! At midnight Signora Erlanger will be sent back to Germany !. My father got up, asked to use the phone to call Roma (Rome)! A scene as vivid in my mind as if it happened yesterday. He dialed the phone and spoke in perfect Italian. The police officer probably thought Dad to be derailed, but after a few minutes my father handed the officer the receiver and the conversation continued, but at the time in a language I did not quite understand. I did understand what the officer said after hanging up : "Si accomodi Signor, un amigo del Duce est un amigo de me!" ("Sit down please, a friend of the Duce is also my friend!"). Out came the forms, the stamps, salutation, friendship, and we stayed! Weeks passed while I lived with an Italian Jewish family to learn Italian. Dad accepted applications for Italian citizenship, but he wanted to leave Europe. Visas for USA were applied for and running. Three families from Mannheim living in Milan, one was a family Rothschild, the others I don't remember, pooled their resources for emigration to Australia to start a wool farm. . Papers in order, we left Milan August 28, 1939, for London to receive our immigration papers at the Empire House on the 2nd day of September 1939. On the day before, Hitler had marched on Poland and on the 2nd day of September war broke out. On the third day of September we all were Enemy Aliens! Eighteen months later in April 1941, after internment on the Isle of Man in Camp Lingfiald southeast of London, and after the evacuation of British troops from Dunkirk with our US Visa twice renewed, we finally left England on board of a British merchantship, destination: USA! And thus during the battle of the Atlantic, 13 European refugees, including two from Danzig, a family of three from Prague, and two children from a children's transport who had lived in Manchester England, were on the water for 43 days. The route took us to Iceland, Greenland, Canada, Bermuda, Curacao, and, wherever we stopped we were Enemy Aliens and not permitted to go ashore. Finally, we sailed through the Panama Canal to the American West Coast, and finally again "Wi-Hineh Bachazi Halaila," we arrived at Long Beach, California harbor and were advised by the Captain: "End of the Line!". When I arrived in Los Angeles I got a janitorial job at a radio parts manufacturing plant owned by the son-in-law of David ( ? ) and Grete Sternheimer from Mannheim. Their daughter Emily married Walter Schott who became a prominent electronic manufacturer. I had last seen Emily in Mannheim when both of us were thrown out of Schwimmbad Herweck ( swimming pool) by the Nazis. I left Schott five years later and started with my brother Paul, an electronic representative agency in 1946. We switched to consumer goods in 1978, and work now in the handbag, backpack, small leather goods, and novelty import items with two of our sons and my brother-in-law, Roger Gimbel. In 1950 on a blind date in New York I met my darling wife-to-be, Doris Gimbel, also from Mannheim -- and four months later our revered Rabbi Dr.Max Gruenewald married us in New York. Doris Gimbell's family had a Getreide Muehle ( flour mill) in Ludwigshafen. Ruth Gimbel was her aunt and Hugo and Sophie Feibelmann, Zigaren Fabrick (cigar factory) in Mannheim, were their maternal grandparents. They left Germany in 1934, went to France, fled the Nazis to the Pyrenees, then to Portugal with false immigration papers. From there they went to Brazil, and came to New York in 1949. Her parents and brother Roger stayed in New York, where he became extremely successful in the leather goods business. Both parents passed away in New York. We have three sons and four grandchildren. Steven, 38 years old, single, is in business with me and lives one block from us in Lake Arrowhead, California. David, 36 years old, is married to Heidi. They were school sweethearts and have four children, Brooke , Chason Sidnee and Kirby . They live two miles from us; he is CEO of our corporation. Mike, 28 years, single, graduated from Architectural at Cornell University in 1986, and works in Century City, Beverly Hills, California. I am on the Board of Directors of our Temple in San Bernardino. Dotty is home maker and a good provider. All of us, including grandchildren, are all ardent water skiers and enjoy racing and in Winter we become snow skiers. Steve is a Certified Ski Instructor; David and Heidi work for the Ski Patrol, and Mike is into racing! For forty-nine we have lived in and loved California." C.Erlanger , June 1990 |
| Hebrew name : "Pinchas Ben Josef ve Brenda" |