contemporary history US DE 1939 immigration and emigration

Immigration to the US 1936 - 1939

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, written in Dresden on July 1st, 1937 to Karl Laemmle, the Hollywood producer, in Karlsbad - Hotel Imperial. I do not know why it was in my father's possession. 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.

Udo Bayer (November 23rd, 1943 - September 25th, 2015) was born in Hechingen-Hohenzollern, where he attended the local high school. A life-long artist since his childhood, Bayer studied history, political science and German literature in Tübingen, Munich and Berlin. In 1969, he began as a teacher in training at a high school in Laupheim, where he continued to teach until his retirement in 2008, serving as assistant director from 1989 on. He received his PhD in philosophy in 1975 under the supervision of Max Bense and Elisabeth Walther-Bense in Stuttgart, publishing numerous articles on Charles S. Peirce's semiotics. His chief interest lay, until his death in 2015, in the city-history of Laupheim. In particular, it was the native Laupheimer, Carl Laemmle, whose success story and humanitarian engagement captivated Udo Bayer's interest as a historian. Thanks to Bayer's initiative, the local high school had its name changed to Carl-Laemmle High School in 1993, something which proved to be an important step in re-establishing trust in the Laemmle family. In addition, Udo Bayer was a founding father of the Society for History and Commemoration, whose involvement was important for the construction of a museum for Christians and Jews in Laupheim. His personal contact to the descendents of persecuted Jewish refugees made possible numerous publications in memory of the former Jewish community in Laupheim. This part of biography is basis of 25 years of meticulous research on Carl Laemmle, in particular, Bayer's intensive personal exchange with the Laemmle family and their relatives, as well as research in various archives and his contact to historians in Germany, the USA, Israel and Japan.