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Innovativ, erfolgreich, jüdisch
Die Stadt Düsseldorf entwickelt sich in der zweiten Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts zu einer exponierten Industriemetropole.
Jüdische Akteure sind an diesem rasanten Aufstieg maßgeblich beteiligt: als mutige Pioniere und Unternehmer, erfindungsreiche Ingenieure, als Bankiers und Ideengeber. Dieser Teil der Stadtgeschichte ist heute nahezu ausgeblendet und unbekannt.
Wieder war es die NS-Zeit, die auch auf diesem Gebiet Existenzen vernichtete und ihre Geschichten vergessen ließ: Die Pioniere wurden als Juden verfolgt und aus Düsseldorf vertrieben. Ihre Firmen wurden „arisiert" und ihre Erfolge „umetikettiert". Die umbenannten Firmen gingen mit neuer Legende in die Düsseldorfer Wirtschaftsgeschichte ein.
Drei dieser Persönlichkeiten werden mit ihren Firmen und Familien in diesem Ausstellungskatalog vorgestellt.
Jüdische Akteure sind an diesem rasanten Aufstieg maßgeblich beteiligt: als mutige Pioniere und Unternehmer, erfindungsreiche Ingenieure, als Bankiers und Ideengeber. Dieser Teil der Stadtgeschichte ist heute nahezu ausgeblendet und unbekannt.
Wieder war es die NS-Zeit, die auch auf diesem Gebiet Existenzen vernichtete und ihre Geschichten vergessen ließ: Die Pioniere wurden als Juden verfolgt und aus Düsseldorf vertrieben. Ihre Firmen wurden „arisiert" und ihre Erfolge „umetikettiert". Die umbenannten Firmen gingen mit neuer Legende in die Düsseldorfer Wirtschaftsgeschichte ein.
Drei dieser Persönlichkeiten werden mit ihren Firmen und Familien in diesem Ausstellungskatalog vorgestellt.
132 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2024
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June 8, 2025
This is the catalogue that accompanies an exhibition paying tribute to three enterprising and innovative German Jews. They lived and worked in Düsseldorf during the early 20th century, only to lose everything during the Nazi era of the 1930s. In all three cases, the Nazis seized their enterprises and rebranded the companies as part of the broader effort to eradicate Jews from Germany. By the advent of the 21st century, their stories had almost entirely faded from memory.
I haven’t been to the exhibition (October 2024 – September 2025), but was given the catalogue by someone involved with it. It was a first for me: reading an exhibition catalogue cover to cover! Honestly, it was so interesting. I love it when one gets such a glimpse into history—another piece in the enormous puzzle that is the vast story of humankind.
Abraham Freundlich began in food wholesale and, in tackling the problem of storing perishables, developed various innovations in refrigeration and air conditioning. He built a large, successful business that even served the German military during the First World War when he played a role in maintaining Germany’s food supply.
Albert Schöndorff founded a furniture company and built it into a large international business specializing in outfitting the grand department stores emerging at the time. He also fitted out railway carriages for the German Railways. He appears to have been a wealthy man with a conscience, someone who cared about the welfare of his workers. He founded, funded, and supported an independent workers’ housing association in a personal effort to do something to address the difficult post-war social conditions in Germany. In the end he was sent to Auschwitz, possibly in one of the carriages that had been built by his own company.
Ludwig Loewy was a talented engineer and company executive. His business was in the manufacture of large hydraulic presses for producing aluminum and steel components. The catalogue includes a copy of a letter from one of his former employees, written after Loewy had fled Germany. It is clear he was highly respected and regarded by his employees and colleagues. He escaped to the United Kingdom, where he contributed to the war effort by working on aircraft production for the Royal Air Force.
These men deserve to be remembered among the other great figures of their era. They made significant contributions to society: not only through their prosperous businesses but also through their voluntary and charitable efforts. It is deeply upsetting to read how their lives and legacies were so brutally disrupted.
I haven’t been to the exhibition (October 2024 – September 2025), but was given the catalogue by someone involved with it. It was a first for me: reading an exhibition catalogue cover to cover! Honestly, it was so interesting. I love it when one gets such a glimpse into history—another piece in the enormous puzzle that is the vast story of humankind.
Wer nicht gedent und fragt, verpasst das Leben!The catalogue is beautifully produced, with many old photographs and copies of historical documents interspersed throughout the text.
Abraham Freundlich began in food wholesale and, in tackling the problem of storing perishables, developed various innovations in refrigeration and air conditioning. He built a large, successful business that even served the German military during the First World War when he played a role in maintaining Germany’s food supply.
Albert Schöndorff founded a furniture company and built it into a large international business specializing in outfitting the grand department stores emerging at the time. He also fitted out railway carriages for the German Railways. He appears to have been a wealthy man with a conscience, someone who cared about the welfare of his workers. He founded, funded, and supported an independent workers’ housing association in a personal effort to do something to address the difficult post-war social conditions in Germany. In the end he was sent to Auschwitz, possibly in one of the carriages that had been built by his own company.
Ludwig Loewy was a talented engineer and company executive. His business was in the manufacture of large hydraulic presses for producing aluminum and steel components. The catalogue includes a copy of a letter from one of his former employees, written after Loewy had fled Germany. It is clear he was highly respected and regarded by his employees and colleagues. He escaped to the United Kingdom, where he contributed to the war effort by working on aircraft production for the Royal Air Force.
These men deserve to be remembered among the other great figures of their era. They made significant contributions to society: not only through their prosperous businesses but also through their voluntary and charitable efforts. It is deeply upsetting to read how their lives and legacies were so brutally disrupted.
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