In Memory of  

Ernest L. Bergman

(Ernst Leopold Bergmann)

Honorar member of the

"Gesellschaft für Geschichte und Gedenken e.V."

born on July 12, 1922 in Munich, Germany

- 

died on August 15, 2020 in State College PA , USA

‏נצבה״ח‏‎

From the Book The Jewish Community of Laupheim and its Annihilation

to BERGMANN, Julie, née. Steiner,

with quotes from Ernest Bergman

“My grandfather always had two horses for use at the tannery. Then we had also six cows and about 25 acres of land. By that time I already took great interest in agriculture, and ran around the courtyard with the young cattle. Later on I even was called “the young Jewish farmer from the Grund (area near the Schlosspark)”. I often helped with all the work in the fields. Once they let me drive two hay wagons , but - alas! - at the great Jahn oak tree at the end of the Kapellenstrasse the two oxen, which we had at that time, wanted to turn into the Ulmer Strasse because there we used to get the grass for the cows in the mornings. A nice man helped me then to redirect my team of oxen, and I arrived safely, with some delay, in the Vorholz meadows. But this was the end of my driving. The nicest thing with the hay and wheat harvest were the picnics during the breaks, and I loved to go to the several butchers in town to buy the necessary products.

In summer we used to ride to the “Bastel” forest to check the state of the bark needed for the tannery. This I really enjoyed, in particular the “visits” to the pubs. I also admired the blossoming of the wonderful wild lupins. Frequently we cycled to go swimming at some of the nearby mills or even at Stetten or Mönchhöfe. But there I was afraid of the water rats.”

"We were more and more like Germans. For instance at Easter, the Jewish Passah holiday, there is a prayer which says: ‘Next year in Jerusalem !’ – but my grandfather whispered every year: ‘We don’t say that, we are Germans!’ This, in spite of his presiding over the Jewish congregation and all the family life observing Jewish customs. But this changed quickly in 1933 when Hitler grasped power and the political climate in Germany turned entirely. On April 1, 1933 people of the SA appeared in front of the Jewish shops with signs requesting the population to boycott them. There was one as well in front of the tannery.”

In April 1933 Ernst Bergmann was able to move to a secondary school which offered Latin as a foreign language. At this time this was still possible with special permission: children of First World War participants were still granted the possibility of attending higher schools. He cannot remember teachers or students with anti-Semitic attitudes. Out of the 13 pupils of his class who came from all the Laupheim elementary schools – the Catholic, the Protestant and the Jewish all together, there were 3 Jews: Ruth Friedland, Heinz Bach, and he himself:

“That was the first time we met together. And we had difficulties in understanding one another. But with regard to my class, they all were very decent. But that somebody in the class should beat someone up – that never happened to me.”

"At the first Reich Sports Festival we were permitted to take part, and I even got a certificate signed by the minister Baldur von Schirach. But the next year Jews were excluded from participating. I also had to resign from the Laupheim Sports Club, and on my way home from gymnastics was the victim of verbal abuse. I joined the sports group of the Reich Association of Jewish Soldiers who did sports and played handball on the public “Luss” green every Sunday morning. Then the Nuremberg laws came into effect and all women employees had to leave, which hurt us very much. The actions against the Jewish shops were supported also actively by Austrian “legionaries” who were in a camp in Burgrieden. They damaged the shops by throwing stones into the windows, and even tried to set fire to the (Jewish) Restaurant “Ochsen”. As well during the Feast of Tabernacles in 1935 we were bombarded by stones in the garden of the Jewish community center, but no one got hurt.”

Emigration to Switzerland

In May 1936 Ernst Bergmann was the first of his family to emigrate to his uncle Helmut Steiner in St. Gallen (Switzerland). One year later he was followed by his brother Willy, and in 1938 by the mother Julie Bergmann. Melanie Steiner`s mother, Lina Herz, had moved from her home town of Ludwigshafen to Laupheim in 1935, since her apartment there was wrecked by gangs of the SS. Both of them were able to flee to Switzerland in 1939, where Lina Herz deceased in 1941 in St.Gallen at an advanced age. At least Ernst and Willy could complete their schooling in Switzerland and afterwards start their vocational training. For Ernst this was, according to his inclination, an agricultural apprenticeship; and Willy was, from 1942, able to do a training as chef; both were able to work subsequently as interns in their respective professions. But Ernst Bergmann’s profession from 1941 through 1946 should, more correctly, be called a “farmhand” rather than an intern. However he was not discontented, and when, in 1944, he as a stateless person was intended to be interned in a labour camp, his employer protested vehemently. The competent authorities complied and revoked the order with the statement that “Bergmann is in Switzerland more useful in agriculture than in the labour camp for road construction”. But the mother Julie Bergmann, as a foreigner, did not get a work permit and was only allowed to do voluntary work involving refugee aid; so the family was always dependent on the support by her brother Helmut Steiner. During her activity as a voluntary refugee helper Julie Bergmann had a very moving encounter in St. Gallen in February 1945. A Swiss politician and Nazi supporter, the former member of the federal council Jean-Marie Musy, succeeded at the beginning of 1945, in paying for the release of 1,200 Jews from the concentration camp in Theresienstadt (Terezin). Musy knew Himmler personally and it was rather more a private action, not clearly founded or explained, without the collaboration of official Swiss administration. Therefore hardly any preparations were made for the arrival of these 1,200 holocaust survivors. When these starving and apathetic human beings who did not yet grasp their lucky fate, arrived in St.Gallen on Feb.7, 1945, Julie Bergmann, too, was summoned to help. One of the first persons she met there was her former Laupheim classmate Recha Schmal who had worked in Terezin as a nurse for 3 years.

In the USA

In September 1946 Julie Bergmann and her two sons left Europe and emigrated to the United States where they settled in New York City. Willy got a job as a chef in the Waldorf Astoria within three days only after their arrival, thanks to a recommendation of his previous boss in Zermatt. The mother worked in another hotel as chamber maid. One year later they were joined by grandmother Melanie who lived with her daughter in New York till her death in 1956. Julie passed away in 1972, and, in accordance with both of their last wills, their remains were transferred to Germany and buried in the Jewish cemetery in Laupheim.

During a visit at Professor Dr. Ernest Bergmann in State College / Pennsylvania

In 2012 the Schick family visited New York and made a trip to State College from Aug. 31 to Sept. 1: The longest and most impressing excursion during our stay in the United States was when we visited the ninety-year old Professor Dr. Ernest Bergmann in State College. On Friday, 31st of August we rented a car in New York for two days and started heading west. Equipped with GPS we managed our way through the New York city traffic and continued with a 4-hour ride on the highway to State College, Pennsylvania.

State College is a known college town dominated by the Pennsylvania State University with a total of 80.000 students, thereof 41.000 in the central municipality. This is where Professor Bergmann has spent his life for about 54 years. He was a teacher at the university and also engaged in communal politics, being a mayor in his municipality for several years. State College owes him a lot, they even named a street after him, which you can see on the picture! In his apartment you can also see many awards from the university, several associations and State College municipalities.

Mr. Bergmann was very excited about our visit because in 54 years Jahren there was only one visit from abroad before. Accordingly, it was a great honor for us having the opportunity to visit him. Yet, we picked the wrong time: there was an important football match against Ohio, the local stadium completely sold out with almost 108.000 attendees, and… State College lost!

Anyway, Mr. Bergmann took the opportunity to guide us through the city during the match and it looked as if it was deserted.

For a couple of years, after his wife passed away, he’s living in a retirement home that is quite unusual to our standards: It is characterized by coziness and human affection, and you could never feel any kind of sterile hospital atmosphere, which is rather characteristic for many old people’s homes in Germany. Visitors are astonished by nice paintings on the wall, thick carpets, elegant wallpapers and old English-style furniture. Several hundred people live here on two floors across various connected buildings. The outdoor area is properly maintained, and flowers are blooming everywhere.

Mr. Bergmann’s apartment is full of memories of his old home and awards from his professional life. We enjoyed the time with him very much and we listened carefully to his stories from old times. He was very thankful for the museum guide and the chocolates from Laupheim and asked us to send his regards to all who know him!

On Sunday, we had to leave early because we had to hand over the rental car in New York by 10am. Mr. Bergman, a big thank you for your warm hospitality!