Journey of Hope and Despair

Journey of Hope and Despair

Author: Rudolf Moos

Publisher: Xlibris Corporation

Published: 2010-03-25

Total Pages: 447

ISBN-13: 145003604X

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These two volumes chronicle the life of a liberal Jew who came of age in Germany during the relatively enlightened period of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Rudolf Moos obtained his education in Ulm and, after working in his family’s leather business, went in hope to seek his fortune in Berlin. He founded Salamander, the largest shoe business in Germany, which is still active today. He was a German patriot, who served his country in World War I and received a War Merit Cross (Kriegsverdienstkreuz) for his endeavors. Rudolf Moos lived in Germany in growing despair through the political upheaval and hyperinflation in the aftermath of World War I. He was related to and enjoyed a friendship with Albert Einstein when they both lived in Berlin in the 1920s and early 1930s. Rudolf Moos then experienced the rise of the Nazis and the ever-growing restrictions placed on him and members of his extended family. Anti-Jewish sentiment in Germany rose sharply during 1933, which effectively ended his active life in business and community affairs and give him unsought free time to set out the story of his life. He and his wife were eventually permitted to leave Germany and immigrate to England, where he continued to work on his memoirs during the turmoil of World War II. Volume I of Rudolf Moos’ memoirs, “Rise and Fall”, describes the poisoned atmosphere existing for the Jews in the Germany of the late 1930s, sets out his experiences of humiliation and arrest, the breath of freedom on leaving his Homeland, and his arrival in England as a penniless alien. Chapter 1 focuses on Rudolf Moos’ origins and his father’s family and leather manufacturing company, which initiated trade with East India in the 1880s. It describes the background of Rudolf Moos’ mother, who was a member of the Einstein family, and provides details about the lives of Rafael and Rupert Einstein, her father and grandfather.


American Art Directory

American Art Directory

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 1913

Total Pages: 568

ISBN-13:

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The biographical material formerly included in the directory is issued separately as Who's who in American art, 1936/37-


The Orpheus Clock

The Orpheus Clock

Author: Simon Goodman

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2016-08-16

Total Pages: 368

ISBN-13: 1451697643

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The passionate, true story of one man's quest to reclaim what the Nazis stole from his family--their beloved art collection--and to restore their legacy. Simon Goodman's grandparents came from German Jewish banking dynasties and perished in concentration camps. And that's almost all he knew--his father rarely spoke of their family history or heritage. But when he passed away, and Simon received his father's papers, a story began to emerge. The Gutmanns, as they were known then, rose from a small Bohemian hamlet to become one of Germany's most powerful banking families. They also amassed a world-class art collection that included works by Degas, Renoir, Botticelli, and many others, including a Renaissance clock engraved with scenes from the legend of Orpheus. The Nazi regime snatched everything the Gutmanns had labored to build: their art, their wealth, their social standing, and their very lives. Simon grew up in London with little knowledge of his father's efforts to recover their family's possessions. It was only after his father's death that Simon began to piece together the clues about the stolen legacy and the Nazi looting machine. He learned much of the collection had gone to Hitler and Goring; other works had been smuggled through Switzerland, sold and resold, with many pieces now in famous museums. More still had been recovered by Allied forces only to be stolen again by bureaucrats-- European governments quietly absorbed thousands of works of art into their own collections. Through painstaking detective work across two continents, Simon proved that many pieces belonged to his family, and successfully secured their return-- the first Nazi looting case to be settled in the United States. Goodman's dramatic story reveals a rich family history almost obliterated by the Nazis. It is not only the account of a twenty-year long detective hunt for family treasure, but an unforgettable tale of redemption and restoration.