Arno and Käthe Bamberger née Reiter and Joe Peter

Arno Bamberger was born in 1900 as the second child of Josef Bamberger and Josephine Bamberger, née Kraus. After a four-year secondary school education, he learnt the trade of a businessman - probably in his father's company. He was drafted into the army in 1918, but did not take part in combat operations.

He then probably worked in his father's company, which also traded in wickerwork materials in fierce competition with his brothers next door. Until 1935, he also lived in his parents‘ prestigious house at Bamberger Str. 44 ½ (’Guthmann Villa"). According to the commercial register, the father's company (Josef Bamberger) ceased to exist in 1938. In the 1940 US census, he gave ‘clothing Mfg.’ (manufacturer of clothing) as his occupation and ‘Clothing Factory’ as his industry.

In September 1935, he married Käthe Reiter (1909-2005) from Buttenwiesen and moved into a flat with her at Hindenburgstrasse 6 (now Kronacher Strasse); when their first child, Antonie, was about to be born, the young family moved to Bamberger Strasse 25, the property of Max and Katinka Hellmann, in May 1937. Their son Joe Peter was born in 1938.

It is not known how the family fared during the November pogroms of 1938, but it is known that the Hellmanns' business was vandalised. In any case, in March 1939, Käthe and Arno were able to leave with their children for Havana in Cuba, where they had a temporary residence until they were able to enter the USA in December.

Photo: Arno Bamberger's family lived in the Hellmann family house (front right in the picture)

The beginnings in the new country must have been very difficult. The Bambergers settled in Baltimore, Maryland, where some of the Jews from the Obermain had emigrated, such as the Oppenheimers, the Banemanns from Burgkunstadt and others. Initially living in a small apartment, Arno was unemployed for more than half a year, and he and his wife supported the family with odd jobs. In 1941, Arno had a job as a salesman/representative for the Chicago-based company Inter-Communications Systems of America. In 1950, he reported employment as a salesman/representative for electric cleaner on a census - working 60 hours a week. His wife Käthe and his daughter Antonie (Tonja) worked as practical nurses (auxiliary nurses) for home care, but both registered as jobseekers.

With hard work, the family gradually managed to free themselves from their difficulties and became prosperous.

Arno Bamberger died in 1984, his wife survived him by 21 years.

Joe Peter died on 14 July 2022.