Playing Level: Excellent
The violin of Alfred Bernheim
Alfred Bernheim, born 1871, married Berta in 1903 in the South of Germany. They lived in Passau, then a major town and owned a small shop, Merkur. Soon, the small shop was prosperous and became a four-story general shop, catering to all goods and modeled after the largest shops in Paris, boasting the first elevator and telephone in town. Needless to say, it made the Bernheims rich and the townspeople jealous.
Alfred and Berta had three children—Helena, Zigbert, and Felix. All three were active sports champions and popular, enjoying a lifestyle unheard of in town. When Alfred and Berta turned 60, they passed the business to their sons, as Helena married and moved away.
In the late 1920’s, the Nazis became active in Southern Germany, while Passau was one of the first Nazi strongholds. The Hitler family lived (across the street from the Bernheims), so did Eichmann and Himler taught school. Nazi terrorism was a daily event. In October 1935, the Bernheims were forced to sell their prosperous shop, but not before they were marched—naked—along the main street, publicly humiliated, and Felix was imprisoned for six weeks. Realizing further persecutions, Zigbert travelled to Palestine and bought land north of Herzelia. He married Alsbeth and left Germany. His parents left for France, where they were sent to a concentration camp. Their daughter Helena managed to release them and all went into hiding and survived the war. After World War II, Alfred and Berta settled in Israel with their son Zigbert. Both died in 1953.
