76 RIESER Max

Max Rieser, born February 27, 1864 in Laupheim, died February 8, 1941 in Laupheim married to Milli, nee Oettinger, born December 11, 1868 in Fischbach, died March 29, 1934 in Munich

- Hermine Rieser, born April 1,1892 in Laupheim

- Elsa Rieser, born September 28, 1894 in Laupheim married to Ignaz Theilheimer, born March 10, 1891 in Gunzenhausen, emigrated to the USA, died April 10, 1946 in New York.

With Max Rieser we complete the picture of the Rieser family. He was eight years younger than his brother Henry Rieser, who has been discussed in the prior article. There was little to be told about Henry Rieser, as there is limited documentation about his life. This is also the case with his brother Max Rieser. He was born on February 27, 1864 in Laupheim and was married to Milli Oettinger, on July 7, 1891 in Neu Ulm. She was born on February 11, 1868 in Fischbach. Their daughters Hermine and Elsa were born in 1892 and 1894 in Laupheim. The family lived at 35 Rad Street, but nothing is known about the couple in the Jewish community.

Recorded in compliance with the Nuremberg Laws, the name Max Rieser appears in the list as a member of two clubs, the Brotherhood Talmud Torah Association and the Central Association of Jews in Germany, which may ultimately demonstrate his commitment to the Jewish community. The two daughters, as their cousins, attended the Jewish elementary school. The younger can be found in the school photo ca 1904 with their teacher Haymann in which their cousin Elsa Ruth Rieser is shown. Elsa Rieser was married on June 7, 1921 in Laupheim to Ignaz Theilheimer from Munich.

He was born in Gunzenhausen in Bavaria. According to the "Memorial Book of the Munich Jews 1933-1945" we learn that he and probably his wife and children emigrated to the United States. He died in New York on April 10, 1946. Nothing is known about the fate of his wife or descendants.

Milli Rieser died in Munich on 23 March 1934, while visiting her daughter’s family. No trace was found of the older daughter Hermine Rieser. Since it was not mentioned in any of the lists of the Jewish inhabitants of Laupheim of 1933, it can be assumed she had already left her hometown.

So the seventy-year-old Max Rieser must have lived alone at 35 Rad Street, Laupheim, from 1934. This is confirmed by the response to his request for continued employment of his longtime housemaid Paula Jans. In September 1935, the "Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honor" was passed, where in paragraph 3 it is stated: "Jews may not employ in their households, female nationals of German or kindred blood under the age 45 years." A request for an exception was made to the Mayor of Laupheim, Ludwig Marxer - a fanatical anti-Semite, and a Nazi Party member since 1935. In his opinion, written to the Upper Office of Laupheim, which is reproduced below, he made defamatory remarks about the applicant Max Rieser. Ludwig Marxer could not have hardly known anything about Max Resier, because he only recently arrived from Saulgau and was in office only a short time.

Max Rieser had always been in the cattle trading business and had an employee since 1933. A commercial permit was required for those in the cattle trade. The identity card photo of Max Rieser was found in the district of Biberach archive. At age 74, in 1938, he and Julius Levy, the husband of his niece, Matilda Levy, had their trade permit revoked by the livestock industry association at Stuttgart.

Quoted from a letter of the livestock industry association Württemberg to the District Administrator in Laupheim, dated October 14, 1938, the application of the Commercial Code for the German Empire of July 6 1938 (Reich Law Gazette I, p 823):

“It is still possible for Jews to operate a cattle business. However, he may only buy cattle within his local municipality. He may only sell cattle from outside his municipality if pre-purchased. Since these cases are extremely rare, the only way Jews may remain in this business is to hire Aryan employees with a legitimate permit. This would be impossible, because it would be in violation of (Reich Law Gazette I, p 404), as an attempt of a Jewish business man to disguise his business.”

This meant in effect the end for his business as a cattle dealer - as is very clear from the letter - which of course affected Max Rieser, Julius Levy, and all other Jewish cattle dealers and their relatives. The house at 35 Rad Street,was sold by Max Rieser in April 1937, to the parliamentary usher, Johann Schneider for RM 8300.

Max Rieser moved in November 1939 to the Jewish old age home on Judenberg, where he, like all residents, lived under confined conditions. But living amongst others of his age and religion was comforting in these dismal years. In one of the known photos from the Jewish old age home, he is pictured seated to Maier Wertheimer and in front of Julius Einstein. Compared to the identification card photo, he was now much thinner and bald. He appeared to smile for the camera. On February 8, 1941, Max Rieser died at the age of 77 and was buried at the Jewish cemetery in Laupheim.

Hüttenmeister, Nathanja: Der Jüdische Friedhof Laupheim. Laupheim 1998. Kreisarchiv Biberach Az 6104/1.