82 SCHWED Max

The traces Max and Betty Schwed left are only minor, yet they are still visible. Both weren’t originally from Laupheim and belong to the small group of people listed in this memory book who were not part of the large family networks within the Jewish community in Laupheim.

Max Schwed came to Laupheim in August 1903 for professional reasons, accompanied by his wife Betty, née Ullmann, widowed Ichelheimer. He was offered a permanent position as an authorized signatory by the S. H. Steiner hop trading company.

Their house in König-Wilhelm-Straße 27 is still a very representative building.

Betti and Max Schwed.

König-Wilhelm-Straße 27.

Even at the age of 40, Max was eager to serve his country. On August 25, 1914 he was enlisted to the Infantry Battalion XIII/15 in Ehingen and was sent to France, where he was eventually promoted to sergeant. He was nominated for a staff position in the battalion and took on tasks in food supply for the soldiers, and also acted as an interpreter with the French civilians. He was decorated with the Silver Medal of Service. After his dismissal, he returned to the S. H. Steiner company, continuing his profession as an authorized signatory. Betti and Max Schwed remained childless.

In July 1928, great attention was paid to the Schwed couple when Max Schwed celebrated his 25th anniversary at S. H. Steiner. The company hosted the event at the Bahnhofshotel Laupheim. The newspaper “Laupheimer Verkündiger” acknowledged the jubilee in a detailed article.

The article describes that a humorous speech was delivered during the celebration, and it was Dr. Itzak Steiner, the son of the author and speaker, who was able to find the script in the family archive in St. Gallen, Switzerland. In the following, there is the translated excerpt from the speech, which in the original has 58 verses in rhyming couplets, written by Helmut Steiner.

“… And this is for our jubilee.

25 years our employee.

I’m sure he’ll get a round of cheer,

as I congratulate our dear.

Good luck! With hop and beer!

And as I look and cast about,

I easily among the crowd

can spot and come across

right there, our much beloved madam boss,

who has been ill for quite some time,

but now, thank God, again she’s fine.

After enough time to recover

she’s back, hurrah, the way we love her.

You’re asking me now where to start.

This guy, he is so clever and so smart,

and kind -

he keeps all details in his mind.

He states all things that are a must,

and that we missed when we discussed.

He always knew, never forgot,

if customers had paid or not,

if some more time to pay was granted,

and what our competition wanted.

But hear the tale that I shall tell:

My name, he does not write so well!

That’s why I daresay: Leave the H, it’s fine, use just one L!

But now, I think I’ve talked enough.

To wrap this up and move ahead,

I say with pride: Long may you live, dear Mr. Schwed,

same to your wife,

right at your side!”

The jubilee had five more years until he passed away in Ulm on October 9, 1933. He was cremated, and his urn was buried at grave number N 26/7 at the Jewish cemetery in Laupheim. Two years later, on October 31, 1935, Betti Schwed left Laupheim and moved to Nuremberg where she probably had relatives. She later emigrated to the USA.

Quellen:

Familienarchiv Steiner, St. Gallen, Schweiz. Foto-Archiv: Ernst Schäll.

Hüttenmeister, Nathanja: Der Jüdische Friedhof. Laupheim 1998. S. 509.

Laupheimer Verkündiger vom 30. 7. 1928.

Weil, Jonas: Verzeichnis von Kriegsteilnehmern der israe litischen Gemeinde Laupheim. 1919.