In
May of 1938, my family changed forever. I realize that we were blessed that no
one in my mother’s immediate family was murdered. We fared so much better than
millions of others. I get that. While ours is not a story of horrifying
proportions, it still is worthy of being told. It should never have happened. It should never be forgotten.
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| Paul - probably early 1901 |
My
grandfather, Paul Lichtenthal, was born on December 1, 1900 to hard-working
people. His father, Sigmund Lichtenthal was a hat-maker who
had come from Tarnopol, Poland to Vienna, Austria. His mother, the former Rosa
Berger was from Budapest, Hungary. His younger sister Valerie was born in 1902.
The
family business, Lital grew to include 5 men’s hat stores, 3 shoe stores, and a
small men’s hat factory.
Paul
trained as a hat-maker himself and worked in the family business. On August 12,
1930 he married Rose Spiegel. His parents weren't fond of Rose and
her family, feeling they were “elitists” and not of the working class. On
March 5, 1932, Paul and Rose had their only child, a daughter (my mother)
Doris.
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| Undated - Paul is standing in the doorway to the right |
