Oak leaf wreath separated into sections awarded prewar to a Jewish youth for swimming across the Rhine River

Max Eis was born on January 1, 1917, in Mainz, Germany, to Jewish parents Jakob and Regina Meyer Eis. Jakob Eis was born on December 20, 1877, in Bingen, Germany. Regina Meyer was born on September 26, 1875, in Reichelsheim, Germany. She had one older brother, Gustav, who was born in 1874, and immigrated to the United States, where he settled in New Jersey. On July 30, 1902, Jakob and Regina married, and they settled in Mainz, where Jakob worker as a cooper and vintner. Their first son, Alfred, was born on September 26, 1903. Max was a talented swimmer, while Albert excelled at track and field. Both participated in athletic competitions held by local sports clubs and associations in Mainz. On January 30, 1933, Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany. Anti-Jewish decrees were passed that restricted every aspect of Jewish life. In April, Max graduated from high school and became an apprentice at the Maweli A.G. Distillery in Mainz. In the mid-1930’s, Jews were not welcome in non-Jewish sports clubs or associations, so Max and Albert both joined the Jewish sports club, Schild, which was associated with Reichsbund Juedischer Frontsoldaten (The Organization of Jewish Front-line Soldiers) in order to continue competing in sporting events. Conditions worsened for Jews in Germany as more punitive anti-Jewish laws were enacted. The family began to make plans to leave Germany. In January 1936, Max’s uncle Gustav Meyer filed sponsorship papers with the US government stating that he was willing and able to support Max if he was allowed to immigrate to the United States. On August 16, 1938, Jakob took Max to the train station in Mainz, but Regina was too sick to go with them. Max boarded a train to Belgium and then continued on to London, England. A woman named Mrs. Michaels and her son took him to Woburn House, a shelter in London’s east end, where many Jewish German refugees were staying. After several days, Max left for Liverpool. He was given 10 pounds, which was more money than he had been allowed to take out of Germany. On September 2, Max boarded the S.S. Roosevelt and sailed for New York City. Max settled in Newark, New Jersey, near his uncle, and found work as a clerk at a wine and liquor wholesaler. On November 9 or 10, during the Kristallnacht pogrom, Max’s brother Albert was attacked in Mainz. In March 1939, Max helped Albert immigrate to the US. He joined Max in New Jersey and worked for a wine and liquor wholesaler. On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland and World War II began. On April 14, 1940, Albert married Irma Edinger. Irma was born on May 15, 1905, in Mainz, to Sali and Amalia Rosenthal Edinger. She was trained as a nurse in Germany, and immigrated to the United States in July 1937. On January 4, 1942, Max married Ruth Levi, who was born in approximately 1920, in Mainz, to Dr. Rabbi Sali and Margarete Weissman Levi. Max, Albert, and Irma made deposits with the transmigration bureau to get Jacob and Regina out of Germany, but their efforts were unsuccessful. On September 27, 1942, Jakob and Regina were deported from Mainz to Theresienstadt labor camp-ghetto in German occupied Czechoslovakia. Regina, age 68, died on March 28, 1943, in Theresienstadt. In February 1945, Max sent Jakob a Red Cross letter announcing that his first grandchild had been born. On May 2, 1945, the International Red Cross took over Theresienstadt. Germany surrendered on May 7, 1945, and Theresienstadt was officially liberated by the Soviet Army on May 9. By April 1946, Jakob had been in both Deggendorf and Funk Kaserne displaced persons camps in Bavaria, Germany. Irma booked passage for Jakob on the S.S. Marine Perch, and on May 13, 1946, he sailed for New York City. Jakob, age 74, died on April 14, 1952, in New York City. In the mid-1950’s, Max, Ruth, and their two children, along with Albert and Irma, moved to Oakland, California, where Max opened his own dairy company. Irma, age 68, died on December 4, 1973, in Oakland, California. Albert, age 83, died on January 22, 1987. Max, age 74, died on November 11, 1991, in Oakland.

The wreath was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2012 by Regina Lackner, the daughter of Max Eis.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Regina Lackner

Funding Note: The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.