Hella Rottenberg - The Cigar Factory of Isay Rottenberg: The Hidden History of a Jewish Entrepreneur in Nazi Germany

Cover page shows an L-shaped four-story building facing an open ground in front of it. The building has front-facing windows on each floor with bars on the outside. Wooden pallets are stacked on the ground at regular intervals around the building.

Advance Praise for The Cigar Factory of Isay Rottenberg

Two granddaughters go in search of the hidden history of their Jewish grandfather, and they uncover an amazing story: how he bought a cigar factory near Dresden as the Nazis came to power in Germany, and how he fought defiantly to keep it operating, at the risk of his life. An astonishing portrait of what life was truly like for a Jewish businessman in Nazi Germany, and an exemplary example of how two determined women stripped aside family mythologies and arrived at the surprising truth about the family patriarch. MICHAEL IGNATIEFF , author of On Consolation

Who wouldnt like to wake up one day to discover a previously unknown family history that illuminates the world events of its day? This is precisely what happened to the highly regarded Rotenberg family of Toronto when the revealing story of their ancestor, Isay Rottenberg, unexpectedly came to light in 2017. Isays struggle to retain his successful cigar factory in Germany in the early days of the Hitler regime is a detailed and historically valuable microcosm of how quickly violence overwhelmed German society in the early 1930s. The Cigar Factory of Isay Rottenbergis also the poignant story of newly discovered ties with living European relatives. And the cherished continuities that bind families together. ERNA PARIS , author of Long Shadows: Truth, Lies and History

The Cigar Factory of Isay Rottenbergis a fascinating story of resilience and survival. Much as their ancestor fought his fight, the Rottenbergs have left no stone unturned to preserve his story. Thank God they did! They write the way you should smoke a cigarsavouring every moment without ever letting the flame go out! MARK CRITCH , performer and author of Son of a Critch

The extraordinary story of a determined, inventive man in lethally dangerous times and the legacy of bravery, tenacity, and endurance shared by his widespread family. ANNA PORTER , author of The Appraisaland Deceptions

A remarkable window into the life of a Jewish family, just one among the millions who endured so much, who struggled so valiantly to maintain human dignity in those shadow years of the early 1930s when even the cruelest heart could not imagine a time when murder and industrial slaughter would become the German national pastime. A story of redemption, courage, and honour that leaves one shuddering in awe. WADE DAVIS , ethnographer, photographer, filmmaker, and author of Magdalena: River of Dreams

Two journalist cousins retrieve their grandfather from the silenced history of a factory stolen and a family saved. An enthralling quest.

NESSA RAPOPORT , author of Evening: A Novel

A powerful and riveting account of a family suddenly discovering their heroic ancestors past, a story that reminds us of an individuals power to resist the brutal killing machine of the Nazis. In the deluge of fatal statistics from the Holocaust, this book is an example of particular lives impacted, the human stories of families and people that all too often get lost. Now the world can see the brave and unstinting face of Isay Rottenberg. EVAN SOLOMON , columnist, political journalist, and radio host

THE CIGAR FACTORY OF ISAY ROTTENBERG

Cover page shows an L-shaped four-story building with an open ground in front of it. The building has front-facing windows with metal bars on the outside on every floor. Wooden pallets are stacked on the ground at regular intervals close to the building.

Wilfrid Laurier University Press acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts for our publishing program. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund for our publishing activities. Funding provided by the Government of Ontario and the Ontario Arts Council. This book was published with the support of the Dutch Foundation for Literature. This work was supported by the Research Support Fund.