WEBVTT
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Beth Strasser [Strasser]: Okay. Your name?
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Fritz Ottenheimer [Ottenheimer]: Fritz Ottenheimer.
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Strasser: And your age? Ottenheimer: 50. Strasser: And your place of
birth?
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Ottenheimer: Constance, Germany.
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Strasser: Which is in what region?
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Ottenheimer: It's in southern part of Germany. Right on the Swiss border.
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Strasser: And the maiden name of your mother? Ottenheimer: Metzger.
Strasser: Can you spell.
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Strasser: That? Ottenheimer: M.E.T.Z.G.E.R
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Strasser: And you know, the maiden name of your maternal grandmother?
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Ottenheimer: My grandmother was Baumann B.A.U.M.A.N.N.
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Strasser: And your ethnic origin and identity?
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Ottenheimer: Well. German. Jewish. For many generations.
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Strasser: And what languages do you speak and understand?
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Ottenheimer: I speak English fairly well [laughter]. German fairly well.
Quite well. And some French. Very little Hebrew.
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Strasser: And your occupation?
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Ottenheimer: I'm an engineer, mechanical engineer.
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Strasser: With who?
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Ottenheimer: Westinghouse Electric Corporation.
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Strasser: And your religion? Ottenheimer: Jewish. Strasser: Orthodox?
Reformed? Ottenheimer: Reformed. Strasser: And was your family here in
1921? Ottenheimer: No. Strasser: And how long have you lived in the
Pittsburgh area?
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Ottenheimer: Since 1950. The year of the big snow [laughs].
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Strasser: There've been a few of them [laughs]. Yeah. Uh. And membership
in organizations for Jewish people?
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Ottenheimer: Um.
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Ottenheimer: Well, I belong to Temple Sinai, and during most of that time.
I suppose you could call it membership. Send a contribution to the
Chautauqua Society once a year. I think that's about the extent of it. Of
course, is some auxiliary and within Temple Sinai, I was a part of some of
that.
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Strasser: Chautauqua society. Not being part of the Jewish.
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Ottenheimer: Oh yes, Chautauqua Society is an organization which goes
around to various campuses and explains Jewish religion to the students.
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Strasser: It's just using the same term Chautauqua that others other
organizations have also used.
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Ottenheimer: I think it originated there. I don't know what the
significance of it is.
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Strasser: And the birthplace of your parents?
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Ottenheimer: That's Germany. My father was born in Rexingen in the Black
Forest region of Germany.
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Strasser: Can you spell that?
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Ottenheimer: R.E.X.I.N.G.E.N. And my mother was born in Gailingen
G.A.I.L.I.N.G.E.N. in southern Germany. Also on the Swiss border right near
Constance.
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Strasser: And they met [laughs]. Can you say since you're from two
different parts?
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Ottenheimer: That's an hour story right there. Very interesting but uh
they met in Constance. My father was introduced to my mother by her
brother, who was in the same army as my father during the war.
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Strasser: First World War?
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Ottenheimer: Yes, First World War. I guess it was love at first sight um.
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Strasser: [laughs] What port of entry did you come into to America?
Ottenheimer: New York City. Strasser: What was the date?
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Ottenheimer: It was May 1939. I think it was May 15 or 16, something like
that.
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Strasser: And do you know the initial intention of your parents? Was it to
stay permanently or to repatriate? Ottenheimer: to survive.
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Strasser: To survive? Ottenheimer: No. We uh migrated to the United States
for purposes of establishing life in the United States. Staying here.
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Strasser: Okay. Um, when did you move into the, uh. Oh you said 1950. What
neighborhood did you move into in the Pittsburgh area?
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Ottenheimer: Oh, my. I had a furnished room in Squirrel Hill.
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Ottenheimer: When I first came to Pittsburgh. And uh then
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Ottenheimer: Later. An apartment in Squirrel Hill. This lasted until I got
married in 1952.
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Ottenheimer: So yeah, it's kind of split down.
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Ottenheimer: To Little Rock, Arkansas, for a few months. And then we came
back and I was transferred to Augusta, Georgia, and we came back. And so
about 1954 we settled down in Swissvale. I stayed there for about five
years and then we moved out to Forest Hills.
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Strasser: Okay, we'll go back to that a bit more for dates later. Okay.
Um, can you tell me your father's occupation and work history?
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Ottenheimer: Well, in Germany, he had a haberdashery store right in the
middle of the old town of Constance. And during the Nazi regime, we lost
the store.
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Ottenheimer: And was forced to sell out.
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Ottenheimer: Then he became a sales representative for a tie manufacturer
for a couple years. Then he lost that job. And after we came over to the
States, he couldn't find a job at first. And finally. He got a job as a
porter, cleaning theaters, movie theater. And the well, more or less kept
that job until his retirement.
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Strasser: This is in New York.
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Ottenheimer: Yes. Just changing to different theaters. But this was a
very, very good.
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Strasser: Mm hm. Ottenheimer: He's alive now. Retired.
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Ottenheimer: Was enjoying life until last November when my mother died. My
mother got a job when we first came over. A maid. In people's pockets and
taking care of their kids. And for a while she was the one that was
supporting the family. And then later, when my father got a job, between
the two of them, just able to squeak through.
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Strasser: Did your mother work outside of the home in Germany?
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Ottenheimer: Well, my mother used to be involved in the store and.
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Ottenheimer: My father's store. Strasser: And before they got married?
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Ottenheimer: No. Oh, I think she uh. Well she learned to make hats in
school and I think she did for about a year or so, she did some part time
work.
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Ottenheimer: Helping at the store where they'd make hats.
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Ottenheimer: Different things on hats and so forth. But not for very
long.
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Strasser: And how many brothers and sisters do you have? Ottenheimer: I
have one sister. Strasser: Younger?
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Ottenheimer: No, she's older. 3 years older.
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Strasser: Does anyone else share your home besides your immediate family?
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Ottenheimer: Now you're talking about any particular time now?
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Strasser: In Germany. And then in New York.
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Ottenheimer: In Germany. My grandfather used to. Oh, I think he used to
come in for weekends. He had uh business in Switzerland and he was there
during the week. And then I think just about every weekend he would come up
to Constance and spend a couple of days with us. And during the last year
before we left Germany, my grandfather stayed in Switzerland because things
were getting rather hot in Germany, and my grandmother, who had lived with
her other son.
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Ottenheimer: Was my.
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Ottenheimer: Paternal grandmother, uh moved in with us for about a year
and she came over to the United States with us. After we moved. After we
came to the United States, my grandfather who came over about the same
time, moved in with us. My grandmother moved back with her other son, and
my grandfather stayed as part of the family in New York.
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Ottenheimer: Up until her death.
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Strasser: Do you know how your parents managed to get the money together
to come to America? Whether it was difficult for them to get the necessary
papers together to get here?
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Ottenheimer: Yes. First the money. Of course, we weren't allowed to take
any money out of Germany, so. But the savings were pretty well used up
before we were able to come to the States. My uncle, my father's brother,
used to own a house, and when they sold the house before they came to the
States, of course they weren't allowed to take money along. And we then
borrowed money from the proceeds of the sale. And I believe this is what we
used to pay for the.
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Ottenheimer: Boat tickets.
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Ottenheimer: Um now.
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Ottenheimer: What was the other question? Strasser: About papers?
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Strasser: Say you have to go to France?
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Ottenheimer: Uh my an aunt in Chicago sent put up an affidavit for.
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Ottenheimer: Us for our immigration.
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Ottenheimer: And when our turn came on the quota in 1938, we went to the
American Council as prescribed, and he decided at that time that the
affidavit was not high enough.
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Strasser: What do you mean, high enough?
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Ottenheimer: Well, she had to-- Strasser: On the list? Ottenheimer: no.
She had to commit herself to a certain amount in terms of her assets that
she would put up as guaranteed that we would not become public burden. And
apparently, the amount that she had declared an affidavit for our support
was considered not high enough. My father had a World War one injury, and
he has a stiff right arm as a result of this. And apparently the council
felt that my father.
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Ottenheimer: Not be able to.
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Ottenheimer: Make a living United States.
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Ottenheimer: So we immediately managed to get a higher affidavit from one
of our other relatives or a supplemental affidavit I guess it was.
Unfortunately, then they have to wait our turn again, uh it wasn't until a
year later that we were able to leave. We had sent packed our furniture and
sent it over in anticipation of a trip. Because we had been told that.
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Ottenheimer: Everything was in place[??].
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Ottenheimer: So the furniture was in storage in the United States for a
year. And we were living in a furnished apartment. And for the last year.
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Strasser: Well, that's good. You managed to get furniture, rugs,
presumably, things like that.
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Ottenheimer: Unfortunately, during that year, quite a bit of it was
ruined, by uh.
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Ottenheimer: Water seeping into our storage stuff. It's.
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Ottenheimer: Furniture[??] you got there. And linen stuff. So it's rather
disappointing when we.
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Ottenheimer: Opened the crates[??]
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Ottenheimer: But. We uh. During this last year, my father spent a month in
concentration camp, and when he finally did get out, it was just before the
war started. So it was a lot of political and additional waiting for me
and.
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Ottenheimer: It.
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Ottenheimer: Almost resulted in uh not going anywhere.
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Strasser: Did you go via France or Great Britain?
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Ottenheimer: We went by way of Switzerland and France and. Then from the
harbor we went straight to Constance. Stopped off and saw relatives in
Switzerland and France.
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Strasser: How many children do you have?
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Ottenheimer: Two children. Strasser: And how old are they?
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Ottenheimer: Our daughter is 21 and our son is 18.
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Strasser: Now on to your educational work history. Can you tell me about
your education or special training?
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Ottenheimer: All right. Well, start with.
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Ottenheimer: I don't know how much you feel you want to know?
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Strasser: As much as you can remember. Do you mind if I smoke?
Ottenheimer: Go ahead.
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Ottenheimer: I was. Well, no, thanks. Jewish children were kicked out of
school. Public school in Germany in 1938. Is very little schooling, some
tutoring.
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Ottenheimer: If you want to call it that. One of.
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Ottenheimer: The people who had some education in the town during this one
year. Strasser: Jewish tutoring?
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Strasser: Say in the Torah or.
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Ottenheimer: No, general knowledge. But.
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Ottenheimer: Didn't amount to much.
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Ottenheimer: And. Then when I came to the United States, I was 14 years
old, and since I didn't speak the language, I was put back in seven A.
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Ottenheimer: Just middle of seventh grade.
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Ottenheimer: Even though I had approached the end of the eighth grade
before I was rejected.
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Strasser: And he didn't learn English in Germany? No.
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Ottenheimer: Well, knew about a dozen words, I suppose. Yeah. And. Then I
think I skipped part of the eighth grade. Any rate. One year later, I went
to high school, Bronx High School of Science in New York, which surprised
everybody because it was not easy to get into as it has competitive exam.
But by that time, I'd picked up enough I could pass the test. Then after
graduation from high.
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Ottenheimer: School-- Strasser: Which was?
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Ottenheimer: 1944. I uh started to go to City College in New York during
the summer semester. At the end of the summer semester, I was drafted into
the US Army.
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Strasser: Back to Germany [laughs]? Ottenheimer: Back to Germany.
Strasser: Oh no.
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Ottenheimer: Which was all right. I had the right to refuse service
because I wasn't a citizen yet at the time, which was alright with me. And,
um, then I came out of the service in 1946. Went back to City College, then
transferred to Oklahoma A&M College. Strasser: A & M Ottenheimer:
Agricultural and mechanical. Um, why Oklahoma A&M College? I think mostly
to get as far away from New York as I could.
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Strasser: Why?
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Ottenheimer: Because I, you know, just it was getting to me. I didn't like
the atmosphere and I was getting into a rut psychologically, where I found
it very hard to concentrate and found myself becoming very tense and
frustrated. I think it was a matter of family, and uh New York atmosphere
and pressures, and I don't know specifically what it was, but I wanted to
get away I had the G.I. Bill to fall back on at that point. And also this
particular school was well qualified for the subjects, for engineering
subjects. So and also, it was one of the few schools in the country where I
could get along on my.
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Ottenheimer: Subsistence allowance.
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Ottenheimer: Um so that's.
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Ottenheimer: You know, that's [??]. Strasser: That's uh, helps my [??]
[laughs].
00:17:49.000 --> 00:17:59.000
Ottenheimer: So uh. I graduated from Oklahoma A&M College in Industrial
engineering.
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Strasser: 1950?
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Ottenheimer: 1949. Strasser: 49. Ottenhiemer: 49, yeah. And uh then later
I um let's see. I'm losing track of time. But while I was working for
Westinghouse, I started going to night school and I picked up a master's
degree in Mechanical Engineering.
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Ottenheimer: In 1960.
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Strasser: At Pitt? CMU? Ottenheimer: At CMU. which was then [??].
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Strasser: Okay. Your first job?
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Ottenheimer: First job was with Midwestern constructors in Tulsa,
Oklahoma.
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Ottenheimer: I was. Assistant engineer helping.
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Ottenheimer: Another engineer.
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Strasser: This is once you had graduated? Ottenheimer: Yes. Strasser: You
never had any jobs between?
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Ottenheimer: No, not really. No. My parents believed in having me go to
school full time after school, summer semesters, and all.
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Ottenheimer: They were understanding[??].
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Strasser: So that was immediately after graduation. 49. Ottenheimer: Mm
hmm. Strasser: And when did you income first start to support others than
yourself?
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Ottenheimer: I suppose after.
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Ottenheimer: I got married, my parents never expected any support from
me.
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Ottenheimer: Um, so, uh.
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Ottenheimer: This would be, uh, 1952.
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Ottenheimer: When my wife joined me.
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Ottenheimer: Although she was still working for the first year or so
after.
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Ottenheimer But um 1953. Since then I've been supporting my wife.
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Strasser: So you've been working for Westinghouse since 1950? No.
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Ottenheimer: Uh, 1950, I. Well, there was about a two month period where I
worked on a construction site for Oklahoma Contracting Corporation. And
then I went to work for Lennox Company Chemical Plants Division in 1950.
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Ottenheimer: In Pittsburgh? Ottenheimer: In Pittsburgh.
00:20:15.000 --> 00:20:24.000
Strasser: Right. So you came to Pittsburgh because of the job, were you?
Ottenheimer: Yes.
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Ottenheimer: But I was interviewed in New York.
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Ottenheimer: And was offered a job and I came to Pittsburgh. So from 1950
to 19-- just say--57. To 1957 I worked for Lennox Company.
00:20:46.000 --> 00:20:53.000
Ottenheimer: Then I switched to Westinghouse.
00:20:53.000 --> 00:21:09.000
Strasser: So next question is which job do you remember best as good or
bad and your highest paying job? But presumably that would be Westinghouse.
You've been going up. Ottenheimer: Yes in general it would be Westinghouse.
Strasser: All the way across the line. Ottenheimer: Yeah, the one I
remember.
00:21:09.000 --> 00:21:13.000
Ottenheimer: Best is the one I've been in for the last 19 years
[laughter].
00:21:13.000 --> 00:21:16.000
Ottenheimer: And of course, they.
00:21:16.000 --> 00:21:21.000
Ottenheimer: Do make more money.
00:21:21.000 --> 00:21:37.000
Strasser: Uh. The nationality ethnic background of most of the people in
the first neighborhood you lived in may not have been constant. Presumably
they were all German, but were they all Jewish? Or was there some gentile?
00:21:37.000 --> 00:21:47.000
Ottenheimer: No. We lived in a predominantly gentile neighborhood. There
was really no Jewish neighborhood in this time.
00:21:47.000 --> 00:21:52.000
Ottenheimer: Pretty well similar to [??].
00:21:52.000 --> 00:21:54.000
Strasser: Was it a big town? Was it a cathedral city or?
00:21:54.000 --> 00:21:57.000
Ottenheimer: No, about uh 35,000 people at that.
00:21:57.000 --> 00:22:01.000
Ottenheimer: Time. Strasser: A market[??] town sort of town or?
00:22:01.000 --> 00:22:09.000
Ottenheimer: Oh, there was a certain amount of tourism. It's a very pretty
location right on Lake Constance. Historical.
00:22:09.000 --> 00:22:14.000
Ottenheimer: Landmarks and right at the entrance to Switzerland.
00:22:14.000 --> 00:22:21.000
Ottenheimer: People are sort of in the Black Forest, Austrian Alps, Swiss
Alps.
00:22:21.000 --> 00:22:22.000
Strasser: Mm.
00:22:22.000 --> 00:22:43.000
Ottenheimer: But um and it's on Lake Wales now. So there were a number of
hotels and uh transportation tended to go through the town, and
transportation centers were generally important in those days. Railroad
centers.
00:22:43.000 --> 00:22:44.000
Ottenheimer: Uh.
00:22:44.000 --> 00:22:54.000
Ottenheimer: Very little local industry. I think we have a tent factory,
[??] and some retail.
00:22:54.000 --> 00:23:00.000
Ottenheimer: Certain amount of farming or [??].
00:23:00.000 --> 00:23:06.000
Strasser: Well, the Jews that did live in-- first, were your parents
conservative?
00:23:06.000 --> 00:23:17.000
Ottenheimer: Yes. It was a conservative congregation.
00:23:17.000 --> 00:23:39.000
Strasser: Ok. Did you find-- do you have any problem, have you faced any
problems when you moved into the Pittsburgh area in 1952 or 50?
Ottenheimer: Uh no-- Strasser: You shouldn't have faced much [laughs]. All
right. How were you treated as a Jew in Constance?
00:23:39.000 --> 00:23:43.000
Ottenheimer: Well, okay, Now, uh, it's a matter of, uh, relative factors.
00:23:43.000 --> 00:23:49.000
Ottenheimer: Uh. Of course, under the.
00:23:49.000 --> 00:23:55.000
Ottenheimer: Nazi regime, there was a constant barage ofantisemetic
propaganda.
00:23:55.000 --> 00:23:56.000
Ottenheimer: There was this.
00:23:56.000 --> 00:24:03.000
Ottenheimer: Constant harassment officially by government.
00:24:03.000 --> 00:24:22.000
Ottenheimer: Constant withdrawal of privileges or rights. Over the years
from 1933 until we left in 39. The I definitely felt anti-Semitism in.
00:24:22.000 --> 00:24:23.000
Ottenheimer: Our environment.
00:24:23.000 --> 00:24:39.000
Ottenheimer: Although not nearly as much as in some other parts of Germany
since we lived on the Swiss border. People could hear the Swiss radio
station and read the Swiss papers and they could tell what was really going
on.
00:24:39.000 --> 00:24:45.000
Ottenheimer: As it was mostly propaganda coming out of the German papers
and German radio stations.
00:24:45.000 --> 00:24:49.000
Ottenheimer: And it was a small town.
00:24:49.000 --> 00:24:56.000
Ottenheimer: Jews did not have a dominant role.
00:24:56.000 --> 00:25:17.000
Ottenheimer: As I mentioned before, the Jewish population was fairly well
assimilated. And are associated socially and culturally with the neighbors.
So that, uh, the the uh, personal relations with.
00:25:17.000 --> 00:25:27.000
Ottenheimer: The Germans was relatively good during these years.
00:25:27.000 --> 00:25:39.000
Ottenheimer: The Germans were getting increasingly nationalistic and they
were starting to swallow some of the Nazi propaganda. And there were
definitely individuals in town who were.
00:25:39.000 --> 00:25:45.000
Ottenheimer: Violently anti-Semitic and.
00:25:45.000 --> 00:25:51.000
Ottenheimer: Did whatever they could to make life miserable for us. But
these were relatively isolated.
00:25:51.000 --> 00:25:58.000
Strasser: Okay. Did you find there was physical abuse or was it verbal or
emotional?
00:25:58.000 --> 00:26:28.000
Ottenheimer: Uh, less so than in other places, but still there wasn't.
Children are tend to be rather cruel in their relationship with each other.
They anytime they can tease someone and kind of can find a weak spot in
another child they take advantage of it. And so when the Nazi propaganda
came around.
00:26:28.000 --> 00:26:30.000
Ottenheimer: And they got their special.
00:26:30.000 --> 00:27:00.000
Ottenheimer: Subject in race theory which we were of course were excluded
from. But they were told about the Jews being inferior and being nasty
criminals and such. Why they would tease us about it. What might what they
might have considered as just harmless teasing, of course, was less sheer
choice of. Because of this, we were getting a lot of paranoia, you know.
00:27:00.000 --> 00:27:07.000
Ottenheimer: With the constant barrage of. Propaganda.
00:27:07.000 --> 00:27:12.000
Strasser: You say race theory I-- you mean from the press? Or was it a
course
00:27:12.000 --> 00:27:21.000
Strasser: In.
Strasser: The school? Ottenheimer: In school here was a required subject
for all Gentile students, a certain number of hours, 2 or 3 hours a week.
00:27:21.000 --> 00:27:26.000
Ottenheimer: They were taught about uh superior races and.
00:27:26.000 --> 00:27:31.000
Ottenheimer: Inferior races and the importance of eliminating the inferior
races.
00:27:31.000 --> 00:27:37.000
Ottenheimer: And keeping them from mixing with the superior ones. And they
have all kinds of charts and.
00:27:37.000 --> 00:27:57.000
Ottenheimer: Tables to say, what if one of the grandfathers or great
grandfathers was Jewish then you are, all of them contaminated. And all
kinds of pseudoscientific explanations.
00:27:57.000 --> 00:28:10.000
Ottenheimer: It was theories against Jews and blacks and it wasn't part of
the master race.
00:28:10.000 --> 00:28:13.000
Ottenheimer: So we were we just had a study period while.
00:28:13.000 --> 00:28:21.000
Ottenheimer: The others learned these things and we could visualize what
was going on. Strasser: Ok.
00:28:21.000 --> 00:28:28.000
Ottenheimer: And of course, the newspapers and every time a Jew was
caught.
00:28:28.000 --> 00:28:31.000
Ottenheimer: Those were the headlines on the front page.
00:28:31.000 --> 00:28:36.000
Ottenheimer: And I imagine some of the times the Jew hadn't really
embezzled.
00:28:36.000 --> 00:28:44.000
Ottenheimer: All the same still. Murders and rapes and so forth.
00:28:44.000 --> 00:28:45.000
Ottenheimer: To give people the impression that the.
00:28:45.000 --> 00:28:58.000
Ottenheimer: Jews were robbers and that going to [??]. The children had to
join Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts, the equivalent of the Nazi equivalent.
00:28:58.000 --> 00:29:01.000
Strasser: Hitler's youth. Ottenheimer: Right.
00:29:01.000 --> 00:29:05.000
Ottenheimer: And they learned the little songs about.
00:29:05.000 --> 00:29:12.000
Ottenheimer: Jewish blood runs from the knife. Why it's all-- got to get
rid of the Jews.
00:29:12.000 --> 00:29:19.000
Strasser: And meanwhile you were going to school and your father was
running a shop while-- Ottenheimer: Exactly
00:29:19.000 --> 00:29:26.000
Ottenheimer: And most of my friends were gentiles.
00:29:26.000 --> 00:29:40.000
Ottenheimer: Although they became more and more withdrawn. And uh
frightened. So. Because it's like walking around at the time of dawn of
conflict. There was nothing.
00:29:40.000 --> 00:29:42.000
Ottenheimer: Nothing wrong that was done.
00:29:42.000 --> 00:29:50.000
Ottennheimer: By the Jewish. Distorted way out of proportion. So um.
00:29:50.000 --> 00:29:54.000
Ottenheimer: Had to be very careful. Very good.
00:29:54.000 --> 00:30:01.000
Ottenheimer: Avoid any accusation of having said something wrong.
00:30:01.000 --> 00:30:02.000
Ottenheimer: And we had.
00:30:02.000 --> 00:30:03.000
Ottenheimer: An assembly program.
00:30:03.000 --> 00:30:13.000
Ottenheimer: So we had. Listen to those speeches, which was, of course,
also anti-semetic.
00:30:13.000 --> 00:31:13.000
Ottenheimer: And. My father was uh this.
