Siegfried Fred Haas

Fred was the youngest of 10 children (seven of whom survived childhood), all born in Mardorf. He was a good student in Gymnasium (high school) and a loyal German soldier during World War I.

Opa Fred was a kind soul whose life was disrupted when, in 1933 (immediately after Hitler came to power), he lost his job at the American Cash Register Company. By 1935, he had moved his family to Hannover and was the editor of the Jewish newspaper there. He paid for the second sailing of the boat the St. Louis which would have taken them to Havana; he lost his money on that hope. In 1938, after visiting Amsterdam for a family wedding, with passports in hand, he with his wife and two daughters spontaneously left Germany; they crossed the border for temporary shelter in Luxembourg.

In the meantime, Fred petitioned governments all over the world for visas in order to get his family to safety. He was unsuccessful. Late in 1939, a distant Haas relative in Oklahoma, the Youngheims, put up the money for the four of them to come to the United States. Arriving in New York City, HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) gave them a choice of going anywhere except to stay in NYC. Fred pointed to the map randomly and bus tickets were purchased for all of them to go to Indianapolis, Indiana.

At first, Fred worked as butler and Lizzie worked as maid to a wealthy family. Ruth could live with them, but Vera had to live elsewhere since there was no room for her. After they saved up some money, Fred and Lizzie ran a small grocery store. Later, Fred sold life insurance for the New York Life Insurance Company.

After his wife's early death in 1958, Fred moved to South Florida where his daughter Vera lived. He davenned (prayed) laid tefillan and prayed each morning. He was a founder of the Minyanaires, a small congregation in Miami, Florida. He was a daily mitzvah-doer as he drove folks to doctors' appointments, kids to Hebrew School, picked up groceries, etc.