The German Reimann family of entrepreneurs has responded with millions of dollars to revelations regarding the Nazi past of their ancestors. Accordingly, the Reimann family is providing an emergency aid fund of five million euros for Holocaust survivors, which is to be managed by the Jewish Claims Conference. The family foundation "Alfred Landecker Foundation" said in a statement.
"Older, poor survivors of the Holocaust need food, medicine, and warmth in the winter," said Julius Berman, president of the Claims Conference. "These funds will enable thousands of survivors to live in dignity."
Another five million euros are to be used to support former forced laborers who worked at the Benckiser chemical company during the Nazi era. In addition, 25 million euros flow into the family foundation every year. The aim is to promote education about the Holocaust and democratic values in order to fight the rise of populist nationalism.
March revelations
"Bild am Sonntag" reported in March that the Benckiser bosses at the time, Albert Reimann and his son of the same name, were convinced National Socialists and anti-Semites and had benefited considerably from the Second World War.
Violence and abuse of forced laborers are also believed to have occurred at the plants in Ludwigshafen. Benckiser became known for the cleaning agent "Calgon", among other things, the company emerged as JAB Holding, in which the assets of the Reimanns are managed. Today JAB Holding includes "Jacobs" coffee and the British sandwich chain "Pret a Manger".
According to the Reimann family, it had commissioned an independent historian to process the Nazi past of the company's history - and had confirmed the information in the newspaper. The head of JAB Holding, Peter Harf, told the newspaper: "Reimann Senior and Reimann Junior were guilty. The two entrepreneurs have gone wrong, they should have been in prison."