In 1921, Bea was born in Berlin, Germany lived in her house with her parents and brother Horst now Harold who was two years younger.  Bea was an active young lady who loved to participate in sports.  As the Nazis rose to power, she was barred from participating in sports as she was Jewish.  

Bea went to a Protestant school, then a Catholic school, finally a Jewish school.  

On November 9-10, 1938, Kristallnacht occurred.  Bea was 17 years old, her brother was 15.  

She remembers it was a dark night, people had buckets of red paint.  They painted over the signs of Jewish businesses, red X’s and “Jude.”  The family stayed indoors that night.

The Nazis later came and arrested her father.  Luckily, he was released from a Gestapo jail only after a few days.  The family felt it was time to leave, that they couldn’t have a life there anymore. 

Bea’s father owned a small manufacturing company that made ladies’ dresses and suits.   Bea herself was learning to sew women’s clothes.  Her father was sure that he would outlast the Nazis. He was reluctant to leave Germany, to leave all he had built up. 

Bea left for safety to England where her mother had a distant relative.  She was taken in as one of the family.  Later, Bea’s parents and brother came to England and then on to the United States. 

They landed in New York which seemed chaotic with many refugees.  The Jewish Agency settled them in Cincinnati, Ohio.  The Jewish community was very warm and supportive to the family.  

Later in life, Bea dedicated herself to working in Jewish social agencies and causes as she saw how good the Cincinnati Jewish community was to her family.