Suit jackets, silk scarves, coats and ties in autumn colors hang on the walls. It is morning and only a couple of customers have so far found their way to the clothing store in central Trondheim. Robert Klein folds shirts that have just arrived. The family has run clothing stores since 1904 and the Kleins chain is today a success. But twice they have had to build the businesses from scratch. – Everything was confiscated. The entire inventory, the shop, everything was taken from them, says Robert Klein about the family business. Slum area H. Klein was founded by Robert’s great-grandfather Henoch, who fled from Lithuania at the end of the 19th century. After a period as a traveling salesman, the great-grandfather had enough savings to start a clothing store in Nerbyen in Trondheim. Nerbyen was Norway’s only Jewish quarter. Jørgen Leangen/news Aerial photo At the beginning of the 20th century, this was a slum area, where many of the city’s inhabitants never set foot. Rents were therefore low and several Jews started clothing businesses, says Eirik Wicklund. Farmers, fishermen and workers, who were often overlooked in other areas, found that they were welcomed as customers in Nerbyen. Wicklund is the project manager for the exhibition “The Map in Nerbyen”. With the help of illuminated signs showing where the Jewish businesses were located, the aim is to shed light on a hitherto unknown part of history. 60 Jewish-owned addresses in the area have been registered. At most, 30 of these stores operated at the same time. But the Holocaust changed the situation dramatically. The fugitive from the prison camp, Henoch’s son Josef was also a skilled trader. He and his wife Irene settled in Trondheim, after a few years in Tromsø. In the autumn of 1942, an arrest warrant was issued for Jewish men. Norwegian policemen arrested a total of 800 Jews. Later, women, children and the elderly were also arrested. It didn’t take long before Josef was arrested. Josef Klein was passionate about horses and trotting. During the German occupation, he managed to escape from the Grini prison camp. Photo: Morten Waagø / news Eventually he was sent on a train that was to take him to the boat “Donau” and on to Auschwitz. But the train did not reach the quay in time. Josef and the other prisoners were placed in the Grini camp, but Josef managed to escape. Nothing left When the family returned to Trondheim after the occupation, practically everything they owned was gone. Everything from clothes to cutlery had been sold, and the clothing store’s inventory no longer existed. But little by little, Josef managed to get the shop up and running again. – So he got it done for the second time. I think that you found motivation in the fact that you simply had to manage to survive, says Robert. Robert finds it difficult to understand what it must have been like for his grandfather to return to Trondheim after losing everything. Photo: Morten Waagø / news The Klein family’s history is not unique. All Jewish Norwegians were deprived of their possessions during the Second World War. The businesses were seized. – Everything they had was sold, redistributed or given away, says Elise Barring Berggren. She is a research fellow at the Department of Modern Social History at NTNU. Berggren researches the restitution of Norwegian-Jewish property after the Holocaust. Seizure of Jewish property On 26 October 1942, a law was introduced which said that all Jewish property in Norway was to be confiscated. The liquidation board was created to confiscate businesses, properties and other assets owned by Jewish Norwegians. Returned front-line fighters were given preferential treatment on part of the seized values and properties. After the war, laws were introduced that gave the Jews the right to get back what they were able to track down of property, fixtures and stock. It was difficult to get compensation for stolen and lost valuables, and confiscated stocks were generally not compensated. The laws that were introduced were disadvantageous for Jewish Norwegians who had lost their homes in the genocide. Many never got back what they had owned before the Holocaust. Did not get back what they lost The Jews who returned were often met by others living in their homes and doing business on their premises. – Losing these things, and possibly getting them back after the war, means more than what the economic values can reflect, says Berggren. After the war, laws were made regarding restitution and compensation for property lost during the war. These laws paid little attention to those who were victims of genocide, says Berggren. – Great values were not returned to the Jewish minority, says the historian. Elise Barring Berggren is a research fellow at the Department of Modern Social History at NTNU. Photo: Morten Waagø / news Most of the Jewish shops in Nerbyen therefore never started up again after the war, according to the Jewish Museum in Trondheim. Proud of the company’s history Robert Klein feels proud to be the leader of a company with a long and important history. He stands on the shoulders of his great-grandfather, grandfather and father. – We have all run this in our own way and made it our own, he says. The most important thing for Robert is to manage the values the company stands for. – That we are a well-liked company that realizes that all people are worth just as much, he says. – If we have that as a starting point, we can’t go too far wrong, I think. The family business’s history and values are important to Robert Klein. Photo: Morten Waagø / news In the podcast “When the state robbed the Jews” you can hear more about what it was like for the Jews to return to Norway after the war.
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The Nazis took everything from Robert Klein’s Jewish family business in the Holocaust – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
