A successful escape: How Adalbert Raps helped a Jewish employee
In 1938, Adalbert Raps helped an employee of Jewish descent to flee to America
A successful escape
Felix Epstein flees from the Nazi regime with the help of Adalbert Raps
When the National Socialists took power in Germany in 1933, the situation for citizens of Jewish descent became increasingly precarious. A Munich representative of the then Kulmbach-based company RAPS & Co. also has to make a decision - and with the help of his boss Adalbert Raps, manages to make the leap to America.
It all starts with shared success
In the 1930s, the Nazi regime had Germany firmly in its grip. Many food companies were classified as "important to the war effort" early on - including Adalbert Raps' company. In the north of the country, he took over sales himself; in the south, Felix Epstein was active as a representative, selling RAPS products from Munich throughout southern Germany and even as far as Switzerland. A distribution warehouse is also set up in Munich. "In the challenging early years, Epstein helped build our company with entrepreneurial strength, vision and trust," says Frank Kühne, main shareholder of RAPS GmbH & Co. KG and Chairman of the Board of the Adalbert-Raps-Stiftung.
The motto: survival
"The story of this connection is also a story of courage and humanity," continues Frank Kühne. There was a massive problem at the time: Epstein, who was born in Munich on October 8, 1907, was of Jewish descent. In 1938, at Raps' urging, Epstein decided to escape persecution and leave Germany - and Adalbert Raps supported him. "Raps sent Epstein to the Dutch border for a fictitious sales appointment, equipped with a spice case and an accompanying letter," explains Frank Kühne. His wife Gertrude and their one-year-old daughter were also there. The salesman and his family eventually managed to escape to the Netherlands.
Successful in New York
In 1940, the Epstein family was able to emigrate to the USA, where Epstein's uncle lived. Felix Epstein and his family moved into a house in the Bronx, and in 1943 the couple had another son, Peter. Felix Epstein remains true to his previous profession and founds the "First Spice Mixing Company" in Lower Manhattan, New York. The company developed quickly and expanded rapidly in the late 1940s and 1950s. The connection to Adalbert Raps is never broken.
A moving visit to Kulmbach
In 2025, almost 90 years later, there is still contact between the Raps company and Epstein's company in the United States, which is now run by the third generation. Adalbert Raps and Felix Epstein were not only business partners, but also close friends. "I remember that my parents were also in contact with the Epsteins," says Frank Kühne. The descendants now want to revive this contact. Felix Epstein's granddaughters Vicki, Marcy and Wendy, who all work in the family business, paid a visit to Kulmbach. "It was very moving," says Frank Kühne. "Together we discovered old photographs, letters and stories that impressively show how closely connected our companies and families were - even long after the war."
The three US-American women were also very touched by the meeting. "Our trip to Kulmbach felt like a homecoming of the heart, reconnecting us with our family roots," they say. RAPS welcomed them with its old-world charm and ultra-modern innovation - a perfect blend of past, present and tasteful future. "This encounter showed us how important living values, loyalty and humanity are for entrepreneurial success - yesterday and today," Frank Kühne confirms.
