Eva Marx
Eva Marx was born in Magdeburg, which she noted later belonged to East Germany, and moved to Berlin as an infant, considering herself a Berlin girl. Her maiden name was Baufels, and she was the eldest of three sisters. Her father worked as a commercial traveler and was a beloved storyteller who came home for the holidays, faithfully sending postcards and packages to his family for many years. Eva attended a private girls' school and later a commercial school, where she learned shorthand and typewriting. She recalled a childhood illness following a burst appendix at age five, and her deep sense of being German that made the persecution to come especially painful.
Eva went to work at General Electric in Berlin, where she met Frederick Bernhard Marx, who became her husband after the First World War. Both had little formal Jewish education, though Frederick's family had notable ancestry. When the Nazis rose to power, Frederick, then working for a large copper and brass firm, was imprisoned for about six weeks in a concentration camp during Kristallnacht in 1938. The couple left Germany, traveling through Italy and eventually receiving steamship passage to Shanghai, where they were stranded when war broke out in Europe in 1939. They lived through the hardships of the Shanghai ghetto after Pearl Harbor, surviving on relief supplies, yet Eva remembered the intellectual and social circle they kept, discussing philosophy and big ideas despite having little to eat.
After the war the Marxes came to California but could not find work without union membership, so they chose Dallas in 1947, drawn by its warm climate after Frederick's suffering in the winter cold of the camp. Eva first worked at a hat factory and later found joy volunteering and working at Baylor Hospital, caring for babies and patients. She joined Temple Emanu-El, cherishing Rabbi Olan and Rabbi Klein, and became active in the National Council of Jewish Women, Hadassah, and the Jewish Welfare Federation. A life member and devoted friend, she traveled to Israel six times. Her husband Frederick, whom she called a lovely man, died after 38 years of marriage. Widowed and without children, Eva remained known for her generosity, her belief in mitzvah, and her guiding philosophy never to hurt anybody.
Full Transcript
And I'm having the pleasure of visiting with my dear friend, Eva Mox. And we're going to talk a little bit today about her personal history. I'm going to ask her some questions, and she's going to tell me the story of how she came to Dallas, beginning with her early girlhood in Germany, and we'll begin in just a moment. Eva Mox, it's a delight to be here with you, and I'll start our questions. How many years have you lived in Dallas? We came 1947 to Dallas. To America at first, we came from Shanghai, China, to California, and we couldn't stay there because you have to belong to the Union to get work.
This time, right, 1947. So my husband was happy he could work again, so he told, I don't stay here because I want work. And then they asked him, where will you go? He told, where is really hot because I was in concentration camp in winter, December, and six weeks he was concentrating camp, before the war. And we had nothing really on, you know, it was ice cold. We had to stay in the courtyard and freeze. And one hot climate, we thought, oh yeah, in Dallas it's a big, huge community on the South Sea in Texas. That is why we came to Dallas. Oh, that's marvelous.
And Dallas has been a much better place because you've been here. We of course would like to know where you were born, and you may want to tell the town somewhere in the world. Yes, sure. I oh I have to say Magdeburg that is now east belonged now to East Germany And I came nine months to Berlin the capital of Germany Also I really Berlin girl you know And I went to a private school from Grosse Höhe Töchter. Shoot. That's a private school. and went to school there. Was a lot sick. I was a sick child and because I was always a show off. You know what a show off is?
A little nebbish maybe. I was with company and and I wouldn't show off how wonderful I can swing and I was swinging high and bumped down and had busted appendix and from this time I was sick, I was 5 years old. And never mind, I had a wonderful child because my parents loved me also very, very much. My father came home for good when I was 14 years. He was a salesman on the road, not in Berlin. They called him travelers in Europe. A traveler. A traveler. Commercial traveler. Commercial traveler. He came always home to all the holidays. and my mother get all the years each day each day for years and years a postcard because this lovely name but each Saturday they came a package with the dirty clothes of my father laundry and for each child a candy for mother and extra present years and years and years and years and over 20 years like that and that is the great marriage then he came home for good to Berlin and he didn work more only a little bit he was too old But before he came for good he was a wonderful storyteller Each time when he was home all three girls all three girls went in mother bed mother went out and they went in mother bed and father told us a story And every time when they came back many months later, the stores were father and father.
But obviously it's the same story. I had a wonderful childhood. What was your maiden name? Baufels. That is Bauch with Bauch and Humor. He called it lifehumor. And you had two sisters? Yeah. Every three years came a girl. My father was very unhappy. He wanted a boy. Carry on the name. Yeah, that's true. I can understand that. For eight days he didn't look at me when I was a baby. Because I saw a girl. What can we do? And I'm the only who comes after him. They're not funny. Such a slight. You know why eight days? Because he would have had a bris, you see, on the eighth day.
On the eighth day he was a boy. On the ninth day he accepted. Oh, never mind. And then after school, I went for six months commercial school, Richters Handelsschule. That is commercial. And I learned shorthand typewriting and such things. Secretarial skills. And then I was, it's for wartime. And then I was ready. and one of my cousins worked for General Electric, a girl, she was a cashier, he taught her boss, I have a little cousin, just out from school, and in former times General Electric took only people, boys and girls, from good families. We had each person that came there as an apprentice came from good families.
He didn talk any good It was difficult And I had a wonderful time They kept the same employees for years and years a whole lifetime of work and didn go from job to job so that was important to have someone that you knew well enough about that you could hope to keep them for the whole career. Frederick came in because Onkel, he was a bachelor here, And he was a very famous journalist in Frankfurt at the main. And he became the director from the press corps. And he came to Berlin and he knew Walter Rathenau. I remember the name. He was finance minister or something.
Yeah, an author minister. And he came there. I mean, never mind. I am very stupid about business. And I did everything wrong in the general lecture. I had to, at first, to type. I never could read what I was shorthand doing. But the people loved me, they put me in another place. I did everything wrong there. I did everything wrong till the war was out and I met my husband there. He was my boss. He came from the war and he got the shot from the... I don't think we've mentioned his full name yet. Friedrich, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, he's out of Deutsch.
Also, we call him here Frederick. Friedrich, was that? Friedrich Bernhard Marx. Friedrich nach Emperor Friedrich und Bernhard, some relatives, you know? Frederick brought the German Empire together. Yeah. No, and he was probably in love with me. I didn't know that. I was so naive. That is a funny thing. He was working at the General Electric. He came from the mall, you know, and they gave him the shop. It's from the office and on the front was a shop for electric fans, you know, and all those things. And he was tall. I loved tall men. And when he was in the office... That's why you love me.
Yeah. And when he was in the office, my... How do you call them? Mitch Borker? How do you call them? We work in the street together. People are working in the same office as me. Yes. How do you call them? Oh, fellow office worker. Fellow office worker. Say, Miss... Co-worker. Yeah. Miss Baufels go in through where our boss is, there is a man really tall. And you know how funny it was? I went to the map, you know, through and when Fred had no hair because in the army he had all the hair was cut. And I looked at him and he said, and the thing was falling down, you know, with all the letters.
And we both went down. That's my first time we saw each other. He was falling in love from the beginning, I'm not, you know. And then after the war, my mother said, all the girls have to come home. Because the men are all after the war, after women, and she was worried. very pure nuts. Never mind, but one year later I visited one of my co-workers and I was always late. My husband was teaching me to be on time. You know, in the army he learned you have to be 50 minutes before the time. okay and I came and I was late and the co-worker was gone and Frederick asked me oh I...
I... I... I... I... Frederick asked me, er... er... er... Miss... Baufitz, are you doing? I say I go home to the Tiergarten. Yeah? May I accompany you because it's in my afternoon of, let's see, why not? And then starts the law affair. Not in the office. That was strictly forbidden for a young girl to flirt with the couples Terrible Is it other way of life Okay I be able to Ms. Mox, let's discuss a little of your Jewish background, because, of course, we are doing this wonderful thing to have you recorded forever in our Dallas Jewish archives. So I'm going to ask you to what extent, if any, was the Jewish background in your early years of growing up in your family, and if it changed, what generation, because we know there was a lot of assimilation going on in Germany.
Tell me about that, if you will. The mother of my, my grandmother, was very huge. She put on Friday evening. And my father was not. And in former times, the Bible, that was the husband. And so the only thing we, I went in the temple to visit my grandmother. And in the last year, at the, wait a moment, the law in Germany was, you have to have religious lessons till you are 14 years old. Every child of every religion. Every religion. We were in Magdeburg, we were talking about. Yeah, yeah, so we were fourteen. And I was in the private school, and I, at first, was the Old Bible, the Old Testament.
So I went there. And when I was thirteen, this started the New Testament. And the teacher said the Jewish people, uh... Not crucified? no, excuse me, they killed Jesus. And I was always a big mouse. I got up and said, doctor so and so, that is not the truth, the Roman did it. My father had to come to Madame von Gross and she told him your daughter cannot stay more in the history in the liches you have to go to the rouge and i didn like it very much because the afternoon afternoon i like to play so i went for one year but there were boys and the boys always played with my long hair put it in the ink you know and threw little paper to me with little puzzles and i didn't learn i'm very sorry i didn't learn very much about jewish and i'm so sorry because i couldn't understand why i had why i have to
go out from my country that's my country Germany and because I couldn't understand why I would look that I would have my own children never mind which religion I would give them then you know why that people think never mind you can when they can order I have now this experience here you can see to which religion wrong when you are a child you have to be raised in some religion to keep you in discipline in your mind I don't know how you think I was I think that way when I'm very very sorry that I didn't learn Judaism and this was terrible for me
I always ask why I'm I'm German. This is wrong. But I was very happy when I told them, when we come here, the first thing, we wouldn't have roots. We would go in the temple of Manuel. Then Rabbi Oland was there. I loved him dearly. I loved Klein too. And with Rabbi Klein, you are closer. He is warmer. But Oland is brave. And every time, is this the truth? Every time when I went Friday evening and listened to Olam, it was a lecture. You know? And it was wonderful. Here in America I belong to the most Jewish organizations I how do you call it Council of Jewish Women?
Yeah, of course. I'm there. That's what's the first. Then I belong more in my heart. How do you call it? When you have forever, you are... Or life member. I am a live member and after I was reading yeah I thought after what she did I will belong to the Haddafa and I was six times in Israel and I know So the first time in 59, when I know most of the, a lot of the pioneers from my family went over, you know, and it's far beautiful. It's far like a poem when you were there. I'm not the Pope, you always kiss the... So, you sort of the plain, kiss the ground.
Yeah, kiss the ground, you know. It's far really beautiful. I have family in Israel. I tried very much to help them so much I can. But let's leave them on this part. Okay, although I feel I have a Jewish heart. I'm very much for mitzvah, but not to tell. That is the mitzvah. When you do something good, then you are close to God. And that is that. Never mind which philosophy you have, you know. Only my life's philosophy is, don't hurt anybody. Think at first to other problems, then think about yourself. It takes to life. That's one of the reasons you're so wonderful. Tell me a little about Fredrich's background.
Did he have much of a Jewish background or education? No, it's not easy. Had his family converted at all his father and his mother? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. From his mother's side, his grandfather was a doctor, MD, in Brescia, very famous, you know, with carriage to horses, you know, a lot of money, but very much this time. Yeah. And I think he mentioned the great-grandfather was a rabbi at freedom. Yes, it's the other side, it's the Marx side. Oh, on the Marx side. Yeah. He's from the mother's side, you know. Oh, his mother's side. Yeah. B-A-R-O-N. B-A-R-O-N. Oh, man.
Baron. Baron. And this grandfather was empty. And the other is a Marx family, you know. Now, you told me about your secular education and... You mean here? Yeah. Look, I'm very proud. You know, when I was so thankful to come to the United States, and I thought, not President Kennedy had to save me that, I thought, Frederick, I want to do for my new country. And everybody went in the factory. And I went to Mr. Hart's hat. He had a failed factory. I did everything wrong there, too. And I went to Mr. Hart. When you first came to Dallas, this was your early, your first employment.
The first thing, yeah. And I went to Mr. Hart and said, look, it's none that I stay here. You know, after lunch, I took my hand and the scissors and was found to sleep. Till the foreman came to Mrs. Mark to get no sleep yet. So I said, I slept my whole life after lunch. I took a little schluff. Never mind. I went to Mr. Hartland. I quit. when he taught me this master, first time in my life, that the refugee is quitting. And I said, I do everything wrong, it's not that you stay here, you know. My children were always laughing. This is not a factory.
I was not I couldn understand I don know You know I was a spoiled brat That is the real expression you know Everything has to go Frederick adored me always kissed my hands you know and I was his baby you know And so, I was ten years old at the time. And I had a wonderful marriage, 38 years. He was a lovely, lovely man. I remember him well. He knew him only after he was sick. Yes. Look, then he was, for concentration camp, he was a different person. He was very frail when he came here after that. Both the, actually we haven't talked about how you came to leave Germany, we of course know about Hitler, but how did it begin to affect you?
Were you both with General Electric still at that time, or you had retired? You had retired. Retired? I got married. Yeah, after you married, and you were very often a wife didn't grow. You were thinking that married and birth? I'm not a feminist, not today, either. I like more to spoil husbands when you have children, educate the children. I'm, I'm, I've been against, I understand when a woman has brain enough, but not everybody has brain enough. See, now they destroy the family, they destroy the country, the feminists. I'm sorry to say that. I wouldn't say that. Well, so you had a typical European household of that period.
Sure, sure. And you stayed home and catered to the husband. Sure. House and garden. I had a servant. Everybody had a servant. Let me ask, was it 36, 7 or 8? or eight when first you began to feel the effects of Hitler. Here you were not actively Jewish in the sense of highly observant Jews, and yet Mr. Hitler said had his rules as to how you are You know the Kristallnacht we call it Yeah Kristallnacht Crystal Knights Yeah 1938 I believe And all the new books Synagogues and shops. And all who had money, all our men, came in the concentration camp. We didn't believe such things.
This was not the same concentration camp like in the war. But they were beating up, but they were not, but they did later, you know. And so it's open right as ice. You couldn't believe that. Was he still with General Electric at that time? Oh, no. Hirsch, Kappa and Mörr. Brass. That is a huge factory. And what did they make? Kappa. Kappa. Kappa and Brass. Kappa and Messick. Hirsch, Kupfer, and Messick were in Europe, the greatest, biggest one. And he was in the office section of the manager in the office. Yeah, sure. Now he was very good on pictures, but I know. And they sent him all over.
When people went by, this is always a lot of money, brass and, and they had Messick. And he sent him to check the people, check the books there, check the factories, if they could pay when they buy. The credit. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then he came back and said, yes or no. This was his issue. It's okay to do business with them. It's not okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And about six weeks in concentration camp and then he opened his eyes. And he said, we go out. And we went to Italy, and I told you that you could only stay six months this time. Today is everything different.
You only could stay six months in Italy, but you can enter again. And the Loitrius team, that is for the ships, you know? The Lloyd Steamship Line, yes. Germany. The director told Frederick Mr Marx I give you and your wife tickets to Shanghai and we went to England And former director from Norskupfer went to London and won go on his own and won Frederick Because he was good in pictures and such thing. And Frederick was 49 years old. It was very hard to come into England. And this director from North Triestino said, And you come back, you go to Cenkast, stay maybe two weeks, then come back with the next boat here to Trieste, and then you can go to London.
Trieste was the place in Italy that you were. Yeah, yeah. It was the seaport. And when we came there, the war in Europe, we couldn't go back. 39. Yeah. He stayed in Schenker. And we would all, I think, about 15,000, we would all be after Pearl Harbor, till Pearl Harbor. It was beautiful in Schenker. Schenker was a beautiful, big city, clean city. A lot of foreign influence on the Bund. Ah, the point is beautiful. I was twice, twice a day in the garden there, on Bamphood, the river, and the doctor told me, good for me. I had nothing to do, I never worked there. Frederick worked, not me.
I told you. He had employment in Cherenhaven. On an employment, he went to other many clubs, hotels there in Shanghai. Maybe, I don't know now. And he was selling Pippernab King and Doylings. From another immigrant. And he came from Berlin, too. And what is vertreter? when you go for somebody selling. Peddling, maybe. Not peddling, he went to the hotels and went... Yeah, he had a... he was a distributor of... Yeah, yeah, yeah. ...of paper goods. Yeah, yeah. He went to the hotel, they were all Chinese, and he loved the Chinese. He told me, so honest, like a Chinese person, you cannot imagine it all. And he never wrote down the order, so and so, so, and that, and that, and he never wrote down.
But when you would bring something wrong, you will never get any order. I would never mind if it's so we came, we were there, and then America sent all the leftovers from the war, all the tints, cans, and sent it to us all. And so we could eat something. It was terrible. We had nothing to eat, nothing to drink, to put and drink this water. Now, you're now talking after the Japanese came in. When did the Japanese come in to Shanghai? Were they there when you got to Shanghai or they came in later? No, no, no, he came in later. The only is America, uh, bombed Shanghai.
And only once they all were in the ghetto after Paraba. They had to go all out together, all the thousands of thousands of refugees. And they only two big streets, they could go. They could not go back to Shanghai. Frederick called because he got a pass from the Japanese. Yeah, sure, the Japanese were there. Sure. The moment the Japanese came, we became the enemies. Excuse me. Sure. And there are so many highlights. The first time when the war was over here, America, Japan, you could go out. The first time you saw a bus or something, there's no life. September 45, it's like a dead city.
I remember when the war was over in Europe, that all the refugees were dancing in the street in Shanghai Chinese couldn understand It still war They think but not in Europe more They couldn understand that you know because they mean their war They think it's Japan, it's America, you know. So that is fantastic. You know, when it's been open, certainly, it's a new life. It's beautiful. That was the highlight. When you came to Dallas, you had a little apartment, I presume? No, oh no, no sir. We had some, we had a good little bit of a... The first quarters that you occupied when you came here after Mrs.
Obendorfer had met you at the station, where were you put up to begin your stay in Dallas? We had a room with Mr. and Mrs. Gottlieb. We had a position for Germany, and we had a description position. So from the Gottlieb you stayed there a while and then you got a job with Baylor. Yeah, I was dancing to the hospital. I went at the first floor and died again, the babies. Each baby I think is beautiful. Really each baby is like a miracle. It's a wonder for me. me and I danced with the baby in the arms to the room in the mother's room and thought how beautiful the baby is in and after those, well, two years, I forgot everything I learned and so I asked the head nurse, can I not go in the hospital because that is only fun.
I don't do anything. I spoil the mamas, I spoil the babies, you know, but it's not, I want to help people. that this time for me I wasn't going to get a fellow. I was helped here and they were not very happy about that. They sent me to the horseman all this kidney and blood knife to heal At this time there were big bottles under the bed and I always bummed at that you know And all the old men locked me, kissed me the hands, but I spoiled them all. I won't lost so much ice cream, so I went to keep it, keep it, keep it, I can't, you know.
and i like to spoil and later on i i i got feeling because it was all men spoil me with this nice drink and all those good you can you can get more to drink than you want no i was very happy with i only see things were because everybody helped me everybody took my hand everybody was never mind yeah much love it's for always somebody here to help me everybody was laughing i don't know why i i really i don't know why people always laugh but you're so delightful funny i i don't know i i'm very happy and i'm very thankful and uh Germany tries, you know, to help us with a strategy to get monthly checks.
But they made one lump sum payment and that enabled you to change your housing. Yeah. That's not true. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because I didn't... To tell about that? Because I wanted to lose there. I'd say, I didn't understand money at all. This is not good. I think that I am for the feminists. I think each husband has to teach his wife about money. I was so helpless. I like to go shopping, I like to spend, you know. I'm a woman. But, so I'm very happy that I get this money from Germany, so I can stay, I hope, as long I can in my own home.
Well, you decided then to get your roots down if you wanted to own your own home. My own home and have my temple in Marmol and have the Jewish Weber Federation and and I good to have everybody there This this body ratman he comes always he always talk about family you know if you always say he can help you as much but you want to help you or what i don't need anything there are many we can help i'm very happy when you come because she is a lovely woman and And, uh, but the other men in the meat really have. I mean, not only money.
You know, you can't, you help me when you call me and I'm lonesome. Then you have no family in the country. If something happens, you know, you are lonesome. Right. You had no children. No, he couldn't have it. And Mr. Marks passed away before you acquired the house. Were you still living in an apartment there? Yeah. Yeah. Is that in Dallas? We were from the start, back in the year, and then full avenue on the breadboard. We were always in the north. That's just what I miss so much. All the refugees from Shanghai, I never met. I met only here in Dallas. Because we were always extra.
I don't know why I'm going to say you were always extra. What did you mean by that? We had our own circle. We had our doctor. He was in the same concentration camp like Frederick. And he had a brilliant architect. And he was sitting outside on the street. Was this in Shanghai or Dallas, which you're speaking of? Shanghai. In Shanghai. In Shanghai. Yes. And... Had your own little circle. Yes, yes, yes. There were always big topics. Just, I want to say, that's why I bought money with funny. I know you cannot live without money. I'm realistic. But you can be an educated person. When we were sitting outside with the doctor with his wife, we were torn on big topics.
We had nothing to eat, never mind that. Your mind, your brain has the overmind. You have a goal. You have to have to think about something, big things. The philosophy and the meaning of life. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Things of that sort. That makes you happy. Gets you over the problems of just living. Everybody has problems, you know. Yeah. Yeah. All that I can tell you. I'm happy here when I'm an old woman. And I, I, maybe I can't stay there alone. I try to have, I cannot have very much, only to the telephone or like that. I notice they have a question on this list.
And we talked somewhat earlier about some of that. Was there any intermarriage in your family? And if so, who? Both my sisters married men from Warsaw, from Poland, Jewish men. That's a funny thing. They'll be all three. I married a German Jew. These two sisters married from Warsaw. And I was very educated. What happened to your two sisters? My eldest sister, that is Hans from my nephew, the mama, she had tuberculosis and this time she sent people to Switzerland, to Davos. And she came only home every three months a year. Hansel was raised from my parents and from Fred's brother and me. till he died and then he married again a lot of the Jewish girl and I think you were three years older than huh See they like brother and sister very close Yeah that it all Were they taken in the Holocaust?
Yeah, yeah. That's it, that's all. Yeah. We have, we have, personally, in San Luis, very bad experience with Russia. I would not believe the Russian government at all, as a veteran of his politics, as I want to say. He has very bad experience. Russia takes as long as he can get something, and then he gets you a step in the pen. How did that affect your family, though, particularly? He died. Oh, they were over on the Russian side? And Adi, or Adolf Breitermann, he was a very bright man, and he was in the leather. This hammering? Yeah, yeah. And then one of the Russians met him, and he thought, can you open up a Leningrad, which was beautiful, a factory.
This was about what year approximately? Yeah, yeah. And my friends... Before World War II Sure that young Way back Yeah that and and on is it yeah Why not And he did it This this would be still under the Tsar was private business Not the Tsar. Already into the Soviet Union. But, uh, communism. Oh, sure. Communists. Look, after the, don't forget, after the First World War, they had plenum. Yeah, 1916. Yeah, yeah. 16, 16, beginning there. And he did it, and he had a wonderful time. He got extra money. He had the extra apartment, everything that he did. My sister came each year to Berlin in a beautiful tour, all this.
You know, and when he had finished it, the Russians came in the night. and threw them out of their meals. And they had nothing to eat, nothing to drink, nothing to put on, nothing. That's why I don't believe it was worth the Russians. Well, where did they go from there? Did they come back to Germany? Yeah, to eat. As long as they built the factory, they got extra money, they got everything extra, sure. each year. But he had finished. The factory was there. And then he gave him a... Yes, they were done with him. Yeah. That's why I don't believe in the movement. I only read not, I don't say it was the Russian people, I think the Russian government.
The Russian government wants everything for them. And when they get it, they don't, they're all out. When did your nephew Hunt leave Germany for the city that was in South Africa Right or I think it there I not going to do it He helped him get out Ms Marks it been wonderful talking to you Thank you. And you've been an important addition to make Dallas the wonderful city it is. And you've been an important addition to make Dallas the wonderful city it is, but it's people like you that make a place great. But even more importantly, I consider my friendship and Jerry's friendship with you, because you're a delight to everybody who knows you.
I'm very honored to be a friend of Joe. have years of good health ahead because the good you do is badly needed and we want you to continue to be able to do that. Goodbye. This interview with Mrs. Marks took place on Sunday, the 16th of September, 1984. Mrs. Marks is 85 years of age, a very wonderful and remarkable woman. We had just come from the open house of the Dallas Jewish Community Center, and the archives is having a very special exhibit on Jews of Dallas in politics. And from there, we took these materials and recorded Mrs. Frederick Marx. Felicita Eva Marx, a wonderful, delightful person.