Ismar Engel

Ismar inherited the cigar factory in Oppeln from his father Jacob Engel.

Here is a (poorly translated) article about the family firm from a Polish website:

http://www.hatikvah.uni.opole.pl/EN-Cigarfactory.htm

"The Cigar Factory - by Maciej Borkowski, Opole

For some time now I’ve been searching for materials concerning the once well-known Opole company of Ismar Engel. Recently I’ve come across some interesting information about Engel’s company in the yearbooks of the old Opole newspapers.

The cigar factory of Ismar Engel has a long and fascinating history. It was founded in 1859 by Jacob Engel (1836-1900). In the very beginning it was a small factory employing only 10 workers. After some time, when the cigars had gained enough popularity, the company expanded. Demand for the elegant cigars increased, everybody smoked Engel’s cigars: the soldiers, the notaries, the judges, etc. The economic boom in the market allowed Jacob Engel to relocate his company to a new site and in 1871 the factory moved to Krakauerstrasse 45 (today’s Galeria Centrum - a supermarket).

Misfortune couldn’t have been avoided. In October 1883 a huge part of the factory together with the supplies of tabacco were consumed by the fire. Jacob Engel found out about the accident while on a journey. Immediately he submitted to and got compensation from the Magdeburg and Silesian Insurance Company in order to start rebuilding the factory. In 1894, less than a year after the fire, the factory celebrated its 25th anniversary. An extensive article was written in the Opole paper Wochenblatt fuer Stadt und Land. The Master of the Ceremony was of course the founder of the factory - Jacob Engel.

The highlight of the celebration was a festive dinner, held in the most elegant room in the Opole Forum Hotel. Jacob Engel hosted all his workers at the party. In his speeches he emphasized the good relationship between the owners and the workers, he also mentioned the history of the factory. Joint hosts at the dinner were Jacob’s sons, the younger of which, Ismar (1861- 1931), was to become the successor of his father’s business. During the dinner Jacob Engel informed his listeners that he made a decision to offering financial aid to the poor craftsman. The aid, amounting to 2000 marks, was to be paid to each worker on the 1st of September.

At the turn of the 1880’s and 90’s a very old Jacob Engel handed his factory over to his son Ismar. Ismar Engel was one of the most respectable citizens of Opole. He was a great manager of the factory, which, in the year of its 50th jubilee (1909) employed over 100 workers. For a long time Ismar led the Opole Jewish community and held a seat in the City Council. Towards the end of his life he became an Honorary Member of the Jewish Board of the City of Opole.

Ismar Engel personally donated 3000 marks to help the war wounded during WW1:

https://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=pl&u=http://opols...

Ismar Engel’s factory existed until the 1930’s, enjoying the superb reputation of its clients. It was completely destroyed, together with other Jewish firms in our city. Engel’s cigars became a legend. The only thing that is left now are the old-fashioned adverts in the old Opole newspapers which encourage people to buy Engel’s aromatic products."

The article is the translation of the reprint of one of a series of articles under a common name ‘Walking Down the old city - Opole’. Opole Newspaper (Gazeta w Opolu) no. 7, published in Opole 1999/01/09 - 1999/01/10 (with Publisher's permission). Translation: Katarzyna Dzięciołowska, Opole.

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Ellis Island Records - www.ellisisland.org

Engel, Jomar(sic), Germany, German Oppeln, Germany May 16, 1893 30y M Saale

Bremen, Germany via Southampton

(Note - he travelled to the USA with Richard Friedlander, friend and son of the local brewery owner. They went to the USA to see how that tobacco and brewing industries worked)

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From letter by Miriam Kassler (1992):

"All the 4 Engel children were born in Oppeln, Upper Silesia, in the big house in Krakaustrasse.

Behind the house, which was owned by the Engels, was a huge yard with the cigar-cigarette factory and behind the factory was a beautiful garden surrounded by a high wall. In one corner of the garden was a heap of sand and it was on this sand-hill that my father (Walter) took the photograph of Peter, Eliza and Walter"