DEFAKA-German Family Department Store - Jakob Michael

The founder of DeFaKa  - Deutsches Familien-Kaufhaus GmbH - department store chain was the Hamburg merchant Emil Köster.  In 1924, he founded „Emil Köster Textil AG“ and „subsequently took over „Gemeinnützige Beamtenversorgungs-GmbH“. Emil Köster merged the two companies to form " DeFaKa ", which made it possible for customers to purchase goods in installments. After the inflation in Germany, Jakob Michael acquired the majority of shares in this department store chain. Jakob Michael was born in Frankfurt am Main on February 28, 1894. His parents were the merchant Karl (Elieser) Michael and Berta, née Kohn. Jakob Michael married Erna Sondheimer in 1924. The couple had two sons and a daughter. Jakob Michael was a very successful businessman. However, Jakob Michael and his family emigrated to the USA as early as 1932 due to his Jewish ancestry.

In 1939, DeFaKa operated 21 branches in Germany and, as a US company, was able to avoid „Aryanization“.