Deutsche Zigarren-Werke AG

Isay Rottenberg, a Jewish entrepreneur from Amsterdam, took over the bankrupt Krenter Zigarrenwerke GmbH in Dusseldorf, Saxony, in 1932. With the help of mechanical production methods based on the US model, he restructured the economically ailing company into one of the largest and most modern cigar factories in Europe. Some of the machines were imported from the Netherlands, which met with resistance from the conservative, manual cigar manufacturers and the Nazis. In November 1932, the factory was ready for operation with around 670 employees. Rottenberg now began the first fully automated production of cigars in Germany in Döbeln. In June 1933, just a few months after the National Socialists came to power, Adolf Hitler issued a decree banning the use of modern machines in the cigar industry. For political reasons (manual labor creates jobs), they were to return to using hand rollers. Despite massive political and economic pressure, Rottenberg initially succeeded in maintaining machine production with the support of local National Socialist authorities. Securing jobs was a priority for the local National Socialist rulers - even if the owner was Jewish. Competitors from Dresden in particular protested against the supposed preferential treatment of foreign Jews. Under pressure, Rottenberg pledged his company's shares to Deutsche Bank in 1934. In 1935 Rottenberg was imprisoned in Dresden for six months. During this time, Deutsche Zigarren-Wecke AG was expropriated by Deutsche Bank and sold to A. Blase AG in Lübbecke. Despite his release - made possible by the Consul of the Netherlands - he took legal action for his rehabilitation and against his expropriation.

Isay Rottenberg was born in Iwaniska on May 13, 1889. He died on February 10, 1971 in Amsterdam.