Published on juedische-allgemeine.de the 04.01.2022.
Elizabeth Reichert, the widow of Shoah survivor Arnulf Reichert, has left Cologne Zoo a rich inheritance. The couple felt a strong connection to the zoo in their lifetime.
Note: Elizabeth Reichert was able to witness the old birdhouse she and her husband had observed at Cologne Zoo shine in its renewed splendour. It was already clear at the opening that the house would deeply anchor the couple in the zoo’s history because the completely renovated house bears both their names. The Arnulf and Elizabeth Reichert House now offers an insight into Belize’s fauna and is tied to a corresponding project. Thus, the legacy of the zoo’s great patrons will not be forgotten and is also captured by name.
Elizabeth Reichert, gebürtige Kölnerin, die nach dem 2. WK zusammen mit ihrem Mann Arnulf in die USA zog, hinterlässt dem @koelner_zoo rd. 26 Mio. US-Dollar. Sie starb im Februar. Das Geld geht in eine Stiftung, aus der der Zoo nun die 1 . Devidende erhielt: 700.000 Dollar #Koeln pic.twitter.com/WQ7YHJluXG
— Kölner Zoo (@koelner_zoo) January 4, 2023
(Translation: Elizabeth Reichert, born in Cologne, who moved to the US with her husband Arnulf after WWII, leaves approx. 26 million US dollars to Cologne Zoo. She passed away in February. The money flows into a foundation from which the zoo has now received the first dividend: 700.000 dollars.)
II/II: Es war Wunsch der Erblasserin, dass die Gelder in Tieranlagen des Zoos fließen – alles „för de Dierche“. E. & der 1998 verstorbene A.Reichert überlebten die NS-Zeit dank der Hilfe mutiger Kölner, die dem Juden Arnulf Verstecke boten. Wir gedenken beider in Dankbarkeit pic.twitter.com/xFMLBWmYdY
— Kölner Zoo (@koelner_zoo) January 4, 2023
(Translation: It was the testator’s wish that the money go towards the zoo’s animal facilities – everything “for the animals”. Elizabeth and Arnulf Reichert, who died in 1998, survived the NS era thanks to the help of courageous Cologne residents who offered Arnulf, a Jew, hiding spaces. We remember them both with gratitude.)
Many more projects “för de Dierche” (=”for the animals”) will follow.