ובקרך וצאנך ירביון וכסף וזהב ירבה לך וכל אשר לך ירבה וגו' (ח-יג)
As the winds of war rapidly approached, most Jews in countries occupied by or maintaining cordial relations with Nazi Germany, concerned themselves with the real and mortal threat to their safety. A number of wealthy Jews were also preoccupied with the notion of saving their wealth for later retrieval after the war, by converting their soon-to-be worthless bank notes into gold and precious stones or transferring it to Swiss banks. One man, though, correctly assessed the risks inherent in these actions and looked for a more concrete manner with which to dispose of his considerable assets.
Growing up in Hungary and later living in Vienna, Austria, Shmaya Reichmann had done well for himself in the import/export business of fresh eggs. He realized that as a Jew, he was ill-advised to rely on the strict banking codes of privacy offered by the Swiss, which as a neighbor and friend to Germany, could find themselves, and their billions in hoarded wealth, swallowed up by the Nazis. On the other hand, as a Hungarian national in a country not friendly to the Allies, it was possible that his funds might one day not only be frozen by those very same Allied governments, but also confiscated. The only other option was to wire his money from his secure Swiss bank accounts to a trustworthy individual in a free country like the United States and hope to be able to retrieve those funds at a later time. Of course, this could only work with an American-born individual, with no ties to any enemy countries, in order to avoid the previously mentioned problem of having these assets frozen or confiscated due to the politics of wartime. The only problem was who? Reichmann did not know anyone personally in America who was not originally from Europe and who would fit the profile needed for him to entrust his fortune to.
It wasn't long before a friend suggested the well-known Bendheim family in New York, who was willing to safeguard quite a number of people's money in the States. Being that the elder Bendheim was an immigrant from Germany, Reichmann was hesitant to use him as his contact. Instead, he decided to wire a check for $75,000 to his son, Charles Bendheim, then a college student in Easton, Pennsylvania, and a true-blooded Yankee Doodle. When the younger Bendheim received a call from American Express informing him that it was holding a check for $75,000 in his name, he had no idea who it was from and why it was being sent to him. After initial inquiries, the trail turned cold in Switzerland, and his eminent father advised him to make a written record of when he received the check before depositing it into his private account. Charles waited for word on his surprise windfall and when none came, he forgot about the whole matter in a short time.
It wasn’t until 1946, when the Reichmanns, who had escaped to Tangier, Morocco, were able to come to the U.S. on a temporary basis, as part of a Vaad Hatzalah convention, to discuss Agudas Yisroel’s postwar agenda. One morning, Shmaya Reichmann quietly slipped away and took a train downtown to the Wall Street office of Philipp Brothers, the commodities firm cofounded by the Bendheim family.
Charles Bendheim was in a meeting, and when his secretary announced a Mr. Reichmann was here to see him, he replied that he did not know any Reichmann. Not until the visitor stated that Bendheim did know him and he can prove it, did Charles emerge from his meeting. With characteristic efficiency, Reichmann introduced himself, cited the exact date and amount of the cashier’s check that Bendheim had received back in 1939 before the war began, and politely asked for his money back. Charles stared at him for a moment in uncomprehending astonishment and then broke out in a broad smile. With a flair, he sat down and wrote out a check for the full $75,000. Reichmann studied the check, said thank you, and quickly departed.
Chazal tell us that עשירות - wealth, does not belong to a rich man. Rather, Hashem wishes to distribute this money to all of His children and safeguards these assets in the hands of wealthy individuals until it is time for them to be distributed. At that time, it is our duty and responsibility to return and recirculate this wealth.
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