Guggenheim's body was never found, and neither was tanic's maiden voyage seemed like a pleasant way to fin- I suppose tomorrow there will be a big egg hunt up on
that of his valet or chauffeur. He was survived by three ish the trip.
105th Street. I wish I could be there to take part in it.
daughters, Benita, Peggy and Hazel.
The Strauses, who had turned Macy's into a national You may not know that this is already the third day of
Edith Louise Rosenbaum, a writer for the Paris offices institution, had been married 41 years and raised six Pesach and that you should all be eating matzahs ... Clar-
of Women's Wear Daily, boarded the Titanic at Cher- children — Jesse, 40, Percy Seldon, 36, Sara, 34, Minnie, idge's does not serve them so we cannot do our duty."
bourg. Traveling alone, she had been in Paris reporting 32, Herbert Nathan, 31, and Vivian, 26.
A grocery buyer from Macy's, John A. Badenoch had
on French fashions at Paris' Easter Sunday races. She
"The Strauses were very involved in Jewish and phil- been traveling to Europe and was on the rescue ship
was berthed on the promenade deck, traveled in first anthropic causes, and served on many committees, " says Carpathis. He knew that the Strauses were on the Ti-
class, and managed to leave on Lifeboat 11.
Adler. "Isidor served in the House of Representatives un- tanic, and he gathered stories from survivors, trying to
Rosenbaum was a Cincinnati native but lived most of der Grover Cleveland from 1893-1894. His family came piece together what happened to Isidor and Ida.
her life in London and Paris and was a very wealthy from Otterberg, Germany, and Straus felt he had been
He wrote to the Straus children that their parents
woman. She was later a war corre-
showed courage and composure to the end.
spondent during World War I.
,,T,:,,,,
',Tv, The following is the account relayed in his
"She was a real character," says
letter:
t sail from So
and, on
bound for,
Lynch. "She had been arrested for
"Mr. and Mrs. Straus were in bed at the
in Cherbour
• were 2,97 pas,
;
smuggling a trunkload of clothing
time of the accident. Immediately after the
4 c
tre,‘
c it y blocks
into the United States. As she grew
boat struck they were seen in the compan-
older, she was known to be very
ion way, in bathrobes ... Your mother seemed
crotchety and would grant interviews
to realize the danger and prepared to dress,
iceberg was
about the Titanic, but then tell the
requesting your father do likewise.
s too late.
reporter she wouldn't allow it in
"Shortly thereafter, they appeared on the
slight vibration, an
print." She died in 1975 at the age of
deck, fully clothed, mingled with the other
worsened, passen
98.
passengers and discussed the danger in a
re not he_ard in t'
Leila Meyer, daughter of Andrew N
perfectly calm and collected manner. They
gers.
Saks, founder of Saks Fifth Avenue,
6 instructions were t6-:
evidently did not believe that there was any
the starboard side, the
was on board with her husband
great danger of the ship sinking.
cer in charge put women
when space was avail-
Edgar Meyer. "Leila had received a
"On the advice of the captain, they put on
would allow men to
raan for the Ti-
wire that her father was taken very
rical Society.
a life preserver over their fur coats, and as-
ill and she should come home," Lynch
sisted other passengers in doing the same.
er, on the port side, the officer o
, not men,
reports.
By that time the boats were being filled with
even 9 tm any of the boats left wit4ernp
en saved."
"She wanted to get back to New
women and children, and your mother was
Some t ymen, Lynch adds, d*ct*tp,a,
.;''''''''':jt;:t''"
d tried to
York as quickly as she could, and the
keep
asked by the officer in charge and urged by
class passengers ba'
on board the
Titanic was the very next ship leav-
oa
your father to get into one of the lifeboats.
ing England. Her father died the day
"She refused to do so and insisted that the
0 a.m., the ship went
the ship set sail. Her husband, Edgar,
maid take her place in boat No. 8. They stood
e very end. Some accounts
perished, but she survived.
by while other boats were being filled, all
ee" as the last song. Only
After the death of Andrew Saks,
the while your father continuously urging
Leila's brother took over the man-
CD
your mother to enter one of them.
agement of Saks Fifth Avenue. Leila
"Finally, when it became apparent that
eventually remarried a man named
there was no hope of the Titanic staying
Louis Ranger. She died in 1957.
afloat, your father insisted that your moth-
Of course, many of the Jewish pas-
er enter the second from the last boat that
sengers were not famous, but their
was being launched from the side they were
stories were just as riveting. Emil
on. She still refused, saying she would not
Taussig was sailing with his wife and
go without him.
daughter, Ruth. He had several in-
An officer in charge again urged her to
vestments, including stock in a
enter, and, in fact, attempted force, aided
lifeboat company. In fact, the lifeboats
by the urging of your father. She placed her
on the Titanic were from the compa-
foot in the boat, thinking at the time that
ny in which he was an investor. But
your father would accompany her ... Mr.
because there weren't enough
Isidor, thinking that your mother was safe
lifeboats for all of the passengers, he
in the lifeboat, stepped back with the oth-
perished. 'The irony is that before he
er men.
sailed, he was trying to urge Con-
Your mother, looking around and see-
gress to place more lifeboats on ships,
ing your father was not with her, got out
even though it was for his own fi-
of the boat, went to where your father was
nancial interest. After the sinking,
standing and put her arms around him. The
the company's stock went up, and his
officer in charge seeing that it was no use in
wife made a lot of money," says
trying to get your mother to leave your fa-
Lynch.
ther, ordered the boat lowered away."
According to Walter Lord in A
She was quoted as saying: "We have been
Night to Remember (Amereon House,
living together for many years, and wher-
1955), "On that fateful night, Mrs.
Alma Cuento (Ida) and Larry Keith (Nader) portray Mr. and Mrs,
ever you go, I go."
us I6 ile new muslr at'Ivattk
Taussig was clinging to her husband,
Isidor was 67 and Ida was 63. The fami-
Emil, when boat No. 8 was being low-
ly was notified on April 26 that Isidor's body
1 ,-
ered with her daughter, Ruth, on board. Mrs. Taussig very lucky in America and wanted to give something was found. Ida's body was never recovered.
turned and cried, Ruth,' and the brief distraction proved back. He was very generous with his time and money."
Rabbi Samuel Shulman of Temple Beth-El officiated ci:_
enough, because two men tore her from Emil and dropped
Less than a week before they boarded the ship, on April at the funeral, and Isidor was buried at Beth-El Ceme- _
CD
her into the boat. That was the last time she saw her hus- 4, Ida wrote the following letter to her children from Clar- tery on Long Island, N.Y.
band."
idge's Hotel in London:
On May 4, 1928, a deed was drawn for a family plot in ,_
Probably the most famous Jewish passengers were
"Papa enjoys London so much more than Paris, and Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, and a Straus family <
Isidor and Ida Straus, founders of Macy's department just revels in going about here ... Papa would not allow mausoleum was erected. The stone contains Isidor's and
store. According to Joan Adler, director of the Straus His- me to shop for anything in Paris, except a hat pin for my- Ida's dates of birth and death.
torical Society, the couple were returning home to New self at Noarys ... they showed me a gold bag with emer-
An inscription reads: Many waters cannot quench love
York after spending the winter in Europe, and the Ti- alds and diamonds on the bars, which Papa gave me ... — neither can the floods that drown it." El

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