One of Germany’s richest families, the family who controls Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Panera Bread, Pret a Manger and many other successful businesses, has decided to donate millions to charity. This family has decided to donate this money because they have recently learned about their close ancestors’ intense support of Adolf Hitler and their direct use of forced labor under the Nazi regime. The family has been made aware of documents that directly state that this family’s ancestors were forced laborers. The family did their own internal research and found that the documents were fully true. The family believes that their ancestors belonged in jail. The family members that were forced laborers had died in the mid and late 1900s, and did not talk about the Nazi era. The early generation of the family revealed only small details about their Nazi involvement in 1978, but the younger generation questioned those details and examined the history more thoroughly. The younger generation is ashamed of their ancestors’ actions and believe that what they did is absolutely disgusting. During the second World War, the company used forced laborers in its industrial chemical companies. The company also used French prisoners of war. The family has made a firm decision to donate 10 million euros ($11.3 million) to a charity, one of which has not yet been determined, as a gesture. The family is proud of itself for putting themselves on the line and bringing all of the truth of the story to the table. I think that what the Reimann family is doing is right. During World War II, many families were scared to go against the Nazi regime, which is why they followed their orders. In this case, the Reimann family used what the Nazis were doing to their advantage and put the prisoners to work in their factories. Although the younger generation of the Reimann family was unaware of their ancestors’ full involvement during the war, it is great to see them taking action for the injustices done by their past family members.
Barcelona Past and Present 