My name is Bruno Straus, formerly Bruno Kohfield-Galeano. I’m a filmmaker, father, president of Infinite Spiral Productions and more! I want this website to be an evolving work of everything that I’d like documented. I’d like to start with my family history. I have an incredible and diverse family history. My paternal grandmother Eva Straus was born in Uruguay to German Jewish parents who escaped the holocaust. My maternal grandmother Miren Bosch was born in The Dominican Republic and her father was part of the 140th Mixed Brigade. Her grandfather Lico Castillo was a general and has a street named after him in The Dominican Republic. Miren’s other grandfather was a priest. My paternal grandfather Luis Galeano was of Spanish ethnicity and converted to Judiasm in Uruguay to marry Eva. My maternal grandfather Richard Kohfield’s family came to the United States in the 1800s. They were German Mennonites and farmers who lived in the East Coast.
I recently connected with my cousin Mark on 23 and me. He has so much documented Eva’s father Herman Straus. He was one of 12 children. Jacob and Babette (Sahm) Straus were the parents of 12 children. Emma, Martha, Hannah, Isaac, Helmut, Mor, Fanny, Henry, Gitta, Sophie, Herman (Eva’s father), Beate and Theo.
Here is a portrait of the Straus Family. The parents, Jacob and Babette are in the middle. Herman is in the sailor suit with the horn, Theo is holding his mother’s hand, Henry is behind Herman, to Henry’s left is either Helmut or Isaac (one male is missing)…to his right are Hannah and Martha, Emma is to her father’s left, Fanny is to Emma’s left, Mor is on Fanny’s left, Sophie is on the bottom left, and Gitta is to her right next to the youngest, Theo, who was born in 1901, so the photo was taken some time between 1902 and 1903.
On the Straus side Emma, Martha, and Hannah were killed in the Holocaust. Isaac and Helmut made it to Palestine, Mor went to Uruguay, Fanny got to Palestine, Henry got to the USA, Gitta got to Rhodesia in Africa by way of Palestine, Sophie got to the USA, Herman to Uruguay, and Theo to the USA.
Herman’s wife was Kathe Schmidt. Kathe’s parents were Conrad and Johanna Sara (Frank) Schmidt who both died in 1942, which seems to indicate they were killed as part of “The Final Solution.”
Mark also informed me that I am related to a great filmmaker by the name of Thomas Schlamme. Herman’s sister Beate married Norbert Schlamme Schmidek. Norbert Schmidek, is the first cousin of Otto Schlamme. Thomas Schlamme is Otto’s son.
Bruno Herman Straus 