TheThe SteubenSteuben NewsNews A Newspaper by German-Americans for All Americans VOL. 90 NO.2 DUTY • JUSTICE • CHARITY • TOLERANCE MARCH/APRIL 2017 pleted the General Staff Officer Course in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Next, he spent two years in the German TRADOC man- aging the German Army Foreign Liaison Organization before moving to the German Ministry of Defense to work in the Army Operations Coordination Cell. After battalion command, he served as the Chief tactics instructor at the Artillery School in Idar-Oberstein. Starting in 2010, he served as a Chief of Concept Development & Experimentation (CD&E) in the Bundeswehr Transformation Center and then as a Chief CD&E in the Directorate of Scientific Support and Interoperability in the Bundeswehr Planning Office. His operational assignments include: service as a Battle Captain for the French Multinational Division- South in Mostar, Bosnia as the Operations Officer for the Chief of Staff in the German Multinational Brigade - South in Prizren, Kosovo; as the J5 Policy Chief for HQ KFOR in Pristina, Kosovo and most Lieutenant Colonel Michael Breuer, German Army Liason recently as the Military Assistant for the Chief of Staff Resolute Officer at West Point Military Academy is the 98th Support Mission, Kabul, Afghanistan. Founderʼs Day Banquet Guest and Speaker His awards and decorations include the Golden Cross of National Council 98th Anniversary Honor of the Bundeswehr, Silver Cross of Honor of the Bundeswehr, Bundeswehr Bronze Foreign Duty Medal-SFOR, Founder’s Day Banquet Bundeswehr Bronze Foreign Duty Medal-KPOR, Bundeswehr Silver Foreign Duty Medal-KFOR, Bundeswehr Bronze Foreign Join us as we celebrate our 98th year of existence at the Duty Medal-RSM, Service Medal for Oder River Flood Control Founders Day Banquet, May 21, 2017 1:00-6:00 p.m. at the Mission, Medalha doo Pacificador (Brazil), NATO Former Plattduetsche Park Restaurant, Franklin Square, NY, for a fes- Yugoslavia Medal, NATO Kosovo Medal, NATO Non-Article 5 tive dinner enhanced by the musical entertainment of John Medal NATO Afghanistan Medal, German Armed Forces Weber. We are proud and honored to announce that our guest Proficiency Badge (Gold with numerical device “20”), German speaker will be Lt. Colonel Michael Breuer. He is the German Ranger Tab, Parachutist Badge and French Commando Army Liason Officer to the US Military Academy at West Point. Entrainement. Lieutenant Colonel Breuer is married to the for- Founders Day honors our founders, Patron and military service mer Andrea Piers. people. His bio is as follows: Join us for Founders’ Day! The menu is: Hors d’ouvres, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Breuer, a native of seasonal melon with Black Forest Ham and berries and a salad Duesseldorf Germany, joined the Army in 1983 as a conscript is included. The main course choices include Strip Loin of Beef, with Signal Training Company 1/3 in Buxtehude, Northern Traditional German Sauerbraten, Loin of Pork, Chicken Cordon Germany. After two years of service, he was accepted as an offi- Bleu and Broiled Salmon. Beer, wine soda, dessert, coffee/tea cer candidate with the 205th Tank Battalion. He completed are included. There will be a cash bar for other liquor. The 98th Officer training and two tours as an Armor platoon leader Anniversary Gala tickets are $100 per person and children under before serving as a Tank Company Commander and later as a 12 are $50 per child. Please make Brigade S3 for the 42nd Armored Brigade and as Brigade S3 for check payable to Steuben Society of the 37th Light Infantry Brigade. America and mail to Elyse Land, P.O. After language training and a country orientation he com- Box 777, Levittown, NY, 11756. We PERMIT #12 PAID US POSTAGE PLEASE SUPPORT THE CENTENNIAL CLUB BULK RATE need your support for this important THIRD CLASS event. Please invite your friends and 11790 BROOK, NY STONY In anticipation of our Centennial Anniversary Celebration, we have established the Centennial Club inviting donations of $100. family! Donors will be acknowledged in Steuben News. Please make check payable to Steuben Society of America (Note: “Centennial Club”) and mail to: Steuben Society of America, The Steuben Society of America is N One South Ocean Ave. Suite 217, Patchogue, NY 11772 IO dedicated to unite men and women T Your Name:___________________________________ of Germanic origin who share a common interest in the positive and CORREC Address:______________________________________ continued growth of our nation as ED SS well as the preservation of our rich ST Village:___________________State_____Zip:__________ heritage. For more info: All donations are tax deductible www.steubensociety.org Steuben Society of America Suite 217 One South Ocean Ave. NY 11772 Patchogue, ADDRE REQUE MARCH/APRIL 2017 THE STEUBEN NEWS Page 2 Yorkville, New York City: Germantown of Yesteryear by Daniel Schwarz Germantown, German the test of time. For a great authentic Broadway and Sauerkraut Boulevard German meal and Gemütlichkeit, The were terms associated with East 86th Heidelberg Restaurant (1648 2nd Ave, Street in Manhattan, New York City. between 85th and 86th Street) with wait- This 2-way street, the size of an ers and waitresses in Tracht (German cos- Avenue was the main artery of tumes – Lederhosen and Dirndls) can’t be Yorkville, an Upper East Side beat. Directly next door (1654 2nd Ave.), German neighborhood. there is Schaller & Weber, a German gro- The rough boundaries of cery/butcher that continues to gives kids Yorkville were from 79th to 96th a slice of cold cut to try. Street, and Lexington Ave to the East Still serving the faithful, a River. As German speaking immi- Protestant church that has German ser- grants arrived in NYC from Europe mons on Sundays is Zion St. Mark’s during the 1930’s into the 60’s, this Evangelical Lutheran Church (339-341 was the magnet of the Big Apple for East 84th Street). There is also a Catholic them. They could assimilate into church, St. Joseph’s Church of Yorkville American culture yet have the securi- (404 East 87th Street), with a strong Henry E. Steinway Unitʼs Annual Sauerbraten Dinner. Member ty and familiarity of Teutonic culture, German heritage. This is where German Bill Ports offers some home-brewed German beer. See story shopping, dining, and entertainment. born Pope Benedict XVI visited for an on page 5 Beginning in the 1960’s ecumenical service in 2008. Ehnis Deli. The main import food market was the Bremen Yorkville began to change drastically. Annually on the third Saturday in House. Rent control that was initiated during September since 1957, The German- German restaurants with fancy German motif WW2 was still in effect, and American Steuben Parade can be seen entrances welcomed their guests to their below street level Landlords were fighting a losing bat- marching on 5th Ave from 68th Street and Biergartens/Bierstube. In the evenings, German music tle with incomes vs. cost of doing ending at 86th Street. This parade cele- could be heard outside as one walked by. Usually it was an business. As a result, tenement hous- brates the German-American heritage and accordion player, or perhaps a zither player, and many ing and rooming houses were being traditions, and honors the contribution of times a vocalist could be heard yodeling. These restaurants sold to land developers. General von Steuben who helped included names such as: the very large Hofbrau Haus, The They either renovated them America win the Revolutionary war. Rheinland Bar, Jägerhaus, Rudi & Maxl’s Brauhaus, Little for condos, or tore down these his- Parade marchers, as well as some Casino Bar, The Corso, Little Findland, Platzl Restaurant, toric brownstone buildings to con- spectators wear their trachten proudly, Berlin Bar, Bavarian Inn Restaurant & Bar, and a few more struct high rise apartments/condos. and marching bands, colorful floats, and on the Avenues such as The Heidelberg Restaurant. For The residents moved to other bor- various German clubs and organizations additional good and inexpensive eating, one cannot forget oughs or even the suburbs such as proudly display their banners as they The Linden Bar, The Ideal Café, and the very popular non- Long Island. The rents started rising march and wave along the parade route. German Horn & Hardart, an automat/cafeteria. unreasonably for the German busi- Traditionally, the celebrating after the For other entertainment such as dancing, there was nesses, and they also were forced out parade took place on 86th street in the the Lorelei Dance Hall, and the Yorkville Casino. There of Yorkville. many restaurants and Bierstube. Now, was no gambling there, but two very large ballrooms in Today, there are only a few they celebrate at the huge after party in this multi-story entertainment venue. It was also called businesses left, but they have stood Central Park. Gloria Palast, perhaps named after the famous one in If one takes a stroll down memory Berlin, Germany. On the ground level, there was a movie The Rheinland Bar on 86th Street theater “Yorkville Deutsches Theatre” that showed produced this music promotion printed lane or more specifically 86th Street German language movies. During WW2, besides a movie, in the early 1950ʼs showing an from 1st Ave to Lexington Ave, the accordion player. visual impact of German businesses they also showed news reels of the war, and the theater was was impressive. For those that wanted packed because no one had TVs yet. to purchase some German/Austrian For athletic competitions, educational activities, pastries or to enjoy afternoon Kaffee and social gatherings there was the German Turn Verein und Kuchen, there was Café Geiger, Hall on the corner of 85th Street and Lexington Ave. They Kleine Konditorei Café & Restaurant, even had a German Ratskeller restaurant called Hans Café Hindenburg, Café Wienecke, and Jäger’s.