Martin Engel was born in Bad Kissingen on August 17, 1920 as the only child of the merchant Viktor Engel from Unterriedenberg and his wife Hanny, née Sichel. His father had been granted the right of citizenship by Bad Kissingen in 1906.

Since April 1931, Martin Engel attended Kissingen Realschule, the predecessor of the contemporary Jack-Steinberger-Gymnasium. His class teacher Zwick characterized him as “naturally dominated by reason” (“Verstandesnatur”), with “diligence” and a “sense of duty”, who on the other hand was “inclined to chattering” and predicted good prospects for the future for him. In July 1934 – in class 4 – the gifted boy left the school; reasons for that step can’t be found in his student’s file. Maybe his parents didn’t want to expose him to increasing ostracism or bring him to safety. In any case, they send their son to the United States. In December 1934, Martin parted from his parents, went on board the “Washington” and arrived at New York Harbour in January 1935, where his Uncle Josef Sichel welcomed him. By the way, two other boys from Bad Kissingen were also on board the ship “Washington”, Jack Steinberger and his brother Herbert. 

Martin’s parents stayed in Germany for some time but when the situation got more and more dangerous, they also left Bad Kissingen and emigrated to New York in July 1937.

After his emigration, Martin Engel learned hairdressing as a trade and eventually became owner of three salons on Long Island.

He was a soldier in the U.S. Army during World War II. A proud moment in his life was certainly his meeting with the English Queen and King George in 1947, who received him as a member of the American Red Cross. In the same year, Martin Engel married Hannah Isner, who came from a long-established, well-integrated Jewish family in Burghaslach, Franconia. Her grandfather Benno Isner had even been elected to the local council in 1911. 

Their son Mark was born in 1950.

Martin Engel died on April 17, 2013 in Chevy Chase, Maryland at the age of 92; his wife Hannah who  had become one of the very early females cantors in the United States, had already died in 1980. 

A look at the photo album: