A resident of new Jersey wants to donate $ 22 million to the zoo of Cologne, Germany, in memory of her late husband, a Jewish man, whom she met when he was hiding from the Nazis during the Second world war.
93-year-old Elizabeth Reichert was born in Cologne, where she met her husband Arnulf during the war when she was in the German underground resistance, she told ABC News.
A year after the war the couple married and left Germany, going first to Israel and then to the USA. On arrival there, Elizabeth began working as a hairdresser, and her husband, He obtained a position at a large company that sells Pets and food for Pets. A few years later a man opened his own business.
The couple had no children, and all their love was focused on animals. So, before He died in 1998, they decided to do something good for the city, where they met each other, and who held a special place in their hearts.
«My husband was a wonderful man, and he wanted the money has brought some good. He was very fond of animals. Always strongly opposed hunting for sport, and could not bear the suffering of our younger brothers. It was important for my husband — shares memories Reichert. — It was his desire — when we leave this world, to sacrifice all that we have our very own zoo of Cologne».
«We don’t have kids», she added. «Our child is the zoo.»
When in 2015 the lawyer Raharto first contacted Christopher Landsberg, the financial Director of the zoo, he thought it was some kind of Scam. But his lawyer assured that everything is real, and they really get the money. The zoo now receives a monthly $ 6,000.
The last of the donations have been settled recently, after Christopher Landsberg called for new Jersey to personally meet with the widow Reichert.
Reichert and the zoo agreed after the woman’s death to create a special Fund with a size of 22 million dollars, a regular income and investments will be allocated to the zoo on a permanent basis.
Instead, the widow of reichart wished the South American section of the zoo was named in honor of her late husband Arnulf Reichert. The management also invited Elizabeth to visit Cologne and to celebrate this event. Nevertheless, she decided to stay home , stating that her age would be too heavy.
Financial Director of the zoo said that such large donations to zoos in Germany — a rarity.
«This is a special case,» said the man.
He also said that the money the zoo will spend on the expansion and modernization of the enclosures to make them more comfortable for the animals.
