Christmas Letter 2017
The Danube Swabian Foundation of the U.S.A., Inc.
Die Donauschwaebische Stiftung der USA, Inc.
We reflect on our past and our heritage which we so dearly treasure.
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!
Robert Filippi, Chairman Ed Tullius, President Monika Lorenz, Vice-President Joseph Brandecker, Treasurer Rosalia Burmeister, Secretary Rudi Mayer – Chief Auditor
Landesverband der Donauschwaben USA, Inc
Liebe Landsleut!
We are once again approaching Christmas and the end of the 2023 calendar year. For that reason it is time for me, as CEO of our foundation, to ask you to contribute to our cause. The foundation’s 501C3 status may make your donation deductible. Please contact your tax professional for this information. You may ask what our cause is! That is explained in great detail throughout this annual holiday mailer. Let me summarize: youth programs and cultural preservation! Our individual member clubs promote these functions through the programs they support. These include German language schools, dance groups for all ages, brass bands, soccer clubs, and choirs. It’s been said many times that, in order to have a future, we must involve our youth in our culture. This year has been one of cultural exchange. The Chicago Aid Youth toured Europe earlier this summer and demonstrated to our cousins abroad that our young people are proud of their cultural inheritance. August brought the Leowey Tanzgruppe from Pecs to our shores. Cincinnati, St. Louis, Chicago, Kitchener, Cleveland, and Mansfield all had a chance to experience their performance. For six seminar days in November young Schwowe from around the US and Canada will have a chance to learn new dances and more from Hansi Müller and his entourage. Hansi lives in Temeswar and teaches hundreds of young Romanians our dancing and other traditions. The foundation has promised to financially support this project and the three cities hosting these seminars. As we await Christmas, which commemorates the coming of our Savior, let us remember the importance of our Christian heritage. I encourage all of our members to re-establish contact with old friends this holiday season and to remember those dear family members and friends that have gone to their reward. With the knowledge that giving is much more rewarding than receiving, I challenge each of you to make a financial contribution to your clubs and to the foundation this Christmas. Please email me your response to my challenge at [email protected]. Frohe Weihnachten from our family to yours, Robert (and Elisabeth) Filippi Landespräsident der Donauschwaben USA CEO, Danube Swabian Foundation
The Danube-Swabian Foundation of the USA, Inc. Die Donauschwäbische Stiftung der USA, e.V. 6601 Edwood Ave. Cincinnati, Ohio 45224 513-522-3849
What’s Trending?
Have you joined the new Donauschwaben trend? Over five hundred newly created Danube Swabian Foundation Pins have been sold and are being worn by our members throughout “Schwoweland”. Those wearing the pin should understand its meaning. When you see this pin on someone’s vest, hat, tracht or dirndl please say loudly “NICE PIN”. You are making it known to all standing near, the ongoing influence and support the Foundation has made through the years (and years to come) what’s most important: we are proud of our Donauschwaben traditions and culture. Symbolized on this pin are the activities the Foundation takes to heart. The Foundation financially supports: music, sport, dance, school, travel, awards, maintaining the Donauschwaben history/traditions and so much more. Those that benefit from this support are primarily our own youth (the future). I guess one can say trends come and go; however, your Club and the Danube Swabian Foundation are making every effort to extend trends and make it permanently fashionable to be a “Schwob”. Generations of Oma and Opa(s) have created a rich culture from the Heimat. So many folks have worked/work tirelessly in our new “Schwoweland” to keep our heritage alive. Ongoing financial support through the Foundation will assist in our youth and their children’s cultural future. Let’s make this trend permanently fashionable.
Buy the pin. Wear the pin (nice fashion statement) Announce “NICE PIN” so all can hear/ it means so much more than just a pin Make additional donations to the Foundation (aka: The Stiftung) (wise investment into our youth and their children’s cultural future)
Frohe Weihnachten und ein Gluckliches Neues Jahr von uns allen in der Donauschwäbischen Stiftung.
Eddie Tullius – President
JUGENDGRUPPE NEWS:
American Aid Society of German Descendants Jugend Trip Europe Summer 2023 Travel Journals
Contributions from AAS Jugend members Edited by Gabi Wolf
Day 1, July 15 Today we arrived in Frankfurt, Germany after our long travel journey. We took a bus to Saint Goar, where we were met with beautiful views of the Rhein River and stunning city. Day 2, July 16 We toured the lovely town of Speyer and learned about its rich cultural history. We visited the Imperial Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption and St. Stephen and then went to Haus Pannonia, which is the clubhouse of the hospitable Donaudeutsche Speyer. We performed for the club and enjoyed Spanferkel, Aufschnitt, and fresh fruit. Day 3, July 17 Today we toured the beautiful Schwetzingen Castle and its gardens. We then drove to Heidelberg and had some free time. Many of us visited the castle, surrounded by lovely views of the whole town. We spent the evening with the club in Mosbach and enjoyed their hospitality and welcoming environment. Day 4, July 18 Zollmann Stutenmilch welcomed us with fermented horse milk shots. We fed baby horses and observed how their machines milked the horses. We toured Eberstadt Stalactite Cave, a limestone and calcium cave. We met the mayor of Mosbach and toured the lovely city. At the Mosbach clubhouse, we enjoyed pork, potatoes, and Spätzle, followed by our performance for the excited townspeople. Day 5, July 19 Today we toured, had free time, visited the Dominikanerkirche, and saw Fachwerkhäuser in the city Bad Wimpfen. It was bittersweet parting with our Mosbach friends. As we arrived in Spaichingen, we were greeted with a band, cake, and refreshments. We hiked a nearby mountain and had amazing food at the Education Center of the Blasmusik Association. We spent the night dancing and enjoying the band. Day 6, July 20 The mayor of Spaichingen provided us with food, drinks, and a warm welcome that made us feel like celebrities. The mayor generously gave us passes to the pool and we enjoyed cooling off in the water and simply relaxing. We had a successful performance at the Stadtgarten and enjoyed the performance of the dance group from Reutlingen. Day 7, July 21 Our first stop was The Donauschwäbisches Zentralmuseum in Ulm. We explored the church, Ulm Münster, and visited the spot with a cross monument as a symbol of faith where the first Donauschwaben set off. We then set off for München and spent the night with our host families from the Landsmannschafter der Banater Schwaben. Day 8, July 22 We toured historic landmarks of München, like St. Peter’s Church, Frauenkirche, and the Rathaus. We had some free time and then ate and drank at Hofbräuhaus-Biergarten. We then went into the indoor area of the Biergarten and headed upstairs to change for our performance. We got ready for the special event: The Schwabenball, where we marched, performed, and danced to the band with our new friends. Day 9, July 23 Today we said goodbye to our generous München host familie and departed for Salzburg! We had free time the whole day and many of us visited Schloss Hellbrunn, Mozart’s birthplace, and Mirabell Gardens. Day 10, July 24 Bus day! We finally arrived in Németkér, Hungary, after eight hours and were greeted with warm smiles and Palinka. We ate delicious goulash, spent time with our new friends, and enjoyed our guest rooms. Day 11, July 25 We went on a horse drawn carriage ride throughout Németkér and enjoyed a beautiful organ concert at their church. Then we made cherry, cabbage, and cottage cheese strudel. We listened to a presentation of Németkér’s history and performed for the excited crowd. That evening was our infamous “wine night,” where we visited various wine cellars and tasted various specialties. Day 12, July 26 The mayor of Bonyhád and Kränzlein Tanzgruppe of Bonyhád greeted us and we took a tour of the beautiful campus of the Petöfi Sándor Gymnasium. We explored the small German village of Závod. We performed for a very large audience that night; 400 spectators were in the auditorium and another 400 were viewing a livestream of the performance. After dinner, we returned to Németkér, where we were invited to a party at the guest house. Day 13, July 27 This morning, Mány and Haus Leinen greeted us with Palinka and sausages. We toured the nearby town of Zsámbék, where we discovered one of the oldest traditional German houses in the area filled with refreshments and traditional clothing pieces that we got to try on. We performed at Haus Leinen and and enjoyed watching other groups performances, lángos, and a basement party with the Mány club. Day 14, July 28 We were stunned by Budapest’s stunning St.Matthias Church and surrounding plaza. After our informative guided tour, we were given three hours of free time! We explored and met again at park stairs that gave us a view of the whole city. After Budapest adventures, we partied again with the Mány club! Day 15, July 29 Taks club gave us a warm welcome with champagne and juice. The club took us paddle boarding and gave tours of a Donau-schwäbisches house and their church. We then marched throughout the city for their Kirchweih and performed at the fest. It was a bittersweet last performance and final night in Hungary. Day 16, July 30 We spent the night on the bus and arrived in Aschaffenburg, Germany at around 1:00 PM. We got to our suitcases and, looking forward to seeing our US families soon.
THANK YOU The Jugendgruppe would like to wholeheartedly thank the Landesverband and Stiftung for this incredible opportunity. We appreciate all the time, effort, and support that went into making this possible. The Jugend would like to sincerely thank all those who contributed to our trip. We appreciate the support from individuals and organizations, especially German Day, Maifest, and The Armin HomannFoundation. These experiences and memories would not have been possible without all of your support! We appreciate it. We would also like to thank Nick Balcerak, Erik Lisauskas, Mr. Lengfelder, Mr. & Mrs. Illy, and Mr. & Mrs. Palffy for supporting us and keeping the Jugend safe during our travels! Everything you did for us means a lot.
Review of Events 2023
In 2013, the Oma Abt Youth Heritage Award was created in memory of Maria Abt. Each year the youth are given a
prompt for their entry. This year’s prompt was: What is the one idea or tradition of the Donauschwaben that you are going to pass down to future generations and why?
The winners were:
1st, Katrina Giannoni (Chicago Donau), 2nd, Lanie Welker (Cleveland) and 3rd, Emma Becker (Kitchener).
The Kulturpreis winners for 2023 are Anna Koenig(Akron) and Elizabeth Burmeister ( Los Angeles/Süd-Kalifornien).
These prize winners are nominated by their clubs and selected by the Landesverband and are each awarded $1000 by the Danube Swabian Foundation.
SOCCER NEWS Memorial Day Weekend 2023,
Green White Soccer Club hosted the National Donauschwaben Tournament at their fields just outside of Chicago, Illinois. Clubs from all over the Midwest participated, including Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Cleveland, Akron, and Mansfield (and St. Louis players participated too). There were two divisions, the Majors (open to all ages), and the Over-35 division. The competitive level was pretty even, as no team ran away with the title, and no team suffered grievous defeats. After a fun weekend of soccer, Cleveland took home the title for the over 35 bracket (Milwaukee placed 2nd), but Akron prevented the Cleveland sweep with a dramatic 2-1 victory in the title game. The crowds that came out to watch and enjoy our traditional cuisine (Goulash, Wurst, sauerkraut, potato salad) and Chicago fare (Italian Beef) had a great time. The presidents for all the clubs were treated to (Green White board member) Todd “Fritz” Schneider’s world-famous egg sandwiches for breakfast at the President’s meeting on Sunday.
Thanks to the generous donation from the Stiftung, Green White nearly broke even. It was a wonderful weekend, and Green White thanks everyone for their gracious participation.
Donations are fully tax deductible in accordance with IRS regulations. Please send donations to :
Danube Swabian Foundation USA c/o Joe Brandecker, Treasurer 11 Senf Drive, Yardville, New Jersey 08610
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!