Emil Frank, the eponym of the well-known institute, was born on 11 July 1878 in Wittlich. In 1912 he took over the textile department store at the market place in Wittlich, which had been founded by his father Isaac in 1870. He fought for Germany in the First World War and became head of the synagogue community in 1920. He was a member of the voluntary fire brigade and enjoyed a high reputation among the people of Wittlich. Frank was also not spared the call of the National Socialists to boycott Jewish shops. He had to give up his business and sell it by force. He was only just able to escape the National Socialists' racial mania by emigrating. On 21 September 1941 he fled via the Iberian Peninsula and Cuba to Utica, USA, where he died on 21 June 1954. The respected businessman had become a simple peddler, selling shoelaces and shoe brushes at the doors in broken English. The Emil Frank Institute has been working on the history of the former Jewish community since 1994 and offers guided tours as well as interesting evenings of lectures and discussions on historical, cultural and theological topics.