Eva and Jack Lewin family papers
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Overview
- Description
- The Eva and Jack Lewin family papers consist of biographical material, family correspondence, emigration and immigration material, and photographic material documenting Eva Lewin’s Kindertransport in 1939, her life in the United Kingdom, and efforts to bring her brother to the United States, along with Jack Lewin’s time hiding in France and immigration to the United States. The collection also includes documents and correspondence regarding claims for property restitution and compensation for the Lifschitz family (Eva's family) as well as documents, correspondence, a photograph, and a German passport ("Reisepass") regarding Hans Lifschitz.
Biographical materials include a certificate of identity from the Swiss Confederation and a refugee card for Jack, a certificate of identity for Eva, a passport and identification card for Hans Lifschitz, along with other material relating to his death and estate, and death declarations for Theodor and Selma Lifschitz.
Family correspondence includes wartime letters between Eva and her parents, Theodor and Selma, discussing life in Germany and England, and postwar letters between Eva and her brother Hans.
Emigration and immigration materials include education and work papers Eva and Hans collected in preparation for immigrating to the United States.
Restitution files include correspondence, lists, and invoices regarding claims for property restitution and compensation for the Lifschitz family for loss of property, education, and liberty.
Photographic materials consist of wartime photographs taken in Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, France showing Jewish children who were hiding in the town and photographic postcards of France. - Date
-
inclusive:
1934-1999
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Eva and Jack Lewin
- Collection Creator
- Lewin family
- Biography
-
Eva Lewin was born in Swinemünde, Germany in 1925 to merchant Theodor Lifschitz (1888-1942) and Selma Rothstein (1898-1942). Her parents arranged for her to go to London on Kindertransport in 1939 where she attended St. Mary’s Episcopalian School. After the war Eva immigrated to the United States and became a nurse. Theodor and Selma were deported in 1942 and killed in Auschwitz. Eva’s brother Hans Lifschitz (1922-1958) was sent to a Kibbutz in Palestine in 1938 and later joined the Jewish Brigade. Eva attempted to bring Hans to the United States, but his papers were denied and he committed suicide in 1958. Eva’s husband Jakob (later Jack) Lewin was born in Würzburg, Germany in 1925 and spent the beginning of the war in the Gurs internment camp. In 1941 Jack went into hiding in Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, France and later obtained false papers to enter Switzerland. Jack immigrated to the United States in 1946 where he settled in New York City and married Eva Lifschitz.
Physical Details
- Extent
-
1 box
- System of Arrangement
- The Eva and Jack Lewin family papers are arranged as five series:
Series 1: Biographical materials, 1939-1967,
Series 2: Lifschitz family correspondence, approximately 1939-1955,
Series 3: Emigration and immigration materials, 1934-1946,
Series 4: Restitution files, approximately 1953-1999,
Series 5: Photographic materials, approximately 1939-1942
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- There are no known restrictions on access to this material.
- Conditions on Use
- Material(s) in this collection may be protected by copyright and/or related rights. You do not require further permission from the Museum to use this material. The user is solely responsible for making a determination as to if and how the material may be used.
Keywords & Subjects
- Topical Term
- Hidden children (Holocaust)--France--Le Chambon-sur-Lignon. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Reparations. Jewish refugees--Great Britain. Jewish refugees--Switzerland. Jews--Germany--Berlin. Kindertransports (Rescue operations)--Great Britain.
- Geographic Name
- Berlin (Germany) England. Le Chambon-sur-Lignon (France) Switzerland. New York (N.Y.) Germany--Emigration and immigration--History--1933-1945.
- Corporate Name
- Gurs (Concentration camp)
Administrative Notes
- Holder of Originals
-
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- Eva and Jack Lewin donated the Lewin family papers to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1996, 2000, and 2004. The accessions previously numbered 2000.550.1, 2004.168, and 2004.650.1 have been incorporated into this collection.
- Record last modified:
- 2023-04-11 09:36:56
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn564361
Additional Resources
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In-Person Research
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-
Request in Shapell Center Reading Room
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Also in Lewin family collection
The collection consists of documents and artifacts surrounding the experiences of Eva Lifschitz and Jakob Lewin, before and during World War II. Included in the collection are letters and documents relating to Eva who arrived in the United Kingdom on a Kindertransport in 1939, as well as documents and artifacts related to Jakob who was in hiding in Le Chambon, France, and then given refuge in Switzerland.
