Overview
- Description
- The collection documents the post-war experiences of Mania and Martin Novak including their marriage in the Zeilsheim displaced persons camp and their immigration to the United States in 1946. Included is their marriage certificate from Zeilsheim DP camp, their certificates of identity in lieu of passports, naturalization certificates, and leather naturalization certificate holders. Also included are photographs of Mania and Martin displaying the concentration camp number tattoos on their arms and a depiction of Martin’s family by a tombstone. Identified in the photograph are Anja, Gershon, Masha, Morris, Saul Horn, Dora, and Itche.
- Date
-
inclusive:
1946-1984
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Renee Novak
- Collection Creator
- Mania Novak
Martin Novak - Biography
-
Mania Novak (née Rapaport, 1927-2015) was born on 25 December 1927 in Będzin, Poland to Salomon and Sima Rapaport. Mania was sent to the Będzin ghetto in January 1940. In June 1943 she was deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp. In January 1945 she was sent to Ravensbrück and then its Neustadt-Glewe sub-camp where she was liberated by the Soviet Red Army in May 1945. Mania had camp number 51677 tattooed on her left arm. She went to the Zeilsheim displaced persons camp near Frankfurt-am-Main where she was reunited with Mordcha Novak (later Martin Novak), whom she knew before the war. They married in 1946 and immigrated to the United States the same year aboard the SS Marine Perch. They settled in New York.
Martin Novak (born Mordcha, Mordka, or Motek Nowak, 1924-2009) was born on 3 September 1924 in Łódź, Poland to Hersch (1879-1942) and Ita (1886-1944) Novak. He had at least six siblings: Marsha (b. 1909), Dora (b. 1911), Munytek (1917-1991), Anja (b. 1922), Mutek, and Himey. His family were tailors in Łódź. They were deported to the Łódź ghetto in 1940. Martin was also deported to Auschwitz, and he had camp number B-8040 tattooed on his left arm. After liberation Martin ended up at the Zeilsheim displaced persons camp near Frankfurt-am-Main. While in the DP camp he was reunited with Mania Rapaport, whom he knew before the war. They married in 1946 and the same year they immigrated to the United States aboard the SS Marine Perch. They settled in New York. Both of Martin’s parents and one sibling perished in the Holocaust.
Physical Details
- Genre/Form
- Photographs.
- Extent
-
2 folders
- System of Arrangement
- The collection is arranged as two folders:
1 of 2. Documents and photographs, 1946-1984
2 of 2. Certificate of citizenship holders, circa 1953
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
- Holocaust survivors. Concentration camp tattoos. Jews--Poland--Łódź. Jews--Poland--Będzin. Refugees, Jewish.
- Geographic Name
- Zeilsheim (Frankfurt am Main, Germany : Refugee camp) United States--Emigration and immigration.
- Personal Name
- Novak, Mania. Novak, Martin.
- Corporate Name
- Zeilsheim (Displaced persons camp)
Administrative Notes
- Holder of Originals
-
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- Donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2019 by Renee Novak, daughter of Mania and Martin Novak.
- Record last modified:
- 2023-02-24 14:36:50
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn676294
Download & Licensing
In-Person Research
- Available for Research
- Plan a Research Visit
-
Request in Shapell Center Reading Room
Bowie, MD