Razdowitz and Lehr families papers

Adolf Razdowitz (later Adolph Razdow, sometimes referred to as Adel, 1907-1985) was born on June 16, 1907 in Vienna, Austria to Arnold Razdowitz (1875?-1910) and Antonia Razdowitz (née Sonnenschein, b. 1875). He had one brother, Walter Razdowitz (b. 1908, later Walter Randon). He received a master’s degree in electrical engineering and a Ph.D in physics, and moved from Vienna to Paris in 1933 for employment. He met Gisa Lehr in Paris and they married in September 1934.

Gisa Lehr (later Gisa Razdow, 1909-2007) was born Gisela Lehr on April 29, 1909 in Sadagura (Romania), Austria-Hungary to Solomon Lehr (1881-1967) and Esther Lehr (née Buck, 1889-1984). She had two brothers, Hans Lehr (1908-2003) and David Lehr (1910-2011), and one sister, Meta Lehr (later Meta Rabinowicz, 1913-2002?). Gisa received her Ph.D. in physics in 1934.

Adolf and Gisa had three children, Hannah Razdowitz (later Hannah Simon, b. 1936), Eva Razdodwitz (later Eva Kessner, b. 1939), and Allen Razdow (b. 1946). The family lived in Paris, and were joined by several relatives prior to Kristallnacht (November 1938), including Gisa’s parents, her sister Meta and brother Hans, and Adolf’s mother Antonia. Gisa’s brother David immigrated to the United States in October 1939.

During the summer of 1939, the extended family vacationed in Brittany, and decided to remain there rather than return to Paris out of fear that war would soon break out, and Paris would be a target. After the war began in September 1939, Adolf, Solomon, and Hans were arrested and sent to a detention center. The family was forced to relocate to Châteaubriant. Solomon was released from the detention center, but Adolf and Hans had further detentions in Langlade labor camp and Camp Viscose respectively.

Beginning on June 17, 1940, Solomon, his daughter Meta, and her boyfriend Maurice Rabinowicz (nicknamed Mischa) fled the German invasion of France by car from Châteaubriant to Toulouse via Nantes, Libourne, Langon, Villeneuve, and Biarritz. They arrived in Toulouse on June 25 and drove to Marseille on July 23. Between June and October 1940 the family had all reunited in Marseille. By December 1942 the extended family had fled France for Switzerland. They were interned in a refugee camp in Saint Cergue from spring 1943-spring 1944. After they were released from the camp they moved to Geneva in early 1944.

In June 1946 the majority of the extended Razdowitz family immigrated to the United States, settling first in New York, and later in Montclair, New Jersey. Gisa’s sister Meta, now married to Maurice Rabinowicz, remained in Europe after the war in Sèvres, France. Adolf’s mother Antonia lived in Paris after the war with his brother Walter’s family.