Overview
- Brief Narrative
- Three wooden hangers for an upright trunk, 1998.65.1 a-f, used by Egon Salmon, 15, and his family when they left Nazi Germany on the MS St. Louis in May 1939. Following Kristallnacht on November 9-10, 1938, Egon’s father Paul was arrested in Rheydt and held in Dachau. He was released after he received a visa for Cuba. Paul left in January 1939 for Havana. On May 13, 1939, Egon, mother Erna, and sister Edith left on the MS St. Louis for Cuba. When the ship reached Havana, the Cuban government refused to allow most of the passengers, nearly all Jewish refugees from Nazi persecution, to disembark. Appeals were made to get US officials to permit entry, but it was denied and the ship had to return to Europe. Jewish aid organizations negotiated agreements with Belgium, France, Great Britain, and Netherlands to accept the passengers. Egon and his family disembarked in Antwerp. After ten months, they got US permits and, on April 12, 1940, Egon, Erna, and Edith joined Paul in New York. Egon served in the US Army during the war, and was awarded three Bronze Stars.
- Date
-
use:
1939 May-1940 April
- Geography
-
use:
St. Louis (Ship);
manufacture: Germany
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Egon J. Salmon, in memory of his parents Paul and Erna Salmon
- Contributor
-
Subject:
Egon J. Salmon
- Biography
-
Egon Josef Salmon was born on June 4, 1924, in Rheydt, Germany, to Paul and Erna Weinberg Salmon. Egon had a sister, Edith, born on August 24, 1933. Paul was born July 26, 1898, in Odenkirchen, to Joseph and Emma Simson Salmon. Paul served in the German Army in World War I (1914-1918). He then became a merchant. Egon’s mother Erna was born on January 23, 1900, in Rheydt, to Carl and Bellwina Mayer Weinberg. Her father Carl owned a textile store in Rheydt.
In January 1933, Hitler came to power and the Nazi regime began enacting anti-Jewish decrees. On December 4, 1934, Paul was awarded an Iron Cross for his World War I service. In June 1937, the family got passports marked with the letter J for Jew. On November 9 and 10, 1938, the Kristallnacht pogrom occurred. Egon’s father Paul was arrested and sent to Dachau concentration camp. On November 20, Erna received a letter from him with this news. He was released from Dachau after he got a visa to leave Germany for Cuba. Paul went to Antwerp, Belgium, and sailed on the SS Gerolstein on January 21, 1939, arriving in New York on February 3. He was detained in New York, then went to Havana, Cuba. Paul arranged for the rest of family to come to Havana, so they could then get visas for the United States. On May 13, 1939, Egon, Erna, and Edith left Hamburg on the MS St. Louis. Egon's cousin Liesl Joseph, who was about the same age as Egon and Edith, was also on board with her parents, Josef and Lilly Salmon Joseph. When the ocean liner reached Havana harbor on May 27, only 28 of the 937 passengers were permitted to disembark. The ship's passenger committee and Jewish aid organization appealed to the US government for permission to land, but it was refused. On June 6, the ship was forced to return to Europe. Agreements had been reached with four governments, Belgium, France, Great Britain, and the Netherlands. to accept the passengers so they would not have to return to Nazi dominated countries. Egon and his family disembarked in Antwerp, Belgium. They spent ten months in Belgium, seeking permits for the US. On April 12, 1940, Egon, Erna, and Edith left Antwerp on the SS Westernland, arriving in New York on April 25. They reunited with Paul, who had returned to New York in December 1939. The family settled in Staten Island. On December 8, 1941, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the US entered World War II. On July 26, 1943, Egon was drafted into the US Army. He served in North Africa and Italy. The war ended when Germany surrendered on May 7, 1945. Egon was awarded three Bronze Stars for his service.
Egon returned to Staten Island and joined his father’s import-export business. He married Marie Schiff (b. 1929). The couple had two sons. In 1956, Egon opened a real estate business. Egon’s father Paul, 78, died in February 1977. His mother Erna, 97, died on June 27, 1997.
Physical Details
- Classification
-
Personal Equipment and Supplies
- Object Type
-
Coat hangers (lcsh)
- Physical Description
- g. Flat, finished, light brown wooden hanger with a horizontal top bar with end hooks and a cut out triangular body with rounded corners. A moveable, silver colored metal rod with a C shaped hook is attached at the top center. The end hooks fit on bars on interior of wardrobe trunk (1998.65.1a).
h. Flat, finished light brown wooden hanger with a horizontal top bar with end hooks and a cut out triangular body with rounded corners. A moveable, silver colored metal rod with a C shaped hook is attached at the top center. The end hooks fit on bars on interior of wardrobe trunk (1998.65.1a).
i. Flat, finished light brown wooden hanger with a horizontal top bar with end hooks and a cut out triangular body with rounded corners. A moveable, silver colored metal rod with a C shaped hook is attached at the top center. The end hooks fit on bars on interior of wardrobe trunk (1998.65.1a). - Dimensions
- g: Height: 6.875 inches (17.463 cm) | Width: 18.875 inches (47.943 cm) | Depth: 0.125 inches (0.318 cm)
h: Height: 7.000 inches (17.78 cm) | Width: 10.000 inches (25.4 cm) | Depth: 0.125 inches (0.318 cm)
i: Height: 7.000 inches (17.78 cm) | Width: 18.875 inches (47.943 cm) | Depth: 0.125 inches (0.318 cm) - Materials
- g : wood, metal, varnish stain
h : wood, metal, varnish stain, ink
i : wood, metal, varnish stain, paint
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- No restrictions on access
- Conditions on Use
- No restrictions on use
Keywords & Subjects
- Topical Term
- German American soldiers--United States--Biography. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Germany--Personal narratives. Jewish refugees--Belgium--Biography. Jewish refugees--United States--Biography. Jewish soldiers--United States--Biography. World War, 1939-1945--Refugees--United States--Personal narratives, Jewish.
- Corporate Name
- St. Louis (Ship)
Administrative Notes
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- The hangers were donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1998 by Egon J. Salmon.
- Funding Note
- The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
- Record last modified:
- 2023-06-02 09:15:39
- This page:
- http://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn12835
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Also in Egon J. Salmon collection
The collection consists of a wardrobe trunk with three hangers relating to the experiences of Egon J. Salmon and his family before and during the Holocaust, when they were passengers on the ill fated voyage of the MS St. Louis, and later left Belgium for the United States in 1940.
Date: 1939-1940
Large black wardrobe trunk used by German Jewish refugees on the MS St. Louis
Object
Large wardrobe trunk with drawers used by Egon Salmon, 15, and his family when they left Nazi Germany on the MS St. Louis in May 1939. The zinc lined trunk was specially made in Germany to protect clothing in tropical climates. Following Kristallnacht on November 9-10, 1938, Egon’s father Paul was arrested in Rheydt and held in Dachau. He was released after he received a visa for Cuba. Paul left in January 1939 for Havana. On May 13, 1939, Egon, mother Erna, and sister Edith left on the MS St. Louis for Cuba. When the ship reached Havana, the Cuban government refused to allow most of the passengers, nearly all Jewish refugees from Nazi persecution, to disembark. Appeals were made to get US officials to permit entry, but it was denied and the ship had to return to Europe. Jewish aid organizations negotiated agreements with Belgium, France, Great Britain, and Netherlands to accept the passengers. Egon and his family disembarked in Antwerp. After ten months, they got US permits and, on April 12, 1940, Egon, Erna, and Edith joined Paul in New York. Egon served in the US Army during the war, and was awarded three Bronze Stars.