Klestadt family papers
The collection primarily documents the prewar experiences of Fred and Thea Klestadt, originally of Düsseldorf, Germany, prior to their emigration from Germany to the United States in 1937. Documents include Thea’s report cards, clothing pattern book, and a short play written after she arrived in the US; clippings; and the menu from Fred and Thea’s wedding. Correspondence includes letters from Fred to his family while on their honeymoon in Palestine in 1935 and letters exchanged between Fred and Thea after they arrived in the United States. There is also one brief letter from the Red Cross to Thea regarding news of family members in 1942. Photographs include prewar depictions of Fred, Thea, and various family members and friends. There are also two photograph albums documenting their honeymoon in Palestine in 1935.
- Date
-
inclusive:
circa 1900-2005
bulk: 1919-1942
- Genre/Form
-
Letters.
Photographs.
Photograph albums.
- Extent
-
1 box
1 oversize folder
1 folder
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Julie Keefer
-
Record last modified: 2020-04-21 19:02:28
This page: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn169857
Also in Fritz and Thea Lowenstein Klestadt family collection
The collection consists of two drawings, correspondence, documents, and photographs relating to the experiences of Thea Löwenstein Klestadt and Fritz Fred Klestadt before the Holocaust in Dusseldorf, Germany, and the United States where the couple emigrated in October 1937.
Paper sheet with two drawings of a couple being separated and then reconciling
Object
Two pencil drawings side by side on white paper with colored pencil details created by Thea Kelstadt depicting the life of an adult couple in Cleveland Ohio. The left drawing shows the couple separating, while the right shows their reunion. In 1935 Thea married Fred Klestadt. In September, the Nazis announced the Nuremberg Laws which excluded Jews from citizenship and prohibited them from marrying or having sexual relations with persons of German blood. The laws defined a Jew as a person who had 3 or more grandparents that were Jews, regardless of their religious practice. In 1937, fleeing rising German anti-Semitism the couple obtained US visas and immigrated to America in 1937, settling in Cleveland in 1939. In 1955 Thea and Fred adopted Julia Weinstock, a 14 year old Jewish Polish girl whose parents were murdered in the Holocaust. She survived by hiding in a forest bunker near Lvov. When that became too dangerous her grandfather took her and they both hid in a Catholic woman’s house.
Beaded hat with a floral pattern brought by a Jewish German refugee
Object
A child sized, handmade stocking cap with a beaded floral design, given to Thea Löwenstein Klestadt by her mother, Erna, in Dusseldorf, Germany before 1938. Thea passed the hat down to her daughter Julie after her adoption in 1955. In 1935, Thea married Fred Klestadt in Düsseldorf. In September, the Nazis announced the Nuremberg Laws which excluded Jews from German citizenship. The laws defined a Jew as a person who had 3 or more grandparents that were Jews, regardless of their religious practice. Jews were also barred from holding civil service positions, practicing law, teaching and many other professions. In 1937, fleeing rising German anti-Semitism the couple obtained visas for the United States and immigrated. They settled in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1939. In 1955, Thea and Fred adopted Julia Weinstock, a 14 year old Jewish Polish girl whose parents were murdered in the Holocaust. She survived by hiding in a forest bunker near Lvov. When that became too dangerous, her grandfather took her and they both hid in a Christian woman’s house.
Embroidered table runner with a floral and insect design brought with German Jewish refugee
Object
Multi-layered, cloth table runner with an embroidered floral and insect design given to Thea Löwenstein Klestadt by her mother, Erna, in Dusseldorf, Germany before 1938. Thea then passed the runner down to her daughter Julie after her adoption in 1955. In 1935 Thea married Fred Klestadt in Düsseldorf. In September, the Nazis announced the Nuremberg Laws which excluded Jews from German citizenship. The laws defined a Jew as a person who had 3 or more grandparents that were Jews, regardless of their religious practice. Jews were also barred from holding civil service positions, practicing law, teaching and many other professions. In 1937, fleeing rising German anti-Semitism the couple obtained visas for the United States and immigrated. They settled in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1939. In 1955, Thea and Fred adopted Julia Weinstock, a 14 year old Jewish Polish girl whose parents were murdered in the Holocaust. She survived by hiding in a forest bunker near Lvov. When that became too dangerous, her grandfather took her and they both hid in a Christian woman’s house.
