Overview
- Description
- The Evelyn Klein Altman papers include three printed menus from the Hamburg America Line’s ship the MS St. Louis; a Cuban immigration card for Evelyn Klein, May 27, 1939; and a photograph album containing images of the Klein family and other passengers in Hamburg, Germany and aboard the MS St. Louis, 1939.
- Date
-
inclusive:
1939
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Don Altman
- Collection Creator
- Evelyn Altman
- Biography
-
Evelyn Klein Altman was born on June 12, 1930, near Vienna, Austria, to Maria Hermanda. Her mother later married Miklos (Nicolaus) Klein and she and Evelyn adopted his last name. By 1939, many Jews were seeking to escape countries and regions that, like Austria, were under the control of Nazi Germany, or, like Hungary, were close allies. In 1939, the Kleins acquired entry visas and landing permits for Havana, Cuba, and purchased tickets for the Hamburg-Amerika luxury liner, Ms. St. Louis. The family left Hamburg, Germany, for Havana aboard the ship on May 13, 1939. They reached Havana on May 27. The Kleins were among the 28 passengers, out of 937, whose landing permits for Cuba and visas for the United States were considered valid by the Cuban government. The ship, with the remaining passengers, nearly all Jewish refugees from Nazi controlled countries, was forced to return to Europe. The Kleins disembarked in Havana, where they stayed until 1941 when they left for the United States. Hermanda died in 1988. Evelyn married and had three children. She died in Denver, Colorado, age 71, on July 5, 2001.
Physical Details
- Genre/Form
- Identification cards. Menus. Photograph albums.
- Extent
-
1 folder
1 oversize box
- System of Arrangement
- The Evelyn Klein Altman papers are arranged into two series.
Series 1. Printed materials, 1939
Series 2. Photograph album, 1939
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
- Children. Families. Holocaust survivors. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Jewish children in the Holocaust. Jewish children. Jewish refugees. Refugees. World War, 1939-1945. World War, 1939-1945--Refugees. Shipping companies (Marine transportation)
- Geographic Name
- Cuba. Germany. Hamburg (Germany)
- Personal Name
- Altman, Evelyn, 1930-2001. Klein, Miklos. Klein, Maria Hermanda.
- Corporate Name
- St. Louis (Ship) Hamburg-American Line
Administrative Notes
- Holder of Originals
-
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- Don Altman donated the Evelyn Klein Altman papers to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2010.
- Funding Note
- The cataloging of this collection has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
- Record last modified:
- 2023-08-25 09:35:59
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn42140
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-
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Also in Evelyn Klein Altman family collection
The collection consists of artifacts, documents, and a photograph album relating to the experiences of Evelyn Klein, her mother, Maria Hermanda, and her stepfather, Miklos (Nicolaus) during their voyage on the Ms. St. Louis from Hamburg, Germany, to Havana, Cuba, in May 1939.
Date: 1939 May 13-1939 May 27
MS St. Louis black and white luggage tag used by a Jewish refugee family
Object
Black and white luggage tag used by 8 year old Evelyn Klein, her mother, Maria Hermanda, and her stepfather, Nicolaus (Miklos) during their voyage aboard the Ms St. Louis to Havana, Cuba, on May 13-27, 1939. By 1939, many Jews were seeking to escape areas of Europe that were controlled by Nazi Germany. In 1939, the Klein family, residents of Hungary, acquired landing permits for Cuba and entry visas for the United States and sailed on the luxury liner from Hamburg to Havana. The majority of the 937 passengers were Jews fleeing Nazi Germany. When the ship arrived on May 27, the Cuban government declared that only 28 passengers had valid landing permits. The Klein family was among those allowed to disembark. For over a week, the passengers on board the ship petitioned Cuba and the US to give them refuge; however, on June 6, the boat had to sail back to Europe. The Klein family remained in Havana until 1941, when they emigrated to the United States.
Hamburg-Amerika Line orange and white luggage tag used by a Jewish family on the MS St. Louis
Object
Orange and white luggage tag used by 8 year old Evelyn Klein, her mother, Maria Hermanda, and her stepfather, Nicolaus (Miklos) during their voyage aboard the Ms St. Louis to Havana, Cuba, on May 13-27, 1939. By 1939, many Jews were seeking to escape areas of Europe that were controlled by Nazi Germany. In 1939, the Klein family, residents of Hungary, acquired landing permits for Cuba and entry visas for the United States and sailed on the luxury liner from Hamburg to Havana. The majority of the 937 passengers were Jews fleeing Nazi Germany. When the ship arrived on May 27, the Cuban government declared that only 28 passengers had valid landing permits. The Klein family was among those allowed to disembark. For over a week, the passengers on board the ship petitioned Cuba and the US to give them refuge; however, on June 6, the boat had to sail back to Europe. The Klein family remained in Havana until 1941, when they emigrated to the United States.
