Max and Rose Feld papers

The Max and Rose Feld papers contain documents and photographs relating to Max and Rose Feld, a deaf married couple and their daughter Esther. The Feld family lived in Paris, France, before Max was taken to Beaune-la-Rolande before being sent to Auschwitz. Rose and Esther were kept hidden by a number of families in Paris and the countryside, before the war ended and they immigrated to the United States. Included in the collection are various items relating to identification and immigration, such as marriage certificates, identity cards, passports, visa applications, affidavits, and other items. Also included are photographs of the Feld family, as well as Max and Rose’s parents prior to the war, and of Esther as a child.

The Max and Rose Feld papers contain documents and photographs from their time at school in Berlin, to living married in France, to Rose and Esther’s time in hiding from the Germans and subsequent immigration to United States after the war. Included in the documents are birth certificates for Esther, marriage certificates for Max and Rose, and numerous identification documents such as work passes, membership cards, and Rose’s Polish passport. The immigration papers include applications for visas, an affidavit, and Rose’s naturalization certificate for the United States. Other items include documents pertaining to Max Feld’s death in Auschwitz and receiving reparations, an insurance registration card for Rose, and a copy of the bylaws for the Organization of Jewish Deaf in Berlin. The photographs in this collection are primarily of the Feld family, with some photos of Max and Rose and Esther as a newborn. Other photos are of Max Feld’s parents and brothers, and Rose’s parents and sisters, photos of Max while he was imprisoned in the Beaune-la-Rolande internment camp. Some photos are post-World War II, and show Rose along with her sister, mother, and Esther traveling to the United States and Caracas, Venezuela. The oversized folder contains several sheets from a photo album of Esther as a child in France, South America and the United States.

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Silver metal cable link chain used to hold sports medals awarded to a German Jewish deaf-mute athlete

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Chain used by the Feld family to hold sports medals awarded to Max Feld. Max competed in several deaf-mute athletic competitions in the 1930s in Berlin and Paris. In 1938, he left Germany for Paris to be with Raisa Steinberg, whom he had met when they were students at the Israelite School for the Deaf in Berlin. They married in 1939, and had a daughter, Esther, in 1940. Paris was occupied by the Germans in the summer of 1940 and foreign Jews were targeted for arrest. In May 1941, Max was sent to Beaune-la-Rolande interment camp; in July 1942, he was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Raisa went into hiding with Esther in July 1942 in the countryside outside Paris. They returned to Paris after it was liberated by Allied Forces on August 15, 1944. Max was reported as missing. Several years later, Raisa learned that Max had been killed in Auschwitz-Birkenau in September 1942.

French Deaf-Mute National Cup soccer medal awarded to a German Jewish athlete

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FSSMF [La Fédération Sportive des Sourds-Muets de France (French Deaf Mute Sports Federation)] National Cup soccer medal awarded in 1938 to Max Feld. In 1938, he left Berlin for Paris to be with Raisa Steinberg, whom he had met when they were students at the Israelite School for the Deaf in Berlin. They married in 1939, and had a daughter, Esther, in 1940. Paris was occupied by the Germans in the summer of 1940 and foreign Jews were targeted for arrest. In May 1941, Max was sent to Beaune-la-Rolande interment camp; in July 1942, he was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Raisa went into hiding with their 1.5 year old daughter, Esther, in July 1942 in the countryside outside Paris. They returned to Paris after it was liberated by Allied Forces on August 15, 1944. Max was reported as missing. Several years later, Raisa learned that Max had been killed in Auschwitz-Birkenau in September 1942.

French Deaf-Mute National Cup basketball medal awarded to a German Jewish athlete

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National deaf-mute championship basketball medal awarded in 1938 to Max Feld. In 1938, he left Germany for Paris to be with Raisa Steinberg, whom he had met when they were students at the Israelite School for the Deaf in Berlin. They married in 1939, and had a daughter, Esther, in 1940. Paris was occupied by the Germans in the summer of 1940 and foreign Jews were targeted for arrest. In May 1941, Max was sent to Beaune-la-Rolande interment camp; in July 1942, he was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Raisa went into hiding with Esther in July 1942 in the countryside outside Paris. They returned to Paris after it was liberated by Allied Forces on August 15, 1944. Max was reported as missing. Several years later, Raisa learned that Max had been killed in Auschwitz-Birkenau in September 1942.

Deaf-mute sports team medal awarded to a German Jewish athlete

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Sports medal awarded in 1938 to Max Feld. In 1938, he left Germany for Paris to be with Raisa Steinberg, whom he had met when they were students at the Israelite School for the Deaf in Berlin. They married in 1939, and had a daughter, Esther, in 1940. Paris was occupied by the Germans in the summer of 1940 and foreign Jews were targeted for arrest. In May 1941, Max was sent to Beaune-la-Rolande interment camp; in July 1942, he was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Raisa went into hiding with Esther in July 1942 in the countryside outside Paris. They returned to Paris after it was liberated by Allied Forces on August 15, 1944. Max was reported as missing. Several years later, Raisa learned that Max had been killed in Auschwitz-Birkenau in September 1942.

Unused yellow cloth Star of David badge with Juif for Jew issued in Paris

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Unused Star of David badge owned by 25 year old Raisa Steinberg Feld in Paris, France, in May 1942. Jews in France were required to wear these on their outer clothing at all times after May 1942; badges were often cut from a pre-printed roll. After Paris was occupied by Germany in May 1940, foreign Jews were in danger of arrest and imprisonment. Raisa and her husband, Max, both deaf, were Jewish refugees from Poland and Germany. In May 1941, Max was arrested and, in July 1942, deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Raisa went into hiding with their 1.5 year old daughter, Esther, her sister, and her mother in the countryside outside Paris. They returned to Paris several months after it was liberated by Allied Forces on August 15, 1944. Max was reported as missing. Several years later, Raisa learned that Max had been killed in Auschwitz-Birkenau in September 1942.

Yellow cloth Star of David badge with Juif for Jew worn by a Polish refugee in Paris

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Star of David badge worn by 25 year old Raisa Steinberg Feld in Paris, France, from June 1942. Jews in France were required to wear these on their outer clothing at all times after May 1942; badges were often cut from a pre-printed roll. After Paris was occupied by Germany in May 1940, foreign Jews were in danger of arrest and imprisonment. Raisa and her husband, Max, both deaf, were Jewish refugees from Poland and Germany. In May 1941, Max was arrested and, in July 1942, deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Raisa went into hiding with their 1.5 year old daughter, Esther, her sister, and her mother in the countryside outside Paris. They returned to Paris several months after it was liberated by Allied Forces on August 15, 1944. Max was reported as missing. Several years later, Raisa learned that Max had been killed in Auschwitz-Birkenau in September 1942.

Watercolor greeting card of his barracks at Beaune-la-Rolande created by a camp inmate

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New Year’s greeting card created by 27 year old Max Feld of the barracks where he lived while imprisoned at Beaune-la-Rolande internment camp in France from 1941-1942. Max made the card for his wife, Raisa, and their daughter, Esther, and it includes a handwritten message wishing them “a happy and healthy year.” After Paris was occupied by Germany in May 1940, foreign Jews were in danger of arrest and imprisonment. Max and his wife, Raisa, both deaf, were Jewish refugees from Germany and Poland. In May 1941, Max was arrested and, in July 1942, deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Raisa went into hiding with their 1.5 year old Esther, her sister, and her mother in the countryside outside Paris. They returned to Paris several months after it was liberated by Allied Forces on August 15, 1944. Max was reported as missing. Several years later, Raisa learned that Max had been killed in Auschwitz-Birkenau in September 1942.