Erna Meier (later Schlesinger Summerfield, 1897-1991) was born in Berlin, Germany, to Hermann (1868-1904) and Jenny Gruenberg (1874-1944) Meier. The couple ran a Jewelry shop and had three children. Erna’s older brother, Erich Friedrich (1895-1916), was born in Pyritz, Germany (now Pyrzyce, Poland). Her younger sister, Ruth (later Esrati Meyer, 1988-1995) was born in Berlin. In 1904, Erna’s father, Hermann, passed away. In 1906, Jenny married Adolf Pelz (1865-1935), a lumber broker. On August 9, 1916, Erna’s brother, Erich, was killed fighting for Germany during World War I (1914-1918). On May 19, 1918, Erna married Kurt Joseph Schlesinger (1885-1946) and they settled in the Zehlendorf borough of Berlin. Kurt was a lumber broker and the son of Max (1853-1898) and Harriet Holz (1862-1929) Schlesinger. Erna and Kurt had one daughter, Irene (later Woods Hofstein, 1921-2016). In 1924, Erna and Kurt divorced. Erna took Irene with her, and moved into her parents’ home near the zoo. Erna sometimes worked in a small store, though the family lived comfortably and did not need extra income. The family was culturally Jewish, and they celebrated the high holidays. Erna’s sister, Ruth, married a doctor, Arnold Esrati (1901-1959), on May 12, 1925, and they had one son, Stephan (b. 1927).
On January 30, 1933, Adolf Hitler was elected Chancellor of Germany. Erna’s ex-husband, Kurt, and her sister Ruth and brother-in-law Arnold, were very concerned by this election and Hitler’s policies and all decided to emigrate. Kurt and his second wife, Christine, immigrated to Amsterdam, Netherlands. Ruth, Arnold, and their son Stephan immigrated to Palestine. In 1934, Irene had to be removed from public school because she was being harassed for being Jewish. She was sent to a private Jewish school in Hilversum, near Amsterdam. In April 1935, Erna’s father, Adolf, died and Irene was brought home to say goodbye. To complete her schooling Irene stayed in Berlin and attended Waldschule Kalski, a private school for Jewish children. In September, the German authorities passed the Nuremberg Laws, which excluded people of Jewish ancestry from German citizenship and stripped them of their rights.
In 1936, Irene left the Kalski School to attend a convent school in Belgium because of the low tuition rate. Erna’s brother-in-law thought she should have been sent to Palestine to live with family. Erna was not prepared to send her so far away. Kurt sent packages with basic supplies to Erna, who could not get certain products as a Jewish woman in Berlin. In 1937, Ruth, Arnold, and Stephan immigrated to the United States and settled in Boston, Massachusetts. Irene finished school and returned to Berlin. On July 14, 1938, while Irene was visiting her father, Kurt, at a summer work site in Romania, he granted permission in writing, for her to emigrate.
In the fall of 1938, Erna, Irene, and Jenny applied for visas to immigrate to the US, with Ruth and Arnold sponsoring their affidavits. US authorities did not believe that Ruth and Arnold could support Irene and Erna, and said they needed additional support. There was no other family in the US, so Ruth called all of the Schlesingers in the Boston phone book and asked if they would be willing to provide an affidavit. Harvard University professor Arthur Schlesinger agreed to help them. In October, an inspector came to Erna’s house, reviewed all of their packed possessions, and wrote out a Reichsfluchtsteuer or a tax bill for fleeing the Reich. Before Erna and Irene could leave, they had to pay the German state the monetary equivalent to their personal property. In November, during the Kristallnacht pogrom, Germans cheered as synagogues, businesses, and books burned.
Irene received a visa in July 1939. However, it took her Uncle Arnold, who was visiting Berlin, to convince the American consulate to include Erna on the visa as well. The consulate would not agree to add Erna’s mother, Jenny. In mid-July, Erna and Irene said goodbye to Jenny at the Berlin train station and then boarded a train to Amsterdam, where they said goodbye to more relatives, including Erna’s ex-husband Kurt. On July 25, Kurt accompanied Irene and Erna to the S.S. Statendam. They arrived in the US on August 1, and settled in Boston with Ruth, Arnold, and Stephan.
On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland, pushing France and Great Britain to declare war on Germany. Irene got a job at a wholesale greeting card company, and Erna cleaned houses and watched children. In May 1940, Germany invaded the Netherlands, and Erna’s ex-husband and relatives were trapped in an occupied nation. In August 1940, Erna’s daughter, Irene, married Egon Klappholz (later Woods, 1912-1968), and Erna moved in with the newlyweds.
Erna’s mother, Jenny stayed in Berlin and was forced to move several times, often living with other Jewish people in divided apartments. The family tried very hard to get her a visa, even going so far as to pay someone to get her to Cuba. Unfortunately, that person stole their money. On March 1, 1941, Erna’s brother-in-law Arnold Esrati was forced to leave the US due to a drug addiction. On April 30, Erna married Martin Sommerfeld (1889-1965, later Summerfield). Jenny wrote her family regularly, but was concerned she would never see them again. Eventually, she took odd jobs to attempt to stay in Berlin. The last letter she received from Jenny was on December 3, 1941. It is likely that Erna could not get more letters from Jenny because mail from Germany was stopped due to America’s entry into World War II, following the December 7 Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. On March 18, 1943, Jenny was deported to Theresienstadt ghetto-labor camp in German-occupied Czechoslovakia, on transport I/90. On May 16, 1944, Jenny was deported to Auschwitz killing center in German-occupied Poland, on transport Ea, and likely killed upon arrival. After the war, Antonia, Jenny’s friend, had her name and death information added to Adolf’s gravestone. In 1945, Erna became a US citizen. In 1968, Egon died. In February 1946, Erna’s ex-husband, Kurt Schlesinger, was killed in a traffic accident in Amsterdam. In 1946, Erna’s sister, Ruth, married Fred Meyer.
Irene Schlesinger (later Woods Hofstein, 1921-2016) was born in Berlin, Germany, to Kurt Joseph (1885-1946) and Erna Meier Pelz (1897-1991) Schlesinger. Kurt was a lumber broker and the son of Max (1853-1898) and Harriet Holz (1862-1929) Schlesinger. Erna Meier (1897-1991) was born in Berlin, to Hermann (1868-1904) and Jenny Gruenberg (1874-1944) Meier. In 1906, Jenny married Adolf Pelz (1865-1935), a lumber broker with an office on the Unter den Linden Boulevard. In 1924, Erna and Kurt divorced. Erna took Irene with her and moved into her parents’ home near the zoo. The family lived comfortably and employed several staff members. Irene regularly attended synagogue with her grandparents, and they were culturally Jewish, celebrating the high holidays and lighting Shabbat candles. Kurt only saw Irene on Sundays and during vacation. In 1925, Irene’s aunt, Ruth, married doctor Arnold Hirsch Esrati (1901-1959), and they had one son, Stephen Hirsch (b. 1927). In 1929, Kurt married Christine (Christal) Dahlhausen (1900-?), a Christian woman, and the couple moved to Cologne. Irene attended local public schools in Berlin.
On January 30, 1933, Adolf Hitler was elected Chancellor of Germany. Irene’s father Kurt and her Aunt Ruth and Uncle Arnold, were concerned about Adolf Hitler’s policies and decided to emigrate. Kurt and Christine immigrated to Amsterdam, Netherlands. Ruth, Arnold, and their son Stephan immigrated to Palestine. In 1934, Irene had to be removed from public school because she was being harassed for being Jewish. She was sent to a private Jewish school in Hilversum, near Amsterdam. In April 1935, Irene was called back home so that her dying grandfather, Adolf, could say goodbye. Irene stayed in Berlin and attended Waldschule Kalski, a private Jewish school. In September, the German authorities passed the Nuremberg Laws, which stripped Jewish people of their rights and banned them from many public venues.
In 1936, Irene left the Kalski School to attend a convent school in Belgium because of the low tuition rate. Irene finished school and returned to Berlin. In 1937, Aunt Ruth’s family left Palestine for the United States, and settled in Boston, Massachusetts. On July 14, 1938, while Irene was visiting her father at a work site in Romania, he granted permission in writing, for her to emigrate. In the fall of 1938, Irene and her mother applied for visas to immigrate to the US, with Ruth and Arnold sponsoring their affidavits. US authorities did not believe that Ruth and Arnold could support both Erna and Irene, so they required additional support. Ruth called all of the Schlesingers in the Boston phone book and asked if they would be willing to provide an affidavit. Harvard University professor Arthur Schlesinger agreed to help them. In October, an inspector came to Irene’s house, reviewed all of their packed possessions, and wrote out a Reichsfluchtsteuer or a tax bill for fleeing the Reich. Before Erna and Irene were permitted to leave, they had to pay the German state the monetary equivalent to their personal property. In early November, during the Kristallnacht pogrom, Irene watched her synagogue burn as Germans cheered.
Irene received a visa in July 1939, and her Uncle Arnold, who was visiting Berlin, convinced the American consulate to include her mother as well. The consulate would not agree to add Irene’s grandmother, Jenny. In mid-July, Irene and Erna said goodbye to Jenny at the train station and then boarded a train to Amsterdam. Irene and Erna said goodbye to Irene’s father, Kurt, and other relatives in Amsterdam. On July 25, Kurt accompanied Irene and Erna to the S.S. Statendam. Mother and daughter arrived in the US in August.
On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland, pushing France and Great Britain to declare war on Germany. Irene got a job at a wholesale greeting card company, and Erna cleaned houses and watched children. Irene attended meetings of the Immigrants Mutual Aid Society, where she met Egon Klappholz (1912-1968, later Woods), a young German Jewish immigrant who worked as a porter in a men’s clothing store in Boston. Egon was born in Königshütte, Germany (now Chorzów, Poland). The Klappholz family owned a department store in Germany, and he worked as a buyer of fabrics and dry goods. On November 10, 1938, Egon was arrested during Kristallnacht and spent 5 weeks in Buchenwald concentration camp. He immigrated to the US in March 1939.
In May 1940, Germany invaded the Netherlands, and Irene’s father and relatives were trapped in an occupied nation. On August 25, Irene, married Egon in Massachusetts. Irene’s grandmother, Jenny, was forced to move several times in Berlin, often living with other Jewish people in divided apartments. The family tried very hard to get Jenny a visa, and even paid someone to get her to Cuba. Unfortunately, that person stole their money and the US consulate told Jenny that she needed additional papers and more money. Eventually, she took jobs as a cook and housekeeper, and later at a factory to attempt to stay in Berlin. Irene received her last letter from Jenny on December 3, 1941. It is likely that Irene could not get more letters from Jenny because mail from Germany was stopped due to America’s entry into World War II, following the December 7 Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. On March 18, 1943, Jenny was deported to Theresienstadt ghetto-labor camp in German-occupied Czechoslovakia, on transport I/90. She was able to send messages from the camp, but not to her family in the US because she had the wrong forms. On May 16, 1944, Jenny was deported to Auschwitz killing center in German-occupied Poland, on transport Ea, and likely killed upon arrival.
Egon became a manager of a men’s clothing store in Brighton. Both Irene and Egon became US citizens, and Americanized their surname to Woods. They had two daughters. In February 1946, Kurt was killed in a traffic accident. Egon died in October 1968. Irene became a medical secretary and managed an orthopedic medical practice for 30 years. Irene regularly participated in alumni events for students of the Kalski School, and after one of these events, she reunited with a former boyfriend, Guy Hofstein (previously Ernst Günther, 1920-2011). In August 1938, he left Germany for England and later spent much of the war in France living with relatives under an assumed name, and eventually joining the French army. On December 1, 1994, Irene married Guy Hofstein in Massachusetts.
