Overview
- Description
- The Martha Bernstein collection includes photocopies of material originally created in the 1940s relating to the wartime experiences of the Bernstein and Heumann families. Included in the collection is correspondence from Therese Heumann, Martha Bernstein's oldest sister, letters between the Bernstein and Blakenstein families, poems written by Benjamin Blankenstein, a fourteen-page diary written by Helene Blumenfeld, and documents issued in Westerbork and Theresienstadt.
- Date
-
inclusive:
circa 1940-1944
- Collection Creator
- Martha S. Bernstein
- Biography
-
Martha (Heumann) Bernstein was born in 1902 in Benrath, Germany to a Jewish family. Martha's family and the family of her youngest sister, Helene Blumenfeld, fled Germany and relocated to Soest-Zuid, the Netherlands during the years 1939 and 1940. During the war, Martha, her husband Henry, and their son Rolf went into hiding at Benjamin Blankenstein’s family house. In 1944, Martha, Henry, and Rolf were captured and briefly sent to Westerbork before being transported to Theresienstadt concentration camp. In October of 1944, Henry and Rolf were sent to Auschwitz where they died. Martha remained in Theresienstadt until the camp was liberated in 1945. The surviving members of the Bernstein, Heumann, and Blumenfeld families immigrated to the United States in 1947. Martha died in New York in 1993.
Physical Details
- Genre/Form
- Diaries. Correspondence.
- Extent
-
2 folders
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
Administrative Notes
- Holder of Originals
-
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- Wes Eichenwald, Martha’s great-nephew, donated the Martha Bernstein collection to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1993.
- Funding Note
- The accessibility of this collection was made possible by the generous donors to our crowdfunded Save Their Stories campaign.
- Special Collection
-
Save Their Stories
- Record last modified:
- 2024-04-11 13:18:41
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn500259
Download & Licensing
In-Person Research
- Available for Research
- Plan a Research Visit
-
Request in Shapell Center Reading Room
Bowie, MD