Toni Heller collection

Toni Heller (born Theophila Ulman) was born in 1907 to Samuel and Leah Ulman. Her father owned a business in Berlin which manufactured coats and suits. Toni was educated briefly in England, before returning to Berlin to learn the corsetiere profession, and later married Harry Heller (born Schachne) in 1937. The couple owned a small wares business, which was completely destroyed during the Kristallnacht. Soon after, they decided to leave Germany for the Netherlands. They were stopped on their initial attempt, but on Christmas night, Toni and Harry traveled with two separate smugglers and were successful in reaching Amsterdam. Their stay was not long, however, and both were soon sent to Westerbork, which served as a refugee camp before Nazi occupation, and later transformed into a transit camp. Both Harry and Toni stayed at Westerbork through the duration of the war, working outside of the confines of the camp. They were liberated in April, 1945, but remained at the camp until July of that year, before moving back to Amsterdam to live with a friend. They eventually immigrated to the United States in 1975.