Ilse Garfunkel collection

Document | Not Digitized | Accession Number: 2003.309

Overview

Description: Consists of ten letters and three postcards written by Charlotte (Lotte) Berndt Wolff to her daughter, Ilse Wolff, between 1940-1944. Charlotte and her husband, Herman, emigrated to Shanghai in 1939, while Ilse was sent on a Kindertransport to Belgium and spent the war in various children's homes. Herman Wolff passed away in September 1940, and the collection also includes a copy of Charlotte's death certificate, listing that she passed away from typhus in August 1945 in Shanghai.
Date: 1940-1946
Collection Creator: Ilse Garfunkel
Biography: Ilse Wolff Garfunkel was born in Stettin, Germany on Dec. 25, 1925, to Herman (1881-Sep. 4, 1940, Shanghai) and Lotte Berndt Wolff (Aug. 28, 1892-Aug. 28, 1945, Shanghai). In Jan. 1939, Ilse was sent to Belgium on a Kindertransport, while her parents went to Shanghai in Apr. 1939. Shortly after their arrival, her father died, possibly of a "tropical disease." Ilse lived in Brussels for over a year, then spent time in Seyre, Haute Garonne, Chateau de la Hille, and Le Vernet, before escaping to Geneva, Switzerland on Dec. 31, 1942

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.

Holder of Originals: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Legal Status: Permanent Collection
Provenance: Ilse Garfunkel donated this collection to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Archives in June 2003.