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"My Life Before and After Jan. 30, 1933"

Document | Accession Number: 2003.386

The collection includes two copies, one in German and one in English, of a memoir by Leo Waldbott titled "My Life Before and After January 30, 1933," in which Leo describes his own life and life in Speyer, Germany. Leo provides a brief history, with examples, of antisemitism in the region and describes the community's efforts to establish a Jewish home for the elderly, which burned down due to arson during Kristallnacht on November 10, 1938. He also describes his struggles with and eventual immigration to the United States in 1939.

Date
creation:  1940
Language
German
English
Genre/Form
Personal narratives.
Extent
1 folder

About This Document

Document Creator
Leo Waldbott
Biography
Leo Waldbott (1867-1940) was born on January 28, 1867 in a suburb of Lustadt, Germany to Lazarus and Clara Waldbott (née Neu, d. 1912,). He had two siblings: Sigmund (1865-1950) and Flora (later Flora Leva, 1868-1948). Leo married Hermine Rosenberger (1867-1920) and they had three children: Emil (1891-1972), Elizabeth (1893-1917), and George (1898-1982). Leo’s sons Emil and George both immigrated to the United States before World War II.

Leo worked as a teacher of Jewish Studies in Speyer, Germany. He also helped establish a Jewish retirement home in Neustadt. During Kristallnacht, the retirement home was burned down. Leo was forced to leave Speyer, and hid in Mannheim until he was able to secure a visa to emigrate from Germany. He immigrated to the United States on December 16, 1938 aboard the SS Europa and settled in Detroit, Michigan.

Keywords and Subjects

Administrative History

Holder of Originals
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Legal Status
Permanent Collection
Provenance
Barbara Kay Mercuro, a friend of Leo Waldbott's granddaughter, Betsy Ramsay, sent this memoir to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum on Nov. 24, 2003. Betsy Ramsay donated the memoir to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in December 2003.

Rights and Restrictions

Conditions on Access
There are no known restrictions on access to this material.
Conditions on Use
The donor, source institution, or a third party has asserted copyright over some or all of these material(s). The Museum does not own the copyright for the material and does not have authority to authorize use. For permission, please contact the rights holder(s).

 
Record last modified: 2023-04-27 13:37:12
This page: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn514306