Skip to main content

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

Document | Not Digitized | Accession Number: 2003.386

Overview

Description: 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
Collection 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.

Physical Details

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

Rights & 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).

Keywords & Subjects

Topical Term: Jews--Germany--Speyer. Men--Personal narratives. Kristallnacht, 1938--Germany.
Geographic Name: Speyer (Germany) United States--Emigration and immigration.
Personal Name: Waldbott, Leo,--b. 1867.

Administrative Notes

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.

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

Download & Licensing

In Copyright
Terms of Use
This record is not digitized and cannot be downloaded online.

In-Person Research

Not Available for Research: Out for Digitization
Plan a Research Visit
Request in Shapell Center Reading Room
Bowie, MD

Contact Us

Give Feedback

Learn About the Holocaust

These additional online resources from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum will help you learn more about the Holocaust and research your family history.

Holocaust Encyclopedia

The Holocaust Encyclopedia provides an overview of the Holocaust using text, photographs, maps, artifacts, and personal histories.
Holocaust Survivors and Victims Resource Center

Research family history relating to the Holocaust and explore the Museum's collections about individual survivors and victims of the Holocaust and Nazi persecution.
Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos

Learn about over 1,000 camps and ghettos in Volumes I-III of this encyclopedia, which are available as a free PDF download. This reference provides text, photographs, charts, maps, and extensive indexes.

Further Your Research