Overview
- Description
- The collection consists of two portrait images of Susi Cohn [donor] and her sister, Hildelotte. The photographs were taken in Berlin, Germany, in the mid-1930s.
- Date
-
1930-1940
- Collection Creator
- Susi C. Podgurski
- Biography
-
Martin Cohn (1884-1943) was born on June 6, 1884. His wife, Toni Scherk (d. 1943) was born to Heinrich Scherk and Margarethe Scherk (1872-1943). Martin and Toni Cohn married on January 20, 1919. They had two children: Hildelotte (Hilde) Cohn, born on June 14, 1921 and Susi Cohn, born on January 25, 1924 in Berlin, Germany. Martin Cohn was a dentist and served in World War I.
Prior to June 1939, Eugen Hirschfeld lost his home. He moved in with the Cohn family and assisted with the rent after Martin Cohn’s business was destroyed. Hirschfeld became like an older brother to Susi Cohn, and a close family friend. His letters to Susi were often signed “dein großer Bruder.”
On June 21, 1939, Susi Cohn was sent on a Kindertransport from Germany to England under the auspices of the Refugee Children’s Movement, Bloomsbury House, London. She lived with Sigismund Goldberg, a cousin of Martin Cohn, and his family for three days upon her arrival in London before traveling to guardians in North House. She attended a boarding school in Bournemouth and later attended Clark’s College in London.
On December 12, 1941, Hilde Cohn married Helmut Gerson. Hilde worked as a registered nurse at the Jewish hospital in Berlin, Germany. It is unclear when Hilde and Helmut’s twin sons died. Hilde and Helmut Gerson were sent to Theresienstadt. Margarethe Scherk was deported to the Theresienstadt ghetto on Transport 1/45 from Berlin, Germany on August 14, 1942. While in the ghetto, she was nursed by her granddaughter, Hilde Cohn Gerson. Margarethe died in December 1943.
Helmut Gerson was eventually sent to work in the salt mines. Hilde contracted tuberculosis while imprisoned in Theresienstadt. Both survived. In 1946, both returned to the section of Berlin where they had previously resided, which was under Soviet authority. Contact with persons outside that sector was not allowed. In 1947, Helmut wrote to Susi that her sister was dying from tuberculosis and that they lacked food to aid her recovery. The Russians would not allow Susi Cohn to visit her sister, nor did they allow her care packages to be received. Hilde Gerson died on March 21, 1947. Nineteen of Susi’s packages were finally allowed to be delivered on the day that Hilde was buried.
Their parents, Martin Cohn and Toni Cohn, were deported to Auschwitz concentration camp on March 12, 1943. They perished in Auschwitz, likely upon arrival.
Susi Cohn married Joseph C. Podgurski on March 14, 1950. Their daughter Barbara married Sigvard Martensson.
Physical Details
- Genre/Form
- Photographs.
- Extent
-
1 folder
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
- Topical Term
- Jewish children--Germany--Berlin.
- Personal Name
- Podgurski, Susi Cohn, 1927- Gerson, Hildelotte Cohn.
Administrative Notes
- Holder of Originals
-
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- Susi Podgurski donated the photographs to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2004.
- Record last modified:
- 2023-02-24 14:11:24
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn515618
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-
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Also in Susi Podgurski collection
Contains materials documenting the experiences of Susi Podgurski and her family. Some of these materials may be combined into a single collection in the future.
Susi Cohn Podgurski papers
Document
The Susi Cohn Podgurski collection consists of correspondence, photographs, and other documents relating to Susi Cohn Podgurski, a Kindertransport child, and her family remaining in Berlin, Germany. All postcards and letters are addressed to Susi Cohn unless otherwise indicated. Letters are arranged in the order of receipt by Susi Cohn Podgurski. The collection also includes documents related to Martin Cohn’s dental practice.
Cohn family papers
Document
The papers consist of documents relating to the Cohn family's experiences in Berlin, Germany, and the United Kingdom during the Holocaust. The subject matter pertains to the ability of Martin Cohn [donor's father] to practice dentistry as a Jew, the ultimate fate of members of the immediate and extended family, and restitution claims after the Holocaust. See attached list in accession file.