Walter Schnell papers

Walter Schnell (1904-2008) was born on April 16, 1904, in Strehlen, Germany (Strzelin, Poland) to Alfred (b. 1863) and Betty (b. 1880, née Löwenberg) Schnell. His parents owned a prominent glass and porcelain business. In 1937 Walter’s family sold their business and moved to Breslau, Germany (Wrocław, Poland). During Kristallnacht Walter hid in the attic but was later arrested by the Gestapo. He was deported to the Buchenwald concentration camp on November 10, 1938 and released on January 1, 1939 on the condition that he emigrate from Germany. He planned to immigrate to Panama, but was unable to get a visa. Walter then decided to go to Shanghai, China in May 1939 where a visa was not required for entry. He survived the Holocaust in Shanghai and worked as the manager of the General Kosher Kitchen which supplied food for Orthodox Jews. In 1947 Walter immigrated to the United States after receiving a visa from two cousins in New York. Walter’s mother was deported from Brelsau to Theresienstadt in 1942.