Köppel family papers

Judith Köppel (now Steel) was the daughter of Josef Köppel and Irmgard Weissenberg Köppel. She was born in 1938 in Berlin, Germany, where her father was a fur dealer and her mother was a milliner. When she was just 14 months old, Judith sailed along with her parents and grandfather, Jakob Köppel, on the MS St. Louis for Cuba. After the ship was forced to return to Europe, the family was sent to France and rented an apartment in the home of Joseph and Eliette Carapezzi Enard in Nay, a small town in southern France. Judith became friendly with the landlord's daughter, Suzy, and Eliette whom she affectionately referred to as "Maman Suzy." One day in 1942, French gendarmes arrived at the home, arrested the Köppels, and sent them to Gurs concentration camp. Jakob, who was sickly and confined to bed, remained behind. After three weeks, Josef and Irmgard said goodbye to Judith, and the Œuvre de secours aux enfants (OSE) brought her out of the camp.