Charles Laufer papers

Document | Digitized | Accession Number: 1996.A.0372.1

Overview

Description: The Charles Laufer papers contain biographical materials, correspondence, education and employment records, subject files, and two scrapbooks. Biographical materials related to Charles Laufer, his parents, his sister, and his wife include Polish, German, and American birth, marriage, and death certificates, divorce papers, work and travel papers, passports, and military papers. Some of the Polish documents are accompanied by German translations. Correspondence among Charles Laufer and his family and friends in Germany, England, France, and Israel primarily documents family members' efforts to emigrate. Records documenting Laufer's education and career include school certificates from the 34th Gemeindeschule and Andreas Realgymnasium; apprenticeship records and correspondence related to clothing manufacturers Theodor Priebatsch and Friedländer & Zaduck; certificates documenting first aid and welding courses; a resume; and four photographs. Subject files document Laufer's membership in the Jewish boxing club "Maccabi" as a heavyweight boxer; his expulsion from Germany in 1938 as an alien and his emigration to America aboard the SS Manhattan; petition for American naturalization; his and his parents citizenship status in Poland; the transportation of family household goods from Germany to America; an opportunity to visit Berlin in 1976; and the pension Laufer's mother received as a war widow and Laufer's efforts to collect restitution of monies owed. Documents include correspondence, forms, clippings, programs, a brochure, a passenger list, and receipts. Some of the Polish documents are accompanied by German translations. The collection also includes one scrapbook containing newspaper clippings, photographs, and postcards relating to boxing, many either mentioning or depicting Laufer, and a second scrapbook containing photographs of Laufer’s family members and friends and postcards mailed between Laufer and his family and friends.
Date: inclusive: 1904-1977
Credit Line: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Lawrence and Fred Laufer
Collection Creator: Charles Laufer
Biography: Charles Laufer was born Sally Borgenicht on January 5, 1910, as a Polish citizen in Berlin. His parents, Löbl Laufer (also known as Löbl Borgenicht) and Sara Güttla Borgenicht (also known as Sabina Laufer), were also both Polish citizens. He attended primary and secondary school in Berlin and was apprenticed at a couple of clothing manufacturers before becoming a full employee of Friedländer & Zaduck. He was also a heavyweight boxer for the Jewish boxing club "Maccabi." He was expelled from Germany in 1938 as an alien under a new law regarding immigrants. He immigrated to the United States with his mother in December 1938. In the 1950s and 1960s Laufer pursued the West German government for restitution of a pension owed to his mother.

Physical Details

Language: English German Polish Hebrew
Extent: 1 box
3 oversize boxes
System of Arrangement: The Charles Laufer papers are arranged as five series:
1: Biographical Materials, 1904-1956
2: Correspondence, 1937-1977
3: Education and Employment, 1916-1963
4: Subject Files, 1922-1976
5: Scrapbooks, circa 1927-1939

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: Jews--Germany--History--1933-1945. Jewish refugees--Germany. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Refugees. Polish people--Germany. Jewish boxers--Germany--Berlin. Jews--Sports.
Geographic Name: Germany--Emigration and immigration--Government policy--20th century. Berlin (Germany)

Administrative Notes

Holder of Originals: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Legal Status: Permanent Collection
Provenance: Dr. Fred Laufer and Lawrence Laufer donated the Charles Laufer papers to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum on Sept. 3, 1996.
Funding Note: The cataloging of this collection has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.

Record last modified:: 2023-02-24 14:13:06
This page:: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn516350

Additional Resources

Finding Aid (English)

Download & Licensing

In-Person Research

Available for Research
Plan a Research Visit
Request in Shapell Center Reading Room
Bowie, MD

Contact Us

Give Feedback

Also in Charles Laufer collection

The collection consists of Gewerberlegitimationskarte, Landhurm-Pals, Reisepass, Arbeitsbuch, two Polish passports, box of correspondence, blue and white sash, three books, leather portfolio, and two photo albums.