Overview
- Description
- The papers relate to the experiences of Soloman and Perla Krieser [donor's parents] and their children, Hilda [donor] and Hannah, from the time period of the Holocaust. Included in the papers are correspondence sent between members of the Krieser family who were in the Rivesaltes transit camp and the Pringy Children's Home in France, a false identification card issued to the donor while in hiding, and a document from the Swiss Red Cross releasing the donor and her sister from Rivesaltes.
- Collection Creator
- Krieser family
- Biography
-
Shlomo Krieser (1896-1942) was born in Oswiecim, Poland on January 5, 1896. He married Perla Katz (1899-1942) who was born on June 15, 1899 in Sborov, Poland. Their daughter, Hilda Krieser, was born on March 14, 1924 in Cologne, Germany. The family moved to Antwerp, Belgium and their second daughter Hannah “Anny” was born there on September 4, 1929. Their parents worked together in the clothing business. Perla worked as a seamstress making the clothes that Shlomo sold. The family was religious and belonged to the movement “Tnua Tikvatenu.”
On May 10, 1940, Germany invaded Belgium, and three days later, the Krieser family escaped by train to France. They arrived in Toulouse, France, and from there were sent by the French authorities to a village in Tam-et-Garonne province. After learning their relative were in Bagnéres-de-Luchon, France, the family decided to join them. Soon after, the French police arrested them and sent them first to Agde concentration camp and from there to the Rivesaltes internment camp. Conditions were terrible. The barracks were cold in the winter and hot in the summer, and the family did not have appropriate clothing or adequate food. Hilda noticed that the Secours Suisse operated a home for small children in the camp. She approached the director, Mlle. Elsa Ruth, to ask for work, in order to find useful activity and receive better food, and was accepted. After a while, Mlle. Elsa arranged for Hilda and Hannah Krieser to leave the camp for Pringy, a Secours Suisse children’s home in Haute Savoie, France.
The sisters arrived in Pringy, France in November 1941 at the home run by Ruth von de Wild. They remained there until August 1942 when French policemen ordered the returned to Rivesaltes to “reunite” with their family prior to deportation. When the girls’ mother learned that they were on the list to be deported, she immediately went to the Red Cross hut to see Friedel Reiter. Friedel went to the director of the camp who called Maurice Dubois, director of the Swiss Red Cross in France, hoping to get them out. However, since they were on the list, they could only be taken off it two other girls went in their place. They were unwilling to do this. Instead, the commandant of Rivesaltes told them to run away when they were waiting on the line to enter the cattle cards. Friedel Bohny retrieved them from the line and took them to a storage hut to hide until the transport left. Freidel also brought other small children to this hut and told Hilda and Hannah to watch them so they would not cry. They remained there for three days with the children until the train left. Then, with the help of the Red Cross and Andree Salomon, they returned to Pringy. They remained there hidden among Christian children. Hilda helped take care of fifteen children using the false name of Helene Rambaux. Hannah kept her own name, and the sisters remained in Pringy until the liberation of Paris, France.
At the end of World War II, Hilda went to Annecy, France, and found work caring for a family’s children. It turned out that this family was Jewish, and she went to live with them in Avignon, France. Hannah remained in Pringy until the home closed. Afterwards, Hilda brought Hannah with her to Grenoble, France, where she took courses in stenography and worked for ORT. Hilda later worked in a maternity clinic. In February 1947 they witnessed a transport of concentration camp survivors going to Palestine organized by Eri, the son of Jabotinsky. He suggested that they join as well. They returned home to arrange all their things, and two days later they sailed on the “Ben Hecht” to Haifa. The British would not let the ship land in Palestine, and they were then sent to Cyprus where they remained for 14 months. They finally came to Palestine on April 28, 1948.
Shlomo Krieser was deported to Auschwitz concentration camp on transport 24, on August 26, 1942. Perla Krieser was deported to Auschwitz concentration camp on transport 31, on September 11, 1942. Both perished at Auschwitz, which was Shlomo Krieser's hometown.
Physical Details
- Genre/Form
- Correspondence. Photographs. Identification cards.
- Extent
-
1 folder
- System of Arrangement
- The Krieser family papers is arranged in a single series.
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
- Concentration camp inmates' writings--France--Rivesaltes. Hidden children (Holocaust)--France--Pringy. Jewish children in the Holocaust--France--Pringy. Weddings--Cyprus--1940-1950. Refugees--Cyprus--1940-1950. City & town life--Poland--Oświęcim.
- Geographic Name
- France. Pringy (France) Poland. Oświęcim (Poland)
Administrative Notes
- Holder of Originals
-
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- Hilda Tayar donated the Krieser family papers to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2005.
- 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:
- 2023-06-02 08:52:41
- This page:
- http://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn517138
Download & Licensing
- In Copyright - Use Permitted
- Terms of Use
- This record is not digitized and cannot be downloaded online.
In-Person Research
- Request 7 Days in Advance of Visit
- Plan a Research Visit
-
Request in Shapell Center Reading Room
Bowie, MD
Contact Us
Also in Krieser family collection
Contains materials documenting the experiences of the Krieser family. Some of these materials may be combined into a single collection in the future.
Krieser family papers
Document
The Krieser family papers consist of correspondence written by Soloman and Perla Krieser in the Rivesaltes transit camp in France and their children, Hilda and Hannah, in the Pringy children's home in France during World War II.
Hilda Tayar papers
Document
Contains correspondence and documents relating to the experiences of Hilda Tayar and Hannah Eisen during the Holocaust.