Overview
- Brief Narrative
- Small brown suitcase used by 16 year old Anneliese Weil when she left Hamburg, Germany, for the United States on board the MS St. Louis on September 17,1938. She was the only member of her family to survive the Holocaust. Her parents, brother, and sister were arrested by the Germans for being Jewish and deported to concentration camps where they perished.
- Date
-
use:
1938 September
- Geography
-
use:
St. Louis (Ship);
Hamburg (Germany)
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Anne Wascou
- Contributor
-
Subject:
Anne Wascou
- Biography
-
Anne (Anneliese) Weil was born in Karlsruhe, Germany, on August 23, 1921, to Elfriede Meyer, who was born on October 27,1886, in Mannheim, and Max, who was born on December 30, 1888, in Eichstatten. Her brother, Arno, was born July 12, 1923, and her sister, Ilse, was born November 25, 1922, both in Mannheim. On September 17, 1938, Anne sailed from Hamburg to New York on board the Ms St Louis. She was the only member of her family to survive the Holocaust. Around October 1940, her parents and brother were imprisoned in the Rivesaltes internment camp in France. Anne received a few letters from them in 1941 but her parents either died there or were deported to Auschwitz in 1942, where they perished: Max on February 16; Elfriede on August 15 or 16. Arno was deported to Buhenwald where he was murdered, age 22, on February 19, 1945. Her sister, a kindergarten teacher, was arrested in Diez, Germany, on July 14, 1944, and deported to Auschwitz where she perished at age 21. Anne married Albert Wascou in Philadelphia between 1942-1945 and they had two daughters. Anne passed away, age 90, on November 13, 2011.
Physical Details
- Classification
-
Containers
- Category
-
Luggage
- Object Type
-
Suitcases (aat)
- Physical Description
- Dark brown, rectangular suitcase with a ribbed surface. The body is constructed of fiberboard riveted to a wooden frame. There is a hollow metal handle on the top and 2 gold colored metal key hasp locks. The opening is edged with metal. The corners have brass colored metal reinforcement attached with rivets.The bottom has 2 small metal feet. Attached with brown twine to the handle are 2 partial cardboard tags with printed text. The left sticker has a large ocean liner in blue and a place for hand writing.
- Dimensions
- overall: Height: 11.500 inches (29.21 cm) | Width: 18.000 inches (45.72 cm) | Depth: 5.620 inches (14.275 cm)
- Materials
- overall : wood, fiberboard, metal, paint, lacquer, paper, adhesive, ink
- Inscription
- bottom, right sticker, black ink : AMERIKA
bottom, left sticker, blue ink : __RG - AMERIKA LINIE / Anneliese Weil / NAME NOMBRE / FECHA DE SALIDA / YORK / DESTINATION * PUERTO DE DESTINO
on tag, white text on blue background : HAMBURG-AMERIKA LINIE
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- No restrictions on access
- Conditions on Use
- No restrictions on use
Keywords & Subjects
Administrative Notes
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- The suitcase was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum by Anne Weil Wascou in 2005.
- Record last modified:
- 2022-07-28 18:28:56
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn517569
Download & Licensing
In-Person Research
- By Appointment
- Request 21 Days in Advance of Visit
- Plan a Research Visit
- Request to See This Object
Contact Us
Also in Anne Weil Wascou family collection
The collection consists of two suitcases, correspondence, documents, photographs, and a photograph album relating to the experiences of Anne Weil Wascou and her family during the Holocaust and to the postwar efforts of Anne Wascou to obtain restitution.
Date: 1938-1982
Carry-on suitcase used by a young German Jewish woman
Object
Patterned canvas carry-on suitcase used by 16 year old Anneliese Weil when she left Hamburg, Germany for the United States on board the MS St. Louis on September 17,1938. She was the only member of her family to survive the Holocaust. Her parents, brother, and sister were arrested by the Germans for being Jewish and deported to concentration camps where they perished.
Weil family papers
Document
The collection documents the experiences of the Weil family of Mannheim, Germany during the Holocaust. Included is wartime correspondence from Max, Elfriede, Arno, and Ilse Weil in the Rivesaltes internment camp to Anne Weil (later Anne Wascou), who immigrated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1938 on the MS. St. Louis; wartime and post-war correspondence of Anne trying to locate and learn the fate of her family; and restitution paperwork. The photographs depict pre-war family life, Anne Weil onboard the MS. St. Louis, and a photograph album of Anne’s that depicts life in Mannheim and the United States.
