Schönberger family papers
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Overview
- Description
- The Schönberger family papers consist of biographical materials, correspondence, immigration files, photographic materials, printed materials, and French internment camp songs documenting the Schönberger family of Vienna; Helene and Bianka Schönberger’s immigratin to the United States aboard the Hansa in March 1939; and Moritz Schönberger’s voyage aboard the St. Louis, return to Europe, internment in French concentration camps, and immigration to the United States in 1942.
Biographical materials include identification papers, birth certificates, and school, employment, medical and military records documenting the Schönberger family.
Correspondence consists of a postcard from the St. Louis and a letter Moritz Schönberger wrote his family from Les Milles.
Immigration files include telegrams from Moritz Schönberger aboard the St. Louis and in French internment camps; MS St. Louis travel documents; correspondence with the American Consulate in Marseille, the State Department, and the Department of Immigration and Naturalization; affidavits; money orders; and a menu from the Hansa.
Photographic materials include Moritz Schönberger’s photograph album from aboard the St. Louis, a large Schönberger family photograph album, and loose photographs of the Schönberger family and examples of Schönberger’s advertisement work.
Printed materials consist of and 1939 and 1967 articles about the St. Louis and 1948 and 1949 advertisements for Schönberger’s sign studio business.
Songs consist of lyrics to St. Cyprien camp songs “Ich kann sie nicht sehen, die Pyreneen” and “Kamaraden” as well as to Hans Heimler’s “Die Erfüllung.” Poetry consists of a Christmas poem written at Gurs, a poem of welcome, and a poetry book full of little poems and autographs from friends, teachers, and family members. - Date
-
inclusive:
1887-1967
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Julie Klein
- Collection Creator
- Schönberger family
- Biography
-
Moritz Schönberger (1887-1956) was born in Sárvár, Hungary, to Herman Schönberger and Julie Neuman Schönberger and established his career in advertisement painting first in Frankfurt am Main and then in Vienna. He was forced to sell his business following the Anschluss, and his German-born wife, Helene (nee Rosenthal, 1886-1973), and their daughter Bianka (1921-1981), immigrated to the United States aboard the Hansa in March 1939. Moritz tried to follow via Cuba aboard the MS St. Louis but was returned to Europe and disembarked in Belgium. He was arrested as an enemy alien in 1940 and sent to internment camps in France including St. Cyprien, Gurs, and Les Milles. With his family’s help, he immigrated to the United States in October 1942 and changed his name to Morris.
Physical Details
- Genre/Form
- Photographs. Diaries.
- Extent
-
2 boxes
4 oversize folders
- System of Arrangement
- The Schönberger family papers are arranged as six series: I. Biographical materials, 1887-1945, II. Correspondence, 1939-1942, III. Immigration files, 1939-1946, IV. Photographic materials, approximately 1920-1947, V. Printed materials, 1939-1967, VI. Songs, approximately 1939-1949
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
Administrative Notes
- Holder of Originals
-
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- The papers were donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1988 by Julie Klein, the daughter of Bianka Schönberger.
- 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:
- 2023-03-03 09:21:57
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn521099
Additional Resources
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-
Request in Shapell Center Reading Room
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Also in Moritz Schoenberger family collection
The collection consists of artifacts, documents, and photographs related to the experiences of Moritz, Helene, and Bianka Schoenberger, including their escape from Austria after the Anschluss and their roundtrip voyage aboard the MS St. Louis in 1939, Moritz's internment in France, and the family's emigration to the United States.
Date: 1887-1967
Wallet
Object
The stitched and embossed leather wallet belonged to Moritz Schönberger; diamond designs on front and back
Self recorded Melograph record
Object
Miniature Melograph record made by Bianka Schönberger on May 8, 1928. Bianka and her parents, Moritz and Helene, were passengers aboard the MS St. Louis. He sought asylum in France where he was interned in Gurs, St. Cyprien, and Les Milles. He and his family had emigrated to the United States by 1943
