Overview
- Description
- The papers relate to the voyage of the MS St. Louis and include a scrapbook created by Dr. Felix Metis that contains telegrams sent from the MS St. Louis and newspaper clippings about the voyage; an insert about the voyage from the November 28, 1967, edition of "Look" magazine; and six photographs depicting Annette Metis [donor], her mother, Lotte, and her brother, Wolfgang, aboard the MS St. Louis.
- Date
-
inclusive:
1939-1967
bulk: 1939
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Annette Gallagher
- Collection Creator
- Annette Gallagher
- Biography
-
Annette Virginia Metis (later Gallagher) was born on December 20, 1930, in Grunberg, Germany, to Felix and Lotte Metis. Felix (1989-1984) was born in Lissa, Germany, later Poland. Lotte (1900-1985) was also born in Poland. Annette had an older brother, Wolfgang (Frank), born on August 8, 1925, in Grunberg. In 1933, the Nazi dictatorship came to power in Germany and implemented antisemitic policies to exclude Jews from German society. Annette’s father left for the United States, arriving December 23, 1938, where he prepared for the arrival of his family in New York. On May 13, 1939, Annette, Wolfgang, and Lotte left Hamburg on board the luxury liner, MS St. Louis, for Havana, Cuba. Most of the other 937 passenger were also Jews fleeing Nazi persecution. They had landing permits for Cuba, from where they planned to eventually emigrate to the United States. On May 5, the ship arrived in Cuba. Only 28 people were permitted to disembark; the Cuban government declared all other permits invalid. A passenger committee worked desperately to negotiate with governments and aid organizations to find an alternative haven. When the US refused to increase its quota limits, the ship had to return to Europe on June 6. The Jewish Distribution committee convinced four European governments to admit the refugees, so they would not have to return to Nazi Germany.
The passengers began to disembark in Antwerp, Belgium, on June 16. Annette and her family were among those selected to go to Great Britain. The family resided in England until December 28, 1944, when they left from Swansea, Wales, aboard the Ariguani for Nova Scotia, Canada. In mid-January 1945, the family was reunited with Felix in New York where they eventually became naturalized US citizens.
Physical Details
- Genre/Form
- Photographs. Scrapbooks.
- Extent
-
1 folder
- System of Arrangement
- The Metis 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
- Refugees, Jewish. Children. Families. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Jewish refugees. Refugees. World War, 1939-1945. United States--Emigration and immigration. World War, 1939-1945--Refugees.
- Personal Name
- Metis, Lotte, 1900-1986. Metis, Felix, 1889-1984. Metis, Wolfgang, 1925- Gallagher, Annette, 1930-
- Corporate Name
- St. Louis (Ship)
Administrative Notes
- Holder of Originals
-
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- Annette Gallagher donated the Metis family papers to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2004.
- 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 14:21:51
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn522429
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Also in Annette Metis Gallagher family collection
The collection consists of a headband, a magazine, photographs, and a scrapbook relating to the experiences of Lotte Metis and her children, Annette and Wolfgang, and their May 1939 voyage aboard the MS St. Louis.
Date: 1939-1967
Black headband embroidered MS St. Louis worn by a young girl on board the ship
Object
Embroidered headband worn by 9 year old Annette Metis, while a passenger on board the MS St. Louis during the ill-fated roundtrip journey from Germany to Cuba in May-June 1939. The ship name on the headband is flanked by two flags, one with the HAPAG company logo; the other appears to be a now disguised German flag with swastika. As a German ship, the company would have displayed a German flag. Annette, her mother, Lotte, and brother Wolfgang, age 14, fled Germany because of the increasing persecution of Jews by the Nazi dictatorship. Her father, Dr. Felix Metis, had previously emigrated to New York to prepare for the family's relocation. Annette and her family left Hamburg on the Hamburg-Amerika luxury liner, MS St. Louis, for Havana, Cuba, on May 13, 1939. The plan was to wait in Cuba for permission to enter the US. Cuban authorities declared most permits invalid and denied entry to all but 28 of the 937 passengers. A passenger committee conducted a desperate search for a safe haven, while the ship was ordered to leave Havana after a week. Despite pleas to the US, no exceptions were made to the quota limits and the refugees were denied permission to enter the US. The ship had to head back to Europe on June 6. Jewish aid organizations negotiated with European governments to admit the passengers rather than return them to Nazi Germany. The ship docked in Antwerp, Belgium, on June 17. The Metis family continued on to England. They joined Felix in New York in January 1945.
