Overview
- Description
- The Adam and Roma Zandel papers contain personal items and documents relating to the immigration of Adolf Adam Zandel and Roma Kleczewska to the United States. Adam’s documents contain documents such as his birth certificate, visa information, documentation of health, travel permits, proof of identity, and his diplomas. Also included are two photographs of his parents, and a memoir he wrote for his daughter, Susan. The papers of Roma Kleczewska contain primarily correspondence, written from Roma’s parents (Maurycy and Karola) and grandparents (Teofila and Salomon Kupczyk) while they lived in Lwow and later Warsaw. Other material includes visa application documents, a savings book, and a bill of health. The publications series contains pages from a book that was gifted to Susan, a book entitled Battle of Warsaw Ghetto, and a publication listing the surviving Jews in Warsaw.
- Date
-
inclusive:
1906-1985
bulk: 1920-1946
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Susan Zandel Chandler
- Collection Creator
- Adolf Adam Zandel
Roma K. Zandel - Biography
-
Adolf Adam Zandel (1906-2002) was born in Kutno, Poland to Markus and Jacheta Zandel. He had two older sisters, Estera and Salomea. In 1923, Adam attended Warsaw University, where he studied mechanical engineering. After trying to find steady employment, Adam finally found a job working as a tool designer in a factory that produced artillery fuses. Later, he convinced the owner to open another facility in France, and in 1939 Adam immigrated to France to help establish the new factory. As war loomed, Adam applied for visas to leave the country. Along with several friends, Adam was able to procure a visa to Brazil, and traveled there in 1941. In March, 1943, he was able to immigrate to the United States and settled in New York. He soon met and married Roma Kleczewska, and had their daughter Susan in 1945.
Roma Kleczewska (1911-2002) was born in in Niechcice, Poland to Maurycy and Karola Kleczewska. She had two brothers: Ludwik and Alfred. Her parents owned a factory complex where yeast for breweries were produced. Roma grew up in an affluent and assimilated Jewish family, and later studied archeology at Warsaw University. In September 1939, at the time of the German invasion of Poland, the Kleczewska’s and their extended family drove in several cars to the Polish-Romanian border. One car broke down, and it was decided that Roma’s parents and grandparents (Teofila and Salomon Kupczyk) would stay behind as the rest went on to Bucharest. Roma’s parents and grandparents settled in Lwow, Poland (L’viv, Ukraine) before being forced to move to Warsaw, where they lived just near the ghetto. The last contact Roma had with them was dated May 18, 1942. Roma lived in Bucharest with her aunt and uncle Eda and Henryk Ruziewicz until she received papers to go to Brazil in August, 1940. Her two brothers, meanwhile, traveled to Palestine. Roma, Eda, and Henryk finally reached the United States, by way of Indonesia and Cuba. She soon met and married Adam Zandel, and gave birth to their daughter Susan in 1945.
Physical Details
- Language
- Polish Portuguese French English Romanian
- Extent
-
1 box
1 oversize folder
- System of Arrangement
- The Adam and Roma Zandel papers are arranged as four series:
•Series 1: Adolf Adam Zandel, 1906-1985
•Series 2: Roma Kleczewska, 1937-1946
•Series 3: Publications, 1944-1945
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
- Jewish refugees--Brazil. Jewish refugees--France. World War, 1939-1945--Refugees--Brazil. World War, 1939-1945--Refugees--France. Jews--Poland--History--20th century.
- Geographic Name
- United States--Emigration and immigration--History--20th century. Brazil--Emigration and immigration--History--20th century. France--Emigration and immigration. Romania--Emigration and immigration. Niechcice (Poland) Kutno (Poland) Warsaw (Poland) L’viv (Ukraine) Bucharest (Romania) Brazil.
- Personal Name
- Zandel, Adolf Adam. Zandel, Roma Kleczewska. Chandler, Susan Zandel. Zandel, Markus. Zandel, Jacheta. Kleczewska, Maurycy. Kleczewska, Karola. Kleczewska, Ludwik. Kleczewska, Alfred. Kleczewska, Zygmunt. Kupczyk, Teofila. Kupczyk, Salomon. Ruziewicz, Eda. Ruziewicz, Henryk.
- Corporate Name
- Uniwersytet Warszawski.
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 2005 by Susan Zandel Chandler.
- Record last modified:
- 2023-02-24 14:23:02
- This page:
- http://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn523231
Additional Resources
Download & Licensing
In-Person Research
- Available for Research
- Plan a Research Visit
-
Request in Shapell Center Reading Room
Bowie, MD