Overview
- Description
- The collection documents the Holocaust experiences of Elsie Ragusin Azzinaro and her parents Giovanni and Domenica Ragusin in Neresine, Italy (present day Nerezine, Croatia). Correspondence includes a letter written by Elsie in Italian to her mother while in a train boxcar as she was being deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp in 1944; letters from the Red Cross regarding the fate of Elsie’s father Giovanni; and postwar letters written to Elsie from Gemma La Guardia Gluck whom she was imprisoned with at Ravensbrück. Other material includes clippings about Gemma La Guardia, a eulogy of Giovanni Ragusin, and a postcard announcing Domenica Ragusin’s return to the United States from Italy in 1947. The notes and family history also include descriptions of drawings made by Elsie while on a train boxcar to Auschwitz and a printout of a survey of the Ragusin property in Neresine. Additionally, there is a copy of an interview regarding a Dutch woman’s experience in Auschwitz.
- Date
-
inclusive:
1904-circa 2015
bulk: 1944-1961
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection
- Collection Creator
- Elsie A. Ragusin Azzinaro
- Biography
-
Elsie Anna Ragusin (later Elsie Ragusin Azzinaro, 1921-) was born in New York City on 4 November 1921 to Giovanni (1882-1945) and Domenica Ragusin (1886-1948). She had three brothers, John (1911-1939), Edward (1912-), and Albert (1914-). Her parents were Catholic and married in Neresine, Italy (present day Nerezine, Croatia) in 1908 and immigrated to the United States the same year. Right after Elsie was born, the family returned to Italy where the remained for several years, returning to the United States around 1930. In 1939, Elsie’s brother John was killed in a fire.
In 1939, Giovanni, Domenica, and Elsie returned to Neresine to care for Giovanni’s ailing parents. They purchased a home and Giovanni found work. By 1941, they were unable to leave the island and had their passports confiscated. In May 1944 the German Army reached Neresine, and Elsie and Giovanni were arrested shortly thereafter on accusation of being American spies. They were separated and interrogated. Giovanni was deported to Buchenwald concentration camp where he perished on 28 February 1945. Elsie was deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp where she was a forced-laborer. She was then deported to the Ravensbrück concentration camp where she was again a forced-laborer. While in the camp she befriended Gemma La Guardia Gluck, the sister of New York City Mayor Fiorello La Guardia. Ravensbrück was liberated in April 1945, and Elsie and other prisoners were taken to Malmö, Sweden. She lived with the Alkeman family for around 9 months. On 10 December 1945 she sailed back to the United States from Sweden on the Stig Gorthon.
Domenica survived the war, and sailed back to the United States on the MS Sobieski in 1947. She died a year later of heart problems. During the war, Elsie’s brother Albert joined the United States Army, and her brother Edward was a civilian employee of the United States Navy.
Physical Details
- Genre/Form
- Letters. Newspaper clippings. Postcards.
- Extent
-
10 folders
- System of Arrangement
- The collection is arranged as 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
Administrative Notes
- Holder of Originals
-
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- The collection was acquired by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum from Elsie Ragusin Azzinaro in November 2016.
- Record last modified:
- 2023-03-01 08:41:17
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn556083
Additional Resources
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-
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Contact Us
Also in Elsie A. Ragusin Azzinaro collection
The collection consists of a patch, a pouch, three drawings, a prayer book, clippings, correspondence, notes, and photocopies relating to the experiences of Elsie Ragusin during World War II, when, in 1939, on a visit from the United States to Italy with her family, Elsie and her father were arrested as political spies, and Elsie was imprisoned in Auschwitz and Ravensbrück concentration camps, and after the war when, after liberation, she was taken to Sweden to recover, and returned to the United States in December 1945.
Red triangle patch embroidered USA worn by an American concentration camp inmate
Object
Red cloth triangle patch worn by Elsie Ragusin, on which she embroidered USA, while imprisoned in Auschwitz and Ravensbrück concentration camps. Elsie was born in New York to a couple who had immigrated to America from Italy. In 1939, the Ragusin family went to Italy on an extended visit. Elsie and her father were arrested as political spies. Elsie was imprisoned in Auschwitz and Ravensbrück. She was liberated in 1945, and taken to Sweden to recover. She returned to the US in December 1945, and was reunited with her brothers.
Monogrammed red pouch used by an American concentration camp inmate
Object
Red pouch embroidered with her initials ER used by Elsie Ragusin to carry her prayer book (2016.468.4). She acquired the book, Massime Eterne, in exchange for her food rations while she was a prisoner in Ravensbrück concentration camp. Elsie was born in New York to a couple who had immigrated years earlier to America from Italy. In 1939, the Ragusin family went to Italy on an extended visit. Elsie and her father were arrested as political spies. Elsie was imprisoned in Auschwitz and Ravensbrück. She was liberated in 1945, and taken to Sweden to recover. She returned to the US in December 1945, and was reunited with her brothers.
Drawing of a tree by an American concentration camp inmate
Object
Pencil drawing of a tree by Elsie Ragusin, created at an unknown date. Elsie was born in New York to a couple who had immigrated years earlier to America from Italy. In 1939, the Ragusin family went to Italy on an extended visit. Elsie and her father were arrested as political spies. Elsie was imprisoned in Auschwitz and Ravensbrück concentration camps. She was liberated in 1945, and taken to Sweden to recover. She returned to the US in December 1945, and was reunited with her brothers.
Drawing of the Virgin Mary by an American concentration camp inmate
Object
Pencil drawing of the Virgin Mary created by Elsie Ragusin while she was a prisoner in Ravensbrück concentration camp in February 1945. Elsie was born in New York to a couple who had immigrated years earlier from Italy to America. In 1939, the Ragusin family went to Italy on an extended visit. Elsie and her father were arrested as political spies. Elsie was imprisoned in Auschwitz and Ravensbrück. She was liberated in 1945, and taken to Sweden to recover. She returned to the US in December 1945, and was reunited with her brothers.
Drawing of book, heart with cross, and altar by American concentration camp inmate
Object
Pencil drawing of an open book with writing, a heart with a cross, and a lamb on an altar created by Elsie Ragusin, undated. Elsie was born in New York to a couple who had immigrated years earlier from Italy to America. In 1939, the Ragusin family went to Italy on an extended visit. Elsie and her father were arrested as political spies. Elsie was imprisoned in Auschwitz and Ravensbrück concentration camps. She was liberated in 1945, and taken to Sweden to recover. She returned to the US in December 1945, and was reunited with her brothers.
Book
Object
Catholic prayer book acquired by Elsie Ragusin in exchange for her food rations while she was a prisoner in Ravensbrück concentration camp. Elsie was born in New York to a couple who had immigrated years earlier from Italy to America. In 1939, the Ragusin family went to Italy on an extended visit. Elsie and her father were arrested as political spies. Elsie was imprisoned in Auschwitz and Ravensbrück. She was liberated in 1945, and taken to Sweden to recover. She returned to the US in December 1945, and was reunited with her brothers.
