Overview
- Description
- Private papers of Elsbeth Kasser (1910-1992), a nurse and aid worker for refugees in the internment camp of Gurs and in other places. The collection consists of: photographs; certificates; medals; and correspondence, including various documents relating to childcare in the southern France, refugee rescue, the internment camp Gurs, the medical mission to Finland, and the Swiss assistance to war victims; documentation on occupational therapy in Zurich, former internees, former employees in rescue projects in Spain and Southern France, and on rescue in Denmark, Germany and Switzerland; Also includes documents concerning films, recorded sound, the circle of friends "Amicale du Camp de Gurs," and publications.
- Alternate Title
- Elsbeth Kasses papers
- Date
-
inclusive:
2011
- Collection Creator
- Elsbeth Kasser
- Biography
-
Elsbeth Kasser (1910-1992) a nurse and refugee aid worker, was born in Niederscherli, Switzerland, the daughter of Friedrich, a pastor, and Anna (née von Greyerz). After secondary school, she trained as a nurse in Thun and Bern, Switzerland; between 1937 and 1939, she worked for the Swiss Working Community for Spanish Children, SAS [Schweizerischen Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Spanienkinder]. Between 1939 and 1940, she worked in the Women's Auxiliary Service, FHD (Frauenhilfsdienst) and participated in the Swiss Medical Mission to Helsinki. Between 1940 and 1941, she worked for the Swiss Working Community for Children with War-related Disabilities, SAK [Schweizerischen Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Kriegsgeschädigte Kinder] in the French internment camp Gurs, and between 1942 and 1943, for the Swiss Red Cross. Between 1944 and 1945, she supervised refugees in Switzerland; between 1945 and 1948, she worked for the program of Swiss assistance to the war victims in Vienna, Hungary and Finland. She was awarded in 1947 with the first Florence Nightingale Medal by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Vienna. Between 1950 and 1951, she was head of the Volksbildungsheim Herzberg AG (Public Training Center Herzberg). Between 1953 and 1973, she worked as an Ergotherapist in the Stadtspital Waid in Zurich. From the 1980s, she organized her own papers and worked with other publication projects.
Physical Details
- Genre/Form
- Correspondence. Photographs. Reports. Medals.
- Extent
-
4,159 digital images : PDF ; 5.54 GB .
3 filmstrips : MP4.
3 sound recording : MP3.
- System of Arrangement
- Arranged in five series: 1. Biographical materials; 2. Activities of Elsbeth Kasses as an aid worker for refugees; 3. Correspondence; 4. Awards; 5. Working documentation and publications.
Notes: Partly or not digitized: File 30, 38, 49, 57, 59 (publications)
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- This material can only be accessed in a Museum reading room or other on-campus viewing stations. Users are required to complete a User Declaration in order to gain access to the collection.
- Conditions on Use
- No publication and copies of the records and finding aids to the 3rd party users without the written permission from the Archiv für Zeitgeschichte (AfZ). The Museum may not transfer the materials or duplicate records thereof or any of the finding aids to any third party, except as permitted in the Cooperation Contract, Article II paragraph 5 herein or as otherwise permitted in writing by the AfZ. The Museum may not publish the reproduction material or finding aid on the Internet, World Wide Web, or any publicly accessible on-line network without the written permission of the AfZ. Contact afz@history.gess.ethz.ch.
- Copyright Holder
- Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich. Archiv für Zeitgeschichte - Archivleitung
Keywords & Subjects
- Topical Term
- World War, 1939-1945--Jews--Rescue--Switzerland. World War, 1939-1945--Refugees--Switzerland. Jewish refugees--Switzerland--History--20th century. Women social workers--Switzerland--Biography. Refugee children--Government policy--Switzerland. Refugee camps--Switzerland--History--20th century. Jewish children in the Holocaust. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Switzerland. Humanitarian assistance.
- Geographic Name
- France--Politics and government--20ty century. Spain--History--Civil War, 1936-1939--Refugees. Switzerland--Politics and government--20th century. Switzerland
- Personal Name
- Kasser, Elsbeth, 1910-1992. Lüthi-Ruth, Elsa, 1909-2005.
Administrative Notes
- Holder of Originals
-
Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich. Archiv für Zeitgeschichte - Archivleitung
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- Source of acquisition is the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich. Archiv für Zeitgeschichte (AfZ), Switzerland; Archival signature: NL Elsbeth Kasser. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Archives received the collection via the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s International Archives Project in March 2017.
- Record last modified:
- 2023-08-23 09:29:58
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn558456
Additional Resources
Download & Licensing
- See Rights and Restrictions
- Terms of Use
- This record is digitized but cannot be downloaded online.
In-Person Research
- Requires Research Visit
- Plan a Research Visit
-
Request in Shapell Center Reading Room
Bowie, MD