Overview
- Description
- The collection documents the pre-war lives of Gerson and Jenny Holländer and their daughter Gerda in Berlin, Germany and their immigration to the United States in 1938. Included are documents related to relatives, photographs, identification documents, marriage and death certificates, and immigration documents. The bulk of the correspondence is with Jenny’s uncle Max Friedwald in Montana; S. Frohman, Max’s executor of his estate; and Louis Melnick regarding their emigration from Germany.
- Date
-
inclusive:
1889-1959
bulk: 1930-1945
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Deborah Alevy.
- Collection Creator
- Holländer family
- Biography
-
Jenny Lea Renzer (later Jenny Holländer, 1910-1974) was born on 4 September 1910 in Berlin, Germany to Golde (born Chaja Golde Friedwald, 1865-1915) and Samuel David Renzer (born Samuel David Renzel, 1871-1914). By 1915 both of Jenny’s parents had died, and she went to live with her maternal aunt Reisel Anghouli (Rosa, 1873-1937). Reisel had two sons, Max (b. 1897) and Josef (1902-1943) who grew up with Jenny.
Gerson Holländer was born on 15 October 1904 in the Podgórze district of Kraków, Poland to Selig and Amalia (b. 1872, née Goldschein) Holländer. He had at least one sister, Rebekka (later Rebekka Bretler, 1910-1942) and one brother, Isak (b. 1915).
Jenny and Gerson married in 1930 in Berlin, and their daughter Gerda was born in 1932. By the mid-1930s, as persecution of Jews in Germany increased, they began to explore ways to emigrate. Jenny’s maternal uncle, Max Friedwald (1863-1937), who had previously immigrated to the United States and become a successful businessman in Montana, provided support for them. After his death in 1937, the executors of his estate continued his efforts, and Jenny, Gerson, and Gerda emigrated from Berlin in 1938. They settled in New York.
Josef Anghouli was deported from Berlin to the Warsaw Ghetto where he perished in 1943. Gerson’s entire family was killed in the Holocaust except for his brother Isak.
Physical Details
- Genre/Form
- Photographs.
- Extent
-
17 folders
- System of Arrangement
- The collection is arranged as three series: Series 1: Biographical material, 1889-1947; Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1930s-1959; Series 3: Photographs, circa 1890-circa 1930
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 families--Germany--Berlin. Emigration and immigration--United States--1930-1940.
- Geographic Name
- Berlin (Germany)
Administrative Notes
- Holder of Originals
-
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- Donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum by Deborah Alevy in 2017.
- Record last modified:
- 2023-02-24 14:30:28
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn559577
Additional Resources
Download & Licensing
In-Person Research
- Available for Research
- Plan a Research Visit
-
Request in Shapell Center Reading Room
Bowie, MD