Overview
- Description
- The Weinschenk and Levi family papers primarily contain biographical material, correspondence, and photographs related to the Weinschenk and Levi families in Stuttgart and Nuremberg, Germany prior to immigrating to the United States to escape Nazi persecution. Biographical materials include genealogical research, passports, driver’s licenses, and a document stating that Margot Weinschenk had been dropped from the voter registry because she is not of Aryan descent, 1936. Correspondence includes letters from Margot and Paul Weinschenk in New York to his sister Lilly and her husband Sigmund Karl Kohnstamm in Wales, 1940-1942. The photographs include portraits, weddings, and social gatherings of the Levi and Weinschenk families, as well as pre-war photographs of Stuttgart, Germany.
- Date
-
inclusive:
1876-1986
bulk: 1888-1942
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Carol Weinschenk Opton and Joshua V. Vlasto
- Collection Creator
- Weinschenk family
- Biography
-
Margot (neé Levi) Weinschenk (1912-1996) was born in Stuttgart, Germany to Nellie (neé Strauss; b. 1888) and Max Levi (b. 1886). She had one brother, Walter (1915-1945), and married Paul Weinschenk in 1929. Paul Weinschenk (1909-1986) was born to Gisela (neé Sundheimer; 1880-1980) and brewer Julius Weinschenk (1876-1930) in Nuremberg, Germany. He had one sister, Lilly (1904-1986), who married Sigmund Karl Kohnstamm. Both families left Germany in 1939 to escape Nazi persecution and immigrated to the United States and England. Margot and Paul settled in New York, and Max, Nellie, and Walter settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Lilly, Sigmund, and Gisela immigrated to England. Max, Nellie, and Walter Levi would later change their last name to Lane. Walter joined the United States Army, and was killed in action in 1945.
Physical Details
- Genre/Form
- Photographs.
- Extent
-
1 box
1 oversize folder
- System of Arrangement
- The papers are arranged as four series: Series 1: Biographical material, 1876-1983; Series 2: Correspondence, 1929-circa 1980s; Series 3: Photographs, 1888-circa 1970s; Series 4: Printed material, 1925-circa 1980s. All series are arranged alphabetically.
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
- Geographic Name
- Stuttgart (Germany) Nuremberg (Germany)
Administrative Notes
- Holder of Originals
-
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- Carol Weinschenk Opton and Joshua J. Vlasto donated the Weinschenk and Levi family papers to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2013, with an accretion in 2015. Carol and Joshua are the daughter and grandson of Margot and Paul Weinschenk.
- Record last modified:
- 2023-02-27 15:19:12
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn607903
Additional Resources
Download & Licensing
In-Person Research
- Available for Research
- Plan a Research Visit
-
Request in Shapell Center Reading Room
Bowie, MD
Contact Us
Also in Levy and Weinschenk families collection
The collection consists of a folding knife, correspondence, documents, photographs, and publications relating to the experiences of the Levy family and Paul and Margot Weinschenk before, during, and after World War II in Germany and the United States.
Date: approximately 1939
Folding pocket knife owned by a Jewish family who fled Germany
Object
Folding pocket knife brought with Paul and Margot Levi Weinschenk when they fled Nuremberg, Germany, for the United States in 1939.
Three ribbon bars on a service certificate awarded posthumously for a US soldier
Object
Serice recognition certificate signed by President Truman in memory of Walter Lane (Levy) who fell during his service in Germany.
Metal box with key
Object
Metal box with key. Painted green on the outside and red on the inside. There is a detachable tray for smaller items that fits inside the box, as well as a key. A label on the outside of the box reads "Propylden-Muller/Munchen 2 Lenbochplatz7" with the image of a building and the additional words "Wilheim Muller/Buro-Bedart Papierwaren.
Cookbook
Object
cookbook brought with Paul and Margot Levi Weinschenk when they fled Nuremberg, Germany, for the United States in 1939.
Cookbook for three and more people
Object
Cook book brought with Paul and Margot Levi Weinschenk when they fled Nuremberg, Germany, for the United States in 1939.
Prayer book
Object
Prayer book brought with Paul and Margot Levi Weinschenk when they fled Nuremberg, Germany, for the United States in 1939.
Book
Object
Book on Winsbach, Germany, brought with Paul and Margot Levi Weinschenk when they fled Nuremberg, Germany, for the United States in 1939.
Oral history interview with Lily Weinschenk Kohnstamm
Oral History
Lily Weinschenk Kohnstamm discusses her escape from Nazi Germany with her three daughters Hannelore Freedman (née Kohnstamm), AnneMarie Marx (née Kohnstamm), and Grete Goldhill (née Kohnstamm).
Levy and Weinschenk families papers
Document
Contains documents concerning the immigration of Paul and Margot Weinschenk (donor's parents) from Nuremberg, Germany to the United States in 1939.
Prayer book
Object
Festtägliches Gebetbuch, German and Hebrew language prayer book published in 1870.