Berthold Meier papers
Contains documents, certificates, a German Kennkarte, and a Deutsches Reich Reisepass marked with a red "J," and US Army papers, all documenting the experiences of Berthold Meier (donor's uncle), a German Jew who fled Nazi Germany in 1939 and entered the United States Army after his arrival.
- Genre/Form
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Certificates.
Passports.
- Extent
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1 folder
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Steven Weingarten
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Record last modified: 2023-08-25 18:19:04
This page: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn613343
Also in Berthold Meier collection
The collection consists of a key attached to dog tags, a prayer book, certificates, documents, Deutsches Reich Reisepass, German Kennkarte, and US Army papers relating to the experiences of Berthold Meier in Germany before World War II and in the United States Army during and after the war. Some of these materials may be combined into a single collection in the future.
Date: approximately 1937-approximately 1946
Set of US Army issue dog tags and a key on a chain belonging to a German Jewish refugee and soldier
Object
Dog tags issued to Berthold Meier, a German Jewish refugee, during his service in the United States Army from April 6, 1943 to March 17, 1946. A small key is also attached to the same ball chain holding the dog tags. Berthold grew up in Littfeld, Germany with his mother, Toni. His father, Seligmann, died when Berthold was 8 years old. His mother was killed in the Holocaust after being deported to Poland's Zamosc Ghetto in April 1942. Berthold was working as a butcher in Littfeld when Hitler came to power in January 1933. Following the passage of the Nuremberg Laws in September 1935, Berthold was legally defined as a Jew, which led to growing restrictions on his rights. He immigrated to the US in April 1939, and worked as a meat cutter in New York City. On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor leading to the US entering the war. Berthold was drafted into the Army on March 30, 1943. He was assigned to the Medical Department as a Private, and sent to the 275th Station Hospital at Fort Knox, Kentucky to work as a meat cutter. On July 26, 1944 Berthold was deployed to England and began his assignment at the 140th General Hospital in Dorsetshire. Due to his expertise as a butcher, he also received a promotion in rank to a Technician 5th Grade. Berthold returned to the US on August 2, 1945 and received an honorable discharge on March 17, 1946.
Abridged prayer book for Jews in the armed forces of the United States used by a German Jewish refugee
Object
Abridged prayer book for Jewish soldiers in the United States armed forces owned by German Jewish refugee Berthold Meier during his service in the US Army from April 6, 1943 to March 17, 1946. The book included the principal Jewish prayer services for times when the owner was unable to attend regular synagogue services. Berthold grew up in Littfeld, Germany with his mother, Toni. His father, Seligmann, died when Berthold was 8 years old. His mother was killed in the Holocaust after being deported to Poland’s Zamosc Ghetto in April 1942. Berthold was working as a butcher in Littfeld when Hitler came to power in January 1933. Following the passage of the Nuremberg Laws in September 1935, Berthold was legally defined as a Jew, which led to growing restrictions on his rights. He immigrated to the US in April 1939, and worked as a meat cutter in New York City. On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor leading to the US entering the war. Berthold was drafted into the Army on March 30, 1943. He was assigned to the Medical Department as a Private, and sent to the 275th Station Hospital at Fort Knox, Kentucky to work as a meat cutter. On July 26, 1944 Berthold was deployed to England and began his assignment at the 140th General Hospital in Dorsetshire. Due to his expertise as a butcher, he also received a promotion in rank to a Technician 5th Grade. Berthold returned to the US on August 2, 1945 and received an honorable discharge on March 17, 1946.
