Presentation by Edward Lessing

Poster

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Wooden Sculpture

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Pencil drawing of an interior

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Architectural drawing

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Architectural drawing

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Belgian Franc Scrip

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Lessing family papers

Document

The collection consists of biographical material, correspondence, writings and publications, family albums, and photographs documenting the history of the Lessing family, originally from the Netherlands, including Engeline Lessing’s deportation to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, her experiences at the Jeanne d’Arc refugee camp in Philippeville, Algeria (Skikda), her sons Ed, Fred, and Arthur Lessing’s experiences as hidden children, Ed’s time with the Dutch Resistance and hiding in the woods, and pre and post-war family history. Biographical material includes material related Ed, his wife Carla Heymans, Nardus, Engeline, Nardus’s father Isaac and his second wife Agatha Trijntje Cornelia Jautze, and several other early family members. Material consists of report cards, identification cards, marriage documents, and a family book. Other material includes documents related to the Bergen-Belsen prisoner exchange and false identity cards for Ed, Nardus, and Carla’s mother Herta Heymans. Correspondence primarily consists of correspondence between Engeline and Nardus after her arrest and deportations to Westerbork and Bergen-Belsen, and her time in the Jeanne d’Arc refugee camp. Other correspondence includes letters to Engeline in the refugee camp from her sister Suze van Leer in Massachusetts. Writings include Engeline’s diary from Bergen-Belsen and a personal narrative describing her experiences, writings from Ed and Fred about their Holocaust experiences, and a photocopy of a diary of Herman Munninghoff, who was in the hut with Ed in 1943. Clippings include articles on the Hollandia Kattenburg Factory where Joseph and Isaac Lessing both worked, the Dutch Resistance hut, and related Dutch Holocaust topics. Publications include reprints of Dutch newspapers from 1942, publications regarding hidden children, a photo postcard of the German invasion of the Netherlands, and a pamphlet dropped by the U.S. Air Force. Also included is a book of the transcriptions of family interviews conducted by Fred regarding their Holocaust experiences (please see related material for more information on the audio of these interviews). The family albums consist of four albums assembled by Ed entitled “An Informal History of the Lessing Family.” The albums are annotated and contain original photographs, facsimiles of documents, artwork, translations of letters, poetry, and modern documentation chronicling the history of the Lessing family. The books cover pre-war family history, their Holocaust experiences, and their post-war lives through 2015. Photographs consists of pre-war images of Ed with his Jewish scout group and wartime images of him with the Dutch Resistance in their hut in the woods.

Oral history interview with Lien Lessing

Oral History

Oral history interview with Abba (Arthur) Lessing

Oral History

Oral history interview with Edward Lessing

Oral History

Oral history interview with Hans van der Leeden

Oral History

Oral history interview with Nathan (Nardus) Lessing

Oral History

Oral history interview with Carla Lessing

Oral History

Oral history interview with Aflred Lessing

Oral History

Flash drive case with insert

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Flash drive case (a: case, b: lid) labeled, "An Informal History of the Lessing Family, 1811-2015" along with a paper insert (c) with information about the contents of the digital storage device, which is no longer in the case.