Overview
- Description
- The Hans Steinitz papers include a diary written by Hans Steinitz from 1940 to 1942 during his time in the Gurs and Les Milles concentration camps in France. He typed the diary on a small typewriter that he smuggled into the camps and made entries while working in the administration offices of the camps. This collection also includes a Reisepass (German passport) issued to Lore Oppenheimer, Hans' wife.
- Date
-
inclusive:
1939-1945
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Hans Steinitz
- Collection Creator
- Hans J. Steinitz
- Biography
-
Hans J. Steinitz left Germany for France in 1934, after Hitler's rise to power. He served briefly in the French army, but was arrested by the French police and imprisoned in Gurs concentration camp after France's surrender to Germany. He was imprisoned in Gurs from October 1940 through the summer of 1942, where he kept a diary. In 1942 he was transferred to Les Milles concentration camp. He escaped from Les Milles during Yom Kippur in 1942, taking his diary with him. Hans soon obtained false paperwork and made his way to Switzerland. He married Lore Oppenheimer (b.1915) and they had a daughter, Lucy.
Physical Details
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
- France.
- Personal Name
- Steinitz, Hans J.
- Corporate Name
- Gurs (Concentration camp) Les Milles (Concentration camp)
Administrative Notes
- Holder of Originals
-
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- Hans J. Steinitz donated the Hans Steinitz papers to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in November 1988. The accessions previously numbered 1988.147.2 and 1988.A.0147 have been incorporated into this collection.
- Funding Note
- The accessibility of this collection was made possible by the generous donors to our crowdfunded Save Their Stories campaign.
- Special Collection
-
Save Their Stories
- Primary Number
- 1988.147.3
- Record last modified:
- 2024-04-11 13:18:54
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn626597
Download & Licensing
In-Person Research
- Available for Research
- Plan a Research Visit
-
Request in Shapell Center Reading Room
Bowie, MD