Gilt-plated demitasse spoon embossed with the MS St Louis

Henry F. Kahn collection of Holocaust-era mail

Document

The Henry F. Kahn collection of Holocaust-era mail primarily consists of envelopes, letters, postcards, and philatelic materials Kahn collected between approximately 1945 and 1985. The materials document mail systems in and around Holocaust-era ghettos and concentration camps and, by extension, the survivors and victims who passed through them or perished in them. Kahn arranged the materials in three annotated scrapbooks, providing context and history for the ghettos, camps, and mail systems. Most of the materials date from the 1930s and 1940s while the reproductions and commentary date from Kahn’s collecting period. The “Concentration camp mail” scrapbook consists primarily of correspondence and envelopes documenting mail systems and prisoners at Buchenwald, Dachau, Oranienburg, and Sachsenhausen from 1934 to 1945. This series also includes a postcard sent from the donor's uncle, Ferdinand Kahn, at Dachau to the donor's grandmother, Hedwig Kahn; a Gestapo summons issued to Ferdinand Kahn; and a post-period picture postcard of Auschwitz. Additional Buchenwald, Oranienburg, and Sachsenhausen materials can be found in Series 2. The “Ghetto and camp mail” scrapbook consists primarily of correspondence and envelopes documenting mail systems and prisoners in ghettos and camps in Germany, Poland, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Czechoslovakia. This series also includes scrip from the Łódź ghetto and the camps at Buchenwald, Theresienstadt, and Westerbork; postal notes and postage stamps from the Warsaw ghetto; and a ration ticket, lunch ticket, and two medicine bottle labels from the Łódź ghetto. This series further includes a portion of an original letter signed by Otto Frank, two facsimiles of Anne Frank diary entries, and an Anne Frank memorial postage stamp. Additional Buchenwald, Oranienburg, and Sachsenhausen materials can be found in Series 1. Additional Warsaw ghetto and Theresienstadt materials can be found in Series 3. The “Warsaw ghetto and Theresienstadt materials” scrapbook primarily consists of correspondence and envelopes documenting mail systems and prisoners in the Warsaw ghetto and Theresienstadt. This series also includes a photograph of Hedwig Kahn; copy prints and photocopied images of the Warsaw ghetto and its residents; a copy of a map of the Theresienstadt ghetto; identification cards, ration cards, and certificates documenting Emil Cohn's internment in Theresienstadt; tickets for recreational activities in Theresienstadt; and photocopies of Theresienstadt cremation lists. The donor dedicated these materials to the memory of his grandmother, Hedwig Kahn, who perished at Theresienstadt. Additional Warsaw ghetto and Theresienstadt materials can be found in Series 2. The fourth series consists of a single 1939 document of exclusion that was not included in the scrapbooks. This document was issued to Emil Cohn and barred him from German military participation. Additional Emil Cohn materials can be found in all three series above. Printed materials include the November 8, 1938 copy of the Münchner Neuste Nachrichten and two1961-1962 clippings about the Eichmann trial. The Red Cross letter is dated December 9, 1965 and addressed to Henry Kahn.