Overview
- Description
- Two (2) Schneideplatte lacquer-coated metal discs, each single sided, containing recordings of German-Jewish children, Max (Reiner) and Steffi Schwalbe, singing and speaking in German with their mother, Ilse (Korant) Schwalbe.
Recording 1: Ilse, Reiner, and Steffi record a message to husband/father Herbert in Persia in 1934. The children repeat after the mother phrases like: How are you doing? Is the weather nice? Kisses from Reiner, Steffi, and mother. They tell him a little about their plans (a holiday and a visit with grandparents) and tell him to stay healthy and keep them in his thoughts.
Recording 2: The two children sing a medley of 2 folksongs accompanied by an instrument (although not with the traditional lyrics):
1) "Kommt ein Vogel geflogen" --19th c German children's song, still popular (0:05-0:20; repeats after 0:38)
2) "Brüderchen, komm tanz mit mir" --19th c German children's song, famously adapted in "Hänsel und Gretel" (0:20-0:38) - Date
-
Recorded:
1934
- Contributor
-
Performer:
Steffi B. Schwalbe
- Biography
-
Ilse Flora Korant (1904-1992) was the only child of her parents, Margarete (Greta) Korant nee Apt (1881-1942), and Georg Korant (1874-1937) of Berlin, Germany. Ilse married Herbert H. Schwalbe (1899–1963). At age 17, Herbert volunteered and served in the Germany military in WWI. He earned the German Iron Cross for his service. He became a dentist, and after marriage, established a practice in Berlin. There, Ilse and Herbert had their son, Reiner (Max) (1928-2007) and daughter, Steffi (1931-2018).
In April 1933, Hitler decreed an economic boycott of all Jews. While many thought this aberration would be fleeting, Herbert believed otherwise. Ilse and Herbert decided that he would emigrate (October 1933) to Persia (now Iran) where he had been promised permission to open a dental practice. [The Jewish Museum of Berlin acquired Herbert’s documents in 2008.] Herbert and Ilse did not have the sufficient money required to bring the entire family into the country, so Herbert left Berlin on his own. They sold their Berlin apartment and Ilse and the children moved in with her parents. Ilse worked for a Jewish organization that arranged for immigration of Jewish children (Youth Aliyah) into Palestine.
Herbert’s practice did not succeed and he moved to Palestine. There he saw that the kibbutz in which he lived could not support the additional three people in his family. In 1937, with the help of his younger brother, Ludwig Schwalbe (1901-1980) who had immigrated to the U.S. in 1927, and a distant cousin, Richard Simon, Herbert immigrated to California..
In 1937, Ilse’s father died. While Herbert was able to arrange for the requirements to send for Ilse and the children, no papers could be gotten for Ilse’s mother, Greta. In 1939, Ilse, Reiner and Steffi flew to Holland, then took a Dutch freighter for six weeks, arriving in San Francisco, and there greeted by Herbert.
Ilse and Herbert worked hard to get papers for Greta. Included in this effort was a proposal of marriage from Emilio Brizio, who resided in Detroit. In 1941, they were able to obtain a ticket for Greta to come by ship to Cuba and then to the U.S. in January 1942. In anticipation of emigrating, Greta shipped her belongings to the U.S. In December 1941, war was declared on Germany, and no passenger ships were allowed to sail. In January 1942 Greta was deported to Riga and murdered.
Herbert was unable to meet the requirements to practice as a dentist in the U.S. He worked a variety of jobs, mostly as a lab technician at a university. Ilse was a secretary for a Judge. Reiner and Steffi each married and had children. Now, all are deceased..
- Format
- Phonograph records (2); Lacquer (clear)
Physical Details
- Language
- German
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- You do not require further permission from the Museum to access this archival media.
- Copyright
- Ms. Karen Gilovich
- Conditions on Use
- The Museum does not own the copyright for this material and does not have authority to authorize third party use. For permission, please contact the rights holder, Ms. Karen Gilovich.
Keywords & Subjects
Administrative Notes
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Recorded Sound Provenance
- Karen Gilovich donated the collection to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2019.
- Recorded Sound Notes
- These discs were rescued at Northeast Documentation Conservation Center with an experimental tool, IRENE, which uses a non-contact approach, which eliminates the possibility of damage caused by mechanical contact of a stylus on fragile media. The process creates ultra-high resolution images of the audio groove structures in either 2D or 3D, as required. The resulting image files are then processed through software that translates them into an audio file. If properly cared for, the image files serve as a digital surrogate of the physical object, “virtually” preserving the object’s condition at the time of scanning while the object continues to physically degrade over time.
A handwritten note on the original paper sleeve states: "These two 78 records were taken in Berlin, one in 1934, and the other abt a year later (I think), for Opa's birthdays, and then sent to Persia. The first one had Max, Steffi, and me speak extemporaneously; for the other I had prepared a text. Mother Oma 6/26/88" The note was probably written by Ilse Korant Schwalbe ("Mother Oma") to her granddaughter Karen Gilovich (the donor and daughter of Steffi). - Recorded Sound Source
- Ms. Karen Gilovich
- Record last modified:
- 2024-02-21 07:27:25
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn708181
Also in Schwalbe family collection
THe collection contains documents, correspondence (letters and postcards), journals, photographs, postwar writings, newspaper clippings, 2 metal disc recordings, ephemera and three dimensional artifacts to include a portfolio, eyeglass case and small notebook documenting the experiences of the Schwalbe family and their relatives in Berlin, Teheran, Palestine and their immigration and settlement in the United States.
Notebook
Object
Small notebook documenting the experiences of the Schwalbe family and their relatives in Berlin, Teheran, Palestine and their immigration and settlement in the United States.
Eyeglass case
Object
Eyeglass case documenting the experiences of the Schwalbe family and their relatives in Berlin, Teheran, Palestine and their immigration and settlement in the United States.
Portfolio
Object
Portfolio documenting the experiences of the Schwalbe family and their relatives in Berlin, Teheran, Palestine and their immigration and settlement in the United States.
Korant and Schwalbe families papers
Document
The Korant and Schwalbe families papers include biographical material, correspondence, photographs, immigration documents, and writings relating to Ilse Schwalbe (née Korant), Herbert Schwalbe, and their relatives in Berlin, Teheran, and Palestine as well as their immigration and settlement in the United States. Biographical material, correspondence, and writings relating to Georg Korant include a marriage announcement, wedding poem, renters documentation, police registration, and death announcement. Also included is correspondence and original and photocopies of writings. Margarete (Grete) Korant’s biographical material includes a marriage license, program, and poem, a copy of her report card, and writings. Correspondence consists of originals and photocopies largely of letters from Grete to Ilse, Herbert, and Steffi. Immigration papers include correspondence with the United States Consulate, applications, affidavits of support, and letters of recommendation and reference relating to various attempts by Grete, Ilse, and Herbert to arrange for Grete’s immigration to Cuba and the United States. Photographs of family members include Grete, Ellen, and Hede. Also included is a biography about Rolf Apt. Ilse Schwalbe’s biographical material includes a copy of her birth certificate, letters describing her family history, and a wedding announcement. Correspondence includes originals, photocopies, and transcripts of letters from Grete to Ilse, letters to Herbert while he was in Persia, and an inquiry to the Red Cross about Grete stating she was deported to Riga in 1942. Immigration material includes originals, photocopies, and translations of letters of support from Ilse’s brother-in-law Ludwig Schwalbe, requests for copies of documentation, letters of reference, and luggage and bank receipts. Writings include a book made for Herbert with photographs and poems of Reiner and Steffi when he was in Palestine, poems, various postwar writings about her experience, notes from presentations, responses to requests for interviews, and reflections after her return to Berlin in 1975. Also included are several photographs of Ilse and forms, correspondence, and receipts relating to restitution for education and property. Biographical material relating to Herbert Schwalbe includes a copy of his birth certificate, an affidavit from Richard Simon, a health certificate for immigration, a personal narrative, and a biography written by Ilse. Professional records include receipt books, a curriculum vitae, a letter for the sale of his dental equipment, correspondence relating to attempts to practice dentistry outside of Germany, and certificates from the University of Santa Clara. Also included are letters from Herbert to Ilse while aboard the ship to the United States, a letter to Steffi for her birthday while he was in Persia, and original and photocopies of photographs of Herbert. Schwalbe family papers include immigration and school records for Steffi, including a journal she kept while aboard the Holland ship to the United States, a certificate of naturalization, a copy of her birth certificates, a German report card, and a copy of an essay on leaving Germany. Also included is a portfolio assembled by Elsa Schwalbe (née Pick and Sabel) and German passports for Elsa, Wilhelm Pick, and Ludwig Schwalbe. Elsa and Wilhem married in Germany and immigrated to the United States. Wilhelm became sick and passed away. Elsa later married Ludwig Schwalbe. The series also includes photographs of Steffi, Reiner, Ludwig, Ilse, and Herbert, research into family history, an interview with Steffi, newspaper clippings, and correspondence with the Jewish Museum of Berlin relating to a donation.