Gertrude Winter papers

Document | Not Digitized | Accession Number: 2016.526.13

Overview

Description: The Gertrude Winter papers include children’s work, lesson plans, student lists, photographs, and receipts documenting Winter’s work as a first- and second-grade teacher at a Jewish community elementary school in Vienna as well as the students she taught. Winter likely gathered the children’s work, lesson plans, and photographs and gave them to a neighbor for safekeeping after the school was forcibly closed in 1941 and before her deportation to Theresienstadt in 1942. Children’s work includes essays, poems, letters, drawings, math problems, and dictations in notebooks or on loose sheets of paper. Photographs depict Winter and her students. Receipts document supply and travel expenses and are stamped “Rechnungskontrolle d. Israel. Kultusgem. Wien.”

Some of the children represented in the collection include Breuer, Ilse; Cucilower, Ruth; Dalfen, Lia; Dawid, Ritta; Deutsch, Sonja; Eckstein, Elisabeth; Engel, Gertrude; Engelberg, Herta; Engler, Sophie; Färber, Eva; Frankel, Mirjam; Friedmann, Edith; Geller, Hella; Gerstl, Hilda; Goldmann, Lisl; Grüner, Helle; Grunseid, Alfred; Haber, Gitta; Jungleib, Lisl; Kellmann, Suse; Konisgberg, Ruth; Kurzbauer, Sonja; Lange, Sophie; Länger, Olga; Löwenthal, Ruth; Mandelbaum, Gitta; Piltschik, Evi; Preminger, Edith; Ratz, Anitta; Ringel, Renee; Roth, Rita; Rübner, Jenny; Schagel, Anny; Schwager, Susi; Springer, Gerti; Steiner, Käthe; Steiner, Ruth; Sternlieb, Ruth; Streigold, Selma; Tauber, Renee; Tisk, Gerda; Traube, Else; Walter, Susanne; Weinsaft, Eva; and Weitzner, Ruth. Most of the children were deported from Vienna between 1941 and 1944. Two known survivors are Herta Griffel (later Baitch) and Ruth Weiner. Dorit Deutsch is also believed to have survived.
Date: inclusive: 1939-1941
Credit Line: The acquisition of this collection was made possible by Herta Griffel Baitch, Amy and Andrew Cohn, William J. and Sybil K. Klein, and Dee Dee and Eliot Simon.
Collection Creator: Gertrude Winter
Biography: Gertrude (Gertrud) Winter (1905-1944) was born February 28, 1905. She was a first- and second-grade teacher at the "Volksschule der Israelitischen Kultusgemeinde Wien," the Jewish community elementary school in Castellezgasse in Vienna. The school was forced to close in the summer of 1941. Winter was deported from Vienna to Theresienstadt on September 24, 1942. She was deported to Auschwitz Birkenau killing center on October 23, 1944 and murdered upon arrival.

The fates of the following student of Gertrude Winter have been traced:
Elisabeth Bäcker: October 9, 1942, Theresienstadt; October 4, 1944, Auschwitz
Erika Bloch: April 27, 1942, Wlodawa [Sobibor]
Ilse Breuer: June 6, 1942, Izbica [Belzec]
Ruth Cucilower: October 23, 1941, Litzmannstadt (Lodz) [Chelmno, Auschwitz]
Lia Dalfen: October 9, 1942, Theresienstadt; October 28, 1944, Auschwitz
Rita Dawid: Sept. 10, 1942, Theresienstadt; May 16, 1944, Auschwitz
Sonja Deutsch: March 5, 1941, Modliborzyce (Lublin) [Belzec, Sobibor, Treblinka]
Elisabeth Eckstein: Sept. 14, 1942, Maly Trostinec
Herta Engelberg: June 2, 1942, Maly Trostinec
Miriam Fraenkel: October 9, 1942, Theresienstadt; October 19, 1944, Auschwitz
Hella Geller: February 6, 1942, Riga
Herta Griffel: SURVIVED
Gitta Haber: May 12, 1942, Izbica [Belzec]
Suse Kellmann: March 5, 1941, Modliborzyce (Lublin) [Belzec, Sobibor, Treblinka]
Olga Langer: June 9, 1942, Maly Trostinec
Gitta Mandelbaum: October 1, 1942, Theresienstadt; October 4, 1944, Auschwitz
Gerda Pisk: June 5, 1942, Izbica [Belzec]
Berta Plawes: October 5, 1942, Maly Trostinec
Susi Schwager: Sept. 24, 1942, Theresienstadt; October 4, 1944, Auschwitz
Ruth Sternlieb: October 23, 1941, Litzmannstadt (Lodz) [Chelmno, Auschwitz]
Selma Streigold: October 1, 1942, Theresienstadt; May 18, 1944, Auschwitz
Renee Tauber: May 27, 1942, Maly Trostinec
Else Traube: October 1, 1942, Theresienstadt; January 23, 1943, Auschwitz
Susanne Walter: June 9, 1942, Maly Trostinec
Ruth Weitzner: Dec. 12, 1941, Riga
Eva Wellisch: October 1, 1942, Theresienstadt; October 4, 1944, Auschwitz
Klara Zimet: April 27, 1942, Wlodawa [Sobibor]

The fates of the following student of Gertrude Winter are unknown:
Hilde Gerstl, Elisabeth (Lisl) Goldmann, Ruth Löwentag, Alize Nichtburg, Eva Piltschik, Anni Schwatz, and Franzi Winter

Physical Details

Language: German
Genre/Form: Photographs. School notebooks. Essays. Receipts. Letters. Drawings.
Extent: 12 folders
System of Arrangement: Series 1: Children’s work, circa 1939-1941
File 1: Essays, poems, and letters, circa 1939-1940
File 2: Essays and poems, circa 1941
File 3: Holidays, circa 1939
File 4: Letters, 1940-1941
File 5: Math and dictations, 1941
File 6: Student notebooks, 1939-1940 (2 folders)
File 7: Time and clocks, circa 1941

Series 2: Lesson plans, photographs, receipts, and other material, circa 1939-1941
File 1: Lesson plans and student lists, 1941
File 2: Photographs, circa 1939-1940
File 3: Receipts, circa 1939-1940
File 4: Other material, circa 1939-1941

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

Topical Term: Jewish children in the Holocaust--Austria--Vienna. Jewish teachers--Austria.
Geographic Name: Vienna (Austria)

Administrative Notes

Legal Status: Permanent Collection
Provenance: Acquired by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2016 and 2017.
Related Materials: Legacy Accession Number: 2016.526.1
Legacy Accession Number: 2016.527.1
Legacy Accession Number: 2017.332.1
Legacy Accession Number: 2017.681.1
Legacy Accession Number: 2017.682.1
Primary Number: 2016.526.13

Record last modified:: 2024-09-05 09:27:29
This page:: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn755005

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Also in Gertrude Winter collection

Gertrude Winter collection of drawings, documents, notebooks, correspondence. Gertrude Winter was born on February 28, 1905. She was a first-and second grade teacher for girls at the "Volksschule der Israelitischen Kultusgemeinde Wien," which was located in the Castellezgasse in Vienna. The school was closed in the summer of 1941. The content of the collection includes drawings, poems and essays. There are also nine notebooks with between 22-48 pages of writing. In addition there are 11 photographs of the students and teacher. Altogether 35 of the children can be identified by their names. One known survivor, Herta Griffel, escaped to the United States in November, 1940. Another known survivor, Ruth Weiner, left Vienna on a Kindertransport. A third, Dorit Deutsch, is also believed to have survived. Twenty seven of the children were deported between February 12, 1941 and October 9, 1942. Gertrude Winter was deported a short time before her last students and was killed in Auschwitz in October 1944.

Drawing of a house and people created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Drawing of a house and people, believed to be a representation of Hansel and Gretel, created by Herta Griffel when she was a student at the Volksschule der Israelitschen Kultusgemeinde Wien between 1939 and 1941, when the school was closed.

Drawing of a winter scene created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Drawing of a winter scene created by Herta Griffel when she was a student at the Volksschule der Israelitschen Kultusgemeinde Wien between 1939 and 1941, when the school was closed.

Drawing of flowers created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Drawing of flowers created by Herta Griffel when she was a student at the Volksschule der Israelitschen Kultusgemeinde Wien between 1939 and 1941, when the school was closed.

Drawing of two skiers created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Drawing of two skiers created by Herta Griffel when she was a student at the Volksschule der Israelitschen Kultusgemeinde Wien between 1939 and 1941, when the school was closed.

Drawing of a windmill created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Drawing of a windmill created by Herta Griffel when she was a student at the Volksschule der Israelitschen Kultusgemeinde Wien between 1939 and 1941, when the school was closed.

Drawing of butterflies created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Drawing of butterflies created by Herta Griffel when she was a student at the Volksschule der Israelitschen Kultusgemeinde Wien between 1939 and 1941, when the school was closed.

Drawing of a bird created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Drawing created by Herta Griffel when she was a student at the Volksschule der Israelitschen Kultusgemeinde Wien between 1939 and 1941, when the school was closed.

Drawing of birds and butterflies created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Crayon and pencil drawing of birds and butterflies created by Herta Griffel when she was a student at the Volksschule der Israelitschen Kultusgemeinde Wien between 1939 and 1941, when the school was closed.

Drawing of a girl created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Crayon and pencil drawing created by Herta Griffel when she was a student at the Volksschule der Israelitschen Kultusgemeinde Wien between 1939 and 1941, when the school was closed.

Drawing of a bicycle created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Pencil drawing of a bicycle created by Herta Griffel when she was a student at the Volksschule der Israelitschen Kultusgemeinde Wien between 1939 and 1941, when the school was closed.

Drawing created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Drawing created by Herta Griffel when she was a student at the Volksschule der Israelitschen Kultusgemeinde Wien between 1939 and 1941, when the school was closed.

Drawing of flowers in a park created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Crayon drawing of flowers in the Prater, a public park in Vienna. The drawing is by Klara Zimet, a student of Gertrude Winter. The drawing is dated 9 June 1939.

Drawing of a tree created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Crayon drawing, possibly of a Christmas tree, by Ilse Breuer, a student of Gertrude Winter.

Drawing of a house and cookware created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Crayon drawing by Klara Zimet, a student of Gertrude Winter. The drawing depicts the interior and exterior of a house, together with drawings of kitchen implements such as a pot and a knife. The drawing is dated 19 January 1939.

Drawing of flowers entitled "Ausflug" (Excursion) created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Crayon drawing of flowers by Klara Zimet, a student of Gertrude Winter. The drawing is titled "Ausflug" (Excursion), and is dated 26 May 1939.

Drawing of a skier, trees, and birds created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Unsigned crayon and pencil drawing by a student of Gertrude Winter. The drawing depicts a skier along with trees and birds along a ski slope.

Fragment of a drawing created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Fragmentary piece of paper, possibly torn from the bottom of a drawing. The pencil writing on the paper is "Mama Schaumama Schneel el Feinhaha." Red writing in ink underneath identifies the author of the writing as Klara Zimet.

Drawing of windows and doors created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Crayon and pencil drawing of windows and doors, by Klara Zimet, a student of Gertrude Winter.

Drawing of animals and examples of the letter "A" created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Crayon and pencil drawing of animals and multiple examples of the letter "A", by Klara Zimet, a student of Gertrude Winter.

Double-sided drawing of a house interior and cookware created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Crayon and pencil drawing of the interior rooms of a house as well as kitchen implements, by Klara Zimet, a student of Gertrude Winter. The drawing is dated 31 January 1939.

Double-sided drawing of people, a house and a cat created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Drawing by a student named Ritta in Gertrude Winter's class. The drawing depicts three people, a house, and a cat. The back of the paper includes a pencil sketch of a cat.

Drawing of windows, flowers and teacups created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Pencil drawing by Klara Zimet, a student of Gertrude Winter. The drawing depicts objects including windows, flowers and teacups.

Drawing of two people by a table created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Crayon and pencil drawing of two people standing by a dining room table. The drawing is by Anni Schwarz, a student of Gertrude Winter.

Drawing of a house with trees, grass, a bird, and person created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Unsigned drawing by a student of Gertrude Winter. The pencil and crayon drawing depicts a house, with trees, grass, a bird and a person alongside the house.

Drawing of a house with trees and person created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Crayon and pencil drawing by a student of Gertrude Winter named Helene. The drawing depicts a house with a tree on each side as well as a person to one side.

Drawing of two people in a store created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Pencil drawing by Erika Bloch, a student of Gertrude Winter. The drawing depicts two individuals in a retail establishment or other interior space.

Paper with sketches, writing and arithmetic exercises created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Sheet of paper with sketches as well as writing and arithmetic exercises, by Klara Zimet, a student of Gertrude Winter. One side of the paper includes addition equations and examples of the number "6", and the other side includes writing exercises and additional sketches.

Drawing of a table and chairs created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Pencil and crayon drawing of a table and chairs by Mirjam, a student of Gertrude Winter.

Double-sided drawings of a house, clock and market scene created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Several drawings in crayon and pencil on both sides of a piece of paper, by Klara Zimet, a student of Gertrude Winter. The drawings include a house interior and exterior, a clock, and a market scene.

Drawing of ducks and birds on the grounds of Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Crayon drawing of an outdoor scene, including a number of ducks or other birds in the grounds of Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna. The drawing is by Klara Zimet, a student of Gertrude Winter, and is dated 16 June 1939.

Drawing of a grocery store with a list of food items created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Crayon and pencil drawing of a food store named Kaufmann. Unsigned; created by one of Gertrude Winter's students. The drawing includes a list of common food items such as "zucker", "Kaffee" and "Brot" as well as a depiction of customers waiting in line.

Paper collage depicting grass, sky, and a tree created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Collage depicting grass, sky and a tree; created by Klara Zimet, one of Gertrude Winter's students. The collage, which is dated 23 June 1939, is made with pieces of glossy green, blue and brown paper adhered to a larger piece of paper.

Drawing of a house and front yard

Object

Crayon and pencil drawing by a student of Gertrude Winter. The drawing depicts a house with a tree and wooden picket fence on one side as well as a child pulling a wagon. The name "Olga" is written above the door to the house.

Drawing of cleaning items entitled "Putztag" (Cleaning Day) created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Crayon and pencil drawing depicting cleaning implements such as a dustpan and brush. The drawing is titled "Putztag" (Cleaning Day) and was created by Susi Schwager, one of Gertrude Winter's students.

Drawing of cleaning items entitled "Putztag" (Cleaning Day) created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Crayon and pencil drawing depicting cleaning implements such as a dustpan and brush. The drawing is titled "Putztag" (Cleaning Day) and was created by Elisabeth Backer, one of Gertrude Winter's students.

Drawing of cleaning items entitled "Putztag" (Cleaning Day) created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Crayon and pencil drawing depicting cleaning implements such as a dustpan and brush. The drawing is titled "Putztag" (Cleaning Day) and was created by Mirjam, one of Gertrude Winter's students.

Drawing of cleaning items entitled "Putztag" (Cleaning Day) created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Crayon and pencil drawing depicting cleaning implements such as a dustpan and brush. The drawing is titled "Putztag" (Cleaning Day) and was created by Ruth Lowentag, one of Gertrude Winter's students.

Drawing of cleaning items entitled "Putztag" (Cleaning Day) created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Crayon and pencil drawing depicting cleaning implements such as a dustpan and brush. The drawing is titled "Putztag" (Cleaning Day) and was created by Ruth Weitzner, one of Gertrude Winter's students.

Drawing depicting Dornroschen, or Sleeping Beauty, created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Pencil, colored pencil and crayon drawing depicting Dornroschen, or Sleeping Beauty, asleep in a chair surrounded by roses. The drawing was created by Evi Piltschik, one of Gertrude Winter's students.

Drawing of people and a house with a fenced yard, trees and birds created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Pencil, colored pencil and crayon drawing depicting people in and around a house and fenced yard with trees and birds. The drawing was created by Evi Piltschik, one of Gertrude Winter's students.

Drawing of a girl in a dress with three geese created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Pencil, colored pencil and crayon drawing of a girl in traditional dress leading three geese.

Paper collage depicting a person standing next to a flowering tree created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Collage with glossy blue, green and orange paper adhered to a larger piece of paper. The collage depicts a person standing next to a tree or flower. The collage was created by Franzi Winter, a student of Gertrude Winter.

Paper collage depicting a person standing next to a house and a tree created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Collage with glossy paper of different colors, adhered to a larger piece of paper. The collage depicts a person standing next to a house, with a tree on the other side. The collage was created by Franzi Winter, a student of Gertrude Winter.

Paper collage depicting a table, Shabbat candles and a star of David created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Collage of a table with Shabbat candles, along with a star of David in the upper right corner. The collage, which is unsigned, was created by one of Gertrude Winter's students.

Drawing of a bird in a cage on a table created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Drawing depicting a table and chairs with a bird in a cage (Vogel im Kafig) on top of the table. The drawing is by Klara Zimet, a student of Gertrude Winter, and is dated 17 March 1939.

Drawing of a menorah created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Drawing depicting a menorah, by a student of Gertrude Winter. The opposite side of a blank form titled "Rechnung" from Neugroschel & Sohne in Vienna was used.

Drawing of a table with a menorah and dreidel on top and a person seated at a chair created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Pencil and crayon drawing depicting a table with two chairs and a person seated on one of the chairs. There is a menorah and a dreidel on top of the table. The unsigned drawing is by a student of Gertrude Winter.

Drawing of a sukkah for the holiday of Sukkot created by a Jewish Austrian child

Object

Pencil and crayon drawing depicting a building, possibly a sukkah built for the holiday of Sukkot. The drawing is by Gerda, a student of Gertrude Winter.