Ernst Fink papers

Document | Digitized | Accession Number: 2023.128.1 | RG Number: RG-58.053

Overview

Description: The Ernst Fink papers document Fink’s successful organization and implementation of several Jewish refugee transports from Europe during the Holocaust. The collection features documentation related to various rescue activities, in particular refugee transports to Israel, including biographical material and photographs documenting the Jewish refugees; communication with various rescue organizations, including with “Übersee Wien” (a.k.a. “Ausschuss für jüdische Überseetransporte”); personal documents such as photographs of the Fink family from the 1940s; and a self-published biography from the 1970s.
Alternate Title: Einzelbestand Ernst Fink
Date: inclusive: 1919-1989
Collection Creator: Ernst Fink
Biography: Ernst Fink (1906-1907) was born in St. Gallen, Switzerland to Joseph Fink and Fanny Fink (born Gut). He married Elsa Bornstein on July 5, 1936. After completing studies in business, he opened specialist orthopedic stores in Zurich and Basel. He served in the military during World War II, performing 193 days of active service in the Zurich air raid battalion. He was involved in the organization and successful implementation of several Jewish refugee transports from Europe to Palestine (Israel), Australia, and the USA in the years 1938 to 1945. Among these is the Jewish refugee transport with the ship "Aghiazoni" (a.k.a. "Aghia Zoni", "Agia Zoni" or "Aghiazioni") in 1939. Beginning in 1948, Fink was a council member of the Jewish Community in Zurich [Israelitische Cultusgemeinde Zürich (ICZ)] where he was in charge of the "youth and religious studies" ("Jugend und Religionsunterricht") department. He was also a member of the Central Committee of the Swiss Jewish Community Alliance [Schweizerischer Israelitischer Gemeindebund (SIG)]. Fink died in Zurich, Switzerland on July 17, 1987.

Physical Details

Language: German Hebrew French English Hungarian Italian
Genre/Form: Memoirs. Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.) Correspondence. Photographs.
Extent: 37 digital files : PDF.
System of Arrangement: The Ernst Fink papers are arranged as two series and five subseries.
Series 1. Biography, 1919-1979
Series 2. Emigration campaign, Splügenstrasse 10, Zurich, 1936-1989
Subseries 1. Aghiazoni 1939, 1937-1939
Subseries 2. Relief operations, various (including Aghiazoni), 1939-1943
Subseries 3. Refugee dossiers (with questionnaire), 1936-1940
Subseries 4. Correspondence, 1939-1944
Subseries 5. Emigration campaign in review, circa 1950-1989

Rights & Restrictions

Conditions on Access: This material can only be accessed in a Museum reading room or other on-campus viewing stations. Users are required to complete a User Declaration in order to gain access to the collection.
Conditions on Use: No publication and copies of the records and finding aids to the 3rd party users without the written permission from the Archiv für Zeitgeschichte (AfZ). The Museum may not transfer the materials or duplicate records thereof or any of the finding aids to any third party, except as permitted in the Cooperation Contract, Article II paragraph 5 herein or as otherwise permitted in writing by the AfZ. The Museum may not publish the reproduction material or finding aid on the Internet, World Wide Web, or any publicly accessible on-line network without the written permission of the AfZ. Contact afz@history.gess.ethz.ch.
Copyright Holder: Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich. Archiv für Zeitgeschichte - Archivleitung