Brown Vulcan fiber suitcase inscribed and used by a German Jewish couple
- Date
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use:
approximately 1942-1945 May
- Geography
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use:
Hamburg (Germany)
- Language
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German
- Classification
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Containers
- Category
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Luggage
- Object Type
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Suitcases (aat)
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Abraham Levi
Vulcan fiber suitcase used by Mathilde and Adolf Daniel de Beer when they left Oldenburg, Germany, for Hamburg in the late 1930s where they lived for the duration of the war. Adolf was president of the synagogue in Oldenburg and operated a large commercial laundry with branches outside the city. In January 1933, Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany and instituted government policies to persecute Jews. People were encouraged to boycott Jewish businesses and, in August 1936, Adolf closed his stores. The synagogue was destroyed during Kristallnacht, November 9-10, 1938. Mathilde had converted to Judaism prior to their marriage and was issued the identification card of a non-Jew. They left Oldenburg and moved to Hamburg where Mathilde had family. Adolf lived in hiding and Mathilde kept them fed and housed throughout the war, during which Hamburg was destroyed by Allied bombing. After the war ended in early May 1945, the couple returned to Oldenburg. Most of their family members perished during the Holocaust.
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Record last modified: 2022-07-28 18:29:29
This page: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn86629
Also in Abraham Levi family collection
The collection consists of a Star of David badge, a suitcase, correspondence, documents, and photographs relating to the experiences of Adolf and Mathilde de Beer and their extended family group, the de Levie, Levy, and Seligmann families, originally of Oldenburg, Germany, before, during, and after the Holocaust.
Date: 1927-1996
Abraham Levi papers
Document
Consists of photographs, documents, correspondence, identity cards, restitution documents, and clippings related to members of the de Levie, Levy, de Beer, and Seligmann families, originally of Oldenburg, Germany. Includes photographs taken of men being arrested on Kristallnacht; documentation from family members who were able to emigrate to Palestine and to Montevideo, Uruguay; wartime correspondence including a postcard sent from Auschwitz-Birkenau and correspondence from a German POW (prisoner of war) camp; and documents related to the Holocaust in Oldenburg.
Star of David badge imprinted with Jude worn by a German Jewish man
Object
Star of David badge worn by Adolf Daniel de Beer in Oldenburg, Germany. Adolf was president of the synagogue in Oldenburg and operated a large laundry with branches outside the city. In January 1933, Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany and instituted government policies to persecute Jews. People were encouraged to boycott Jewish businesses and, in August 1936, Adolf closed his stores. The synagogue was destroyed during Kristallnacht, November 9-10, 1938. Adolf's wife, Mathilde, had converted to Judaism prior to their marriage and was issued the identification card of a non-Jew. They left Oldenburg and moved to Hamburg where Mathilde had family. Adolf lived in hiding and Mathilde kept them fed and housed throughout the war, during which Hamburg was destroyed by Allied bombing. After the war ended in early May 1945, the couple returned to Oldenburg. Most of their family members perished during the Holocaust.
