The verso of a postcard sent by Gustav Straus to his wife and son in Essen while he was en route to Dachau, following his arrest on Kristallnacht.

Photograph | Photograph Number: 28663A

Date: 1938 November 18
Locale: Essen, [Prussian Rhineland] Germany
Variant Locale: [North Rhine-Westphalia]
Photo Designation: KRISTALLNACHT (GERMANY) -- Essen
Photo Credit: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of Henry Straus

Biography: Heinz (now Henry) Straus is the son of Gustav and Sofie Straus. He was born October 30, 1928 in Essen, Germany, where his father was a traveling salesman. Heinz, who was an only child, attended the Israelitische Volkschule, which he entered on April 1, 1935. He also was involved in many social activities at the local synagogue and youth center (Jugendheim). In October 1938 a number of his classmates, who were the children of Polish-born Jews, were expelled to the Polish frontier. Four weeks later Heinz witnessed the burning of the Essen synagogue and youth center during Kristallnacht. The next day, on November 10, 1938, his father was arrested and sent to Dachau. Following his release several weeks later, the family obtained American visas and departed for the U.S. on April 20, 1939.
Keyword: ARRESTS/CAPTURE
CORRESPONDENCE/MAIL
DACHAU
DOCUMENTS
JEWS (GERMAN)
KRISTALLNACHT
POSTCARDS
PRISONERS
Photo Source: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Copyright: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Provenance: Henry Straus
: Record last modified: 2004-02-05 00:00:00
This page: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/pa1094730

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