Sophie Billys collection
Extent and Medium
oversize boxes
2
Archival History
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Gene Edwards
Gene Edwards donated this collection to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum on Jan. 21, 2008.
Scope and Content
Consists of photograph albums, a memoir, newspaper clippings, and two reels of film related to the Holocaust experiences of Mrs. Sophie Billys, originally of Łódź, Poland. Mrs. Billys, with her husband Henryk and daughter Milanka, survived the war by posing as Polish Gentiles and assisted whomever they could to help them survive. Includes pre-war and post-war photographs, post-war certificates for Mrs. Billys' accomplishments, and two reels of film, one of a trip back to Poland and one of a family trip to Florida. Also includes Sophie's handwritten memoir, 50 pages, that describes the family's experiences, as well as wartime postcards, drivers licenses, and gasoline ration cards owned by Daniel Emerich, who assisted the family after the war when they arrived in the United States.
Subjects
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Personal narratives.
Genre
- Personal narratives.
- Photo albums.
- Document