Rita Sands papers

Identifier
irn516205
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 1993.76
Dates
1 Jan 1941 - 31 Dec 1945
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • French
  • German
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

folder

1

Creator(s)

Biographical History

Rita Dienstag (later Rita Sands) lived with her family in Vienna, Austria, before World War II. In 1938 her family fled to Belgium where they lived for two years. They then moved to France where they were placed in Argelès-sur-Mer and Rivesaltes internment camps. Rita's parents, Jacob and Gusta Dienstag, were transported to Auschwitz where they perished. Rita survived by hiding in various locations in France. After the war, she met and married Max Sands, a fellow Holocaust survivor, and they immigrated to the United States in 1952.

Archival History

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Acquisition

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Rita Sands

The papers were donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum by Rita Sands in 1993.

Scope and Content

The papers consist mostly of letters written to Rita Dienstag (later Rita Sands), alias "Renee" while in hiding, by her parents from hiding places and internment camps in France. One of the letters was tossed by Rita's mother, Gusta Zwikel Dienstag, from a cattle car en route to Auschwitz in 1942.

People

Subjects

Genre

This description is derived directly from structured data provided to EHRI by a partner institution. This collection holding institution considers this description as an accurate reflection of the archival holdings to which it refers at the moment of data transfer.