Helen Degen Cohen papers
Extent and Medium
folders
6
Archival History
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Laura Cohen
Donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2022 by Laura Cohen.
Scope and Content
Consists of postwar letters between the donor's mother, Helen Degen Cohen (formerly Halina Degenfisz, b. 1934) and Maria Szumska, who rescued Helen by hiding her in her home in Lida, Belarus (formerly Lida, White Russia) when Helen was seven years old after she and her parents, Blima and Josef Degen (formerly Degenfisz), were incarcerated in the Lida ghetto. Also includes photographs, other documents, and a booklet inscribed with Hebrew and Polish that was likely used in the Zeilsheim DP Camp in West Germany after Helen reunited with her parents, and before they immigrated to the United States.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Copyright Holder: Ms. Laura Cohen
Corporate Bodies
- Zeilsheim (Displaced persons camp)
Subjects
- Lida (Belarus)
Genre
- Document
- Photographs.
- Correspondence.