Pisker, Fischer, and Altstädter families papers
Extent and Medium
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Creator(s)
- Alfred Fischer
- Vladimir Altstädter
- Pisker family
Biographical History
Elvira Pisker (later Elvira Fischer and Elvira Altstädter, 1916-1987) was born on 16 April 1916 in Vrginmost, Yugoslavia (now Gvozd, Croatia) to Leo (d. 1944) and Helena (née Hochstater, referred to as Lina) Pisker. She had one sister, Lili (1909-1976), and three brothers, Vilko, Hinko (d. 1941), and Oskar. Leo was a wealthy merchant and owned a soap factory. Elvira’s father and brothers Hinko and Oskar perished during the Holocaust.Elvira and Alfred Fischer married in Zagreb, Yugoslavia (now Zagreb, Croatia) in 1936. Their son Boris (later Boris Altshtater) was born on 25 May 1938. Before the Axis invasion of Yugoslavia, they owned an orthopedic prosthetic shop in Zagreb. In 1941, Alfred faced persecution by the Ustaše and was subsequently deported to the Stara Gradiška subcamp of the Jasenovac concentration camp where he perished in 1943. After he was deported, Elvira, Boris, and members of the Pisker and Fischer families fled to Crikvenica, Croatia. In 1942, they were deported to the Kraljevica and Rab concentration camps. The camps were liberated by Yugoslav Partisans in 1943. After the camp was liberated, Elvira and Boris survived with the partisans in forests until the end of the war. After the liberation of Rab, Elvira met Vladimir Altstädter, whom she would later marry in 1948. In 1949 Elvira, Vladimir, and Boris immigrated to Israel. They returned to Yugoslavia in 1954. Boris moved back to Israel in 1957.
Alfred Fischer (1910-1943) was born on 20 July 1910 in Kutnjak, Yugoslavia (now Kutnjak, Croatia) to Ljudevit and Milka (née Veiss) Fischer. He had two brothers, Hugo and Pavle, and one sister, Ella (Ella Novac). All of Alfred’s siblings survived the Holocaust.
Vladimir Altstädter (1911-1984) was born on 23 September 1911 in Virovitica, Yugoslavia (now Virovitica, Croatia) to Julius and Slava (née Weiss) Altstädter. He had at least one sister, Anica (Anica Lukic). His mother perished during the war.
Archival History
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Boris and Louise Altshtater
Donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2014 by Boris and Louise Altshtater.
Scope and Content
The collection documents the Holocaust-era experiences of the Pisker, Fischer, and Altstädter families in Yugoslavia. Biographical materials include marriage certificates, two postcards from Alfred Fischer to his wife Elvira Fischer Pisker written while he was imprisoned at the the Stara Gradiška subcamp of the Jasenovac concentration camp, and written testimony from Elvira describing her wartime experiences. The photographs include pre-war family photographs primarily of the Pisker family; the Pisker and Fischer families in Italian-occupied Crikvenica, Croatia; Elvira Pisker’s weddings to Alfred Fischer in 1936 and Vladimir Altstädter in 1948; Vladimir Altstädter in Yugoslav Partisan uniform; and the Pisker and Fischer families in the Kraljevica and Rab concentration camps.
System of Arrangement
The collection is arranged as two series: Series 1: Biographical materials, 1937-1987 Series 2: Photographs, 1919-1948
People
- Fischer, Alfred, 1910-1943.
- Altstädter, Vladimir, 1911-1984.
- Altshtater, Boris, 1938-
- Pisker, Elvira, 1916-1987.
Corporate Bodies
- Kraljevica (Concentration camp)
- Stara Gradiška (Concentration camp)
- Kampor--Rab (Concentration camp)
Subjects
- Zagreb (Croatia)
- World War, 1939-1945--Underground movements--Croatia.
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Children.
- Holocaust survivors--Croatia.
- Holocaust Jewish (1939-1945)--Croatia--History.
- Crikvenica (Croatia)
Genre
- Photographs.
- Document