Lichtenberg and Stein families papers

Identifier
irn96187
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 2014.408.1
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • German
  • English
  • Dutch
  • Hebrew
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

box

oversize folders

book enclosures

1

2

2

Creator(s)

Biographical History

Irmgard Stein (Irma, later Lichtenberg, b. 1920) was born to Max (1871-1944, born in Arolsen, Germany) and Hedwig (Johanna, née Benjamin, 1883-1944, born in Frankfurt, Germany) Stein and had two brothers, Siegfried (Fred) and Benjamin (Benny, 1909-1944?). Irma immigrated to the United States in 1940. Siegfried also immigrated to the United States and served in the military. Benny was arrested in Hamburg on November 17, 1940 and sent to Paderborn, Germany as part of a Jewish Labour group. He was last recorded in Paderborn on March 1, 1943. Max and Hedwig (Johanna) were living in Cologne when they were deported on June 16, 1942 to Theresienstadt and again on September 19, 1942 to Treblinka, where they perished. Adolf Stein (b. 1908 in Frankfurt, Germany) was deported on January 29, 1943 to Auschwitz, where he perished. Irma married Hermann Lichtenberg in 1950 and they had a son, Walt Edward, and a daughter, Kathryn.

Gertrude Falk (later Lichtenberg, 1889-1967?) was born to Laura (née Dux, b. 1853) and Bernhard (born c.1839) Falk and had one brother, Edward. Gertrude married Alfred Lichtenberg (b. 1881) and had two children, Hermann (later Herman b. 1920) and Kathe (1913-1945). Hermann was dismissed from school shortly before graduating because he was Jewish. After Kristallnacht, the family fled Germany to the Netherlands. In 1939, Hermann and his parents were sponsored by a family member in the United States and immigrated to America through the Netherlands. Hermann enlisted in the United States Army and served as a surgical technician for four years. He went on to finish school and became a doctor. Kathe perished during the war.

Archival History

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Acquisition

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Kathryn Lichtenberg

Funding Note: The accessibility of this collection was made possible by the generous donors to our crowdfunded Save Their Stories campaign.

Donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2014 by Kathryn Lichtenberg.

Scope and Content

The Lichtenberg and Stein families papers include biographical material, correspondence, subject files, and photographs relating to the Lichtenberg and Stein families pre-war, wartime, and post-war experiences in Germany and the United States. Lichtenberg family papers include biographical material for Hermann Lichtenberg and Alfred Lichtenberg, wartime and post-war correspondence between family members, school records for Hermann, and immigration records for Alfred, Hermann and Kathe, Hermann’s sister, as well as family photographs. Stein family papers include biographical material for Siegfried Stein, school records for Irma Stein, and immigration records for Irma, Adolf, and Benjamin Stein as well as family photographs. The collection also includes family history and research. Biographical materials include Hermann Lichtenberg’s birth and vaccination certificates, University ID card, Reisepass (German passport), United States immigration card, and documents relating to his military service including a letter from his mother at the end of the war. This series also includes Alfred Lichtenberg’s Reisepass (German passport), a school notebook, and documents relating to taxes and restitution as well as selective service cards for Siegfried Stein. Correspondence consists mainly of wartime letters from Max, Hedwig, and Benjamin Stein to Irma Stein after she immigrated to the United State and before they were deported. The series also includes additional correspondence between the Stein family including Siegfried and Adolf, Irma’s cousin, as well as letters to the Stein family. Subject files include school records for Hermann including report cards, correspondence from Universities regarding admissions, an acceptance letter to Columbia University, and correspondence granting Hermann a leave of absence from school as well as a report card for Irma Stein. Immigration materials include an immunization certificate for Irma, work papers, correspondence from the American Consulate, a pamphlet from the U.S. Department of Labor, telegrams regarding obtaining affidavits, an affidavit for Adolf and Benny from Nate and Morris Stein, and an affidavit from Hermann for his sister, Kathe. The series also includes family history and research including photocopies of research, correspondence from the American Federation of Jews from Central Europe, Inc. regarding missing relatives, a list of former Jewish citizens from Hannover, excerpts from a newsletter attempting to identify people in photographs, and a booklet from the Memorial and Archive for the Bettina Schule listing students who were forced to leave school in 1933 because of anti-Semitic laws, including Irma Stein. This series also includes a memoir written by Laura Falk to her children, Gertrude and Edward, about their family history as well as a translation provided by a family member. Photographs includes original and copies of pre-war, wartime, and postwar photographs of the Falk family including Edward and Erna as well as photographs of the Lichtenberg family tombstones. This series also includes originals and copies of pre-war and wartime photographs of the Stein family including Siegfried, Irma, Max, Hedwig, Adolf, and Benjamin as well as photographs of family tombstones.

System of Arrangement

The Lichtenberg and Stein families papers are arranged as four series: Series 1: Biographical material, approximately 1901-1966 Series 2: Correspondence, approximately 1937-1992 Series 3: Subject files, approximately 1904-2001 Series 4: Photographs, approximately 1920s-1950s and undated.

People

Subjects

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.