Bartfeld family papers

Karl (later Charles) Bartfeld was born on September 26,1921 in Vienna, Austria, to Max and Irene (Epstein) Bartfeld. Max (b. March 6, 1886) worked with his father; together they owned "Hermann Bartfeld und Sohn," which manufactured prize-winning butter, cheese, and other dairy products. On March 17, 1915, Max married Irene Epstein (b. February 9, 1895) who was originally from Doloplas, Czechoslovakia. The couple had three children: Rosa (later Ruth), Karl, and Robert. Karl attended the Handelsakademie, a private school in Vienna in which the children learned business acumen. In the fall of 1938, he was expelled from school. Rosa escaped to England to work as an au pair. Fearful for his family, Max purchased Palestine certificates. Karl left for Palestine in September 1938 on a small Yugoslav ship. He lived in a small agricultural religious community before moving to Tel Aviv. On Kristallnacht, Max was arrested, but instead of being sent to Dachau, he was released when the Austrian policeman realized that Irene's family had given his family food during World War I. Max, Irene, and Robert were able to immigrate to Palestine in March 1939. Max opened a store on Allenby Street in Tel Aviv. Karl changed his name to Charles and served in the British Army during World War II, and later in the Israeli Army.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Charles Bartfeld

Dr. Charles Bartfeld donated this collection to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2014.