Maximilian Landau collection

Identifier
irn29079
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 1999.211.1
Dates
1 Jan 1945 - 31 Dec 1949
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • English
  • Yiddish
  • Hebrew
  • German
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

box

1

Creator(s)

Biographical History

Maximilian Landau was born on October 4, 1904 in Minsk, Russia. He was the son of Edward Landau and Gustawa Kraushar Landau. Maximilian, who was an engineer, married Felicia Gurewicz and their daughter Irene was born in Warsaw in 1930. In 1940 the family was forced into the Warsaw ghetto, where they worked for the Többens workshops sewing German military uniforms. In April 1943, during the Warsaw ghetto uprising, Maximilian, Felicia, and Irene escaped the ghetto and spent the next fifteen months on the Aryan side of Warsaw using false papers for the name Lewandowski. Maximilian’s mother, Gustawa, committed suicide in the ghetto. After the suppression of the Warsaw uprising in August 1944, the Landaus, along with all of Warsaw population, were evacuated from the city. Maximilian and his family were sent to Germany. Maximilian worked as an interpreter in a small labor camp for Polish prisoners in Moers. The United States 6th Army liberated them and Maximilian became a liaison officer for Displaced Persons, searching for Jewish survivors. The family settled in Foehrenwald DP camp where Maximilian became involved in governing of the camp, especially in organizing Maccabi sport activities. In 1949 they immigrated to the United States. Felicia Landau died in 1991 and Maximilian Landau died in 1995.

Archival History

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Acquisition

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Irene Kane

Irene Kane donated the collectiona to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1999.

Scope and Content

Consists of 323 photographs and 17 documents relating to Maximilian Landau and his work in the Föhrenwald displaced persons camp, Germany. Relates in part to the development of sports activities in the camp and includes photographs by George Kadish.

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.