Oscar Reiss papers

Identifier
irn42287
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 2010.467.1
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • English
  • German
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

folder

1

Creator(s)

Biographical History

Oscar K. Reiss (1921-2019) was born Oskar Reiss on May 6, 1921 in Bad Dürkheim, Germany to Richard Reiss (b. 1890) and Irma Reiss (b. 1925, née Kullmann). He had one sister, Helene Reiss (b. 1926, later Helene Reiss Wincor), and one brother, Wolfgang Reiss (b. 1932). Oscar’s family moved to Munich, Germany in 1924. He immigrated to the United States in 1937 and briefly settled in Doylestown, Pennsylvania where he attended an agriculture school. His sister Helene immigrated to the United States around 1941. Oscar became a naturalized citizen in 1943 and was then drafted into the Army. He served overseas in France, and was in Nuremberg after the war. Oscar was discharged in 1947 and became a biochemist. He later moved to Colorado. Oscar learned after the war that his parents and brother were all deported to Riga on November 15, 1941 where they likely perished. His maternal grandparents perished at Theresienstadt.

Archival History

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Acquisition

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Oscar Reiss

Donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial in 2010 by Oscar Reiss.

Scope and Content

The collection documents the Holocaust-era experiences of Oscar K. Reiss, originally of Munich, Germany. Included are immigration paperwork, his German passport, United States Army records, and an affidavit related to his attempt to help his family in Germany immigrate to the United States. Also included are a small number of photographs which include depictions of Oscar’s mother Irma Reiss prior to the Holocaust, and Oscar in his U.S. Army uniform.

System of Arrangement

The collection is arranged as a single file.

People

Corporate Bodies

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.