Sara Zayer papers

Identifier
irn601925
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 1995.A.0286.1
Dates
1 Jan 1933 - 31 Dec 1949
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • Russian
  • Polish
  • Yiddish
  • Hebrew
  • English
  • French
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

box

1

Creator(s)

Biographical History

Sara Mstibowski Zayer (1898-1982) was born in the city of Bialystok, Poland. She would grow up to marry Mojzesja Zazujer, and live together in Warsaw, Poland. In 1939, she received a travel visa to the United States to live with her brother, Jacob Mast, in New York City. In August of 1939, Sara arrived in New York aboard the M.S. Batory sailing out of Gdynia, Poland, and changed her last name to Zayer. While living in New York, she kept in contact with her husband, who was later transported to the Łódź ghetto, and eventually taken to Auschwitz, where he was killed. Sara (addressed as Sonia in her correspondence) also kept in touch with other family members and friends, including: her brothers Solomon and Isaac Mstibowski; her uncle and aunt Solomon and Dora Gottleib; and their daughter Fira Kozlowski. Samuel Klembocki was another major correspondent, who married Fira’s sister Rose. Some letters come from friends from Sara’s town of Bialystok, such as Genja Shiliner, while others relations are unknown. Sara gained citizenship and continued living in the United States until her death in 1982.

Archival History

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Acquisition

Funding Note: The cataloging of this collection has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.

The Sara Zayer papers were donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1994 by her nephew Stanley Mast and his wife Amy.

Scope and Content

The Sara Zayer papers contain the correspondence of Sara Zayer, a Polish woman who immigrated to the United States in 1939 to live with her brother. Her husband was transported from Warsaw to the Łódź ghetto, and later was killed at Auschwitz. Contained in the letters are primarily Russian and Polish correspondence with her husband, family members, and friends. The bulk of the Sara Zayer papers contain correspondence between Sara and various family members and friends. The letters are primarily in Russian and Polish, and contain a variety of topics but mainly discuss the status of family members. Aside from the individuals mentioned in the biographical note, relations could not be established between the correspondent and Sara Zayer. Other items in the collection include the boarding pass for the M.S. Batory, as well as two photograph books and papers from La Colonie Scolaire.

System of Arrangement

The Sara Zayer papers are arranged into two series: •Series 1: Correspondence, 1937-1949 •Series 2: Passenger tickets and other items, 1933-1945

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.