Gerstle and Levi family collection

Identifier
irn518289
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 2006.143
Dates
1 Jan 1941 - 31 Dec 1982
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • German
  • English
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

folder

1

Creator(s)

Biographical History

Sofie Gerstle (née Schwarz, 1871-1944) was married to Nathan Gerstle, who worked as a horse dealer. They had two sons: David (b. 1894) and Gustav (1897-1941). Sofie and Nathan raised their sons in Ichenhausen, Germany. During the Holocaust Sofie and Gustav attempted to emigrate from Stuttgart, Germany with the aid of relatives in the United States but were unsuccessful. Sofie was deported Theresienstadt in 1942 and then Auschwitz where she perished in 1944. Gustav was deported to Kaunas, Lithuania in November 1941 where he was killed.

Archival History

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Acquisition

Dr. Gerard Levi donated his family's collection to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum on May 23, 2006.

Scope and Content

The collection primarily consists of letters and documents regarding attempts to assist Sofie Gerstle and her son Gustav Gerstle emigrate from Stuttgart, Germany to the United States via Cuba in 1941. Also included is paperwork regarding Oskar Gerstle’s emigration from Munich, Germany to the United States, and Julius Gerstle’s application for citizenship. Includes correspondence with the State Department's Visa Division and details about the family's arrangements to secure ship tickets. Although Sophie and Gustav successfully gathered all the necessary paperwork to immigrate, the American consulate in Munich had closed before they were able to successfully leave Germany; both perished in the Holocaust. Also includes restitution paperwork and documents regarding the Levi family (Sofi's daughter Emma married Oscar Levi before the war), and a copy of the Gerstle/Levi family tree.

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.