Evelyn Klein Altman papers

Identifier
irn42140
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 2010.336.1
Dates
1 Jan 1939 - 31 Dec 1939
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • German
  • Spanish
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

folder

oversize box

1

1

Creator(s)

Biographical History

Evelyn Klein Altman was born on June 12, 1930, near Vienna, Austria, to Maria Hermanda. Her mother later married Miklos (Nicolaus) Klein and she and Evelyn adopted his last name. By 1939, many Jews were seeking to escape countries and regions that, like Austria, were under the control of Nazi Germany, or, like Hungary, were close allies. In 1939, the Kleins acquired entry visas and landing permits for Havana, Cuba, and purchased tickets for the Hamburg-Amerika luxury liner, Ms. St. Louis. The family left Hamburg, Germany, for Havana aboard the ship on May 13, 1939. They reached Havana on May 27. The Kleins were among the 28 passengers, out of 937, whose landing permits for Cuba and visas for the United States were considered valid by the Cuban government. The ship, with the remaining passengers, nearly all Jewish refugees from Nazi controlled countries, was forced to return to Europe. The Kleins disembarked in Havana, where they stayed until 1941 when they left for the United States. Hermanda died in 1988. Evelyn married and had three children. She died in Denver, Colorado, age 71, on July 5, 2001.

Archival History

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Acquisition

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Don Altman

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

Don Altman donated the Evelyn Klein Altman papers to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2010.

Scope and Content

The Evelyn Klein Altman papers include three printed menus from the Hamburg America Line’s ship the MS St. Louis; a Cuban immigration card for Evelyn Klein, May 27, 1939; and a photograph album containing images of the Klein family and other passengers in Hamburg, Germany and aboard the MS St. Louis, 1939.

System of Arrangement

The Evelyn Klein Altman papers are arranged into two series. Series 1. Printed materials, 1939 Series 2. Photograph album, 1939

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.