Carl Atkin papers

Carl Atkin (1903-1976) was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Russian immigrants and had an older brother, Jacob (b. 1898- ?). He attended New York City public schools, graduating in 1922. Shortly thereafter, he married Frances Ruthenberg (1904-1969) and had two children. In his early career, Carl worked as a house painter, a newspaper reporter for the Standard News Association, and a publicity manager for the Coney Island Publicity Bureau. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the United States declared war on Japan and by December 11, Nazi Germany declared war on the United States. When Carl registered for selective service in February 1942 he was working for the Office of Emergency Management in Washington, D.C. He was not chosen to join the fighting, and instead worked as a property and supply officer for the U.S. Treasury Department’s San Francisco and Los Angeles offices. In the spring of 1945, Carl applied for a post with the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA), an international humanitarian organization established to help countries left economically devastated and the people displaced during World War II. The organization was established in November 1943, and began administering displaced persons (DP) camps in the Middle East in May 1944. After the war ended in May 1945, the UNRRA assumed management of the DP assembly centers and camps in the French, British, and U.S. Zones in Germany and helped to repatriate millions of people. Carl joined the UNRRA and reported for training in Washington, D.C. on April 12, 1945. Leaving his family behind, Carl arrived in England on June 1 and continued on to a U.N. staging area in Heidelberg, Germany. On August 23, he led UNRRA Team 55 to Deggendorf, a former concentration camp turned displaced persons camp, in the American-occupied zone of Germany. When Carl’s team took over Deggendorf was largely populated by former inmates of Theresienstadt ghetto-labor camp and was poorly managed with overcrowding, poor living conditions and sanitation, as well as a lack of food and clothing. As camp director, Carl’s top priorities became stabilizing the food supply and securing housing facilities. He addressed the issue of overcrowding by reducing the number of refugees allowed in the camp. He also fostered the democratic election of a committee and self-administration within the camp. He improved physical infrastructure by providing new technical equipment such as central heating and water heaters, created a new large bathhouse, repaired sanitary systems, and generally enhanced dwelling conditions. Under his direction the camp opened a canteen to purchase items, introduced a currency with which to buy said products, and set up a banking system. Carl and his team also fostered cultural life with lectures, concerts, performances, and the creation of a community newspaper, in which he wrote a weekly column titled “Community Spirit.” Praised for his leadership, improvement of living conditions, and boosting of morale at Deggendorf, he left his directorship in December 1945 for an appointment as the UNRRA’s Coordinator of Jewish Affairs. Prior to his departure from Deggendorf, the Jewish Community gifted him a memory book reflecting on the progress made during his brief tenure and praising him for his advocacy and efforts on the community’s behalf. They threw him a farewell party in combination with a wedding celebration, where he served as best man. In his new role Carl traveled to numerous DP camps consulting on many of the improvements he had encouraged at Deggendorf including, the introduction of self-governments, monetary systems, and educational facilities. In March 1946, he returned to the U.S. and joined his family in Los Angeles and continued to work for UNRRA. By then, most liberated countries had functioning governments once again, and on July 2, 1947 the UNRRA ended operations. Carl transitioned into sales and advertising, as well as financial management for a nightclub that he co-owned. In 1951, he returned to his Jewish assistance efforts, joining the American Financial and Development Corporation for Israel, which had been established in 1950 and was headquartered in Los Angeles, to help raise funds for the devastated Israeli economy following the country’s War of Independence (1947-1949). In May 1951, Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, visited LA for the inauguration of the State of Israel Bond Issue. In 1952, Carl transitioned into aerospace production management and documentation. In 1969, Carl’s wife, Frances died. In 1972, he married Edith J. Katz (nee Forman, 1912-1999) and became stepfather to her son, Richard (b. around 1936).

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Richard Katz

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

Richard Katz donated his stepfather's collection to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum on April 30, 2007 with the assistance of Sharon Kohn.