Max Eichhorn collection
Extent and Medium
box
oversize folders
1
2
Creator(s)
- David M. Eichhorn
Biographical History
Max Eichhorn (1906-1986) was born David Max Eichhorn on January 6, 1906 in Columbia, Pennsylvania to Joseph and Anna Eichhorn. He graduated from Hebrew Union College in 1931 and was ordained as a rabbi. In 1941, Eichhorn enlisted in the Army as a chaplain. He was stationed at Camp Croft in July 1942. He traveled aboard the Queen Mary with nine other American rabbis in June 1944 and served in combat units in France and Germany. He was among the troops that liberated Dachau and presided at the first Sabbath service at the liberated camp. After returning from the war in 1945, Eichhorn retained his active military status in the United States Army Reserve. He worked for the Committee on Army and Navy Religious Activities and served as president of the Association of Jewish Chaplains of the Armed Forces. He retired from the military with the rank of lieutenant colonel and served as Rabbi to Temple Israel in Florida. Eichhorn died on July 16, 1986.
Archival History
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of the Family of Rabbi David Max Eichhorn
Mark S. Zaid donated the Max Eichhorn papers to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2019 by on behalf of the family of Rabbi David Max Eichhorn.
Scope and Content
The Max Eichhorn papers include correspondence, photographs, subject files, and writings documenting Eichhorn’s World War II service as a Jewish chaplain. Eichhorn was one of the first Jewish chaplains to enter the Dachau concentration camp after liberation, and he led the first religious service in the camp. Correspondence includes letters between Max Eichhorn, his family, the families of servicemen, military authorities, and American Jewish organizations during World War II. Photographs depict Max Eichhorn in uniform and conducting religious services at Camp Croft and in the field in Europe during the war. Subject files include a calendar of Eichhorn’s official activities, his citation for the Bronze Star, and files documenting Eichhorn’s career before, during, and after the war. Writings include sermons and articles written and delivered by Eichhorn during and after World War II, including in the field in France and Germany and at the first religious service conducted at Dachau following its liberation.
System of Arrangement
The Max Eichhorn papers are arranged in four series: Series 1. Correspondence, 1943-1950 Series 2. Photographs, 1943-1946 Series 3. Subject files, 1939-1986 (bulk 1944-1950) Series 4. Writings, 1940-1961 (bulk 1940-1948)
Corporate Bodies
Subjects
- World War, 1939-1945--Chaplains--United States.
- Military chaplains--Judaism--Biography.
- World War, 1939-1945--Concentration camps--Liberation.
- Social service.
Genre
- Sermons.
- Registers.
- Document
- Letters.
- Photographs.