Stern and Pächter family papers

Wilhelmina “Mina” Pächter (née Stein, 1873-1944) was born in Hluboká nad Vltavou, Czechoslovakia (currently Czech Republic). Mina married Adolf Pächter (1846-1915) in 1900 and they had two children, Heinz (1904-1965) and Anny (later Anna, 1907-1995) as well as six children from Adolf’s two previous marriages. They lived in Děčín where Adolf owned a button factory. After Adolf’s death in 1915, Mina became and art dealer to support the family. In 1930, Anny married Georg (later George) Stern and they had a son, David (b. 1931). Heinz married Kaethe Dorothea and they moved to Israel. After the German invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1938, Mina, Anny, and David fled to Prague. Georg was in the Czech army and joined them later that year. As the situation became worse, Georg and three of his brothers fled to Palestine. In 1939, Anny and David secured the proper paperwork and left for Palestine to reunite with Georg. Anny became involved in helping Jews emigration to Palestine by working as an officer for the Palestine Emigration Office. They immigrated to the United States around 1960. Mina and other family members stayed in Prague and were sent to Theresienstadt in 1942. Mina became very sick and died in 1944. During her imprisonment, Mina wrote poems and kept cookbooks of her own recipes as well as recipes she gathered from others in the camp.

Wilhelmina “Mina” Pächter (née Stein, 1873-1944) was born in Hluboká nad Vltavou, Czechoslovakia (currently Czech Republic). Mina married Adolf Pächter (1846-1915) in 1900 and they had two children, Heinz (1904-1965) and Anny (later Anna, 1907-1995) as well as six children from Adolf’s two previous marriages. They lived in Děčín where Adolf owned a button factory. After Adolf’s death in 1915, Mina became and art dealer to support the family. In 1930, Anny married Georg (later George) Stern and they had a son, David (b. 1931). Heinz married Kaethe Dorothea and they moved to Israel. After the German invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1938, Mina, Anny, and David fled to Prague. Georg was in the Czech army and joined them later that year. As the situation became worse, Georg and three of his brothers fled to Palestine. In 1939, Anny and David secured the proper paperwork and left for Palestine to reunite with Georg. Anny became involved in helping Jews emigration to Palestine by working as an officer for the Palestine Emigration Office. They immigrated to the United States around 1960. Mina and other family members stayed in Prague and were sent to Theresienstadt in 1942. Mina became very sick and died in 1944. During her imprisonment, Mina wrote poems and kept cookbooks of her own recipes as well as recipes she gathered from others in the camp.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Susan Roubicek and David Stern

Funding Note: The accessibility of this collection was made possible by the generous donors to our crowdfunded Save Their Stories campaign.

David Stern, Mina’s grandson, and Susan Roubicek, niece of Anna Ermes who was imprisoned with Mina, donated the Stern and Pächter family papers to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1992, 1993, 1996, and 2016. The accessions previously numbered 1994.A.0016, 1996.109, 1996.A.0423, and 2016.213.1 have been incorporated into this collection.