Goldmann family papers

Kurt Goldmann (1921-2003) was born in Eschwege, Germany on September 8, 1921 to Paul (1883-1958) and Hedwig “Hede” (née Baum, 1892-1959) Goldmann. Paul was the son of Philipp (1845-1933) and Franziska (née, Levy, 1862-1891) Goldmann. Paul was the proprietor of the family business, named for his grandfather Jacob Goldmann (1807-1887), which was established in Eschwege in 1880, though the first family store dates back to the 1600s. After the boycott of Jewish businesses, some customers continued to shop at the store, but the family was eventually forced to sell. In 1937, Eli Messerschmidt, a man whom Paul had a good relationship with, purchased the store. The sale was for a very diminished price, and Eli Messerschmidt paid the Goldmann family additional money after the war. Around the same time, Paul and Hede decided to leave Germany. Two of Hede’s sisters, Gusti Baum (later Meyer) and Nellie Baum (later Scheurenberg), already immigrated to the United States. As they prepared to leave, Kurt was enrolled at several schools including Stadtische Technische Lehranstalt in Bodenbach where he met Walter “Mike” Michael and became close friends. Late in the summer of 1938, with fears of the annexation of Sudetenland, Kurt and Mike left for Prague. After attempts to go to Amsterdam and Sweden, they were told by the Finnish consulate that they did not need a visa, but could stay on a permit for three months. They secured flights to Helsinki, with a stop in Poland. Kurt and Mike left Poland in September 1938. Once in Finland, Kurt went to the American consulate in Helsinki and learned that he needed an affidavit to obtain a visa to the United States. With the support of his aunts, Kurt obtained a visa in January 1939. He took a train to Stockholm, then Gothenburg, and sailed aboard the SS Gripsholm, arriving in New York on January 30, 1939. Paul and Hede also applied for visas and received a quota number at the consulate in Stuttgart, but the wait list was long. After Kristallnacht, Paul was arrested and taken to Buchenwald. He remained in Buchenwald for a month before being released and allowed to return home. Paul and Hede left for England in August 1939 to await their visas and in October 1943 they arrived in New York. After his arrival in New York, Kurt contacted the International Student Service and received a scholarship to the Pennsylvania State University. Kurt enlisted in the military in 1942 and served in the Army Air Force overseas as a staff sergeant. While in the military Kurt submitted his Petition of Naturalization in 1943. He briefly changed his name to Godann, which is reflected on his Certificate of Naturalization. After the war, Kurt was reunited with his parents. He enrolled in MIT and received a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering. Paul’s sister, Edith Doernberg, and her daughter did not survive and Kurt’s cousin, Richard Goldmann, was killed in a concentration camp. Two of Kurt’s older cousins, Alfred and Edgar Weil, sons of Paul Goldmann’s sister Hedwig and her husband Edward, immigrated to South Africa. Kurt married Gladys Henigson Gilder (1930-2016) in 1955 and had three children: Nancy Edith Goldmann Peller (b. 1957); Richard Paul Goldmann (b. 1958) and Hilary Goldmann (b. 1964).

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Richard Goldmann, Nancy Goldmann Peller, and Hilary Goldmann

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Richard Goldmann, Nancy Goldmann Peller, and Hilary Goldmann

Richard Goldmann, Nancy Goldmann Peller, and Hilary Goldmann, the children of Kurt Goldmann, donated the Goldmann family papers to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2018. The collections previously numbered 2018.660.1 and 2018.639.1 have been incorporated into this collection.