Alfred and Ellen Lewis papers

Alfred and Ellen Lewis papers 

Alfred Lewy (1908-1991) was born in Berlin to Moritz and Frieda Lewy. At the time of Hitler’s rise to power, Alfred owned a wholesale import/export business. Due to the rise of anti-Semitic laws, however, his business was taken from him, and Alfred looked for ways to leave the country. After failing to gain a visa to the United States and Paraguay, Alfred and his parents eventually obtained passage to Shanghai, China. They left on a Japanese ship out of Naples in April 1939, and arrived in May of the same year. While living in Shanghai, both Moritz and Frieda died. Alfred soon married Ellen Katz, who he met in the Shanghai ghetto, and both left for the United States in 1947. The couple settled in New York City, and changed their last name to Lewis. Ellen Katz (1923 - ) was born to Martin and Edith Katz in Berlin, Germany. She was a student at the time of the Kristallnacht, when her parents decided that the family must leave Germany. They moved to Shanghai in June of 1939. While in Shanghai, Ellen worked when she could, but her family carried on mainly from the assistance given by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. Ellen met and married Alfred Lewy, and sailed for the United States in 1947. Her mother died in Shanghai, but her father was able to immigrate to the United States soon after Alfred and Ellen. 

Alfred and Ellen Lewis papers