us-005578-irn35081
type: RecordSet
archival history: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum - Curatorial Affairs Department
biographical history: Dr. Ralph Bloch was the son of two physicians: Dr. Jacques Bloch M.D., a surgeon who spent most of that time in military service and Dr. Charlotte Bloch-Springer M.D. was a medical resident during the war. They resided in Zurich, Switzerland. In mid-1938 or early 1939 the Jewish Community of Zurich organized vacation programs for Jewish children from Southern Germany. Ingrid Billigheimer, born on September 5, 1928 in Eppingen near Karlsruhe, Germany participated in this program and spent a few weeks with the Bloch family in Zurich. Ingrid Billigheimer was the older daughter of Kurt and Irma Billigheimer (maiden name Hochherr). Their younger daughter Hannelore was born on October 28, 1929. At the end of 1938 the Billigheimer family moved to Furth. During Kristallnacht, Kurt Billigheimer avoided arrest because he was traveling on business. The Billigheimer family made efforts to immigrate to the United States, but to no avail. On October 22, 1940 in a sudden"Aktio" Kurt and Irma Billigheimer, their two daughters, Ingrid and Hannelore; Kurt's mother Melanie Billigheimer and Irma's parents: Moritz and Marie Hochherr were all deported from Karlsruhe to the Gurs internment camp in the south of France, near the Spanish border. Starting in October 1939 Ingrid started to write letters to the Bloch family in Zurich and her whole family joined her. The Bloch family was the only family they could write to and even though they didn't know them at all, they received food packages and letters from them. In March 1941, the Billigheimer family was transferred to the Rivesaltes internment camp. A few months later Kurt and his daughter Ingrid both became sick with jaundice and were hospitalized. The Bloch family carried on with their help and the Billigheimer family continued to write to them. In March 1942 Irma Billigheimer placed her two daughters in an OSE children’s home Le Couret near Limoges. On September 2, 1942, Irma took her daughters out Le Couret and on September 4, 1942 th…
date: 1937-1945 June 11
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 1
has or had some members with language: deu
has or had subject: 1981
has or had subject: 1980
has or had subject: 843
has or had subject: 701
has record set type: Item
identifier: irn35081
record resource extent: folder 1
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: Contains letters and postcards written by Ingrid and Hannelore Billigheimer, their parents Irma and Kurt Billigheimer, and grandmother, Marie Hochherr, from Fürth and Karlsruhe in Germany and later from Gurs and Rivesaltes internment camps in France, and from an OSE children’s home in Le Couret, dated October 29, 1939 to April 5, 1943; the last letter was written by Marie Hochherr on June 11, 1945. All the letters were addressed to Drs. Bloch in Zurich, Switzerland. Includes receipts for food packages sent by Dr. Charlotte Bloch to the Billigheimer family, and a copy photograph of a group portrait of children in the Jewish school in Karlsruhe, dated circa 1937, depicting Ingrid and Hannelore, among others.
title: Bloch family collection