us-005578-irn38372-irn41722
type: RecordSet
archival history: The collar was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2010 by Diana Kurz, the cousin of Doriane Kurz.
biographical history: Doriane Kurz was born on March 22, 1936, in Vienna, Austria. Her father, Meilach (Emil), was born on December 19, 1897, in Tarnow, Poland. His family immigrated to Vienna when he was a child because Austria was much more tolerant toward Jews. He had three brothers, Benjamin, born on January 30, 1902, Karl (Charles), and Michael, and one sister, Lola. Her mother, Klara Bieberstein, was born on March 25, 1908, in Husiatyn, Poland (Ukraine), and she had one brother, Eliot, and one sister, Mary. Doriane had a younger brother, Alfred Josef, born on July 29, 1937, in Vienna. Both of her parents were from Orthodox Jewish families and she was raised in an observant household. Her father’s family owned a multinational optical frames business, and he and his siblings were fluent in several languages and managed branches in Austria (Benjamin and Emil); Italy (Charles); Yugoslavia (Michael), and Egypt (Lola). On March 12, 1938, German troops marched into Austria and annexed the country. The Germans quickly introduced anti-Jewish legislation and the civil rights of Jews were dissolved. In 1938, Benjamin and his family left Austria, eventually making their way to the United States. In 1939, Emil decided to move his family to Maastricht, Netherlands, where there was a branch of the family business. Klara’s sister and Emil’s other siblings, except, Michael who lived in Belgrade, left for the United States; Klara’s brother and mother had emigrated earlier to Palestine. In 1940, the business expanded to Amsterdam, and the family moved there. In May, Holland was occupied by Germany and restrictions on the Jewish population were instituted. They had to wear Star of David badges on their clothing, but Doriane was able to continue taking Hebrew lessons with a rabbi and attended the first grade at a Dutch elementary school until August 1941, when Jewish children were barred from school. In 1942, the Amsterdam business was confiscated. Emil used some of his remaining assets to purchase a d…
physical characteristics and technical requirements: White cloth lace collar with a 3 lobed rosette, scroll, and openwork design. The lace is partially hemmed along the neckline with a few blue threads.
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
date: 1946 July, 1945 June-1946 June
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 1
has record set type: Item
identifier: irn41722
is or was included in: us-005578-irn38372
record resource extent: overall: Height: 7.375 inches (18.733 cm) | Width: 11.375 inches (28.893 cm)
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: Detachable white lace collar with a floral design brought by 10 year old Doriane Kurz when she emigrated from Sweden to the United States in July 1946. Doriane and her family fled Vienna, Austria, in early 1939 after the annexation with Nazi Germany the previous year. They went to the Netherlands which was occupied by Germany in May 1940. Her father, Meilach, was deported to Auschwitz death camp in August 1942. Doriane, her mother Klara, and her 7 year old brother Alfred, were deported to Bergen Belsen in February 1944. The camp was evacuated in spring 1945 and the prisoners were liberated en route by the Soviet Army. The family returned to Amsterdam where Klara died of complications from typhus in March 1946. The children had a paternal uncle in the United States who also had left Vienna with his family in 1938. He arranged to have Doriane and Alfred sent to Sweden where they could get US visas. They arrived in New York in July 1946 and joined their uncle's family.
title: White lace collar with a rosettes worn by a young Austrian Jewish refugee to the US