us-005578-irn47452-irn596947
type: RecordSet
archival history: The document case was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2012 by Daniel Gans and Aviva Gans-Rosenberg, the children of Manfred and Anita Lamm Gans.
biographical history: Manfred Gans was born on April 27, 1922, in Borken, Germany, to Moritz and Else Fraenkel Gans. His family had been in Borken for over 300 years. Moritz was born on July 7, 1885. He was a German Army veteran who had lost a lung and a leg in Italy during World War I. Moritz was the only Jew ever elected to the city council. Else was born on September 1, 1891, in Volksen, Germany. In 1924, Moritz and Else established a prosperous textile manufacturing business. Manfred’s older brother, Karl, was born on May 23, 1920, and his younger brother, Theodor (Theo), was born on May 1, 1925. The brothers were raised Orthodox. They attended the Jewish elementary school and a Catholic high school. In January 1933, Adolf Hitler became the chancellor of Germany. Manfred and his brothers spent that summer at their Aunt and Uncle’s hachshara farm in Gut Neuendorf. While there, Manfred met Anita Lamm, the daughter of his father’s best friend. Anita was born on August 31, 1923, in Berlin, to Leo and Margaret Lamm. In 1935, as government persecution of Jews increased, Moritz began moving his money out of the country. In 1936, Karl immigrated to Palestine. In spring 1938, Moritz helped the Lamm family immigrate secretly to the United States. After they left, Anita and Manfred began writing to each other. In July 1938, Manfred went to England and stayed with a Jewish family, the Jacobs. He was supposed to return home in the fall, but his parents told him to stay. With the help of the German Jewish Aide Committee, Manfred relocated to Manchester and found work in a factory’s repair shop. Manfred wanted to continue his Orthodox lifestyle, so Mr. Jacobs introduced him to a Jewish family in Manchester, the Steinharts. They suggested that he stay at a relative’s boarding house, and often invited him to partake in religious activities and socialize with their community. After the November 9 - 10, 1938, Kristallnacht pogrom in Germany, Moritz and Else sent Theo out of the country to a boarding sc…
physical characteristics and technical requirements: A rectangular, tri-fold document case made of a black imitation leather with a metal snap closure. The front of the top flap is embossed with a line of text in the center that has a green appearance. A metal snap socket near the bottom edge secures it to the bottom flap, which has the snap stud located along the bottom fold. On the inside of the top section, the embossing is partially visible. The middle section has a ring-shaped impression in the imitation leather from the snap. The bottom edge of the bottom section is folded over, creating a narrow pocket about 1” high. Unfolded, the edges along the top and sides are machine stitched with black thread. The corners show minor signs of wear, the folds are heavily creased, and the text is abraded.
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
date: after 1945 May 09-before 1955 April 14
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 1
has or had some members with language: eng
has record set type: Item
identifier: irn596947
is or was included in: us-005578-irn47452
record resource extent: overall: Height: 3.750 inches (9.525 cm) | Width: 8.625 inches (21.908 cm) | Depth: 0.375 inches (0.953 cm)
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: “Certificate of Citizenship” document case owned by Anita Lamm and Manfred Gans, German-Jewish refugees who became United States citizens in 1945 and 1955. In 1938, to escape Nazi-controlled Germany, Manfred’s father helped Anita and her parents immigrate to the United States, and Manfred immigrated to England. After Great Britain declared war against Germany on September 3, 1939, he was classified as an enemy alien, arrested, and sent to an internment camp on the Isle of Man. Manfred later enlisted in the British Army, where he spent two years assigned to a labor unit before being recruited for a Special Forces troop, which landed at Normandy on June 6, 1944. As his unit advanced through France, Belgium, and northern Germany, it was Manfred’s mission to infiltrate German positions to convince soldiers to surrender, interrogate prisoners, and gather intelligence. Manfred learned from his uncle that his parents had been imprisoned in Theresienstadt ghetto-labor camp in German-occupied Czechoslovakia, but he did not know if they were still alive. He drove across enemy lines to find out, and learned they had survived. They were reunited in Theresienstadt on May 11, 1945. His parents returned to the Netherlands in July and he was demobilized in August. Manfred married Anita in 1948 and moved to the United States in 1950.
title: Certificate of Citizenship document case belonging to a German Jewish refugee couple