United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Beatrice Pappenheimer was born in 1932 in Lauterbach, Germany, to Moritz (1900-1942) and Rosa (nee Gottlieb, 1900-1942) Stern, and her sister Susan (Suse) was born in 1935. Her family moved to Karlsruhe after her father was forced out of his textile business in 1936. In 1939, the Stern family were deported to Gurs and later transferred to Rivesaltes. Through the Œuvre de secours aux enfants, Beate and Suse were placed in convents and group homes in France. With the help of relatives in England and the United States, the girls traveled to London in July 1945 and immigrated to the United States in October 1947. Their parents were deported to Auschwitz in 1942 and perished.
folders 13
The Beatrice Pappenheimer papers are arranged as four series: I. Biographical materials, 1941-1943, approximately 1990, II. Correspondence, 1941-1943, approximately 1990, III. Œuvre de secours aux enfants materials, approximately 1983-1985, IV. Photographs, approximately 1990
The Beatrice Pappenheimer papers consist of original and photocopied records including biographical materials, correspondence, Œuvre de secours aux enfants materials, and photographs documenting the Stern family from Lauterbach and Karlsruhe, their internment in concentration camps in France during the Holocaust, their efforts to immigrate to the United States, Beate and Suse Stern’s survival in hiding under the auspices of the Œuvre de secours aux enfants (OSE), and their reunion with their aunt in England. Biographical materials include OSE paperwork documenting Beate and Suse’s itinerary in France, efforts by Flora Gottlieb Schmidt to bring them to the United States, and their departure for England to join their aunt Bertha Gottlieb. This series also includes a list of items Beate brought from Rivesaltes to an OSE home. Except for the list of items and an identity card for Beate, the documents in this series are photocopies. Correspondence primarily consists of letters and postcards from Moritz and Rosa Stern during their internment in French concentration camps and documents their concerns for each other and their children and their pleas for help with money, food, getting Beate and Suse out of France, and their own emigration. Some of their letters include notes from relatives Clara, Fanni, and Adolf, who were also in French concentration camps. This series also includes correspondence from relatives in England and the United States, Beate’s pen pals in France, and aid organizations. Most of the letters and postcards in this series are photocopies. The correspondence is accompanied by occasional notes including commentary added many years later by the donor and her sister. Œuvre de secours aux enfants materials include a 50th anniversary brochure describing OSE’s history and activities, a 1985 letter from OSE thanking Beatrice Pappenheimer for completing a questionnaire, a list of OSE homes opened during World War II, and a map showing OSE homes where Beate Stern stayed during the war. Photographs consist of four copy prints depicting Moritz, Rosa, Beate, and Suse. The photographs of Moritz and Rosa Stern were originally taken before the war, and the photographs of Beate and Suse Stern were originally taken in France during the war and used on identification papers.
Beatrice Pappenheimer papers