us-005578-irn523177-irn523253
has or had holder: us-005578
is or was included in: us-005578-irn523177
has beginning date: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/dates/1930-01-01
archival history: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
record resource structure: The Blau family papers are arranged as a single series.
type: RecordSet
title: Blau family papers
has or had some members with language: eng
has or had subject: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/vocabularies/ehri-terms/843
has end date: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/dates/1954-12-31
record resource extent: folders oversize folder 7 1
results or resulted from: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn523177-irn523253/acquisitions/1
has or had some members with language: heb
has or had identifier: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn523177-irn523253/alternateIDs/1
has record set type: Item
identifier: irn523253
biographical history: Gertrude (Trude) Blau (1925-2009) was born on March 14, 1925, in Vienna, Austria to Adolph Blau (1894-1958) and Elsa Rosenthal (1899-1987). Her father, Adolph, was a decorated, disabled World War II veteran who was a licensed tobacco vendor. Her mother, Elsa, was a graduate of the Vienna Conservatory of Music. Gertrude had one brother, Herbert (1931-1985). They were an observant Jewish family and Gertrude was interested in Zionist youth activities. Following the German annexation of Austria, Gertrude and the other Jewish children were no longer allowed to attend school. For a while, they met secretly in the cemetery or at the Jewish Federation Office to have classes in Jewish culture and general subjects taught by Jewish teachers who had been banned from teaching. In August 1942, Gertrude and her family, including her 72 year-old maternal grandmother, Fanny Rosenthal, were deported by the Germans to Theresienstadt concentration camp. The family was separated as men and women were housed in different barracks. Shortly after arriving, Gertrude contracted hepatitis. While in Theresienstadt, Gertrude continued to get religious instruction, in secret, with Rabbi Leo Baeck. Trude was head caretaker in the children's barracks where Ursula Lenneberg worked. Trude later got a job in the office because of her friendship with Sigi Kwasniewski, the head of the youth homes. In October 1944, Gertrude volunteered to go to Auschwitz with friends who were selected for transport. After three days, they were sent to Kurzbach labor camp, a subcamp of Gross Rosen, where they were put to work digging ditches for the defense of Germany. Gertrude contracted typhoid fever. Around January 1945, the Germans decided to evacuate the camp because of the encroaching Soviet Army and the inmates were forced on death marches. Gertrude was too sick to go very far, and begged to be left behind. Since Gertrude spoke French, she eventually was able to join a group of French prisoners-of-wars. After 2 we…
has or had some members with language: rus
scope and content: The Blau family papers consist of certificates, identification papers, immigration documents, school report cards, and a poetry and autograph book documenting the Blau family from Vienna, Austria, their imprisonment in Theresienstadt, their postwar lives at the Deggendorf displaced persons camp, and their immigration to the United States in 1947. The poetry and autograph book likely belonged to Gertrude and contains entries from friends in Vienna and Theresienstadt, including many references to Palestine. School report cards document Herbert’s education in Vienna and Deggendorf. Identification papers include prewar Austrian passports, wartime German passports, and a postwar repatriation card. Theresienstadt materials include a work pass, milk card, and bankbook. Deggendorf records include identification papers and certificates. Immigration documents include immigration forms and naturalization papers.
has or had some members with language: deu
has or had subject: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/vocabularies/ehri-terms/1141
has or had some members with language: ces