us-005578-irn555278-irn593644
type: RecordSet
archival history: The prayer book was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2016 by Ruth Abraham, the daughter of Ilse and Horst Abraham.
biographical history: Horst Abraham (1917-2003) was born in Leipzig, Germany, to Nanette (nee, Neumeyer, 1881-1960) and David (1881-1958) Abraham. He had two brothers, Kurt (1910-2005) and Max (?-1998). Horst lived in Leipzig until he heard a rumor that he might be arrested, and immigrated to Ecuador in 1937. On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland; two days later, Britain and France declared war on Germany, beginning World War II. Emigrating from Europe became increasingly difficult, as few nations were accepting Jewish refugees, and there was little opportunity to help those left behind. Horst’s parents were able to join him the following year, arriving in December 1940, via Japan and Panama. Kurt also followed them there, while Max immigrated to Johannesburg, South Africa, where he married. In Ecuador’s capital, Quito, the immigrant community was very close-knit. They had a clubhouse called the Beneficiencia, which served as a major center of Jewish life, with a restaurant, card rooms, dances, and plays. The immigrants in Quito also had many businesses, movie theaters, a sports club, and a dance club. Horst worked for a time as a waiter at the ‘Beni’ before obtaining a job in a small German delicatessen, where he met Ilse Brilling (1927-2016). Ilse had immigrated to Chambo, Ecuador in 1939 with her parents, Hedwig (1891-1959) and Isidor (1895-1939), and sister, Hilde (1923-2010). Isidor died in December 1939, and the family moved twice before settling in Quito in 1942. Like other immigrant families, the Brillings shopped at the delicatessen regularly, and Horst eventually asked Ilse on a date. After a year of courtship, the couple got engaged. They married the following year on March 3, 1944. Ilse had worked as an apprentice in a beauty parlor and then began doing hair and manicures in private homes. Horst took over management of the delicatessen where he worked. Germany surrendered to the Allied forces on May 7, 1945, ending the war in Europe. That September, Japan surrendered, …
physical characteristics and technical requirements: Book; Vol. 2; 480 p; 22 cm. Prayer book with a cover made of cardboard wrapped in brown imitation leather. The front and back covers have an impressed design of an elaborate frame. The spine has detached entirely, and has an impressed pattern of bars and flowers, as well as a title and volume number stamped with gold-colored foil. The outside edges of the pages have decorative blue marbling.
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
date: after 1937-1939 May
has beginning date: 1898-01-01
has end date: 1898-12-31
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 1
has or had some members with language: heb
has or had some members with language: deu
has or had subject: 683
has or had subject: 819
has record set type: Item
identifier: irn593644
is or was included in: us-005578-irn555278
record resource extent: overall: Height: 8.500 inches (21.59 cm) | Width: 5.500 inches (13.97 cm) | Depth: 1.250 inches (3.175 cm)
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: Siddur Tefilot Kol ha-Shanah book, owned by a member of Ilse Brilling or Horst Abraham’s family, and carried from Germany to Ecuador in the late 1930s. Following Adolf Hitler’s appointment as Chancellor of Germany in January 1933, anti-Jewish decrees and persecution made life in Germany increasingly difficult. Horst Abraham immigrated to Ecuador from Leipzig, Germany, in 1937, after hearing a rumor that he might be arrested. Horst's parents, Nanette and David, and one of his two brothers, Kurt, joined him there later. In 1939, Ilse Brilling left Rastenburg, Germany and immigrated to Chambo, Ecuador with her parents, Hedwig and Isidor, and older sister, Hilde. Ilse’s father died that same year, and the family moved to Quito, where she met Horst. The couple married on March 3, 1944, and they had their first child in 1946. Ilse, Horst, and their other family members living in Ecuador immigrated to the United States in the mid-to-late 1940s and settled in the New York City area. Horst changed his name to Harry, and got a job working in a meatpacking factory owned by his distant relatives. Many members of their extended families were not able to escape from Europe and died during the Holocaust.
title: Prayer book for Prayers for the Year Gebetbuch für die neue Synagoge in Berlin Prayer book for the new synagogue in Berlin Hebrew prayer book, carried to Ecuador by a German Jewish refugee family