us-005578-irn59312-irn86811
type: RecordSet
archival history: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
biographical history: Danielle Snegg (1926-1990) was born Fernande Halerie in Paris, France, to Avram (Adolf) Halerie (1902-1945) and Marguerita (Ita) Halerie (nee Bercovitz, 1902-1942). Avram was born in Mihăileni, Romania and Marguerite was born in Constantz, Romania. Fernande had an older brother, David (1922-1942). Avram was a tailor, and their family was among the 175,000 Jewish families living in Paris in the 1940s. The German army invaded France in May 1940, and occupied Paris on June 14. That October, Nazis began persecuting Jews with the bombing of seven synagogues in Paris. While many Jews began leaving the city, Fernande and her family remained until 1942, when the systematic deportation of Jews began. In June 1942, German authorities required that Jews in France wear a yellow Star of David badge to identify themselves as Jewish. During this time, Fernande’s brother, David, attempted to cross the French border, but was arrested and interned in the La Lande-à-Monts transit camp. David was later taken by truck to the city of Angers and on July 10, 1942, he was deported on convoy 8 to Auschwitz-Birkenau killing center in German-occupied Poland. He arrived there on July 23 and was killed. In mid-September, Germany reached an agreement with Romania to deport all Romanian Jews, including Fernande’s parents. On September 24, 1942, both Avram and Marguerita were imprisoned in the Drancy transit camp. While in Drancy, Marguerita wrote a postcard to her sister, instructing Fernande to go stay with her friend Monique Pliez and her parents. Four days later, Avram and Marguerita were deported to Auschwitz on convoy 38, which consisted mostly of Romanian Jews. Marguerita was likely killed upon arrival, but Avram was among 223 men selected for forced labor and he was sent to the Blechhammer forced labor camp. For a time, Fernande received letters from her father, as well as from a family member, Marcel, while they were in Blechhammer. On April 1, 1944, Blechhammer was put under the administr…
date: circa 1920-1990, circa 1920-1949
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 1
has or had some members with language: fra
has or had some members with language: eng
has or had subject: 843
has or had subject: 7
has or had subject: 1976
has or had subject: 701
has record set type: Item
identifier: irn86811
is or was included in: us-005578-irn59312
record resource extent: box 1
record resource structure: The Danielle and David Snegg papers are arranged as three series: I. Biographical materials, 1942-1947 II. Correspondence, 1942-1990 (bulk 1942-1947) III. Photographs, approximately 1920-1949
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: The Danielle and David Snegg papers primarily consist of letters from Danielle’s father to Danielle in Paris that were smuggled out of the Blechhammer labor camp as well as love letters exchanged between Danielle and her future husband, American serviceman David Snegg, at the end of the war while Danielle waited for her father to return home. The collection also includes a postcard and letter Danielle’s parents wrote to her from Drancy in the hours before their deportation to Auschwitz in September 1942; one real and one false identification card for Danielle; David’s immunization record; and photographs of Avram and Marguerita Halerie, Danielle and David Snegg, and the Pliez family who housed Danielle in Paris during the war. Correspondence primarily consists of letters and postcards from Avram in Blechhammer to Danielle and family friends. The correspondence signed using other names is also believed to be from Avram. This correspondence primarily documents packages requested and received, provides updates on his wellbeing and spirits, asks after mutual acquaintance, and advises Danielle to enjoy herself and behave well. Some of the correspondence filed under Avram’s name appear to be in someone else’s handwriting or to bear someone else’s signature. Addressees include the Vignas, Pliez, and Ponnelle families as well as Danielle (“Fernande”). This correspondence follows a previously arranged numerical order and is roughly in chronological order as well. This series also includes letters and postcards from someone named Marcel imprisoned at Blechhammer. Marcel’s correspondence describes weather and working conditions, exchanges greetings among mutual friends (Gabrielle and the Pliez, Ponnelle, and Vignas families), thanks Danielle for packages, and asks for more aid. The letters and postcards frequently refer to someone named “François,” which might be a code name for Danielle’s father. The letters and postcards appear to have been smuggled out of Blechhammer and ma…
title: Danielle and David Snegg papers