Walter and Edith Schiff papers
Walter Schiff (1905-1975) was born March 15, 1905 in Berlin, Germany to Julius Schiff and Millie Lweinsohn. He worked in the automobile industry and lived in Berlin. In 1938 Walter fled Germany for France with Edith Moser, his future wife. Edith Moser was born on March 26, 1907 in Wilmersdorf to Ernest Moser and Gertrude Moser (nee Hoffmann) and had one sister, Anneliese Moser (later Gutmann). After fleeing to France, Walter and Edith married on September 2, 1940 in Nice, but were soon separated from each other. Walter escaped while being transported between camps. Edith was sent to Camp de Gurs in France where she was assigned to work in an office. She was able to type her own release papers and escape the camp. The couple reunited and with the assistance of the French underground they were brought to Nice where they remained in the basement of a Catholic church until liberation. At some point, they changed their last name to Shelby. Their son, Tom Shelby, was born in 1946 in France. In 1947 Walter, Edith, and Tom immigrated to the United States. Edith later learned that Anneliese was killed at Auschwitz.
The Walter and Edith Schiff papers include biographical materials, correspondence, a diary, and photographs illustrating the pre-war and wartime experiences of Walter and Edith Schiff, originally of Berlin, Germany. Edith was sent to Camp de Gurs in France where she was assigned to work in an office, and Walter escaped while being transported between camps. The couple was reunited in France and hid in the basement of a Catholic church until liberation. Biographical materials include birth certificates for Ernest Moser, Edith Moser, Julius Schiff, and Walter Schiff, a marriage certificate and supporting documents for Walter and Edith, a drivers license and German passport (Reisepass) for Edith, copies of identification cards for Edith and Walter, and marriage certificates for Anneliese Moser and Karl Gutmann. Correspondence includes pre-war letters and cards between Anneliese and Gertrude and Edith and Gertrude as well as post-war letters regarding Walter’s death. The collection includes the transcript of Edith’s diary that she kept while at Gurs, dated November 1939-December 1940, as well as a partial translation of the diary. Restitution material includes applications and receipts regarding Edith’s efforts to receive restitution for their wartime suffering. Writings include poems, a typed document about Gurs, and pre-war clippings about Gertrude Moser’s horseback riding competitions. Photographs include pre-war images of Edith Moser, Anneliese Moser, Gabriella Kessler, Jimmy Kessler, Walter Schiff, and Ernest Moser as well as a post-war photograph of Gabrielle, who housed and assisted the family during and after the war in Nice, France.
folders 6
The Walter and Edith Schiff papers are arranged as a single series: Folder 1: Biographical material, 1905-1948 Folder 2: Correspondence, 1908-1987 Folder 3: Diary, 1939-1940 Folder 4: Restitution, 1975-1985 Folder 5: Writings and clippings, circa 1910-1940 Folder 6: Photographs, circa 1911-1960
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum