United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Ralph Ettelson (1911-2000) was born in Vilkaviškis, Lithuania to Michael and Itta (née Ettelson) Schimensky. Ralph had at least two siblings: Rivka and Max (d. 1938). Ralph’s father died as a young man leaving Itta to support the family as the proprietor of a shop that sold needles, thread, and other sundries. After Ralph completed gymnasium in 1927 he left Lithuania for the Dominican Republic where he joined a network of extended relatives, including an uncle Jule Schimensky and the Paiewonsky family, who had arrived to the Caribbean in the 19th century. During this period Ralph began to adopt his mother’s surname and remained in regular contact with her and his siblings who sent letters, photographs, and goods from Lithuania. In the mid-1930s Ralph relocated for a time to New York where he met Anita Albam (1915-2002), the American-born daughter of immigrants from Vilkaviškis. In 1938 Ralph and Anita married in New York, however due to his work, as well as naturalization difficulties, Ralph returned frequently to the Dominican Republic where he remained involved in the growing Jewish refugee population. Due to his immigration status, Ralph was not able to directly aid his loved ones in coming to the United States after the start of World War II. He continued to receive letters from family and friends until the German invasion of Vilkaviškis in June 1941. Ralph’s brother Max died in 1938. His mother and sister likely perished in September 1941 after German soldiers and Lithuanian police shot the remainder of Jews still in the Vilkaviškis ghetto. Ralph and Anita had three sons: Michael (1942-2011), Joel (1946-2010), and Richard (b. 1949).
boxes oversize box book enclosure oversize folders 3 1 1 2
This collection is arranged as four series. Series 1. Biographical material, 1927-1940 and undated Series 2. Correspondence, 1932-1941 and undated Series 3. Printed material and ephemera, 1938-1941 and undated Series 4. Photographs, circa 1890s-1938
The collection documents the Holocaust-era experiences of the Ettelson family of Vilkaviškis, Lithuania, including Ralph Ettelson’s immigration to the Dominican Republic in 1927 and later immigration to the United States in the late 1930s, and his mother Itta Schimensky’s wartime experiences in Vilkaviškis before she and her daughter Rivka perished in 1941. Included is a small amount of biographical material, correspondence, printed material and ephemera, and photographs. Biographical material consists of documents related to Ralph after he moved to New York. Included are various address books, financial records, notebooks, and a poesie book. Also included is an affidavit regarding the transfer of ownership of property in Vilkaviškis to his sister Rivka Schimensky (referred to here as Rebecca), and documents related to his marriage to Anita Albam in 1938. Correspondence primarily consists of letters sent to Ralph in the United States from his mother Itta in Vilkaviškis. The bulk of the letters were sent in 1938-1939. The last letter in the collection is dated 10 April 1941 and likely the last one received by Ralph. Topics in the letter include her economic situation due to her child dying in 1938, Ralph not writing to her enough, her dead husband Michael, and not receiving a United States visa. The last page of the letter is addressed to Ralph’s wife Anna. A donor-provided translation is included with the letter. Other correspondence includes letters exchanged by Ralph and Anita, letters from his cousin David Paiewonsky and his uncle Jule Schimensky. Additionally, there is a small amount of correspondence, primarily with the National Council of Jewish Women, regarding Ralph’s efforts to become a naturalized citizen. Printed material and ephemera primarily consists of business cards, clippings, receipts, recipes, and stamps. Photographs include pre-war depictions of the Schimensky family in Vilkaviškis, Ralph in Lithuania and the United States, his wife Anita, and various family and friends. Also included is a photograph album likely of the Schimensky family in Vilkaviškis. This collection includes negatives.
Ettelson family papers