us-005578-irn707356
type: RecordSet
archival history: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
biographical history: Max Folk (1910-1990) was likely born on 10 May 1910 in Warsaw, Poland to Freidla (née Ohrenstein,1882?-1938) and Mendel Folk (b. 1877?). He had one brother and one sister. Max’s mother died before the war, and father and siblings all perished during the Holocaust. Max married Jocheved Jablonka on 2 February 1936, and they had one son, Jurek (b. 1937?). Jocheved was the daughter of Szyja Jablonka and Bronislawa Siekierka. Her father owned a factory which produced cigarette filters and window insulation. She had two brothers and two sisters. One of her sisters, Dorothy, would become Max’s second wife after the war. Max and his family lived in Warsaw where he owned a fruit import business. They lived in an area that would eventually become part of the Warsaw Ghetto in November 1940. Max had a permit to sell food in the ghetto, and he also bribed the Jewish police to smuggle food in. Max and his family avoided deportation from the ghetto by hiding in a bunker under his father in law’s factory. During the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, Max’s brothers-in-law Chanek Goldstein and Josel Jablonka were killed. The family was discovered on 8 May 1943 and deported to the Trawniki subcamp of Majdanek. Along with several other young men, Max jumped from the train, but was captured and beaten. He was then sent back to Warsaw and interrogated about others in hiding. He did not reveal any information and was deported to Majdanek. On 1 July 1943 he was transferred to Auschwitz (prisoner #127193). He was sent on a death march to Buchenwald on 21 January 1945 (prisoner #19970). In March 1945 he was transferred to Remsdorf and then Theresienstadt in April. He was liberated from Theresienstadt on 8 May 1945. Max’s wife and son both perished during the Holocaust. He and his wife’s sister Dorothy reconnected in Warsaw after the war. They married on 21 March 1946 and lived in a rented room outside of the DP camp. Max started a business, Max Folk and Co., that sold food to the Landsberg DP camp. He…
has beginning date: 1945-01-01
has end date: 1985-12-31
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 1
has or had subject: 278
has or had subject: 1106
has record set type: Item
identifier: irn707356
record resource extent: box 1
record resource structure: The collection is arranged as two series. Series 1. Biographical material, 1945-1985 Series 2. Restitution, 1947-1983
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: The collection documents the post-war experiences of Max and Dorothy Folk, both of whom survived the Holocaust and married in Landsberg am Lech, Germany after the war. The collection primarily consists of biographical and identification papers from Landsberg, documents regarding their respective Holocaust experiences, papers related to their immigration to the United States in 1950, and restitution paperwork. Biographical material primarily documents the Max and Dorothy’s post-war lives as refugees in the Landsberg am Lech DP camp area. Papers of Max include identification cards; documents including testimonies regarding his incarceration in Auschwitz, Buchenwald, and Theresienstadt; driver’s licenses; smallpox vaccination card; business correspondence; and marriage certificates. Papers of Dorothy include documents regarding her incarceration in Majdanek, Auschwitz, and other camps; identification cards; smallpox vaccination card; and testimonials. Also included is a photograph of Max in his concentration camp uniform, and a copy of teaching notes regarding Max and Dorothy’s stories that daughter Barbara used when teaching about the Holocaust. Immigration papers include declarations of intention forms and naturalization certificates. The restitution documents consist of extensive paperwork related to several claims filed by Max and Dorothy. Some documents discuss their Holocaust experiences and post-war medical problems.
title: Max and Dorothy Folk papers