us-005578-irn707958-irn734589
type: RecordSet
archival history: The journal was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2019 by Dr. John Honig.
biographical history: John Honig (1923-2020) was born Gerhart Honig on October 30, 1923 in Vienna, Austria. He is the only son of Walter Honig (1896-1952) and Gertrude (Trude) Weiss Honig (1901-1953). Walter was the son of Michael Honig (d. 1927) and Ottilie Lorch (d. 1937), and had one brother, Fritz (1897-1977). Trude was the daughter of the physician Dr. Julius Weiss (1864-1943) and Cecilie Theumann (1871-1920), and had two siblings: Franz (1897-1975) and Liesl (1905-1980, later Liesl Lictenstein and Lester). Walter owned a printing shop established by his grandfather. The firm, Jakob Honig and Sohn, was one of the largest printers in Vienna, and it was assumed that John would inherit the firm when he grew up. The family lived in a large apartment in a house owned by operetta composer, Franz Lehar, who lived above them. John attended the Real Gymnasium and was active in the Austrian Boy Scouts (Österreichischer Pfadfinderbund). After the German annexation of Austria in March 1938, the Honigs immediately felt the effects of antisemitism. John had to attend separate classes from his Christian schoolmates. Walter could not conduct business with non-Jewish customers, and was later forced to shut down the business and turn it over to a non-Jewish competitor. The family began to make plans to emigrate. Trude’s sister, Liesl and her husband Josef (Pepi) had already immigrated to England and made arrangements for John to go to England. In September 1938 he flew to England and his aunt and uncle brought him to stay at the home of Reverend Arthur G. Parry, a Baptist minister, who was caring for several other Austrian and German boys. They were also able to bring over Trude’s father Julius Weiss to England. Trude’s uncle, Samuel Theumann (or Thewman) previously immigrated to the United States and worked as the director of the Metropolitan Opera of New York. He approached all his friends and asked them to send affidavits for the Honigs. In early spring, Walter and Trude obtained an affidavit of s…
physical characteristics and technical requirements: Boy Scout journal, Unser Weg, February 1937 issue
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
date: 1937 February
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 1
has or had some members with language: deu
has or had subject: 686
has record set type: Item
identifier: irn734589
is or was included in: us-005578-irn707958
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: February 1937 issue of the Boy Scout journal, Unser Weg, related to the Holocaust-era experiences of John Honig (born Gerhart Honig) and his parents Gertrude and Walter Honig, including their flight from Vienna, Austria to England in September 1938, their immigration to the United States in 1939, and John’s enlistment in the United States Army in 1943.
title: Our Path February 1937 issue of Unser Weg owned by a Jewish Austrian émigré Die Pfadfinderzeitung