us-005578-irn723305
type: RecordSet
archival history: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
biographical history: Arthur Hecht (1913-1999) was born on April 27, 1913 in Laudenbach, Germany to Adolf and Sessi Hecht. Adolf Hecht (1877-1953) was born on November 24, 1876 in Aschaffenburg, Germany to Mayer Hecht and Fany Süssek, and was a decorated and disabled WWI veteran. Sessi Hecht (née Rothschild, 1883-1965) was born on July 27, 1883 in Hörstein, Germany to Joseph Rothschild and Filipine Hamburger. Arthur had two sisters: Frieda (later Frieda Levy, 1909-1972) and Paula (later Paula Fernbach, 1911-2001). Arthur’s family moved to Hörstein, Germany when he was about 1 year old. His family was Orthodox, and Adolf owned a small business buying and selling soaps and cleaning supplies to hospitals and other institutions. Arthur was an accomplished athlete who excelled at soccer and long distance running. In August 1933, Arthur and a Jewish friend were the victims of an antisemitic attack, and severely beaten by a group of young men (some of whom he knew). He was still recovering a month later, but when the case came to court none of the perpetrators were among the group on trial. Both of Arthur’s sisters emigrated from Germany in the 1930s. Paula moved to Palestine in 1933. Frieda and her husband Hermann Levy lived in Mannheim, Germany and immigrated to the United States via Rotterdam aboard the SS Nieuw Amsterdam on July 14, 1938. Arthur wanted to emigrate from Germany as well but had a high quota number. Around 1937, the Nazis drove the Jews out of Hörstein, and Arthur’s parents went to Frankfurt am Main. Arthur lived in Würzburg, but he was visiting his parents in Frankfurt when Kristallnacht occurred. He was arrested and transported to Buchenwald where he was imprisoned from November 1938 to January 1939. Arthur was released after he signed an affidavit stating that he would leave Germany. After his release, a well-off uncle from Holland who went to London was able to obtain visas for Arthur and other relatives to immigrate to England. Arthur remained in England for a year until …
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
date: circa 1901-1999
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 1
has or had some members with language: eng
has or had some members with language: deu
has or had subject: 43
has or had subject: 904
has or had subject: 701
has record set type: Item
identifier: irn723305
record resource extent: folders 2
record resource structure: The collection is arranged as two folders.
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: The collection documents the prewar, wartime, and postwar experiences of Arthur Hecht and his family, who primarily lived in Hörstein, Germany prior to WWII. Documents include birth and death certificates, a naturalization certificate, military discharge papers, a track award, and a 1946 clipping documenting Arthur’s reunification with his parents after their immigration to the United States. Original and copy print photographs include depictions of pre-war family life in Germany and life in the United States after immigrating, including Arthur’s time in the military.
title: Hecht family collection