The Rosalie Herman and Max Honigsberg family papers include biographical materials and photographs documenting the Honigsberg family’s prewar life in Poland and Germany. The collection also includes a digital copy of Max Honigsberg’s self-published memoir, Maxie: An Autobiography (2013).
The Rosalie Herman and Max Honigsberg family papers are arranged in four files: 1. Herman, Rosalie and Honigsberg, Max, 1937-1947, 2013, 2. Honigsberg, Hudie and Osias, 1921-1966, 3. Hönigsberg, Rosa, 1912-1938, 4. Photographs, circa 1890-1992
Rosalie Herman and Max Honigsberg family papers
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Copyright Holder: Mr. Max Honigsberg
Rosalie Herman (b. December 11, 1929) and Max Honigsberg (b. November 27, 1931) were born in Hamburg, Germany, to Osias (Oscar, 1895-1963) and Hudi (Betty, 1896-1973) Honigsberg. Osias Honigsberg (originally Hönigsberg) was born in Lokachi, Poland (now Ukraine), and Hudi Honigsberg (nee Scheiner) was born in Tłumacz, Poland (now Ukraine). The couple moved to Hamburg where Osias Honigsberg owned a couple of stores selling eggs and dairy products. The family suffered from antisemitic harassment under the Nazi regime, and the Gestapo took the family to the police station in the middle of the night one night. They were released after a policeman noted that Osias Honigsberg required medical attention for an injury suffered during World War I. Osias and Hudi Honigsberg had difficulty obtaining visas to immigrate to the United States with their Polish passports, their Quota Immigration Visa No. 1400 was finally approved. They boarded a ferry from Sassnitz to Trelleborg, Sweden and then sailed from Oslo aboard the SS Bergensfjord to New York, arriving September 27, 1939. The Honigsbergs’ cousin Rosa (Rose) Hönigsberg was born in Horodenka, Poland, on January 17, 1897. Both of her parents perished during World War I. She settled in Hamburg and then Berlin, changing the spelling of her name to Hoenigsberg. In the early 1930s, Rose became engaged to a German, whose brother was a member of the Nazi party and strongly opposed the impending marriage. Rose ended the engagement, but she mourned the breakup for the remainder of her single life. She moved to England in 1939 and worked as a housekeeper until she obtained a job translating British aircraft flight manuals into Polish to assist Polish airmen stationed in England. After the war she became a controller for the local Technicolor office. In 1953 she briefly lived in America with her half-sister, Anna, but found she preferred the English way of life. She died in England on June 3, 1996.