United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Sonja Schulmann Schwartz was born in 1927 in Marburg, Germany, to Russian‐born Hirsch (Harry) Schulmann (b. 1893) and Frieda Lilienstern Schulmann (1896‐1936). Frieda died of pneumonia as a result of insufficient available medical care. Hirsch was briefly imprisoned at Dachau followingKristallnacht and immigrated to the United States in 1939 with Sonja using an affidavit of support provided by his cousin, Abraham Pianin, from Youngstown, OH. Frieda’s sister, Irma Golnick, was deported from Kassel, Germany, to the Riga ghetto in December 1941 with her husband Simon and their children Vera, Horst, and Werner. Simon was transferred to an unknown location in December 1943 and perished. Vera is believed to have perished at Auschwitz in 1944. Irma, Horst, and Werner Golnick survived Stutthof. Frieda’s other sister, Berta Klarmann, was also deported to Riga along with her daughter, Rita, in December 1941, and both are believed to have perished at Auschwitz. Berta’s husband Samuel Klarmann was imprisoned at Buchenwald and perished in July 1940.
box 1
The Sonja Schulmann Schwartz papers are arranged as five series: I. Autograph book and diary, 1937-1945, II. Biographical materials, 1919-1988 (bulk 1919-1945), III. Letter from Hirsch Schulmann in Dachau, 1939, IV. Photographic materials, approximately 1933-1972 (bulk approximately 1933-1940), V. Subject files, 1936-1976
The Sonja Schulmann Schwartz papers consist of an autograph book, diary, biographical materials, Dachau letter, photographic materials, and subject files documenting the Schulmann, Golnick, and Klarmann families. The collection focuses on Sonja’s father, his birth in a small town in Belarus, his capture as a German prisoner during World War I and subsequent release, the establishment of his family in Germany, his imprisonment in Dachau, and his immigration to the United States with Sonja. The autograph book belonged to Sonja Schulmann and contains signatures, poems, and dedications from her friends and family dating from 1937‐1945. Sonja Schulmann’s diary contains a single entry dated 1939 that documents her arrival in the United States. Biographical materials include Hirsch Schulmann’s identification papers, birth and marriage certificates, identification and military papers, and prisoner of war and employment records documenting his World War I service for Russia, time as a prisoner of war in Germany, and work as a merchant. This series also includes a Yad Vashem entry for Frieda Schulmann, a family history for Hirsch Schulmann’s father, a vaccination certificate for Sonja Schulmann, and a certificate indicating that Irma Golnick was a concentration camp survivor. The collection includes a letter Hirsch Schulmann wrote his daughter while imprisoned in Dachau in which he encourages her to leave Germany on the first children’s transport available. Photographic materials depict members of the Schulmann, Golnick, and Klarmann families and the Schulmann home in Marburg. This series also includes a 1972 Time magazine article featuring an image of Hirsch Schulmann with a group of Russian prisoners in Germany during World War I. Subject files document Hirsch and Sonja Schulmann’s immigration to the United States and the erection of a Holocaust memorial in Neustadt. Emigration and immigration materials include an affidavit created for an unsuccessful plan to escape to South Africa, the affidavit that allowed the Schulmanns to come to America, and the packing list of belonging they brought with them. Neustadt materials include correspondence with the city of Neustadt, clippings about the unveiling of the Neustadt memorial, and a photograph of the memorial.
Sonja Schulmann Schwartz papers