Dr. Walter Feuereisen papers, 1940-1943, 1962

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Summary

Title:
Dr. Walter Feuereisen papers
Dates:
1940-1943, 1962
Creators:
Feuereisen, Walter, Dr.
Abstract:
The collection is comprised of certificates, postcards, and copies of letters belonging to Dr. Walter Feuereisen Chief Medical Officer of the Jewish Kultusgemeinde in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Document dates range from 1940-1943. Also included are mimeographed notices dated 1962, confirming dates and times of deporation of Dr. Feueureisen and his wife Marianne, and another family, the Altensteins. The collection documents the experiences of Dr. Feuereisen, his family and friends during the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia, their deportation and ultimate fate.
Containers:
Box: Archives Box 01
Extent:
1.0 Folder(s)
Language:
and Materials are in German. English translations of some items are available.
Preferred citation:

1988.1045 - Dr. Walter Feuereisen papers, Tauber Holocaust Library - JFCS Holocaust Center, San Francisco, California

Background

Scope and content:

The collection documents the experiences of Dr. Walter Feueresein, a Jewish physician living in Prague, Czechoslovakia during the years of the Holocaust. It comprises postcards, certificates, and letters written during 1941-1943.

The bulk of the collection lies in three long, descriptive letters written by Dr. Feuereisen to his brother, Erwin Fenner, in which he details the conditions under which Jews lived in occupied Prague. These heartfelt letters describe the hardships endured, and the fear of deportation and uncertainty under which Jews struggled. He describes raids in which his father was captured, ongoing transports on which family and close friends are sent to unknown locations, and the painful separation of family members. The last letter was written on April 7, 1943; Dr. Feuereisen and his wife Marianne were deported in July 1943.

The collection also includes postcards written by friends to Dr. Feuereisen from the Lodz ghetto and Theresienstadt (Terezin) concentration camp, and several certificates of transit issued to Dr. Feuereisen, allowing him to travel through the city in order to fulfill his work obligations. Two mimeographed copies sent to Erwin Fenner in 1962 from the Council of Jewish Religious Communities in Bohemia and Moravia document the deportation to Theresienstadt and then to Auschwitz of Dr. Feuereisen and his wife, and of family members Viktor, Elizabeth, Anna and Felix Altenstein.

Biographical / historical:

Dr. Walter Feuereisen was born on May 11, 1902 and died in Auschwitz sometime after his transport there on October 23, 1944. During the years of the Holocaust, Dr. Feuereisen was a physician living in Prague, Czechoslovakia and involved in the Judische Kultugemeinde. His wife Marianne was also a physician.

Dr. Feuereisen's mother and other family lived in Brno. These family members were deported to Theresienstadt (Terezin) on March 23, 1942. Drs. Feuereisen were considered vital to the community and lived in Prague until their deportation to Theresienstadt on July 8, 1943. All family members were deported to Auschwitz in late October 1944, where they perished.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Finding aid prepared by Judith Janec
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2011-09-06T12:20-0700

Access and use

Restrictions:

There are no restrictions to access to this collection.

Terms of access:

There are no restrictions to use for this collection.

Preferred citation:

1988.1045 - Dr. Walter Feuereisen papers, Tauber Holocaust Library - JFCS Holocaust Center, San Francisco, California

Location of this collection:
JFCS Holocaust Center
2245 Post Street
San Francisco, CA 94115, US
Contact:
(415) 449-3717
HolocaustCenter@jfcs.org
Website