Letter from Joan Harris to Inge Poppert (nee Herrmann)
Object numberM2020/023:020
TitleLetter from Joan Harris to Inge Poppert (nee Herrmann)
Creator Joan Harris
DescriptionUntranslated letter from Joan 'Hanni' Harris to her cousin Inge Poppert (nee Herrmann) from 13 July 1947. Joan sends her congratulations on Inge's wedding to Heinz Poppert. She mentioned her living cousin Guenther Manneberg, as well as her aunt Kaethe Manneberg who was murdered in Auschwitz.
Part of a collection of over 60 letters to Inge-Ruth Poppert (nee Herrmann) from 1937 to 1957, as well as memorabilia and personal documents that detail the Holocaust experiences of the Herrmann family, and the establishment Inge's life in Sydney, Australia.
Inge was born on 12 October 1922 in Wolmirstedt, near Magdeburg, Germany to Otto and Kate-Regina Herrmann (nee Manneberg). Inge lived in Wolmirstedt, but attended school in Madgeburg from 1933. The family relocated to the city of Magdeburg in 1935 where Otto owned two shops. Due to anti-Semitism and anti-Jewish legislation, Otto had lost his clothing business in Wolmirstedt. However, from 1937 with the increasing Aryanisation of Jewish assets and property, the Herrmann family again forcibly lost their remaining businesses and way of life.
Despite the worsening risk to all Jews in Germany, Inge's parents initially resisted emigration, though in 1937 they decided that their daughter should leave. Inge was approved to go to Australia after being assessed in Berlin. She arrived in Sydney via London in September 1938.
Otto and Regina lived in increasing poverty and anxiety. Otto was arrested in 1938 and sent to Buchenwald for a brief period before being released. In October 1942 they were deported to Theresienstadt. Inge received no sign of life from her parents from 1944 and only learned years after the war that they were deported to Auschwitz in October 1944 where they were murdered.
Part of a collection of over 60 letters to Inge-Ruth Poppert (nee Herrmann) from 1937 to 1957, as well as memorabilia and personal documents that detail the Holocaust experiences of the Herrmann family, and the establishment Inge's life in Sydney, Australia.
Inge was born on 12 October 1922 in Wolmirstedt, near Magdeburg, Germany to Otto and Kate-Regina Herrmann (nee Manneberg). Inge lived in Wolmirstedt, but attended school in Madgeburg from 1933. The family relocated to the city of Magdeburg in 1935 where Otto owned two shops. Due to anti-Semitism and anti-Jewish legislation, Otto had lost his clothing business in Wolmirstedt. However, from 1937 with the increasing Aryanisation of Jewish assets and property, the Herrmann family again forcibly lost their remaining businesses and way of life.
Despite the worsening risk to all Jews in Germany, Inge's parents initially resisted emigration, though in 1937 they decided that their daughter should leave. Inge was approved to go to Australia after being assessed in Berlin. She arrived in Sydney via London in September 1938.
Otto and Regina lived in increasing poverty and anxiety. Otto was arrested in 1938 and sent to Buchenwald for a brief period before being released. In October 1942 they were deported to Theresienstadt. Inge received no sign of life from her parents from 1944 and only learned years after the war that they were deported to Auschwitz in October 1944 where they were murdered.
Production placeUnited States
Production date 1947-07-13
Object nameletters
Materialpaper
Dimensions
- width: 215.00 mm
height: 277.00 mm
Language
- German This letter was written from Hanni to her cousin Inge and her husband Heinz, congratulating them on their marriage. The letter was written on July 13. 1947. Since lovely Inge, we dont have many relatives (apart from a sister from your fathers side) will correspondence not be big and therefore not much effort to write now and again a sign of life to me. I think a lot about your immediate family, and even when our kinship isnt that close, it gives me joy that we are in contact with each other. In memory of your poor, poor family, it makes me a feel little bit better. The letter concerns itself with the correspondence about Inges family regarding most likely with the inquiries to the American Joint Distribution Committee and the Central Tracing Bureau.
There is a question as to whether continue with the inquiries as there has not been much correspondence from Inge. I will copy the letters again for the third time. If you are not interested in taking care of the things, let me know, so that I can write to Ms. Krug. There is mention of the inheritance of Money and jewellery from Kaethe to Inge. However if Inge is not interested in receiving the inheritance it will be passed onto Guenther Manneberg. Hanni also mentions to Heinz that they had a cousin in Shanghai, named Heinrich Sass, a Berliner lawyer. He visited me on his journey through. The living in Shanghai is not easy. I still have various friends there who write the same. Hanni has also moved out of the Mays, she will write Inge the new address as soon as she knows where she will be living.
J. Gruschka
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Kim Poppert
In appreciation to the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) for supporting this archival project.