Letter from Joan Harris to Inge Herrmann
Object numberM2020/023:025
TitleLetter from Joan Harris to Inge Herrmann
Creator Joan Harris
DescriptionLetter from Joan 'Hanni' Harris in America to her cousin Inge Herrmann in Australia on 3 August 1946. Hanni had fled Germany at a young age before the beginning of the Holocaust, and lost much of her shared family with Inge as a result of it.
This letter appears to be a follow up to a previous one from June of the same year (M2020/023:024). Hanni relays her continued grief after the loss of her brother months earlier, saying she no longer "cares where I live, or what I do."
Hanni relays how she has been attempting to track down Inge's parents by contacting the Council of Jewish Women in Los Angeles. She feels she must help Inge as it was her brother's wish to help track down their family. Despite this, Hanni states that she "almost believes that none of your family is alive".
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.
This letter appears to be a follow up to a previous one from June of the same year (M2020/023:024). Hanni relays her continued grief after the loss of her brother months earlier, saying she no longer "cares where I live, or what I do."
Hanni relays how she has been attempting to track down Inge's parents by contacting the Council of Jewish Women in Los Angeles. She feels she must help Inge as it was her brother's wish to help track down their family. Despite this, Hanni states that she "almost believes that none of your family is alive".
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 1946-08-03
Object nameletters
Materialpaper
Dimensions
- width: 200.00 mm
height: 265.00 mm
Language
- English
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.