Letter from Henrik (Heinz) Caspari to Inge Poppert (Herrmann)
Object numberM2020/023:026
TitleLetter from Henrik (Heinz) Caspari to Inge Poppert (Herrmann)
Creator Heinz Caspari
DescriptionLetter to Inge Poppert from her cousin Henrik (Heinz) Caspari from 1957. The letter congratulates Inge and her husband Heinz on the birth of their child Kim, and updates them on the lives of the Caspari family.
What is most pertinent is the section of the post-script that mentions a survivor of the ghetto Theresienstadt who had met and remembers Inge's parents before they were deported to Auschwitz:
"She vividly remembers your parents, especially your mother, and describes her as an extraordinarily charming lady. She also assisted at their final 'removal': your parents were deported, in the very last minute, together with the whole Altersheim."
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.
What is most pertinent is the section of the post-script that mentions a survivor of the ghetto Theresienstadt who had met and remembers Inge's parents before they were deported to Auschwitz:
"She vividly remembers your parents, especially your mother, and describes her as an extraordinarily charming lady. She also assisted at their final 'removal': your parents were deported, in the very last minute, together with the whole Altersheim."
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 placeSweden
Production date circa 1957
Subjectpostwar family interactions, ghetto experiences, Theresienstadt ghetto, ghetto management, loved ones' fates
Object nameletters
Materialpaper
Dimensions
- width: 170.00 mm
height: 283.00 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.