Bernhard Kolb Collection

The Bernhard Kolb Collection is comprised of papers collected by Bernhard Kolb that document the experiences of himself and his community during the Holocaust as well as the National Socialists' attempts to vilify the Jews via their newspaper, Der Stürmer. Among the papers of this collection are personal papers, records from Theresienstadt, and correspondence and documents from the offices of Der Stürmer.

Personal information about Bernhard Kolb and the Kolb family is included in Series I: Personal. There is a family history of the Kolb family, as well as a detailed account of Bernhard Kolb's life, including his immigration to the United States. The series also contains correspondence with the Leo Baeck Institute concerning the donation of the collection.

Correspondence with several archives and individuals in Germany and the United States concerning the history of the Jews in Nuremberg is included in Series II: Jewish Communities. This series also holds a letter of protection for the community of Schnaittach and by-laws of the Jewish community of Sugenheim.

Series III: Theresienstadt contains material from the Jewish "self-administration" of Theresienstadt, including transport and deportation lists, lists of births, deaths, and organization memberships, proclamations, directives, and daily orders of the Council of Elders.

Series IV: Hans and Kaethe Bruck holds personal documents and correspondence related to Hans and Kaethe Bruck, which Herbert Kolb found in the offices of Der Stürmer after the war. He was not able to determine the fate of the couple. Included are certificates, transcripts and other official documents for both Hans and Kaethe Bruck, as well as correspondence with friends and relatives in the United States, who tried to secure affidavits and visas for them.

The records of the Nazi newspaper Der Stürmer are contained in Series V, including denunciations and letters to the editor, Julius Streicher. Much of this correspondence is intensely anti-Semitic. There are also a few documents related to Streicher's activities promoting naturopathy and opposing vaccination. In addition, there are military propaganda photos of Jews before and during World War II in Western Poland, including destroyed synagogues and Jewish cemeteries in Kattowitz and Lublin. Bernhard Kolb's son Herbert had returned to Nuremberg after the war and collected these papers.