Leo Rapp Family Collection
Scope and Content Note
This collection contains papers and photographs of the Rapp and Lang family members. The bulk of the paper material dates from the 1930s and documents the emigration efforts of Leo Rapp and Rosa and Julius Lang. Also included among the papers are limited documents on Hildegard Rapp’s restitution claims and some personal correspondence among family and friends. The photographs date from approximately the 1880s to 1996. Photographs of Leo Rapp date from his infancy through 1996. Photographs of Rosa and Julius Lang range from their youth during World War I through approximately the 1970s. The subjects of many photographs are unidentified and are likely friends or family members of the Lang, Rapp, or Kaiser families.
Dates
- Creation: 1882-circa 2005
Creator
- Dworkin, Nadaline (Person)
Language of Materials
The collection is in German and English.
Access Restrictions
This collection is open to researchers.
Access Information
Readers may access the collection by visiting the Lillian Goldman Reading Room at the Center for Jewish History. We recommend reserving the collection in advance; please visit the LBI Online Catalog and click on the "Request" button.
Biographical Note<extptr actuate="onload" altrender="Studio portrait of Leo Rapp (1924-2004)" href="http://digital.cjh.org/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=1630168" show="embed" title="Studio portrait of Leo Rapp (1924-2004)"/>
Leo Rapp was born in Hof (Bavaria) on May 28, 1924 to the men’s clothing store manager Simon Rapp and his wife Selma née Kann. After Leo was no longer permitted to attend school, he moved to Munich to live with his uncle Paul Kann and learn mechanics. In 1939, he traveled to England on a children’s transport to live with another one of his uncles and his English wife. There, Leo found work in a factory that made airplane engines. In 1947, he immigrated to the United States, where he worked as a machinist and lived with his aunt Rosa Lang née Rapp and her husband Julius. He married Hildegard Kaiser in 1950.
Hildegard Rapp née Kaiser was born on February 6, 1921 in Kassel, Germany, and worked as a nurse in Frankfurt am Main before emigrating. She first came to Sheffield, England with her sister but was sent back after it was found out that she was working without a permit. She was able to leave for England again with the help of a rabbi. She immigrated to the United States in 1947. In the 1950s, she successfully claimed restitution for damages to her education and career advancement.
Rosa Lang née Rapp was born on April 13, 1896 in Pfungstadt, Germany. She married the salesman Julius Lang (born 1881) on December 12, 1938, and they immigrated to the United States in May of 1939. They both became naturalized citizens in 1945.
Extent
1 Linear Feet
Abstract
This collection documents the personal lives of Leo Rapp (1924-2004), his wife Hildegard Rapp née Kaiser (1921-1997), his aunt Rosa Lang née Rapp, and her husband Julius Lang. There are approximately equal amounts of papers and photographs ranging from the late 19th century through approximately 2005. The papers include vital records, immigration papers, military records, tax records, school grades, correspondence, biographical notes, and family trees. The photographs consist mainly of formal and casual photographs of Leo Rapp, Rosa Lang, and Julius Lang, alongside many family group photographs.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in two series based on document type.
Digitization Note
This collection was digitized and made accessible in its entirety.
Processing Information
Materials were flattened. Duplicates of paper materials were removed. For preservation purposes, photographs were placed in archival envelopes and negatives were placed in polyethylene sleeves. Some photographs were removed from albums and matting. Where post-it notes that were included with the collection upon donation contained unique information, they were photocopied onto acid-free paper and included with the materials to which they relate.
Subject
- Rapp, Leo, 1924-2004 (Person)
- Rapp, Hildegard, 1921-1997 (Person)
- Lang, Rosa, 1896- (Person)
- Lang, Julius, 1881- (Person)
- Rapp family (Family)
- Lang family (Family)
- Title
- Guide to the Leo Rapp Family Collection 1882-circa 2005 AR 25228
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Processed by Leanora Lange
- Date
- © 2013
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Description is in English.
- Sponsor
- Described, encoded, and digitized as part of the CJH Holocaust Resource Initiative, made possible by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims against Germany.
Repository Details
Part of the Leo Baeck Institute Repository
