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Gettinger Family Collection

 Collection
Identifier: AR 25677

Scope and Content Note

The letters, official documents, and photographs in this collection provide insight into the struggles the Gettinger family faced in escaping from Nazi Germany and how it affected their lives prior to and after World War II. The first series within this collection contains documents pertaining primarily to Isadore Gettinger's education, immigration to the United States, and marriage to Miriam over the time span from 1921 to 2012. Official documents such as certificates, passports, and identification cards are also included belonging to both Isadore and Miriam Gettinger. Contained within the second series are documents pertaining to Israel Göttinger's education and his attempt to immigrate to the United States over the time span from 1911 to 1943, as well as 1951 confirmation of his death at Auschwitz. The third series contains documents pertaining to other members of the Gettinger family, including Leib Gettinger, Leon Göttinger, and Mindel Gettinger over the time span from 1920 to 1947. An unpublished manuscript, "Der Klub Arbeitsloser Detektive," and a short story, "Eines Tages…Drei Stunden," with unknown authors and dates are also included in the third series. The fourth series is comprised of photographs contained within a photo album compiled by Isadore Gettinger documenting his experience in World War II over the time span from 1943 to 1945. Loose photographs dating from 1924 through 1947 and documenting the childhood of the Gettinger brothers up until Isadore's marriage to Miriam complete this collection.

Dates

  • 1911-2012
  • Majority of material found within 1939-1946

Creator

Language of Materials

The collection is in German, and English, with some French, Hebrew, Spanish, and Polish.

Access Restrictions

Open to researchers.

Access Information

Collection is digitized. Follow the links in the Container List to access the digitized materials.

Use Restrictions

There may be some restrictions on the use of the collection. For more information, contact:

Leo Baeck Institute, Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011

email: lbaeck@lbi.cjh.org

Biographical Note<extptr actuate="onload" altrender="Mindel Göttinger with sons" href="http://digital.cjh.org/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=3849098" show="embed" title="Mindel Göttinger with sons"/>

This collection documents the lives of two generations of the Gettinger family, beginning with the patriarch, Leib Göttinger. Leib Göttinger was born on October 3, 1889 in Szczucin, Poland. His wife, Mindel Göttinger, née Schuldenfrei, was born on November 13, 1887. Leib and Mindel Göttinger had three sons: Israel, Walter, and Isidor. Israel Göttinger was born on November 19, 1911 in Kraków, Poland. Walter Göttinger was born on October 14, 1915. Isidor was born on January 11, 1921 in Vienna, Austria. Israel was a lawyer, while Walter and Isadore were involved in sales. The Göttinger family was living in Vienna, Austria when World War II broke out. Leib, Mindel, Walter, and Isidor were able to immigrate to the United States in 1939. Upon their arrival in the United States, the family name was Americanized to Gettinger. Israel was planning to immigrate to the United States first via Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and later via Guatemala. However, Israel was deported by the Nazis to Auschwitz in 1943, where he later died. Isadore Gettinger enlisted in the United States Army in 1943 and was released from active duty in 1945. Isadore Gettinger married Miriam Stein in 1946. Miriam was born Merjam Sztejn, the daughter of Azryl Sztejn and Rywka Epsztejn, and twin sister of Gdali Sztejn on February 6, 1923 in Bialystok, Poland. Isadore and Miriam resided in New York City, where he established the Gettinger Feather Company.

Extent

0.5 Linear Feet

Abstract

This collection comprises letters, official documents, and photographs that pertain to the lives of members of the Gettinger family, specifically the brothers Isadore (Isidor) and Israel, as they attempted to emigrate from Austria amid the rise of the German Reich and the implications thereafter.

Related Material

Austrian Heritage Collection (AHC) Interview with Isidor Gettinger (AHC 2220) can be found in the LBI Archives.

Separated Material

A duplicate copy of a document pertaining to Israel Göttinger's visa application to the United States was removed from this collection.

Processing Information

This collection has been rearranged into series according to the prominence of each family member within the collection and into chronological order within each series.

Title
Guide to the Gettinger Family Collection 1911-2012 AR 25677
Status
Completed
Author
Processed by Madeleine Ostertag
Date
© 2016
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Description is in English.
Edition statement
This version was derived from GettingerFamily.xml

Revision Statements

  • November 2016:: dao links added by Emily Andresini.

Repository Details

Part of the Leo Baeck Institute Repository

Contact:
15 West 16th Street
New York NY 10011 United States