Gabrielle Greenberg Collection

Haymann – Lösser Family Lilli (also: Lily) Lösser (also: Losser), née Haymann, was born on February 21, 1905, in Bad Kreuznach, Germany, as the daughter of Samuel and Julie Haymann, née Rosenbusch. She was married to Hugo Lösser and their first daughter, Jutta was born on June 29, 1932, in Essen, Germany. Jutta was one year old when she and her parents left Germany for Portugal in 1933 to look for a safe place for them and their families. In Lisbon, Hugo worked with the chocolate manufacturer "Favorita". Lily worked at an international aid committee for Jewish refugees. On August 20, 1935, their second daughter, Gabriela (also: Gabrielle) was born. Hugo died in 1937.

In January 1943 Lily sent her daughters, aged seven and ten, to the United States. The girls’ first host family was the Steins, who lived in New Jersey. Due to continuous clashes between Jutta and Paulina Stein's daughter Sara the girls moved away from the Steins and to the Steinharts in late June 1944. The new foster parents had already taken in a girl, Ruth, and a boy, Hans Juergensen, whom they adopted. For pronunciation reasons, the Steinharts called Jutta Judy, and she adopted that name quickly. Until Lily joined them in early 1946, the girls and their mother wrote letters almost weekly to each other. Over time the girls corresponded only in English with their mother.

Judy got married to Mannie Honig in 1953 and moved to Miami, Florida, where she died on July 17, 1989. She had three children. Gaby married Jerry Greenberg in 1962, lives in New York and has two children. Lily remarried and took over her new husband's name, Morris Besso, who died in 1968. She retired in Sarasota, Florida, in 1975 and died in Miami on August 8, 1988.

Davidson - Lösser Family Else Davidson, née Lösser, was Hugo Lösser’s sister. She was the daughter of Gustav and Martha Loesser. Until she married Martin Davidson in 1924, she worked as a chemist. Her husband, Martin, worked as an adept in galleries in Berlin. He also opened two shops with radios and equipment. Fortunately, the Davidsons' businesses were not affected by the Nazis due to their timely immigration on October 1, 1935. Martin and Else had two daughters, Ruth and Gerda, who were nine and five years old upon their departure to Lisbon.

In 1943, the parents sent their younger daughter Gerda to the United States, where she was taken in by a foster family. Her sister Ruth was already 16 at this point and was therefore too old to leave. She and her parents stayed in Portugal until 1946. While in Lisbon, Ruth graduated from the Lyzeum (high school), after which she took a job at the HICEM (refugee aid organization). Ruth started her journey to New York in 1945. At first, she lived with her aunt Paula Salomon. She got a job as a translator and started studying languages and literature.

After arriving in New York in 1946, Else got a job as a chemist and Martin as a merchant. He died in 1960, Else remarried in 1962 and died in 1969. Gerda married a Puerto Rican in 1947, becoming Gerda Negron. Ruth married the Portuguese Adolfo de Carvalho in 1955 and returned to Portugal with him in 1985.

Lilli (also: Lily) Lösser (also: Losser), née Haymann, was born on February 21, 1905, in Bad Kreuznach, Germany, as the daughter of Samuel and Julie Haymann, née Rosenbusch. She was married to Hugo Lösser and their first daughter, Jutta was born on June 29, 1932, in Essen, Germany. Jutta was one year old when she and her parents left Germany for Portugal in 1933 to look for a safe place for them and their families. In Lisbon, Hugo worked with the chocolate manufacturer "Favorita". Lily worked at an international aid committee for Jewish refugees. On August 20, 1935, their second daughter, Gabriela (also: Gabrielle) was born. Hugo died in 1937.

In January 1943 Lily sent her daughters, aged seven and ten, to the United States. The girls’ first host family was the Steins, who lived in New Jersey. Due to continuous clashes between Jutta and Paulina Stein's daughter Sara the girls moved away from the Steins and to the Steinharts in late June 1944. The new foster parents had already taken in a girl, Ruth, and a boy, Hans Juergensen, whom they adopted. For pronunciation reasons, the Steinharts called Jutta Judy, and she adopted that name quickly. Until Lily joined them in early 1946, the girls and their mother wrote letters almost weekly to each other. Over time the girls corresponded only in English with their mother.

Judy got married to Mannie Honig in 1953 and moved to Miami, Florida, where she died on July 17, 1989. She had three children. Gaby married Jerry Greenberg in 1962, lives in New York and has two children. Lily remarried and took over her new husband's name, Morris Besso, who died in 1968. She retired in Sarasota, Florida, in 1975 and died in Miami on August 8, 1988.

Else Davidson, née Lösser, was Hugo Lösser’s sister. She was the daughter of Gustav and Martha Loesser. Until she married Martin Davidson in 1924, she worked as a chemist. Her husband, Martin, worked as an adept in galleries in Berlin. He also opened two shops with radios and equipment. Fortunately, the Davidsons' businesses were not affected by the Nazis due to their timely immigration on October 1, 1935. Martin and Else had two daughters, Ruth and Gerda, who were nine and five years old upon their departure to Lisbon.

In 1943, the parents sent their younger daughter Gerda to the United States, where she was taken in by a foster family. Her sister Ruth was already 16 at this point and was therefore too old to leave. She and her parents stayed in Portugal until 1946. While in Lisbon, Ruth graduated from the Lyzeum (high school), after which she took a job at the HICEM (refugee aid organization). Ruth started her journey to New York in 1945. At first, she lived with her aunt Paula Salomon. She got a job as a translator and started studying languages and literature.

After arriving in New York in 1946, Else got a job as a chemist and Martin as a merchant. He died in 1960, Else remarried in 1962 and died in 1969. Gerda married a Puerto Rican in 1947, becoming Gerda Negron. Ruth married the Portuguese Adolfo de Carvalho in 1955 and returned to Portugal with him in 1985.