Skip to main content

Rindsberg Family Collection

 Collection
Identifier: AR 25499

Scope and Content Note

Whereas a large variety of documents, photographs and correspondence offer a broad documentation of Edwin Rindsberg and his family, it is particularly the psychiatric case of Max Rindsberg that takes a prominent position in the collection. Bringing together voices of the state, the family and friends, as well as medical and psychological research, the juridical and personal papers pertaining to this case do not only illustrate Max Rindsberg's individual experience as a World War I soldier and its impact on his family relations, but also allow insight into the larger cultural discourse on war traumata and the status of (Jewish) veterans in Germany between 1918 and 1939.

The material in Folder 1 pertains to Edwin Rindsberg, his life and work in Germany and his immigration to the United States. Included are mostly letters by various German and American employees. Additional material comprises school records, a marriage announcement, a passport, a work ID, and a blood donor certificate.

Max Rindsberg's correspondence can be found in Folder 2. It contains for the most part postcards and letters sent to his brother Edwin, in which he describes his experience as a soldier in World War I.

Folders 3 and 4 document the long-term hospitalization of Max Rindsberg and the legal proceedings surrounding it. Included are bills, reports and correspondence from hospitals and social administration offices, as well as a large number of juridical papers, including court decisions, medical opinions, witness statements and family reports. Of particular interest are, on the one hand, explanations by the court arguing against a causal relation between war and mental illness, and psychiatric opinions highlighting the impact of "the peculiarities and the milieu of being a soldier" on their mental health, on the other. Equally interesting may be reports by family members describing in detail Max Rindsberg's changing behavior at home in the post-war years, as his mental state deteriorated.

Folder 5 contains various documents about Max Rindsberg, predominantly school reports, but also a military ID, a pay book and transfer papers.

Folder 6 contains a diverse body of correspondence to and from different members of the Rindsberg family, mostly postcards as well as a few letters.

Folder 7 contains a relatively large number of family photographs, including various pictures of immediate and remote members of the family as well as some pictures depicting the main synagogues in Nuremberg and Munich before they were burned down in 1938.

Other documents pertaining to the Rindsberg family and their immigration are contained in Folder 8. Included are genealogical papers, marriage certificates, alien registration IDs, birth certificates, naturalization papers, passports and a book containing wedding telegrams.

Dates

  • 1870-1979
  • Majority of material found within 1926-1938

Creator

Language of Materials

The collection is in German.

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

Edwin Rindsberg, born in 1903 in Nuremberg, had two siblings: an older brother, Max Rindsberg (1899-1942), and a sister, Amalie (1898-1979) who was married to Alfred Wertheimer (born 1897). Their parents were David (1869-1950) and Bertha Rindsberg (born 1873). They all immigrated to the United States with the exception of Max.

Edwin worked as a sales representative in the fabrics industry in Germany before he immigrated to the United States where he married Bianca Kolb.

Edwin’s brother, Max Rindsberg, served in World War I, stationed predominantly in Skopje, Macedonia. From the 1920s on he suffered from mental illnesses, which required constant hospitalization and psychiatric treatment. Initially regarded a post-war trauma, his mental condition was later reconsidered an inborn disposition, depriving Rindsberg of state pension or compensation. From 1924 to 1938 his father, David Rindsberg, charged with the total cost of Max’s hospitalization, repeatedly pursued legal action against the court decision, but eventually lost the case. While most of his family emigrated, Max was deported and died in 1942.

Extent

0.5 Linear Feet

Abstract

This family collection contains a variety of correspondence, documents and photographs pertaining predominantly to the brothers Edwin Rindsberg and Max Rindsberg as well as to their parents, siblings and other relatives. Prominently documented is a legal dispute regarding Max Rindsberg's mental illness after he had served in World War I and the family's claim to state pensions for his subsequent long-term hospitalization.

Arrangement

Arranged in one series, by person.

Separated Material

A German prayer book, Friedhofsgebete [Gebete fuer den guten Ort] has been removed to the LBI Library.

Title
Guide to the Papers of the Rindsberg Family 1870-1979 AR 25499
Status
Completed
Author
Processed by Florian Siedlarek and LBI Staff
Date
© 2012
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Description is in English.
Edition statement
This version was derived from RindsbergFamily.xml

Revision Statements

  • July 09, 2014 : Links to digital objects added in Container List.

Repository Details

Part of the Leo Baeck Institute Repository

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