Record Groups
Images
Additional Images [3]
Metadata
Collection |
Brenig Family Papers |
Object Name |
Collection |
Catalog Number |
RG-128 |
Dates of Creation |
1920-2006 |
Extent of Description |
0.2 linear feet (1 box) |
Admin/Biographical History |
Theodore Brenig was born on July 17, 1927 to Baruch and Gittel Brenig. In 1938, after Kristallnacht, Baruch was arrested and taken to Dachau where he was released after three months. In 1942, the family was taken to Camp des Milles and in August, Baruch and Gittel were deported to Auschwitz. Theodore's parents had authorized the OSE to take him out of the camp, and his brother, Joseph, hid on one of the OSE buses to escape as well. Theodore was taken to the Hotel Bompard Internment camp and then on to a children's home. When they began to deport children, Theodore was taken to Chambery in the Italian zone of occupation, and then smuggled into Switzerland after the Italians capitulated. He became an engineer in Switzerland after the war and was eventually offered a job by General Electric after which he moved to Lynchburg, Virginia. Joseph, who was too old to be taken in by the OSE, obtained false papers and worked on a farm. He joined the Free French Forces in 1944. |
Copyrights |
No restrictions on use. |
Language of Material |
English |
Scope & Content |
The Brenig Family Papers focus primarily on the experiences of Theodore Brenig after his parents were deported to Auschwitz. These papers include photographs and personal reminiscences. Folder 1 contains correspondence between Theodore and Dianna Gabay in which he tells his story. Folder 2 has several copies of family photographs taken between 1920 and 1941 in Poland and France. |
Subjects |
Dobromil, Poland Marseilles, France Chambery, France Lynchburg, Virginia, United States Camp des Milles (Internment Camp) Hotel Bompard (Internment Camp) Drancy (Concentration Camp) Auschwitz (Concentration Camp) Dachau (Concentration Camp) Oeuvre de Secours Aux Enfants (OSE) Free French Forces |
Imagefile |
003\RG128.JPG |