Record Groups
Images
Metadata
Collection |
Eric Lipman Papers |
Object Name |
Collection |
Catalog Number |
RG-163 |
Dates of Creation |
1939-1991 |
Extent of Description |
0.2 linear feet (1 box) |
Admin/Biographical History |
Eric Lipman was born in Stolzenau, Germany on November 25, 1912. His father was away serving in World War I and did not meet Eric until he was six years old. In 1932, Eric was attending school in Geneva when a German law was passed saying students could not be supported by their families with money to study abroad which forced him to leave school early. Eric then went to work as a commercial apprentice with Heinrich Sonnenberg. While on vacation in Geneva, Eric met Harvard Law student, Peyton Moss, who upon seeing the discrimination against Jews in Germany worked to get Eric an immigration visa to the United States in 1936. He traveled on the S.S. Manhattan to New York arriving in February 1937. An attempt was made to get Eric's mother, Martha, an immigration visa, but it did not come quick enough. Eric eventually enlisted in the Army and went to Camp Ritchie, MD for training in Military Intelligence. He became a naturalized citizen on December 2, 1943. Afterwards, Eric went overseas to England where he was eventually assigned to the document section of the Third Army. Eric landed on Utah Beach on June 20, 1944. In May 1945, he entered Theresienstadt Concentration Camp, recently liberated by the Soviets, looking for any information on his mother. His sister eventually received word in September 1945 that their mother had been sent to Riga Ghetto and then on to Kaiserwald Concentration Camp and finally Stutthof after which no trace of her was found. Eric's sister, Trudel, had left Germany for Belgium with her husband, Max, who was sent to a French concentration camp in Gurs. Trudel managed to escape to Marseilles with her child thanks to help from the French underground. Max eventually joined them, and they immigrated to Havana, Cuba in 1942. Eric's brother, Martin, traveled to England to finish up high school at Wittingham College outside of London. |
Copyrights |
No restriction on use. |
Language of Material |
English, German, and Hebrew. |
Scope & Content |
The Eric Lipman Papers focus on Eric's experiences between the years 1937 and 1945, including his immigration to the United States and his WWII Army service. These papers include biographical material, military documents, and correspondence. Folder 1 contains transcriptions of four oral history interviews with Eric conducted by VCU in 1991. Folder 2 holds some handwritten notes pertaining to Eric's biography and the Lipmann family. Folder 3 contains donation material from items donated by Eric's executor. Folder 4 has German propaganda flyers, some with English translations. Folder 5 contains correspondence after the war, relating to the search for Martha Lipmann as well as further research into the Holocaust. Military documents can be found in Folder 6, including translations of SS reports on the resettlement of Jews. Folder 7 contains a transcription from Eric's diary of his experiences at Theresienstadt shortly after its liberation, and Folder 8 has a newspaper clipping regarding the U.S. Army's acquisition of a roster of Nazi sympathizers. Folder 9 contains personal documents, including copies of the Affidavit of Support which enabled Eric to immigrate to the United States and a letter to Martha Lipmann from the American General Consulate regarding her visa application. Folder 10 has an inventory for the Eric Lipman collection donated to Beth Ahabah Archives, and Folder 11 has the same for Yad Vashem. Folder 12 has an article entitled, "What American Jews Did During the Holocaust." Finally, Folder 13 contains correspondence between Eric and members of the U.S. Senate concerning his mother's immigration visa as well as his drafting into the U.S. Army. |
Subjects |
Stolzenau, Germany Barenburg, Germany Dusseldorf, Germany Gurs Internment Camp Riga Ghetto Kaiserwald Concentration Camp Theresienstadt Concentration Camp Stutthof Concentration Camp |
Imagefile |
003\RG163.TIF |