Hirsch family documents

<p>The papers in this collection document aspects of the life of Jonni Hirsch a Jewish <em>Mischling</em>, from Kiel, Schleswig-Hollstein, and of certain members on the Jewish side of his family. The papers are evidence of the way in which the lives of Jews in a German city became ever more difficult as a consequence of growing antisemitism. This is demonstrated in subtle ways by, for example, the copies of Abraham Hirsch's 19th century war record c1935 (-/4); the letters from shops and cafes requesting Jonni Hirsch not to frequent them because the customers do not like it (-/5, -/7, -/15); and the permit to leave the concentration camp Sachsenhausen (-/8)- he was imprisoned on 12 November 1938, 2 days after <em>Kristallnacht</em>, and described as a Jew. A certificate issued by the chief of police, Kiel, 1 December 1938, describes Jonni Hirsch as <em>Mischling I Grades</em>, and therefore not Jewish according to German law (-/9).<br /></p><p>There are a couple of oblique references to Hirsch family businesses. According to an anonymous, undated typescript note (-/14), an unidentified Hirsch family member owned a <em>Saftladen</em> (a kiosk selling juice ?), which was threatened with closure by 2 <em>SS</em> men in March 1933. A letter from the <em>Kieler neueste Nachrichten</em> (-/10) dated 12 December 1938 addressed to <em>Firma Adolph Hirsch</em> regrets (without qualification) that they can no longer display adverts for the firm. No mention is made of the nature or extent of the business.</p> Adolph Hirsch died in 1935.<br><br>According to the later correspondence (1120/11-13) the Hirsch family was an old established Jewish family emanating from Denmark. Jonni Hirsch's grandfather, Wolf Hirsch, was president of the local Jewish community and instrumental in the building of a Kiel synagogue.<br><br>It is not known what happened to Jonni Hirsch after 1938. In a letter dated 22 January 1957, he writes from his home in Kiel and, amongst other things, mentions the fact that his earlier home in Fischerstr. was bombed during the war.<br><br><div> </div><div>Whether he spent the entire period between 1938 and 1957 in Kiel is not known. Nor is the fate of other family members known.</div><br>The relationship between the depositor and Jonni Hirsch is not known. Open