Singer family papers

Paul Leon Singer (1892-1972) was born on 14 May 1892 in Trieste, Italy to Sigismund and Emma (née Pardo, 1852-1937) Singer. He had four siblings: Georg (George, 1883-1945), Mercedes (1885-1918), Rosa (1887-1970), and Arrigo (1890-1915). Paul and his family moved to Vienna, Austria by 1901, and he completed his schooling there. He and his brother Georg both served in World War I. By 1928 Paul and Georg ran an import/export business called G. Singer & Co. with some relation to the Japanese firm Au Mikado. Elsa Singer (née Stern, 1891-1972) was born on 8 May 1891 in Brno, Czechoslovakia (Czech Republic) to Max and Rosalie (née Fuchs). She had 5 siblings: Irma, Heinrich (b. 1881), Robert, Olga, and Regine. Elsa was briefly married with the last name Chiavacci and lived in Vienna. Paul and Elsa met in the Alps and married in 1923. Their daughter Eva Mercedes Singer (later Eva Gaizband, 1925-2010) was born in 1925 in Vienna. After the German annexation of Austria in March 1938, Eva stayed briefly with their housekeeper Margarte Dvorak (Grete, Gretl) in the Austrian countryside. Elsa, Paul, and Eva then went to Brno to be with Eva’s grandparents before going to Paris by November 1938 to stay with Elsa’s brother Robert and his wife Juliette Spanjaard (1893-1963). On 9 September 1939 Paul was deported to the Meslay du Maine internment camp. He was released on 12 February 1940. They received an affidavit from Ludwig Hopfenberg, a stranger, and immigrated to the United States in February 1940 aboard the SS De Grasse. They settled in New Jersey. Elsa and Paul moved to Nice, France in 1950. Eva married Aaron Gaizband (1919-2005) and had one daughter, Cindy (later Cindy Peterman). Paul’s brother George, his wife Leopoldina (Polly), and their son Arrigo (Erich, 1924-2012) fled Austria for Brazil. Elsa’s brother Robert and his wife Juliette remained in France and were involved with the Resistance. Three of Elsa’s siblings, Heinrich, Irma, and Olga all perished in the Holocaust. Copyright Holder: Ms. Cynthia Peterman The collection documents the Holocaust-era experiences of Elsa and Paul Singer, along with their daughter Eva Singer, including their flight from Vienna, Austria in 1938, Paul’s internment in the Meslay du Maine internment camp, and their immigration to the United States from Paris in 1940. Included are biographical and identification documents, immigration paperwork for the Singers and Paul’s brother Georg and his wife Leopoldina Nemelka Singer, a small amount of wartime correspondence, and photographs. The biographical material includes birth and marriage certificates, report cards, documents related to Paul and Georg’s World War I military service, papers related to Paul and Georg’s import/export business, Singer family history, and Catholic conversion documents for Georg and his son Arrigo. Also included are Eva’s autograph book and recipe book (in German). Immigration papers for Elsa, Paul, and Eva include identification cards, Vienna police documents, ORT (Organization for Rehabilitation through Training) papers, an affidavit in lieu of passport, and naturalization certificates. Immigration papers for Georg and Leopoldina include identification documents and Brazilian registration papers. Correspondence consists of letters sent to the Singer family’s housekeeper Margarete Dvorak, who briefly kept Eva with her in the Austrian countryside in 1938 and wartime letters exchanged with family members including Elsa’s niece Vally and her brother Robert. Included are donor-provided transcriptions and translations of select letters. Photographs include depictions of the Singer and Stern families and Eva Singer.