Axelrod and Gross families papers

Gussie Mager was born Henia Gittel Axelrod (1904-1981) was born on October 22, 1904 in Kolomea (Kolomyia, Ukraine) to Pepi Axelrod (alternately spelled Axelrad or Akselrad) and Aaron Gross. She had two sisters, Frieda Ester Gross (alternately spelled Freda Esther, later Frieda Helf, 1903-1958) and Zosia (b. 1911), and three brothers, Elkuna Gross (1908-1975), Ancel (1912-1913), and another whose name is unknown (1909-1909). Henia’s parents’ marriage was not recognized by the civil authorities so she went by her mother’s maiden name. Gussie and her sister Frieda immigrated to the United States aboard the SS Imperator in August 1920. She married fellow immigrant Max Mager (b. 1897) on October 23, 1927. They had two children, Arline (b. September 24, 1929) and Jerome (b. July 12, 1932). Max worked as a tailor and was a member of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU). Frieda married Morris Helf and they had one daughter, Lynette (Spira, July 6, 1939). Elkuna remained in Kolomea where he worked as a policeman. In 1937 he completed a Certificate of Poverty to receive social welfare benefits. After the start of World War II, Elkuna was conscripted into the Red Army. He was wounded and sent to Siberia for the duration of the war. After the war, he resumed his career as a policeman and lived in the Berlin-Schlachtensee displaced persons camp. His sister Frieda and her husband Morris sponsored his immigration to the United States in 1949. He settled in New York where he worked as a security guard at the Montefiore Hospital. Aaron Gross died before the start of World War II. Pepi remained in Kolomea and Gussie and Max submitted an affidavit for her immigration to the United States. She was unable to emigrate, and after the war Elkuna learned that she was shot and killed in the street in 1939. Copyright Holder: Mr. Howard Mager The collection includes documents, correspondence, and photographs related to the Holocaust-era experiences of the Axelrod family (alternately known as the Akselrad and Gross family), originally of Kolomea (Kolomyia, Ukraine). Documents include birth record and school report for Gussie Mager (born Henia Gittel Axelrod), immigration paperwork, an affidavit for Gussie’s mother Pepi Axelrod to emigrate from Kolomea, receipt for phone call to Kolomea, and a Certificate of Poverty completed by Gussie’s brother Elkuna Gross in 1937. Correspondence includes a letter from Elkuna to his sister Frieda in 1949 regarding his immigration to the United States. Photographs primarily consist of postwar depictions of Elkuna at the Berlin-Schlachtensee displaced persons camp, 1946-1947, along with photographs of him in his Russian army uniform, 1942, and his police uniform, 1945. There is also a small amount of pre-war family photographs with depictions of Gussie with her husband Max Mager and children Arline and Jerome.