Guide to Fritz and Wilhemina Sass Lokesch letter
1990.1022

Summary Information

Repository
Tauber Holocaust Library
Title
Fritz and Wilhemina Sass Lokesch letter
ID
1990.1022
Date
1939 January 13
Extent
1.0 Folder(s)
Language
English
Mixed materials [Folder]
Archives Box 8
Abstract
The collection comprises one letter, written by Fritz Lokesch and Wilhemina Sass Lokesch from Prague, on January 13, 1939. The letter, a plea to a stranger whose last name is similar to Mrs. Lokesch's maiden name, describes the couple's flight from Vienna after the Anschluss in March 1938 and their desire to emigrate to the United States. The letter is accompanied by an envelope addressed to Mr. E.M. Saas, San Francisco, postmarked April 13, 1939.

Preferred Citation note

Fritz and Wilhemina Sass Lokesch letter - 1990.1022, Tauber Holocaust Library - JFCS Holocaust Center, San Francisco, California

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Biography

Fritz Lokesch was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia on November 10, 1908. Dr. Wilhemina Sass Lokesch was born in Lemberg (Lviv), Poland on December 11, 1911. They lived and were educated in Vienna, Austria. Dr. Lokesch was a medical doctor and Fritz Lokesch worked in an electro-technical hardware factory.

After the Anschluss (annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany in March 1938), the couple left Vienna for Prague, Czechoslovakia to escape the discrimination and hardships faced by Jews under the Nazi regime. They feared that Czechoslovakia would soon fall under Nazi domination and desperately sought to escape.

Despite these attempts, they were unsuccessful. On May 15, 1942 they were deported to Terezin, Czechoslovakia. On October 1, 1944, Fritz Lokesch was deported to Auschwitz and perished. Dr. Wilhemina Lokesch survived the war and emigrated to Israel, where she remarried and had a son.

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Scope and Contents note

The collection comprises a single letter, accompanied by an envelope. The letter written from Prague on January 13, 1939 and addressed to a stranger, contains a plea from Fritz and Dr. Wilhemina Lokesch for assistance in obtaining an affidavit for emigration to the United States. Without relatives or friends in the United States, the Lokesches wrote in desperation to a gentleman whose last name resembled Dr. Lokesch's maiden name. The couple had fled Vienna after the March 1938 annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany, and their letter documents their fear of a similar fate befalling Czechoslovakia. Their fears were founded. In September 1938, the Munich Pact was signed, which ceded the Sudetenland to Nazi Germany and a full invasion of Czechoslovakia took place in March 1939.

The letter describes the couple's situation, their hope for a secure future, and details their abilities, talents and character. The Lokesches assure the recipient that they are hard workers and would be no burden.

The letter documents the situation of many Jews trapped in Europe and living under the shadow of Nazi persecution. It reflects their desperation, and the foreknowledge many had of the uncertain future that they were facing by remaining in Europe under Nazi domination.

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Administrative Information

Publication Information

 Tauber Holocaust Library  2008 February 12

JFCS Holocaust Center
2245 Post Street
San Francisco, CA, 94115
415-449-3717
[email protected]

Conditions Governing Access note

There are no restrictions to access for this collection.

Conditions Governing Use note

There are no restrictions to use for this collection.

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Fritz and Wilhemina Sass Lokesch letter, 1939 January 13


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Controlled Access Headings

Genre(s)

  • Correspondence

Geographic Name(s)

  • Czechoslovakia -- History -- 1938-1945

Subject(s)

  • Jews -- Persecutions -- Czechoslovakia
  • Jews, Austrian -- Prague -- Correspondence

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