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Anita Abeles Freilich papers

 Collection
Identifier: Mss 1065-005

Collection Overview

Images, correspondence, and other papers of Anita Abeles Freilich and the Abeles family, a Jewish family that fled Czechoslovakia shortly before the Nazi invasion in 1939. Included is a memoir from Sara Novak, a friend of the Abeleses and a Lithuanian Holocaust survivor, and a DVD recording of the Abeles family's 60th anniversary picnic in 1998. Materials document the Abeles family prior to their escape from Czechoslovakia and their attempts to seek restitution.

Dates

  • Creation: 1929-2008

Creator

Language of Material

Materials in English, Czech, and German

Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research.

Copyright Notice

The nature of the College of Charleston's archival holdings means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. Special Collections claims only physical ownership of most archival materials.

The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.

Biographical Note

Anita Abeles was born in 1930 in Svinare, Czechoslovakia, to Walter and Zdenke Abeles. The Abeleses were the only Jewish family in Svinare in the pre-war era. In 1938, with the Germans threatening Czechoslovakia, Walter Abeles decided that he and his family must leave the country. He secured Canadian visas for his family by agreeing to a five-year commitment to farm land in Canada.

The Abeleses left Czechoslovakia in March 1939, within a week of the Nazi invasion. They traveled through Germany, France, and England before arriving in Dundas, Ontario, where Walter Abeles was given a farm of 100 acres. After completing his five-year commitment, the family moved to Toronto, where Anita Abeles met Max Freilich on a blind date. They married in 1954 and eventually moved to Greenville, South Carolina.

Extent

0.1 linear feet (5 folders)

Abstract

Images, correspondence, and other papers of Anita Abeles Freilich and the Abeles family, a Jewish family that fled Czechoslovakia shortly before the Nazi invasion in 1939. Included is a memoir from Sara Novak, a friend of the Abeleses and a Lithuanian Holocaust survivor, and a DVD recording of the Abeles family's 60th anniversary picnic in 1998. Materials document the Abeles family prior to their escape from Czechoslovakia and their attempts to seek restitution.

Collection Arrangement

Materials are described at the folder level.

Acquisitions Information

Materials were donated in 2008 by Anita Freilich.

Related Material

Related materials in College of Charleston Special Collections include the Max Freilich papers (Mss 1065-004).

Processing Information

Processed by Rebecca McClure, January 2011.

Title
Inventory of the Anita Abeles Freilich Papers, 1929-2008
Status
Completed
Author
Processed by: Rebecca McClure; machine-readable finding aid created by: Rebecca McClure
Date
2011
Description rules
Dacs
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Sponsor
Funding from the Council on Library and Information Resources supported the processing of this collection and encoding of the finding aid.

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Special Collections
College of Charleston Libraries
66 George Street
Charleston South Carolina 29424
(843) 953-8016
(843) 953-6319 (Fax)