“A European Escape: The Journey of the Neustein Family”
March 29, 2018 [St. Petersburg, FL] — The Florida Holocaust Museum (The FHM) is pleased to present a new exhibition A European Escape: The Journey of the Neustein Family. These items from The FHM’s permanent collection were recently donated and are on display now in the “Hancock Bank Presents: Highlights from the Museum’s Permanent Collection” space on the third floor of the Museum.After a visit to The FHM last year, Colin Jenkins contacted the Museum’s Exhibitions staff to ask if they would have any interest in accepting his grandfather’s Austrian passport as a donation. When Museum staff met to accept the donation, he brought a treasure-trove of other objects related to his family. Jenkins donated a total of 118 items, including identification papers belonging to his grandparents Lucie and Leopold Neustein, letters, a marriage certificate, original photographs from before and after the war and original artwork created by his grandmother Lucie.“On a recent visit to my mother’s home in Scotland, I came across a considerable variety of material relating to my family’s experience during the Holocaust. I am donating this collection to The FHM both to honor their memory and to share a written and visual record of their lives before, during, and after WWII. I hope this will be of interest and value to those who view it,” said Jenkins.“One of the best things about working for The Florida Holocaust Museum is meeting Survivors and children of Survivors and hearing their stories. Even better is being honored with the responsibility of retelling their stories when being entrusted with their original materials – family treasures, really – that help recount individuals’ experiences. Last year, I had the opportunity to learn about the Neustein family while accepting an incredible donation of artifacts from Colin Jenkins,” said Erin Blankenship, The FHM’s Curator of Exhibitions and Collections.Jenkins’ grandparents were originally from Lvov, Poland but moved to Vienna in the 1920s. The couple had two children Erik and Marietta. Leopold was a Doctor of Law but worked with his father-in-law in their timber export business. Lucie was an accomplished artist, trained at Vienna’s Academy of Art. After Anschluss in 1938 and the institution of anti-Jewish laws, it became apparent to the family that they had to leave their home. Erik was sent to England first but, considered an adult at age 17, he was sent to live in an internment camp in Canada. It was initially feared that German Jews arriving in England and Canada could be spies and as such they were sent to camps in Canada and Australia. Marietta followed on the Kindertransport and was sent to a boarding school in Scotland. Lucie and Leopold fled Vienna for Agen, a small city in the south of France where they apparently lived as Gentiles. Marietta worked as an artist in order to earn money. The couple remained in France even after liberation while Erik and Marietta, then adults, stayed in Great Britain.Central to the mission of The FHM is the program to collect, preserve, and make available to the public the historical record and artistic and interpretation of the Holocaust and other genocides. The Museum collects and maintains the material that supports its efforts in the areas of research, exhibition, education, and commemoration. The focus of The FHM’s collecting efforts is on the policies, events, and experiences associated with the Holocaust.
For donation inquiries, please contact Erin Blankenship, The FHM’s Curator of Exhibitions and Collections at eblankenship@thefhm.org.A European Escape: The Journey of the Neustein Family opened to the public on Monday, March 26, 2018 at The Florida Holocaust Museum. The Florida Holocaust Museum is located at 55 5th Street S, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.About The Florida Holocaust Museum2017 marked a monumental milestone for The Florida Holocaust Museum (The FHM) as the Museum celebrated its 25th Anniversary. One of the largest Holocaust museums in the country, and one of three nationally accredited Holocaust museums, The FHM honors the memory of millions of men, women and children who suffered of died in the Holocaust. The FHM is dedicated to teaching members of all races and cultures the inherent worth and dignity of human life in order to prevent future genocides. For additional information, please visit www.TheFHM.org.Photos and credits
Lucie Neustein, Self Portrait. This painting was featured in the Austrian Art Magazine in March 1935.Photo credit: The FHM, permanent collection, gift of Colin Jenkins, son of Marietta Neustein.Leopold’s passport issued by the Nazis after the annexation of Austria in 1938. As with all Jews, his passport was stamped with a red “J” so they could easily be identified.Photo credit: The FHM, permanent collection, gift of Colin Jenkins, son of Marietta Neustein.Self-Portrait of Lucie while in France, 1941.Photo credit: The FHM permanent collection, gift of Colin Jenkins, son of Marietta Neustein.Snapshot of some of the items Jenkins donated to The FHM, including identification papers belonging to his grandparents Lucie and Leopold Neustein, letters, a marriage certificate, original photographs from before and after the war and original artwork created by his grandmother Lucie.Photo credit: The FHM permanent collection, gift of Colin Jenkins, son of Marietta Neustein.# # #