Metadata: Estate of Alfred Kleinberger
Collection
- Country:
- Switzerland
- Holding institution:
- Archives of Contemporary History at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich
- Holding institution (official language):
- Archiv für Zeitgeschichte der ETH Zürich
- Postal address:
- Hirschengraben 62, CH-8092 Zurich
- Phone number:
- +41 44 632 40 03
- Web address:
- https://www.afz.ethz.ch/
- Email:
- afz@history.gess.ethz.ch
- Reference number:
- NL Alfred Kleinberger
- Title:
- Estate of Alfred Kleinberger
- Title (official language):
- Nachlass Alfred Kleinberger
- Creator/accumulator:
- Kleinberger, Alfred
- Date(s):
- 1828/1982
- Language:
- German
- Extent:
- 0.8 shelf metres
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
- The collection includes Alfred Kleinberger’s diaries from the First World War and additional personal documents.
- Archival history:
- In 2012, Monique Sauter-Neher donated the diaries of her grandfather Alfred Kleinberger from the First World War to the AfZ. In 2014 and 2015, she supplemented them with further documents. In addition, the VSJF Archive (Association of Swiss Jewish Refugee Aid and Welfare), which is also located in the AfZ, contains a file on the Kleinberger family, documenting their immigration to Switzerland and the support provided by the Association of Swiss Jewish Refugee Aid and Welfare Organisations (Verein Schweizerischer Jüdischer Fürsorgen, VSJF) from 1944 to 1969. The estate of Ernst Kleinberger (cousin of Albert, who supported him financially in Switzerland) is also located in the AfZ.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- Alfred Kleinberger, a merchant, was born in Odenbach on 15 February 1893 and died in Bern on 12 January 1965. He was the son of Nathan Kleinberger and Thekla, née Haas, and married Elise 'Liesel' Weil of Bern in 1922. The couple moved to Constance and a year later in 1923 their daughter Thea was born. After elementary school, Latin school and graduation from grammar school, Kleinberger finished a commercial apprenticeship and worked for various companies, including Bachert & Co. in Zurich from 1910 to 1914. From 1915 to 1918, he served in a Bavarian regiment and was awarded three war badges: Iron Cross of the Second Degree, Bavarian Military Merit Cross of the Third Degree (with swords) and Cross of Honour for Front Fighters (with swords). After the end of the war he was employed by Bachert & Co. in Cologne, then with Nathan & Levi in Constance and later as managing director of Kleinberger & Co. GmbH in Constance. In 1931, he opened a "store for inexpensive ladies' wear" in Constance, which was mainly managed by Liesel Kleinberger. In 1934, his wife and daughter emigrated to Bern. In 1938, after the ‘Anschluss’ of Austria, Kleinberger entered Switzerland and submitted an asylum application. He was temporarily interned in labour camps. In 1942, his brother Moritz, who still lived in Germany, was deported. There were several attempts to deport Alfred Kleinberger to Palestine. In 1946, the Kleinberger family was granted a shared apartment by the immigration authorities and in 1949 they were granted permanent asylum.
- Access points: locations:
- Bern
- Switzerland
- Subject terms:
- Personal records
- World War I
- Access, restrictions:
- Partially restricted. Subject to application.
- Finding aids:
- An online finding aid is available.
- Links to finding aids:
- http://onlinearchives.ethz.ch/
- Yerusha Network member:
- Jewish Museum Hohenems
- Author of the description:
- Severin Holzknecht; Jewish Museum of Hohenems; 2020
