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A notice sent by the American Consulate General in Berlin to Arthur Lewy and family, instructing them to report to the consulate on July 26, 1939, with all the required documents, in order to receive their American visas. German Jews attempting to immigrate to the United States in the late 1930s faced overwhelming bureaucratic hurdles. It was difficult to get the necessary papers to leave Germany, and US immigration visas were difficult to obtain. The process could take years.
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A notice sent by the American Consulate General in Berlin to Arthur Lewy and family, instructing them to report to the consulate on July 26, 1939, with all the required documents, in order to receive their American visas. German Jews attempting to immigrate to the United States in the late 1930s faced overwhelming bureaucratic hurdles. It was difficult to get the necessary papers to leave Germany, and US immigration visas were difficult to obtain. The process could take years.
Document
A notice sent by the American Consulate General in Berlin regarding immigration visas
The Aliyah Bet ("illegal" immigration) ship Parita, carrying 850 Jewish refugees, lands on a sandbank off the Tel Aviv coast. The British arrested the passengers and interned them at Atlit detention camp. Palestine, August 21, 1939.
Article
Aliyah Bet
Media Essay
Aliyah Bet - Photograph
A new immigrant arriving in the United States under the auspices of USNA (United Service for New Americans). 1947–1952 . 
Photo
Arriving in the United States
Article
Breckinridge Long
Both of Charlene's parents were local Jewish community leaders, and the family was active in community life. Charlene's father was a professor of philosophy at the State University of Lvov. World War II began with the German invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939. Charlene's town was in the part of eastern Poland occupied by the Soviet Union under the German-Soviet Pact of August 1939. Under the Soviet occupation, the family remained in its home and Charlene's father continued to teach. The Germans invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, and arrested Charlene's father after they occupied the town. She never saw him again. Charlene, her mother, and sister were forced into a ghetto the Germans established in Horochow. In 1942, Charlene and her mother fled from the ghetto after hearing rumors that the Germans were about to destroy it. Her sister attempted to hide separately, but was never heard from again. Charlene and her mother hid in underbrush at the river's edge, and avoided discovery by submerging themselves in the water for part of the time. They hid for several days. One day, Charlene awoke to find that her mother had disappeared. Charlene survived by herself in the forests near Horochow, and was liberated by Soviet troops. She eventually immigrated to the United States.
Oral History
Charlene Schiff describes difficulties in gaining entry to the United States in the aftermath of the Holocaust
In June 1941, Richard was ordered to active duty in the US Army. After a period of training, he was sent to Europe. He entered Austria in April 1945. A patrol came upon the Mauthausen camp and Richard was appointed to take command of the camp. He organized those inmates who had survived in the camp until liberation in May 1945, and brought in two field hospitals. After 35 days in Mauthausen, he was transferred to a post in the Austrian Alps.
Oral History
Colonel Richard R. Seibel describes aid given to survivors after liberation in Mauthausen and their plans for emigration
Cuban immigration papers issued to Ella Schatz, who had obtained passage aboard the Orinoco. On May 27, 1939, the Orinoco left Hamburg with 200 passengers bound for Cuba. Informed by radio of the difficulties other ships carrying refugees were facing in Havana, the captain of the Orinoco diverted the ship to waters just off Cherbourg, France, where it remained for days. The 200 refugees ultimately returned to Germany in June 1939. Their fate remains unknown.
Photo
Cuban immigration papers
Zionist group gather with banners outside the Deggendorf displaced persons camp to demonstrate for Jewish immigration to Palestine. Deggendorf, Germany, 1945-49.
Photo
Demonstration for Jewish immigration to Palestine
Birth certificate, US immigration visa application, and identification card issued to Hans Ament, born in Vienna, Austria, in 1934.
Article
Documents Required to Obtain a Visa
Media Essay
Emigration and the Evian Conference - Photographs
Delegates to the Evian Conference, where the fate of Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany was discussed. US delegate Myron Taylor is third from left. France, July 1938.
Timeline Event
Evian Conference
Postcard showing Evian-les-Bains, a French resort of Evian on Lake Geneva,  at the time of the 1938 Evian conference on refugees.
Photo
Evian-les-Bains
Roundup of Jews. Paris, France, ca. 1942.
Article
France
Article
Frances Perkins
German Jewish refugees disembark in the port of Shanghai, one of the few places without visa requirements. Shanghai, China, 1940.
Article
German and Austrian Jewish Refugees in Shanghai

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