Discharge Certificate

https://www.cjhn.ca/link/cjhn75138
Collection
Montreal Holocaust Museum
Description Level
Item
Material Type
textual record
Physical Description
Discharge Certificate : Paper : Printed, Typed, Handwritten : Ink : Beige, Black, Purple ; Ht: 5,75 in. x W: 8,25 in.
Date
December 1, 1938-December 02, 1938
Collection
Montreal Holocaust Museum
Description Level
Item
Material Type
textual record
Physical Description
Discharge Certificate : Paper : Printed, Typed, Handwritten : Ink : Beige, Black, Purple ; Ht: 5,75 in. x W: 8,25 in.
Other Title Information
Documentary Artifact
Date
December 1, 1938-December 02, 1938
Physical Condition
Poor
Language
German
Notes
1 page, double-sided. Folded once horizontally and once vertically. Document printed on letterhead of Commandant of Buchenwald Concentration Camp. States that the prisoner in protective custody (Schutzhäftling) Karl Cahn, imprisoned since November 11, 1938, will be released as arranged by the Gestapo on [illegible date] in Mainz. On verso, it is written that he must report immediately to the State Police in Mainz. Beneath this appears a signed attestation from the Mainz police that Mr. Cahn reported there on December 2, 1938. Narrative: Karl Friedrich Cahn was the father of the donor, Frank (Franz) Cahn. The Cahn family (Frank, his 2 brothers, his parents and maternal grandmother) obtained visas and fled to Canada, arriving in Halifax on March 5, 1939. The visas had been requested by William M. BIrks as a personal favor from then-Prime Minister William Mackenzie King. William M. Birks, a prominent Montreal businessman, had purchased goods from the Cahn jewelery factory before the war, and knew Frank's grandparents. As the situation for Jews in Germany grew increasingly desperate, his grandmother wrote to Mr. Birks and asked him for help. Karl had been sent to Buchenwald during Kristallnacht, and the entry visa to Canada enabled his release from the concentration camp.
Accession No.
1996.09.01
Name Access
Cahn, Frank
Places
Buchenwald, Germany, Europe
Archival / Genealogical
Archival Descriptions
Repository
Montreal Holocaust Museum
Images
Less detail

Enveloppe

https://www.cjhn.ca/link/cjhn75220
Collection
Montreal Holocaust Museum
Description Level
Item
Material Type
textual record
Physical Description
Enveloppe : Paper : beige ; Ht: 9,75 in. x W: 8 in.
Collection
Montreal Holocaust Museum
Description Level
Item
Material Type
textual record
Physical Description
Enveloppe : Paper : beige ; Ht: 9,75 in. x W: 8 in.
Other Title Information
Documentary Artifact
Physical Condition
Good
Language
German
Notes
Beige paper enveloppe with a 1934 red stamp with Hindenburg face on top right corner. Enveloppe addressed to Carl Cahn in Buchenwald concentration camp. Narrative: This letter was sent by Carl Cahn's wife, whil he was in buchenwald, advising him of the favorable answer from the Canadian government, allowing them to immigrate to Canada. William M. Birks, oldest son of Henry Birks used to buy jewelry and silver from the factory owned by Frank Cahn’s grandparents. The two families had known each other from before World War I. Frank’s grandmother asked Mr Birks for his help. The original plan was to send only Frank to Canada but after Karl (Frank’s father) was sent to Buchenwald, they sent an urgent cable to Mr. Birks, asking for his help for the entire family. Eventually, visas were issued in Hamburg by the Canadian Consul on January 23, 1939 for Karl, his wife Marie, their 3 sons Frank, Robert and Paul and Marie’s mother, Elise Leitschen. The permission to go to Canada made it possible Karl’s immediate release. The whole family arrived in Halifax on March 5, 1939.
Accession No.
2011X.34.03
Name Access
Cahn, Frank
Places
Ottawa, Canada, North America
Archival / Genealogical
Archival Descriptions
Repository
Montreal Holocaust Museum
Images
Less detail

Identification card

https://www.cjhn.ca/link/cjhn45468
Collection
Montreal Holocaust Museum
Description Level
Item
Material Type
textual record
Physical Description
Identification card : cardstock : printed, handwritten, stamped : ink : beige, grey, black, yellow, white ; Ht: 6 in. x W: 4 in.
Date
January 4, 1939
Collection
Montreal Holocaust Museum
Description Level
Item
Material Type
textual record
Physical Description
Identification card : cardstock : printed, handwritten, stamped : ink : beige, grey, black, yellow, white ; Ht: 6 in. x W: 4 in.
Other Title Information
Documentary Artifact
Date
January 4, 1939
Physical Condition
Excellent
Language
German
Notes
Double-panel kennkarte marked with an orange "J" for Marie Louise Sara Cahn. The front is beige with a darker yellow-beige pattern. The right panel has a b&w portrait at t.l. and fingerprints at t.r.. There are four circular Reichsadler ink stamps issued by the presidential police in Mainz, as well as a blue postage stamp from 1938 at the b.r. of the left panel. Issued 1939-01-04, expiry date 1944-01-04. The verso is plain grey with black lettering. Narrative: William M. Birks, oldest son of Henry Birks used to buy jewelry and silver from the factory owned by Frank Cahn’s grandparents. The two families had known each other from before World War I. Frank’s grandmother asked Mr Birks for his help. The original plan was to send only Frank to Canada but after Karl (Frank’s father) was sent to Buchenwald, they sent an urgent cable to Mr. Birks, asking for his help for the entire family. Eventually, visas were issued in Hamburg by the Canadian Consul on January 23, 1939 for Karl, his wife Marie, their 3 sons Frank, Robert and Paul and Marie’s mother, Elise Leitschen. The permission to go to Canada made it possible Karl’s immediate release. The whole family arrived in Halifax on March 5, 1939.
Accession No.
2011X.34.01
Name Access
Cahn, Frank
Places
Mainz, Germany, Europe
Archival / Genealogical
Archival Descriptions
Repository
Montreal Holocaust Museum
Images
Less detail

Identification card

https://www.cjhn.ca/link/cjhn75137
Collection
Montreal Holocaust Museum
Description Level
Item
Material Type
textual record
Physical Description
Identification card : Paper : Ink : Grey, Black, Yellow, Blue ; Ht: 6 in. x W: 4 in.
Date
January 4, 1939-January 04, 1944
Collection
Montreal Holocaust Museum
Description Level
Item
Material Type
textual record
Physical Description
Identification card : Paper : Ink : Grey, Black, Yellow, Blue ; Ht: 6 in. x W: 4 in.
Other Title Information
Documentary Artifact
Date
January 4, 1939-January 04, 1944
Physical Condition
Excellent
Language
German
Notes
Double-panel document with vertical fold down centre. Cover has large black J printed on front, under 'Deutches Reich' (German Reich, trad.) Document issued to Karl Friedrich Cahn, of Mainz, Germany, on January 4, 1939. As per Nazi racial laws, Mr. Cahn has taken on the middle name of 'Israel' as an identifying measure. There is a large yellow J printed on the inner left panel. Document numbered A 00030, expiration date January 4, 1944. Small b&w photograph of cardholder on right panel affixed with staples, 2 fingerprints in black ink on right of photo. Under photo is cardholder's signature. At bottom of panel is signature and stamp of the President of the Police in Mainz. Narrative: Karl Friedrich Cahn was the father of the donor, Frank (Franz) Cahn. The Cahn family (Frank, his 2 brothers, his parents and maternal grandmother) obtained visas and ewere able to immigrate to Canada, arriving in Halifax on March 5, 1939. The visas had been requested by William M. BIrks as a personal favor from then-Prime Minister William Mackenzie King. William M. Birks, a prominent Montreal businessman, had purchased goods from the Cahn jewelery factory before the war, and knew Frank's grandparents. As the situation for Jews in Germany grew increasingly desperate, his grandmother wrote to Mr. Birks and asked him for help. Karl had been sent to Buchenwald during Kristallnacht, and the entry visa to Canada enabled his release from the concentration camp.
Accession No.
1996.09.02
Name Access
Cahn, Frank
Places
Mainz, Germany, Europe
Archival / Genealogical
Archival Descriptions
Repository
Montreal Holocaust Museum
Images
Less detail

Letter

https://www.cjhn.ca/link/cjhn75219
Collection
Montreal Holocaust Museum
Description Level
Item
Material Type
textual record
Physical Description
Letter : Paper : beige ; Ht: 9,75 in. x W: 8 in.
Date
December 16, 1938
Collection
Montreal Holocaust Museum
Description Level
Item
Material Type
textual record
Physical Description
Letter : Paper : beige ; Ht: 9,75 in. x W: 8 in.
Other Title Information
Documentary Artifact
Date
December 16, 1938
Physical Condition
Good
Language
English
Notes
Copy of one page beige paper letter typed in black ink, Department of Mines and Resources, Immigration branch letterhead with coat of arms in the centre top. Letter addressed to Carl Cahn, granting him, his children, his wife and his mother-in-law authority to immigrate to Canada. Narrative: William M. Birks, oldest son of Henry Birks used to buy jewelry and silver from the factory owned by Frank Cahn’s grandparents. The two families had known each other from before World War I. Frank’s grandmother asked Mr Birks for his help. The original plan was to send only Frank to Canada but after Karl (Frank’s father) was sent to Buchenwald, they sent an urgent cable to Mr. Birks, asking for his help for the entire family. Eventually, visas were issued in Hamburg by the Canadian Consul on January 23, 1939 for Karl, his wife Marie, their 3 sons Frank, Robert and Paul and Marie’s mother, Elise Leitschen. The permission to go to Canada made it possible Karl’s immediate release. The whole family arrived in Halifax on March 5, 1939.
Accession No.
2011X.34.02
Name Access
Cahn, Frank
Places
Ottawa, Canada, North America
Archival / Genealogical
Archival Descriptions
Repository
Montreal Holocaust Museum
Images
Less detail

Letter

https://www.cjhn.ca/link/cjhn75221
Collection
Montreal Holocaust Museum
Description Level
Item
Material Type
textual record
Physical Description
Letter : Paper : beige ; Ht: 9,75 in. x W: 8 in.
Date
May 02, 1938
Collection
Montreal Holocaust Museum
Description Level
Item
Material Type
textual record
Physical Description
Letter : Paper : beige ; Ht: 9,75 in. x W: 8 in.
Other Title Information
Documentary Artifact
Date
May 02, 1938
Physical Condition
Good
Language
English
Notes
Copy of one page beige paper letter typed in black ink, Henry Birks and sons limited letterhead with coat of arms in the top left-hand corner. Letter addressed by William Birks to Rabbi Harry J. Stern, regarding accomodations the Jewish community could offer to Franck Cahn. Narrative: William M. Birks, oldest son of Henry Birks used to buy jewelry and silver from the factory owned by Frank Cahn’s grandparents. The two families had known each other from before World War I. Frank’s grandmother asked Mr Birks for his help. The original plan was to send only Frank to Canada but after Karl (Frank’s father) was sent to Buchenwald, they sent an urgent cable to Mr. Birks, asking for his help for the entire family. Eventually, visas were issued in Hamburg by the Canadian Consul on January 23, 1939 for Karl, his wife Marie, their 3 sons Frank, Robert and Paul and Marie’s mother, Elise Leitschen. The permission to go to Canada made it possible Karl’s immediate release. The whole family arrived in Halifax on March 5, 1939.
Accession No.
2011X.34.04
Name Access
Cahn, Frank
Places
Westmount, Canada, North America
Archival / Genealogical
Archival Descriptions
Repository
Montreal Holocaust Museum
Images
Less detail