Gustav and Hannah Landau Collection
Scope and Content Note
The Gustav and Hannah Landau Collection primarily documents the lives of this couple during the 1930s. The bulk of the collection is comprised of personal correspondence, with some papers relating to Hannah Landau née Stein's education additionally available.
Series I holds the correspondence of Landau family members and a few other individuals. The majority of letters consists of the extensive handwritten correspondence between Gustav Landau and Hannah Stein before they were married; the first subseries contains letters from Hannah to Gustav, while the second holds those from Gustav to Hannah. These letters were written almost daily and discuss events in their daily lives, but also contain ruminations on more philosophical questions, such as religion, the politics of the time and humanity. A small amount of correspondence from others will be found in Subseries 3. Among these letters are those from Nathan Stein to his granddaughter Rachel Landau, where he describes the mother who died while she was still very young.
The second series of this collection is comprised of Hannah Stein's personal papers, primarily consisting of educational papers. These include handwritten essays she wrote while attending the Lessingschule as well as transcripts (Studienbücher) attesting to her attendance at this school and the University of Berlin. Other items include a photo album showing trips and events of the Jewish youth group, Kadimah, and a book given to her by her husband.
Dates
- Creation: 1923-1947
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1930-1933
Creator
- Landau, Rachel (Person)
Language of Materials
The collection is in German, Hebrew, and Judeo-German.
Access Restrictions
Open to researchers.
Access Information
Collection is digitized. Follow the links in the Container List to access the digitized materials.
Use Restrictions
There may be some restrictions on the use of the collection. For more information, contact:
Leo Baeck Institute, Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011
email: lbaeck@lbi.cjh.org
Biographical Note
Hannah Landau née Stein was born on January 6, 1912. From 1922 until 1931 she attended the Lessingschule Höhere Mädchenschule in Karlsruhe. She was also a member of Kadimah, a Zionist youth group, where she may have met her future husband Gustav Landau. After receiving her Abitur she continued at the Friedrich-Wilhelms-University in Berlin, where she studied philosophy until she left in June 1933. In July 1933 she began attending the Hochschule für die Wissenschaft des Judentums until she left Germany for Palestine with her fiancé.
Gustav Landau, was the eldest son of the Zionist lawyer Leo Landau and his wife Charlotte Muehsam, and was born in Lübeck on September 18, 1909. He had a younger brother, Hans, and a younger sister, Rachel. In 1928 he passed his Abitur and went to Karlsruhe, where he studied engineering at a technical college.
In October 1933 Gustav went with Hannah and her brother to Palestine, where other members of the Landau family had already settled. They had a daughter, Rachel, possibly born in 1934 or 1935. Hannah Landau died on Rosh Hashana in Jerusalem in September 1936.
Extent
1.5 Linear Feet
Abstract
This collection pertains to the personal lives of Gustav and Hannah Landau née Stein, especially centering on their lives in the 1930s. The focus of the collection is the handwritten correspondence exchanged between the couple, as well as their experiences with Zionism and the youth group Kadimah. Other notable items include a photo album and school and university papers.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in two series in the following manner:
Microfilm
The collection is on five reels of microfilm (MF 1052):
- Reel 1: 1/1 - 1/16
- Reel 2: 1/17 - 1/31
- Reel 3: 1/32 - 1/45
- Reel 4: 1/46 - 2/11
- Reel 5: 2/12 - 2/12
Subject
- Landau, Gustav, 1909- (Person)
- Landau, Hannah, 1912-1936? (Person)
- Kadimah Youth Movement (Organization)
- Title
- Guide to the Papers of Gustav and Hannah Landau 1923-1947 AR 25357 / MF 1052
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Processed by Dianne Ritchey, Marianne Salinger and Eva Englander
- Date
- © 2010
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Description is in English.
- Edition statement
- This version was derived from GustavHannahLandau.xml
Revision Statements
- September 2010.: Microfilm inventory entered.
- August 2011.: Biographical data corrected in biographical note.
- March 31, 2014 : Links to digital objects added in Container List.
Repository Details
Part of the Leo Baeck Institute Repository
