Oscar Reiss papers

Oscar K. Reiss (1921-2019) was born Oskar Reiss on May 6, 1921 in Bad Dürkheim, Germany to Richard Reiss (b. 1890) and Irma Reiss (b. 1925, née Kullmann). He had one sister, Helene Reiss (b. 1926, later Helene Reiss Wincor), and one brother, Wolfgang Reiss (b. 1932). Oscar’s family moved to Munich, Germany in 1924. He immigrated to the United States in 1937 and briefly settled in Doylestown, Pennsylvania where he attended an agriculture school. His sister Helene immigrated to the United States around 1941. Oscar became a naturalized citizen in 1943 and was then drafted into the Army. He served overseas in France, and was in Nuremberg after the war. Oscar was discharged in 1947 and became a biochemist. He later moved to Colorado. Oscar learned after the war that his parents and brother were all deported to Riga on November 15, 1941 where they likely perished. His maternal grandparents perished at Theresienstadt. The collection documents the Holocaust-era experiences of Oscar K. Reiss, originally of Munich, Germany. Included are immigration paperwork, his German passport, United States Army records, and an affidavit related to his attempt to help his family in Germany immigrate to the United States. Also included are a small number of photographs which include depictions of Oscar’s mother Irma Reiss prior to the Holocaust, and Oscar in his U.S. Army uniform.