Eli Oliff papers

Eli Oliff (1930-2011) was born Eliasz Olewnik in Żuromin, Poland to Basia Karniscyn and Israel Olewnik. He had two siblings: Elimelach and Rochela. His father served in the Polish Army during World War I and was a businessman. In November 1942 Eli and his family were deported from the Warsaw ghetto to the Auschwitz concentration camp. As the Soviet Red Army approached the camp in January 1945, Eli was sent on a death march and ultimately ended up in Buchenwald. After liberation he went to the Landsberg displaced persons camp. He immigrated to the United States in June 1949 aboard the SS Marine Jumper. Eli’s entire immediate family perished at Auschwitz. The collection documents the Holocaust experiences of Eli Oliff (born Eliasz Olewnik), originally of Żuromin, Poland. Included are two photographs depicting Eli in his concentration camp uniform after liberation at Buchenwald, a letter with envelope written by Eli in the Garmisch Partenkirchen DP camp to his relative Joseph Olev in Chicago, Illinois.