Adelaide woman makes important donation to Yad Vashem
Brigitte Flatau-Yallen has donated two portraits and a wealth of archival material shedding light on German-Jewish life as the Nazis rose to power for safekeeping to Yad Vashem.
Brigitte Flatau-Yallen pic: Isaac Harari/Yad Vashem
At a moving ceremony yesterday in Jerusalem, Adelaide-based Flatau-Yallen, whose family fled Germany in the 1930s and eventually made their way (via Spain and France) to the United States said, “I’m so grateful that you’ve given my family mementos a home. It puts my mind at ease… it gives me a wonderful feeling.” The two portraits are now on display in the Holocaust History Museum at Yad Vashem in the section of the Museum that portrays Jewish life in Germany on the eve of the war.
Among the documents donated today are the visas the family received to enter the United States, letters that illustrate their efforts to try and get papers for family members still in Europe, information about Kurt Flatau’s [Brigitte’s father] career as a film producer and publicist, the portraits of Brigitte and her grandfather, Bernhard (painted by the Jewish artist Joseph Oppenheimer), and a letter from Stefan Zweig, suggesting, in 1933, that due to antisemitic sentiment in Germany, it would be better to leave his name off of publicity material for a new film based on his work.
Fleateau-Yallen attended the event with her daughter and son-in-law, Katherine and Prof. Matthew Goode.
Hello. I am trying to contact the family of Mrs. Brigitte Flatau-Yallen. My grandfather David Oliver was in partnership with Mrs. Flatau-Yallen’s father, Kurt. I’m in the process of assembling a documentary on his life and any information would be extremely valuable.
Sincerely,
Mark Oliver