Diary of Nelly Epstein

Nelly Epstein (1921-2013) was born in Brno, Czechoslovakia (currently Czech Republic) to Berthold Epstein (Berti or Bert, Vienna, Austria, 1883-1944) and Amelie Epstein (Elly, Brno, Czechoslovakia, 1894-1943) and had one brother, Hans (Brno, Czechoslovakia, 1925-1945). Nelly married Emil (Aryeh) Katscher (b. 1920) around 1939 or 1940. Around 1940 Nelly, Emil, and a group of young Zionists attempted to flee Czechoslovakia. They traveled via the Danube to the Black Sea and then to Palestine. Upon arrival Nelly was interned for eight months in a British-run detention camp near Haifa. In January 1943 Emil joined the military and was deployed to Egypt. The last news concerning her parents was a note from relatives stating that they had to travel to Poland in April 1942. Amelie and Berthold Epstein were killed in Auschwitz and Hans perished in Theresienstadt. The diary of Nelly Epstein includes entries, drawings, clippings, and maps written from January 1, 1935 - January 18, 1943. Nelly began the diary with entries about friends, family, and activities, such as travel, theater, and life in general in Vienna. In the later years, Nelly documented her journey with her husband Emil (Aryeh) Katscher and other young Zionists fleeing on vessels down the Danube River, across the Black Sea, through the Gallipoli Peninsula to the Aegean, and the Mediterranean Sea, and finally landing in Haifa, Palestine. The diary includes illustrations of their journey. Upon arrival, Nelly was interned for eight months in a British detention camp near Haifa. The diary ends with her husband's military deployment to Egypt and Poland.