Franz: A Professor’s Plea

Jewish professor Dr. Franz Goldberger was desperate to escape Nazi persecution in Vienna, Austria, in the late 1930s. He wrote letters to strangers in the United States, searching for someone to serve as his financial sponsor for immigration. One of Franz’s letters reached Helen Roseland, a postal worker in Eagle Grove, Iowa. Although she had never met Franz, she resolved to help him.

Learn More:

• Personal Story: Franz Goldberger 

• Artifact: Franz Goldberger Letter and CV

• Article: What Refugees Needed to Obtain a US Visa

• Article: The German Annexation of Austria

• Online Exhibition: Americans and the Holocaust

This page is also available in Spanish.