Selmar Biener: papers re restitution claim

The material consists of original material and some copy documentation. It has been arranged in date order. It is assumed that the collection was formed in pursuit of a claim for restitution from the German Democratic Republic- a letter from the Foreign Compensation Commission (815/16), 1976, asks Selmar Biener for documentary proof in support of her claim.<br><br>The following fragmentary biographical details have been extracted from the collection.<br><br>Selmar Biener- presumably the depositor- was born into a Jewish family in Magdeburg in 1906. Her brother, David, was born in 1904. The two of them entered into a business partnership in Magdeburg in 1935, an electrical components wholesalers. David had already worked at their parents' firm, also in Magdeburg, but having demonstrated 'an outstanding business sense' it was decided to start out on their own. In 1937 David went to Holland and from there to Palestine. Nothing is known of his fate after this period. Selmar came to London sometime before October 1942. The parents remained in Magdeburg. Their fate is not known. Open