Large black and white striped wool tallit buried for safekeeping
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 62.750 inches (159.385 cm) | Width: 84.000 inches (213.36 cm)
Archival History
The tallit was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2010 by Louise Lawrence-Israels.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Louise Lawrence-Israels
Funding Note: The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
Scope and Content
Black and white striped tallit gadol that belonged to Louise Lawrence-Israels's grandfather, buried for safekeeping before the family left Haarlem, Netherlands, and went into hiding in Amsterdam in January 1943. The tallit, a prayer shawl worn during morning services, was recovered after the war. Germany occupied the Netherlands on May 10, 1940. In January 1943, the family went into hiding. In late 1943, it became too dangerous to house the family together. With assistance from the Dutch underground, part of the family moved to a different hiding place. Amsterdam was liberated by the Canadian Army on May 5, 1945. Some family members returned to Haarlem, others had gone to Sweden and did not learn that they were all alive until 1948. Most of their other family members were killed during the Holocaust.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Large, rectangular, white woolen shawl with matching sets of vertical black and white woven stripes of varying width repeated on each short end; the ends are finished with short white knotted fringe. There is a rectangular white silk atarah [neckband] sewn on the interior top center. Tzitzit, white twined and knotted tassels, are inserted near each corner which has been reinforced on the reverse with a square patch of cloth.
Subjects
- Jews--Persecutions--Netherlands.
- Hidden children (Holocaust)--Netherlands.
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Netherlands.
- Jewish families--Netherlands.
- Holocaust survivors--Netherlands.
- Jewish children in the Holocaust--Netherlands.
Genre
- Object
- Jewish Art and Symbolism