Floral patterned crocheted doily given to a Jewish Hungarian woman by a friend
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 9.000 inches (22.86 cm) | Width: 34.500 inches (87.63 cm)
Creator(s)
- Berta Akkerman (Subject)
Biographical History
Bina (Berta) Weiss was born on February 14, 1919, in Nyzhni Vorota (in Yiddish, Veretski), Czechoslovakia (now Ukraine) to Jewish parents, Moshe and Rivka Eidel (Regina) Stern Weiss. Berta had five siblings: Jonas (b. 1912), Yaakov, Moshe, Khaia, and another sister. Berta’s mother Regina was born in 1894 in Saldobos, Czechoslovakia (Steblivka, Ukraine), to Yitzchak Josef and Zisel Stern. Moshe and Regina owned a shoe store. Moshe died of natural causes in 1922. Berta married Zalman (Samuel) Weisz, who born in 1916 in Satoraljaujhely, Hungary, to Itzchak and Rachel Hamerman Weisz. Samuel was a bank clerk. In spring 1939, Hungary annexed the Subcarpathian Rus region of Czechoslovakia, which included Veretski. Berta had a son, Moshe Tomas, circa 1941. In August 1941, Berta and her family and other Jews were expelled from Veretski and sent to German occupied territory, then to the ghetto in Kamenez-Podolsk. They escaped and fled to Budapest. On February 24, 1943, Berta’s husband, Samuel, and brother, Jonas, were shot by the Hungarian Gestapo in Hidegseg, Hungary. Berta, who was pregnant, had false papers as a Christian and returned to her mother in Veretski. On March 21, 1943, Berta had a son, Istvan Itzchak. She left Istvan in the care of her mother and took her older son Moshe into hiding with her. They both had false papers and were saved by a Christian woman who did not know they were Jewish. The war ended when Germany surrendered on May 7, 1945. Most of Berta’s family perished in the Holocaust. Her mother Regina, 54, and her son Istvan, 1, were deported to Auschwitz concentration camp in May 1944 and murdered. Berta’s siblings Moshe and Khaia also perished. Berta and Moshe went to Prague, and at some time after 1946, moved to Israel. Berta married Herman Akkerman and the couple lived in Jerusalem. Berta’s son Moshe, 57, passed away circa 1998.
Archival History
The doily was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2003 by Berte Akkerman.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Berta Akkerman
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
White crocheted doily made for Berta Weisz by a friend in her home town, Nyzhni Vorota (in Yiddish, Veretski), Czechoslovakia (now Ukraine), which was annexed by Hungary in May 1939. In August 1941, Berta, 22, her husband Samuel, their infant son Moshe Tomas, and her brother Jonas were expelled because they were Jewish. They were sent to the Kamenez-Podolsk ghetto. They escaped and fled to Budapest. On February 24, 1943, Berta’s husband and brother were shot by the Hungarian Gestapo in Hidegseg, Hungary. Berta, who was pregnant, had false papers as a Christian and returned to her mother Regina in Veretski. On March 21, 1943, Berta had a son, Istvan Itzchak. She left Istvan with her mother and went into hiding with Moshe, 2. They were saved by a Christian woman who did not know they were Jewish. Berta’s mother and infant son were deported to Auschwitz and killed in May 1944. After the war ended, Berta, with Moshe, eventually immigrated to Israel.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Rectangular white filet crocheted doily with one straight edge and one edge with 5 large, scrollwork bordered scallops. In the center are 3 large roselike flowers separated twice by 3 leaved stems over en pointe squares.
Subjects
- Hidden children (Holocaust)--Hungary--Biography.
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Czechoslovakia--Personal narratives, Jewish.
- Jewish children in the Holocaust--Hungary--Biography.
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Hungary--Personal narratives, Jewish.
- Holocaust survivors--Israel--Biography.
Genre
- Decorative Arts
- Object