Weimar Germany Reichsbanknote, 10 Reichsmarks, owned by a Jewish Polish survivor
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 2.875 inches (7.302 cm) | Width: 5.750 inches (14.605 cm)
Creator(s)
- Bella J. Tovey (Subject)
- Henry Tovey (Subject)
- Deutsche Reichsbank (Issuer)
Biographical History
Bella Jakubowicz (later Tovey) was born in 1926 in Sosnowiec, Poland. She was the oldest of four children. Her father owned a knitting factory which the Germans confiscated after they invaded Poland in 1939. The family's furniture was given to an ethnic German woman. They were forced to move to the ghetto where Bella was a forced laborer in a factory. At the end of 1942, the family was sent to the ghetto in Będzin, Poland. In 1943, Bella was deported to Gräben a subcamp of Gross-Rosen concentration camp in Germany. In 1944, she was sent to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. She was liberated in April 1945 by British forces. Bella emigrated to the United States in 1946.
Archival History
The money was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1990 by Bella Jakubowicz Tovey.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Bella Jakubowicz Tovey
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
Weimar Germany 10 mark note acquired by Henry Tovey. After Nazi Germany occupied Poland on September 1, 1939, Henry was confined to the ghetto on Łódź, renamed Litzmannstadt. The Germans closed the ghetto in summer 1944 by deporting the residents to concentration camps or killing centers. Henry later married Bella Jacubowicz, who was from Sosnowiec, Poland. Bella, her parents, and her three younger siblings were forced into the ghetto. At the end of 1942, the family was sent to the ghetto in Bedzin. In 1943, Bella was deported to Graben, a subcamp of Gross-Rosen concentration camp in Germany. In 1944, she was sent to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. She was liberated in April 1945 by British forces. Bella emigrated to the United States in 1946.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Rectangular, offwhite paper banknote with green and red ink. The face has a green design with a red underprint. It has an embossed Deutsche Reichsbank seal. On one side is a watermarked portrait of a man. The note is soiled, with deep creases and folds.
Subjects
- World War, 1939-1945--Refugees--United States--Personal narratives.
- Slave labor--Germany--Biography.
- Women concentration camp inmates--Germany--Biography.
- Jewish ghettos--Poland--Łódź--Biography.
- Concentration camp inmates--Germany--Biography.
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Poland--Personal narratives.
- Jewish refugees--United States--Biography.
Genre
- Object
- Exchange Media