Federal Republic of Germany bank note, 5 pfennig, acquired by a Polish Jewish survivor
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 1.500 inches (3.81 cm) | Width: 2.250 inches (5.715 cm)
Creator(s)
- Bank Deutscher Lander (Issuer)
- Henry Tovey (Subject)
- Bella J. Tovey (Subject)
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 bank note 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
West German funf (5) pfennig note acquired by Henry Tovey. The currency was issued beginning in 1948 for use in the newly created Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany). 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
Nearly square offwhite paper currency with green and black ink. The face the denomination 5 within a scalloped embellishment in the center, with an encircled 5 on the right, on a repeating geometric patterned background. It has an overprint of the denomination Funf Pfennig. There is German text in a band across the bottom. The back has the denomination 5 in an elongated oval in the upper left and lower right corners on a latticework background with embellished geometric overprints. In the center is a 5 within a band with German text. The note is deeply creased with tears, soiled, and worn.
Subjects
- Women concentration camp inmates--Germany--Biography.
- World War, 1939-1945--Refugees--United States--Personal narratives.
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Poland--Personal narratives.
- Jewish refugees--United States--Biography.
- Germany (West)--Economic aspects.
- Concentration camp inmates--Germany--Biography.
- Slave labor--Germany--Biography.
Genre
- Object
- Exchange Media