Leather pouch brought with Jewish refugee family
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 6.000 inches (15.24 cm) | Width: 9.500 inches (24.13 cm)
Creator(s)
- Gertrude Meisner (Subject)
Biographical History
Gertrude Bieder was born on January 23, 1929, in Vienna, Austria, to Isidor (Cham Isak) and Fanny (Feiga) Wilde Bieder. Both of her parents were born to Jewish families in Golwice, Poland: Isidor in 1894 and Fanny in 1904. The couple married in Vienna, Austria, on July 6, 1924, where Isidor owned a successful retail business. Gertrude had an older sister, Frieda, who was born on September 11, 1925. When Nazi Germany annexed Austria on March 13, 1938, Germans looted the family’s apartment and took their money, car, and other possessions. Anti-Jewish laws were passed and soon Isidor’s business was confiscated. During Kristallnacht on November 10, Isidor was arrested and severely beaten. Fanny was forced to scrub the streets. The family's apartment was sealed and they never returned there. Isidor was released with the condition that he and his family soon leave Austria. The family received a permit to leave Vienna on January 16, 1939, after Isidor paid an expensive Jewish emigration tax. They travelled to Genoa, Italy, where they boarded the SS Esperia, arriving in Haifa, Palestine, on January 26. They lived in a room in a Jewish refugee resettlement center for several weeks; for the remaining months, they moved around the city. On November 20, 1939, the family sailed on the SS Andreas-Dorus for Piraeus, Greece. They transferred to the TSS Neas-Hellas and arrived in New York City on December 18. The family settled in Cleveland, Ohio. Gertrude married David Meisner and had two children. Her father passed away, age 83, in 1971. Her mother died, age 71, in 1975. Gertrude passed away, age 83, on February 26, 2012.
Archival History
The leather pouch was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2016 by Ben Meisner, grandson of Gertrude Meisner, on behalf of the Estate of Gertrude Bieder Meisner.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Gertrude Bieder Meisner and the Estate of Gertrude Bieder Meisner
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
Small leather bag brought with the Bieder family, Isador and Fanny, and their daughters Gertrude, 10, and Frieda, 14, who were forced to leave Vienna, Austria, in 1939. After the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany in March 1938, anti-Jewish laws were passed and Jews were targeted for persecution. Germans raided the family’s apartment, taking most of their valuables. A short while later, Isidor’s retail business was confiscated. During Kristallnacht on November 9-10, 1938, Isidor was arrested and beaten. As a condition of his release from prison, he agreed to leave Austria with his family. They received their exit permits on January 16, 1939, and left for Haifa, Palestine. After nearly a year, they sailed from there to Greece, then to America. Many extended family members in Gorlice, Poland, perished during the Holocaust.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Leather pouch with a front flap and cloth lining.
Subjects
- Jews--Persecutions--Austria--Vienna--Biography.
- Refugee children--Biography.
- Jewish families--Austria--Vienna--Biography.
- Jewish refugees--Palestine--Biography.
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Austria--Vienna--Personal narratives.
- Jewish refugees--United States--Biography.
- World War, 1939-1945--Refugees--United States--Personal narratives.
Genre
- Object
- Dress Accessories