Lavender blouse with tie worn during a young woman's escape from the Warsaw ghetto
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 19.750 inches (50.165 cm) | Width: 18.000 inches (45.72 cm)
Creator(s)
- Hanna Hirshaut (Subject)
Biographical History
Hanna (Hanka) Warhaftig was born in Poland on April 28, 1918. Her mother's name was Basia and she was mudered in Treblinka death camp in 1942. Hanna escaped the Warsaw ghetto in March 1943 and lived in hiding for the remainder of the war. No other family members survived. She married Julian Hirshaut, born September 2, 1908, a survivor of the Pawiak prison in Poland, who wrote two books about the experience. They immigrated to the United States in 1951. They had two children. Julian died, age 74, in New York in 1983.
Archival History
The blouse was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2007 by Hanna Hirshaut.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Hanna Hirshaut
Scope and Content
Blouse worn by 25 year old Hanna Warhaftig when she escaped from the Warsaw ghetto in March 1943. The blouse originally belonged to her mother, Basia, who gave it to her, with her blessing, to wear for her escape. Hanna wore it on special occasions while living in hiding on the Aryan side because it made her feel safe. Her mother was murdered in Treblinka in 1942 and this blouse is the only thing saved from her prewar life. The Jewish ghetto in Warsaw was established by the Germans not long after their September 1939 occupation of Poland. From summer 1942 on, there were frequent mass deportations of Jew to concentration camps. In January 1943, as the Germans prepared to deport the remaining inhabitants, they were met with resistance and withdrew. In April, the Germans brought in fresh troops and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising began. It ended with the destruction of the ghetto in May. Hanna survived the remainder of the war by living in hiding. The rest of her family perished during the Holocaust.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Light purple cloth blouse with three-quarter length puffed sleeves and a bow collar. The exterior of the front button placket has 2 plastic buttons hidden metal snaps. There is fagoting detail around the button placket and within the 3 checkered diamond patterns on the front.
Subjects
- Jewish families--Poland--Warsaw.
- Jews--Persecutions--Poland.
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Poland--Warsaw.
- Jewish ghettos--Poland--Warsaw.
- Holocaust survivors--Poland.
Genre
- Object
- Clothing and Dress