Pink child's sweater and bonnet set knit by Cila Knaster and worn by Mirka Knaster
Extent and Medium
a: Height: 14.500 inches (36.83 cm) | Width: 30.000 inches (76.2 cm)
b: Height: 22.500 inches (57.15 cm) | Width: 8.500 inches (21.59 cm)
Creator(s)
- Cila Knaster (Subject)
- Mirka Knaster (Subject)
- Mirka Knaster (Original owner)
- Cila Knaster (Creator)
Biographical History
Cila Knaster (1908-2007) was born Esther Cila Hausman on December 22, 1908 in Jasionowka, Poland. In 1942, Cila’s mother Merka Levine Hausman (1883-1942), her husband Jossel Radzi (Yossl Radzi, 1909-1942), and their two children Razel Radzi (1935-1942) and Sholomas Radzi (1939-1942) were taken away and likely shot by Nazis. Cila Knaster survived the Holocaust. After the war, Cila met Baruch Knaster in a displaced persons camp and they married on August 20, 1946. Their daughter, Mirka Knaster, was born on May 11, 1947 in a DP camp in Bari, Italy. Their second daughter is Rebecca Knaster. The Knaster family immigrated to the United States aboard the SS Marine Jumper, arriving on November 21, 1949. Baruch Knaster died in 2001. Cila Knaster died on December 20, 2007.
Archival History
The sweater and bonnet set was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2018 by Rebecca Knaster, the daughter of Baruch and Cila Knaster and the sister of Mirka.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Rebecca Knaster
Scope and Content
Matching, pink child's sweater and bonnet made by Cila Hausman Knaster for her daughter, Mirka Knaster, to wear in Bari Transit camp from 1947 to 1949. Cila and her husband, Baruch Knaster's, families perished during the Holocaust. He was imprisoned in Auschwitz concentration camp, and Mauthausen concentration camp, where he was later liberated. The couple met in a displaced persons camp and married in August 1946. Their daughter, Mirka, was born in May 1947, in a DP camp in Bari, The Knaster family immigrated to the United States in November 1949.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
a: Handknit, light pink child's sweater with long sleeves, a low collar, and a full-height, metal zipper closure. The edging along the collar, cuffs, and bottom edge are rib stitched. The body is stockinette stitched, the upper chest and shoulders are rib stitched, and the zipper edging is reverse stockinette stitched. b: Handknit, light pink child's bonnet with a round, yarn pompom and long, ties at the neck. The body of the hat is stockinette stitched and squared-off in shape, with a rounded back point where the pompom is attached. The band around the front of the bonnet is rib stitched. The band along the bottom is reverse stockinette stitched and continues into two long, rectangular ties to fastener the bonnet.
People
- Knaster, Baruch, 1905-2001.
- Knaster, Cila, 1908-2007.
Corporate Bodies
- Bari (Displaced persons camp)
Subjects
- Italy.
- Bari (Italy)
- Santa Caterina (Italy)
- Łódź (Poland)
- Poland.
Genre
- Clothing and Dress
- Sweaters.
- Object
- Bonnets.