Unused brown soap bar with jagged top imprinted RIF 0367

Identifier
irn368
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 1988.150.1
Level of Description
Item
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

overall: Height: 0.625 inches (1.588 cm) | Width: 2.375 inches (6.033 cm) | Depth: 1.500 inches (3.81 cm)

Creator(s)

Biographical History

Frank Skopec was born in 1923 to a Catholic family in the Sudentenland region of Czechoslovakia. His grandfather ran a general store in Zabreh. The Sudetenland bordered on Germany and a large proportion of the population was ethnic German. Hitler came to power in Germany in 1933 and one of his announced aims was to reclaiim regions such as this for the Third Reich. On September 29-30, 1938, France, Great Britian, and Italy met with Hitler in Munich. Czechoslovakia was not invited to the conference. The three countries agreed to Hitler's seizure of the region in exchange for a promise of peace. When the region was annexed, Frank and his family were arrested. They were later released, but had to report to the police twice a day for the next two years and were not permitted to leave the city without a special permit. Frank immigrated to the United States in 1953. He and his wife Ana settled in Rockville, Maryland, and raised two children. Frank passed away on December 5, 2005.

Archival History

The soap was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1988 by Frank and Ana Skopec.

Acquisition

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Ana and Frank Skopec in memory of Karel Zlámal

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

Bar of soap issued for sale in the store of the grandfather of Frank Skopec by the German Authority for Civilian Supplies in 1945. He had a shop in the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia which was annexed by Germany in fall 1938. It was rumored that it was made from human fat. However, this was not the case. A soap bar from this collection. 1989.264.1, was sent for laboratory analysis. The lab tests indicated that the soap contained no fatty acids, human or otherwise. It is composed primarily of a substance similar to micah or pumice and also includes traces of barium sulfate. Lab scientists compared it to a "mechanic's soap" and said that it contained no form of human remains.

Conditions Governing Access

No restrictions on access

Conditions Governing Reproduction

No restrictions on use

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Unused, rectangular, smooth, dense, speckled light brown soap with sharp corners and flat sides. The top edge is rough and uneven with dark stains, especially at the corners. The back is smooth with a triangular chip and shallow striations at the top. Letters and numbers are impressed on the front.

front, center, impressed : 6 / RIF 0367 / RIF [RIF: Reichsstelle für Industrielle Fettversorgung /Reich Center for Industrial Fat Provisioning]

Subjects

Genre

This description is derived directly from structured data provided to EHRI by a partner institution. This collection holding institution considers this description as an accurate reflection of the archival holdings to which it refers at the moment of data transfer.