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Displaying items 4,761 to 4,780 of 6,679
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Holding Institution: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

  1. Leitz Stativ VI compound brass microscope, case, and accessories used by a Jewish family

    1. Gerard Fields family collection
    • United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
    • irn522412
    • English
    • a: Height: 11.750 inches (29.845 cm) | Width: 4.500 inches (11.43 cm) | Depth: 5.625 inches (14.287 cm) b: Height: 1.375 inches (3.493 cm) | Width: 6.750 inches (17.145 cm) | Depth: 3.625 inches (9.208 cm) | Diameter: 1.000 inches (2.54 cm) c: Height: 1.375 inches (3.493 cm) d: Height: 0.875 inches (2.223 cm) | Width: 0.375 inches (0.953 cm) | Depth: 2.250 inches (5.715 cm) e: Height: 0.875 inches (2.223 cm) | Width: 0.375 inches (0.953 cm) | Depth: 2.250 inches (5.715 cm) f: Height: 13.750 inches (34.925 cm) | Width: 6.125 inches (15.557 cm) | Depth: 7.375 inches (18.733 cm) g: Height: 0.250 inches (0.635 cm) | Width: 1.250 inches (3.175 cm) | Depth: 6.250 inches (15.875 cm) h: Height: 3.250 inches (8.255 cm) | Width: 3.875 inches (9.843 cm) i: Height: 0.750 inches (1.905 cm) | Width: 0.375 inches (0.953 cm) | Depth: 2.250 inches (5.715 cm) j: Height: 9.250 inches (23.495 cm) | Width: 12.000 inches (30.48 cm)

    Leitz brass compound microscope, with fitted case and accessories, that belonged to Gerard Fields. It is likely that the microscope was brought to the US by his father Edgar, a chemical engineer. Edgar and his wife Anna left Germany in 1933 for France rather than live under the Nazi regime. Germany occupied France in June 1940. After Edgar was demobilized from the French Army in 1941, he arranged for the family to go to the US. In December 1941, they sailed from Lisbon, Portugal, to Havana, Cuba, where they waited to receive US visas. In spring 1942, the family left for Chicago, joining Edg...

  2. Czech Air Force pilot badge issued to a Jewish veteran

    1. Frank Meissner collection

    Czech Air Force pilot badge issued to Frank Meissner for his service in the Czech Air Force from 1944-1945 for the Czech government in exile in Great Britain. It may be an observers badge. At the age of 16, Frank left Trest, Czechoslovakia, in 1939 to avoid the increasingly harsh Nazi persecutions of Jews. He went to Denmark with Youth Aliyah to attend agricultural school. In fall 1943, when the Germans decided to deport all Jews from Denmark, Frank was smuggled on a fishing boat to Sweden. During his exile, he received weekly letters from his family, even after their deportation to Theresi...

  3. 1st Anniversary commemorative pin for the victims of Theresienstadt acquired by a Czech Jewish survivor

    1. Frank Meissner collection

    First anniversary commemorative pin for the May 12, 1945, liberation of Theresienstadt concentration camp acquired by Frank Meissner, whose family had been imprisoned in the ghetto/labor camp in Czechoslovakia. On September 16, 1945, there was a public ceremonial burial for 601 victims exhumed from six mass grave sites uncovered at the Small Fortress. From 1940-1945, the Small Fortress served as the prison at the Terezin camp. At the age of 16, Frank left Trest, Czechoslovakia, in 1939 to avoid the increasingly harsh Nazi persecutions of Jews. He went to Denmark with Youth Aliyah to attend ...

  4. Wreath shaped badge owned by a Jewish veteran of the Air Force for the Czech government in exile

    1. Frank Meissner collection

    Wreath shaped pin with a fish owned by Frank Meissner who served in the Czech Air Force from 1944-1945 for the Czech government in exile. At the age of 16, Frank left Trest, Czechoslovakia, in 1939 to avoid the increasingly harsh Nazi persecutions of Jews. He went to Denmark with Youth Aliyah to attend agricultural school. In fall 1943, when the Germans decided to deport all Jews from Denmark, Frank was smuggled on a fishing boat to Sweden. During his exile, he received weekly letters from his family, even after their deportation to Theresienstadt ghetto. The letters stopped in 1943. In the...

  5. Czech lion coat of arms cap badge owned by a Jewish veteran of the Czech Air Force in exile

    1. Frank Meissner collection

    Tinnie, or pressed tin pincap badge owned by Frank Meissner, who served in the Czech Air Force from 1944-1945 for the Czech government in exile. It features the Czech coat-of-arms with the rampant split-tailed lion of Bohemia. At the age of 16, Frank left Trest, Czechoslovakia, in 1939 to avoid the increasingly harsh Nazi persecutions of Jews. He went to Denmark with Youth Aliyah to attend agricultural school. In fall 1943, when the Germans decided to deport all Jews from Denmark, Frank was smuggled on a fishing boat to Sweden. During his exile, he received weekly letters from his family, e...

  6. Enameled stickpin for the Studiosorum World Congress owned by a former Czech Jewish soldier

    1. Frank Meissner collection

    Red and blue enameled stickpin acquired by Frank Meissner during the 1946 Studiosorum Congress in Prague. It features the logo design of a globe, open book, and flaming torch that symbolize youth's persisent quest for knowledge. This was the founding congress of the International Student Union created to promote democracy and education among students of all nations. At the age of 16, Frank left Trest, Czechoslovakia, in 1939 to avoid the increasingly harsh Nazi persecutions of Jews. He went to Denmark with Youth Aliyah to attend agricultural school. In fall 1943, when the Germans decided to...

  7. Watercolor greeting card of his barracks at Beaune-la-Rolande created by a camp inmate

    1. Max Feld and Rose Feld-Rosman collection

    New Year’s greeting card created by 27 year old Max Feld of the barracks where he lived while imprisoned at Beaune-la-Rolande internment camp in France from 1941-1942. Max made the card for his wife, Raisa, and their daughter, Esther, and it includes a handwritten message wishing them “a happy and healthy year.” After Paris was occupied by Germany in May 1940, foreign Jews were in danger of arrest and imprisonment. Max and his wife, Raisa, both deaf, were Jewish refugees from Germany and Poland. In May 1941, Max was arrested and, in July 1942, deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration ca...

  8. Pametni Medaile Ceskoslovenska Armada V Zahranici (Czechoslovak Army Abroad) awarded to a Czech Jewish soldier

    1. Frank Meissner collection
    • United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
    • irn44079
    • English
    • 1939-1945
    • a: Height: 4.250 inches (10.795 cm) | Width: 1.500 inches (3.81 cm) | Depth: 0.125 inches (0.318 cm) b: Height: 1.750 inches (4.445 cm) | Width: 1.125 inches (2.858 cm)

    Commemorative medal for the Czechoslovak Army Abroad 1939-1945 with ribbon and pin awarded to Franz Meissner for his service from 1944-1945 with the Czech Air Force for the government in exile based in Great Britain. The medal was awarded to those Czechoslovaks who were outside their country at the time of the German invasion, or subsequently escaped abroad, and joined Allied forces or all-Czechoslovak units. Franz arrived in England in September 1944. He was told that if he wanted refuge and a Czech passport, he had to volunteer for the Czech government in exile army. He served in the Roya...

  9. Leather belt with 2 sets of holes worn postwar by Lithuanian labor camp inmate / aid worker

    1. George Birman collection

    Leather belt worn by 22 year old Hirsch Birman following his escape from Kedhanen labor camp in 1944. Hirsch was living in Kovno, (Kaunas) Lithuania, with his father Abel, when Germany occupied the city on June 22, 1941. On August 15, they were forced into a sealed ghetto. Hirsch was sent to labor camp Kedahnen in September 1942, and Abel arrived in spring 1943. During the camp's evacuation on July 9, 1944, due to approaching Russian forces, they escaped through holes that Hirsch cut with pliers in the barbed wire fences. They hid in the forest until local farmers told them it was safe to c...

  10. Pliers used by Lithuanian labor camp inmate to escape

    1. George Birman collection

    Cutting combination pliers used by 22 year old Hirsch Birman to escape the German labor camp, Kedahnen on July 9, 1944. Hirsch was living in Kovno, (Kaunas) Lithuania, with his father Abel, when Germany occupied the city on June 22, 1941. On August 15, they were forced into a sealed ghetto. Hirsch was sent to labor camp Kedahnen in September 1942, and Abel arrived in spring 1943. During the camp's evacuation on July 9, 1944, due to approaching Russian forces, they escaped through holes that Hirsch cut with pliers in the barbed wire fences. They hid in the forest until local farmers told the...

  11. Anvil-shaped paperweight given to a US soldier serving as a displaced persons camp administrator

    1. Irving Heymont collection

    Cast iron, anvil-shaped paperweight made by students in Landsberg displaced persons (DP) camp’s vocational school, and presented with gratitude to Major Irving Heymont in October 1945. Heymont, a 27-year-old Jewish American soldier, deployed to Europe and landed in France in January 1945. He served as a regimental operations officer with the 5th Regiment, 71st Infantry Division, nicknamed the Red Circle. On May 4, 1945, the 71st liberated Gunskirchen, a subcamp of the Mauthausen concentration camp system. After Germany’s surrender, Heymont’s battalion assumed control of the Landsberg DP cam...

  12. Silver charm bracelet saved by a young German Jewish refugee

    1. Karlsruher, Schweizer and Eisenmann family collection

    Charm bracelet with twelve charms saved by 18 year old Ruth Karlsruher, when she escaped Nazi Germany with her mother Jetta in August 1940. Ruth had owned the bracelet since she was a young girl. When Hitler came to power in Germany in 1933, Ruth was living in Mannheim with her parents, Jella and Nathan. Following Nathan’s death in October 1933, Jella and Ruth moved in with Jella’s daughter from her first marriage, Irene Schweizer, her husband Friedrich, and son Hans. Ruth experienced anti-Semitism constantly. During Kristallnacht on November 10, 1938, Friedrich was sent to Dachau and relea...

  13. Blue and white checkered dish towel embroidered JK saved by a German Jewish prewar emigre

    1. Karlsruher, Schweizer and Eisenmann family collection

    Blue and white checked dish towel monogrammed JK saved by Jella Furth Karlsruher, when she escaped Nazi Germany with her daughter Ruth, 18, in August 1940. Many items from Jella's trousseau, such as the damask napkin, 2013.430.5, and perhaps this item, were sent in crates to Holland and then later to New York. When Hitler came to power in Germany in 1933, Jella, her husband, Nathan and Ruth lived in Mannheim. Following Nathan’s death in October 1933, Jella and Ruth moved in with Jella’s daughter from her first marriage, Irene Schweizer, her husband Friedrich, and son Hans. Ruth experienced ...

  14. Silver napkin ring with an engraved floral design and name brought with a German Jewish prewar emigre

    1. Karlsruher, Schweizer and Eisenmann family collection

    Silver napkin ring engraved with her name saved by Jella Furth Karlsruher when she escaped Nazi Germany with her daughter Ruth, 18, in August 1940. Many items from Jella's trousseau, such as the damask napkin, 2013.430.5, and perhaps this item, were sent in crates to Holland and then later to New York. When Hitler came to power in Germany in 1933, Jella, her husband Nathan and Ruth lived in Mannheim. Following Nathan’s death in October 1933, Jella and Ruth moved in with Jella’s daughter from her first marriage, Irene Schweizer, her husband Friedrich, and son Hans. Ruth experienced anti-Semi...

  15. Silver napkin ring with an engraved wreath design and name brought by a German Jewish prewar emigre

    1. Karlsruher, Schweizer and Eisenmann family collection

    Silver napkin ring engraved with her name saved by 18 year old Ruth Karlsruher, when she escaped Nazi Germany with her mother Jetta in August 1940. Many items from Jella's trousseau, such as the damask napkin, 2013.430.5, and perhaps this item, were sent in crates to Holland and then later to New York. When Hitler came to power in Germany in 1933, Ruth was living in Mannheim with her parents, Jella and Nathan. Following Nathan’s death in October 1933, Jella and Ruth moved in with Jella’s daughter from her first marriage, Irene Schweizer, and her husband Friedrich and son Hans. Ruth experien...

  16. Silver napkin ring with an embossed floral design and engraved name saved by a German Jewish prewar emigre

    1. Karlsruher, Schweizer and Eisenmann family collection

    Silver napkin ring engraved with her husband's name saved by Jella Furth Karlsruher when she escaped Nazi Germany with her daughter Ruth, 18, in August 1940. Many items from Jella's trousseau, such as the damask napkin, 2013.430.5, and perhaps this item, were sent in crates to Holland and then later to New York. When Hitler came to power in Germany in 1933, Jella, Nathan, and Ruth lived in Mannheim. Following Nathan’s death in October 1933, Jella and Ruth moved in with Jella’s daughter from her first marriage, Irene Schweizer, her husband Friedrich, and son Hans. Ruth experienced anti-Semit...

  17. Small black field glasses and fitted leather case saved by a German Jewish prewar emigre

    1. Karlsruher, Schweizer and Eisenmann family collection
    • United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
    • irn84358
    • English
    • a: Height: 2.750 inches (6.985 cm) | Width: 4.375 inches (11.113 cm) | Depth: 1.625 inches (4.128 cm) b: Height: 3.250 inches (8.255 cm) | Width: 5.125 inches (13.017 cm) | Depth: 2.250 inches (5.715 cm)

    Black field glasses with fitted case saved by Jella Furth Karlsruher when she escaped Nazi Germany with her daughter Ruth, age 18, in August 1940. When Hitler came to power in Germany in 1933, Jella, her husband Nathan and Ruth lived in Mannheim. Following Nathan’s death in October 1933, Jella and Ruth moved in with Jella’s daughter from her first marriage, Irene Schweizer, her husband Friedrich, and son Hans. Ruth experienced anti-Semitism constantly, from cruel remarks in the street and in school to being chased out a public pool by Nazis with crowbars. During Kristallnacht on November 10...

  18. ID patch stenciled 139905 worn by a Polish Jewish concentration camp inmate

    Prisoner identification patch with the number 139905 worn by 21 year old Shmuel Czyzyk when he was imprisoned in Dora Mittelbau slave labor camp, and its subcamp, Rottleberode, from January-April 1945. Shmuel, his parents, and three siblings were living in Łódź when Poland was occupied by Nazi Germany in September 1939. His father and brother left for eastern Poland but were caught by the Germans and interned in the Deblin ghetto. The rest of the family was sent from Łódź, and the family was held together in Deblin. In 1942, while Shmuel was at work, his parents and brother were deported to...

  19. Wilhelm Baumann papers

    1. Wilhelm Bauman collection

    The Wilhelm Baumann papers consist largely of correspondence, immigration documents, educational records, identification documents, newspapers, and ephemera; related to the emigration of Wilhelm Baumann and his parents from their native Austria in 1939, his life in the United Kingdom and subsequent classification as an enemy alien, his subsequent deportation to Australia in 1940 on the Dunera, and his experiences in two internment camps in New South Wales and Victoria (Camp Hay and Camp Tatura). The collection also contains an extensive selection of his correspondence with other German and ...

  20. Red checked dress with smocking made for a young Jewish girl who escaped Germany on the Kindertransport

    Red checked dress with smocking made for Esther Rosenfeld by her maternal aunt Friederika Lemberger in Aachen, Germany. Esther, age 2, was sent on a June 1939 Kindertransport [Children's Transport] from Germany to Great Britain. Her older sisters, Bertl, Edith, and Ruth, had gone in March. See 2012.451 for two pairs of boots also brought on her journey. Esther was placed with Dorothy and Harry Harrison and their son Alan in Norwich. Hitler's assumption of power in 1933 resulted in increasingly harsh persecution of the Jewish populace in Germany. Esther's extended family got affidavits of su...