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Displaying items 5,461 to 5,480 of 6,679
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Holding Institution: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

  1. Circumcision knife with inscription and agate handle with wooden case used by a mohel

    1. Isaac Ossowski family collection
    • United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
    • irn7117
    • English
    • 1938
    • a: Height: 6.620 inches (16.815 cm) | Width: 0.750 inches (1.905 cm) | Depth: 0.750 inches (1.905 cm) b: Height: 0.880 inches (2.235 cm) | Width: 7.880 inches (20.015 cm) | Depth: 1.620 inches (4.115 cm)

    Ritual circumcision or milah knife set used by Isaac Ossowski, a highly respected mohel who left Berlin because of the targeted persecution of Jews by the government of Nazi Germany. A mohel is a person qualified to perform the Jewish ceremony of brit (bris) milah, the ritual circumcision of a male, Jewish child. This requires both extensive religious training and surgical skill. A milah knife is sharp on both edges to avoid hesitation during use that might cause unnecessary pain to the child. Rabbi Ossowski was a prominent member of the Jewish community in Berlin. He was head shochet [ritu...

  2. Brass Hanukkah menorah with fish shaped feet used by a Jewish refugee family

    1. Isaac Ossowski family collection

    Hanukiyah used by Isaac Ossowski and his family, made by Joseph Romiger, Stuttgart, Germany. The family would be forced to leave Berlin in 1938 because of the targeted persecution of Jews by the government of Nazi Germany. Each child in the Ossowski family had their own hanukkah lamp. A Hanukkah candelabrum holds eight candles for the eight nights of Hanukkah; the ninth candle is the shamash [attendant] that is used to light the other candles. Because of their religious significance, the Hanukkah lights cannot be used in everyday ways, such as providing light. Traditionally, menorah refers ...

  3. Mizrach, a sign designating the direction of Jerusalem, with a personal inscription created by a sofer

    1. Isaac Ossowski family collection

    Mizrach poster created by Isaac Ossowski in honor of his wife, Frida's, birthday. A mizrach [mizrachl means east] is a decorative item placed in a traditional Jewish home to indicate the east, the direction of Jerusalem and the direction to face for prayers. This work was originally framed and hung on the east wall of their home. Rabbi Ossowski was a prominent member of the Jewish community in Berlin. He was head shochet [ritual slaughterer], mohel [practioner of ritual circumcision], sofer [scribe], and hazan [cantor or musical prayer leader] at the Alte Shul [Old Synagogue]. After Hitler ...

  4. Calligraphy of Sukkot prayers and a personal inscription created by a sofer

    1. Isaac Ossowski family collection

    Welcome prayers for the festival of Sukkot (Succoth), or Feast of Tabernacles, with an inscription in honor of the birth of his son, Shalom, hand painted by Rabbi Isaac Ossowski in the fall of 1933. It was originally framed for display in their home. During the seven nights of the festival, which is similar to a harvest festival, celebrants are to build and have their meals in a succah or temporary hut built in remembrance of the forty years the Jewish people lived in the desert before reaching the Promised Land. The poster includes all the basic prayers for use inside the sukkah: the praye...

  5. Handpainted linen Torah binder made for a German Jewish boy

    1. Isaac Ossowski family collection

    Torah wimpel created to celebrate the birth of Sally (Sol) Ossowski on January 1, 1919, by his father, Isaac Ossowski, in Berlin, Germany in the 1930s. The hand painted inscription and decorations proclaim his birth and tell his parents to raise him according to Jewish law. A binder is a textile band used like a belt to hold closed the two staves of the Torah scroll when it is not in use. Rabbi Ossowski was a prominent member of the Jewish community in Berlin. He was head shochet [ritual slaughterer], mohel [practitioner of ritual circumcision], sofer [scribe], and hazan [cantor, musical pr...

  6. Circular silver 12 tone pocket watch style pitch pipe and case used by a cantor

    1. Isaac Ossowski family collection

    Tuning device used to set a musical pitch used by Isaac Ossowski, who, as a hazan [cantor], would lead the congregation in musical prayers. Rabbi Ossowski was a prominent member of the Jewish community in Berlin, Germany. He was head shochet [ritual slaughterer], mohel [practitioner of ritual circumcision], sofer [scribe], as well as hazan, at the Alte Shul [Old Synagogue]. After Hitler was appointed Chancellor in 1933, increasingly severe sanctions were enacted against Jews. Isaac was repeatedly questioned by the SS (Schutzstaffel; Protection Squadrons) who gathered intelligence on opponen...

  7. Pair of tefillin with blue velvet bag used by a Jewish refugee

    1. Isaac Ossowski family collection
    • United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
    • irn7106
    • English
    • 1938
    • a: Height: 8.750 inches (22.225 cm) | Width: 6.620 inches (16.815 cm) b: Height: 3.000 inches (7.62 cm) | Width: 2.000 inches (5.08 cm) | Depth: 1.880 inches (4.775 cm) c: Height: 2.500 inches (6.35 cm) | Width: 2.750 inches (6.985 cm) | Depth: 1.750 inches (4.445 cm)

    Tefillin and bag used by Isaac Ossowski, a prominent member of the Jewish community in Berlin, Germany, who emigrated in 1938 to avoid the increasing persecution of Jews by the government of Nazi Germany. Tefillin are 2 small black leather boxes containing Torah verses that are worn on the arm and head by Orthodox Jewish males during morning prayers. Rabbi Ossowski was head shochet [ritual slaughterer], mohel [practitioner of ritual circumcision], sofer [scribe], and hazan [cantor, or musical prayer leader] at the Alte Shul [Old Synagogue]. After Hitler was appointed Chancellor in 1933, inc...

  8. Portable marble Hanukkah menorah with 4 sections made for a rabbi

    1. Isaac Ossowski family collection
    • United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
    • irn7112
    • English
    • 1938
    • a: Height: 0.750 inches (1.905 cm) | Width: 1.620 inches (4.115 cm) | Depth: 2.620 inches (6.655 cm) b: Height: 0.750 inches (1.905 cm) | Width: 9.880 inches (25.095 cm) | Depth: 2.620 inches (6.655 cm) c: Height: 5.500 inches (13.97 cm) | Width: 4.620 inches (11.735 cm) | Depth: 0.750 inches (1.905 cm) d: Height: 0.750 inches (1.905 cm) | Width: 6.120 inches (15.545 cm) | Depth: 2.620 inches (6.655 cm)

    Traveling Hanukkah lamp used by Rabbi Isaac Ossowski. The lamp was made by a stone mason in Berlin, Germany, in the 1920s. It was meant to have an original design unlike a traditional lamp and created for use as a mobile lamp. A Hanukkah lamp holds eight candles for the eight nights of Hanukkah; the ninth candle is the shamash [attendant] that is used to light the other candles. Because of their religious significance, the Hanukkah lights cannot be used in everyday ways, such as providing light. Traditionally, menorah refers only to the original seven branched lamp that stayed lit in the Te...

  9. Book

    1. Isaac Ossowski family collection
    • United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
    • irn7135
    • English
    • 1939
    • a: Height: 7.380 inches (18.745 cm) b: Height: 3.500 inches (8.89 cm) | Width: 5.500 inches (13.97 cm) c: Height: 3.370 inches (8.56 cm) | Width: 2.750 inches (6.985 cm)

    Shulchan Aruch, an authoritative source of Jewish law, from the library of Sol Oster, who as a young man, left Germany and then Lithuania to escape the increasingly violent anti-Semitism of those countries in the late 1930s. The book was given to him as a present by his maternal great-uncle, Shalom Dantziger who had used the book for years himself. Dantziger was a mohel in Berlin, Germany, in the early 20th century. The postcard was written in 1919 Berlin to Yehiel (or Yisrael) Rubenstein. The style, with the frequent use of God Willing and similar language, suggests that the writer was a v...

  10. Booklet

    1. Isaac Ossowski family collection
    • United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
    • irn7104
    • English
    • 1938
    • a: Height: 8.750 inches (22.225 cm) | Width: 5.500 inches (13.97 cm) b: Height: 3.250 inches (8.255 cm) | Width: 4.380 inches (11.125 cm) c: Height: 3.250 inches (8.255 cm) | Width: 4.380 inches (11.125 cm) d: Height: 4.380 inches (11.125 cm) | Width: 2.870 inches (7.29 cm) e: Height: 2.870 inches (7.29 cm) | Width: 4.500 inches (11.43 cm) f: Height: 2.870 inches (7.29 cm) | Width: 4.500 inches (11.43 cm)

    Book and other items found inside the book from the library of Isaac Ossowski that were also used by his son, Sol Oster: a book, Universal-Agende für jüdische Kultursbeamte : Handbuch für den Gebrauch in Synagoge, Schule und Haus [Universal liturgy for Jewish cultural officials: Handbook for use in the Synagogue, School, and House]; a pamphlet with 2 articles on Jewish ceremonial law and custom from the series: Writings of the Association for the Preservation of traditional Judaism, and 4 US Army Signal Corps photographs of concentration camp victims. Rabbi Ossowski was a prominent member o...

  11. Der Baalschem von Michelstadt : Kulturgeschichte. Erzahlung [Book]

    1. Isaac Ossowski family collection
    • United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
    • irn7130
    • English
    • 1921-1922
    • a: Height: 7.750 inches (19.685 cm) | Width: 5.250 inches (13.335 cm) b: Height: 5.500 inches (13.97 cm) | Width: 3.500 inches (8.89 cm)

    Cultural history book from the library of Isaac Ossowski, a prominent member of the Jewish community in Berlin, Germany, who emigrated in 1938 to avoid the increasing persecution of Jews by the government of Nazi Germany. It is a narrative of the culture, history, and traditions of the Hasidic movement. The greeting card probably was received by Sol Oster for his ninth birthday in 1925. It offers blessings for Yom Kippur, best wishes for the New Year, and birthday congratulations. Rabbi Ossowski was head shochet [ritual slaughterer], mohel [practitioner of ritual circumcision], sofer [scrib...

  12. Rosh Hashana card with a photo of a young woman made in Celle DP camp

    1. Lilly and Aaron Friedman family collection

    Rosh Hashana greeting card for September 1947 made for, most likely, Eva Lax, a sister of Lili Lax Friedman, in Celle displaced persons camp in postwar Germany. It has a photograph of Eva and greetings for the New Year. During the war, Eva, her father Yitzhak, and four siblings, Lili, Faige, Mechel, and Eli were deported circa Junre 1944 from Munkacs, Hungary, to Auschwitz concentration camp. Her father and two brothers were gassed immediately. Eva and her sisters were sent to Płaszów slave labor camp in Krakow. As the Soviets approached, they were sent back to Auschwitz, and then to a slav...

  13. Rosh Hashana card with a photo of a family made in Celle DP camp

    1. Lilly and Aaron Friedman family collection

    Rosh Hashana card for September 1947 made for Aron and Lili Lax Friedman, and, most likely, Lili's sister Eva, in Celle displaced persons camp in postwar Germany. It has a photograph of the three, with Lili holding her baby daughter. Lili and Aron met at the camp in June 1945 when Lili was waiting in line for food rations and Aron was working in the kitchen. He began bringing extra food for Lili and her sisters. She was not interested at first, but Aron was persistent and they married on January 27, 1946. During the war, Lili, her father Yitzhak, and younger siblings, Faige, Eva, Mechel, an...

  14. Wedding gown made from a white rayon parachute worn by multiple Jewish brides in a DP camp

    1. Lilly and Aaron Friedman family collection

    White wedding dress worn by Lili Lax, 22, for her marriage to Ludwig (Aron) Frydman, 21, on January 27, 1946, in a synagogue near Celle displaced persons camp in Germany. Lili told Ludwig that she had always dreamed of getting married in a white dress, so he obtained a white rayon parachute from a former German airman for 2 pounds of coffee and cigarettes. Lili used her cigarette rations to hire a seamstress, Miriam, to sew the gown. Miriam used the leftover material to make a shirt for Ludwig, 1999.126.1. Six months later, Lilly's sister wore the gown when she married, and then their cousi...

  15. Wedding veil and train worn by multiple Jewish brides in a DP camp

    1. Lilly and Aaron Friedman family collection

    Wedding veil and train worn by Lili Lax, 22, for her wedding to Ludwig (Aron) Frydman, 21, on January 27, 1946, in a synagogue near Celle displaced persons camp in Germany. Lili told Ludwig that she had always dreamed of getting married in a white dress, so he obtained a white rayon parachute from a former German airman for 2 pounds of coffee and cigarettes. The veil and train are made from 11 feet of cotton netting, and could be styled in different ways. Six months later, Lilly's sister wore the gown, 1999.7.12 a, and veil when she married, and then their cousin Rosie wore them. Lilly lent...

  16. Pair of 2 button gloves worn by multiple Jewish brides in a DP camp

    1. Lilly and Aaron Friedman family collection
    • United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
    • irn13650
    • English
    • c: Height: 9.750 inches (24.765 cm) | Width: 4.000 inches (10.16 cm) d: Height: 9.625 inches (24.448 cm) | Width: 4.125 inches (10.478 cm)

    Pair of white cotton knit, wrist length gloves worn by Lilly Lax, 22, for her wedding to Ludwig (Aron) Frydman, 21, on January 27, 1946, in a synagogue near Celle displaced persons camp in Germany. Lili told Ludwig that she had always dreamed of getting married in a white dress, so he obtained a white rayon parachute from a former German airman for 2 pounds of coffee and cigarettes. Six months later, Lilly's sister wore the gown, 1999.12.a, and, presumably gloves, when she married, and then their cousin Rosie wore them. Lilly lent the wedding ensemble to many more brides, although she quit ...

  17. Floral embroidered apron worn by a Jewish Czech woman in a DP camp

    1. Lilly and Aaron Friedman family collection

    White apron with floral embroidery worn by Lili Frydman, 22, on Shabbat while working in a kosher kitchen in Celle displaced persons camp ca. 1945 to 1948. She wore a plain white apron the rest of the week. Lili lived in Zarici, Czechoslovakia, with her father Yitzhak Lax and four younger siblings, Faige, Eva, Mechel, and Eli, which was annexed by Hungary in 1939. In March 1944, Germany invaded Hungary. Soon they began the systematic deportation of all Jews to concentration camps. Circa June, Lili and her family were deported from Munkacs ghetto to Auschwitz. Lili’s father and brothers were...

  18. Two-sided drawing of men in a canteen and a portrait of a woman by a German Jewish internee

    1. Lili Andrieux collection
    • United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
    • irn119
    • English
    • 1940
    • a: Height: 11.000 inches (27.94 cm) | Width: 14.000 inches (35.56 cm) pictorial area: Height: 5.875 inches (14.923 cm) | Width: 8.875 inches (22.543 cm) b: Height: 11.000 inches (27.94 cm) | Width: 14.000 inches (35.56 cm) pictorial area: Height: 5.875 inches (14.923 cm) | Width: 8.875 inches (22.543 cm)

    Drawings of men in a canteen and a woman at Gurs internment camp, drawn by Lili Andrieux, a German Jewish internee. Lili created over 100 detailed drawings of people and daily life in the internment camps where she was held from May 1940 - September 1942 in France. Alençon was a collection center for transport to Camp de Gurs in Vichy France. After surrendering to Nazi Germany in June 1940, France was divided into two zones: a German military occupation zone and Free France under the Vichy regime. Gurs, built in spring 1939 to hold refugees from Spain, became an internment center for Jewis...

  19. Two-sided drawing of women in barracks and woman doubled over by a German Jewish internee

    1. Lili Andrieux collection
    • United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
    • irn104
    • English
    • 1940
    • a: Height: 11.000 inches (27.94 cm) | Width: 14.000 inches (35.56 cm) b: Height: 11.000 inches (27.94 cm) | Width: 14.000 inches (35.56 cm) pictorial area: Height: 6.125 inches (15.557 cm) | Width: 8.875 inches (22.543 cm) pictorial area: Height: 6.125 inches (15.557 cm) | Width: 8.875 inches (22.543 cm)

    Two-sided drawing of women in Gurs internment camp, drawn by Lili Andrieux, a German Jewish internee. Lili created over 100 detailed drawings of people and daily life in the internment camps where she was held from May 1940 - September 1942 in France. Alençon was a collection center for transport to Camp de Gurs in Vichy France. After surrendering to Nazi Germany in June 1940, France was divided into two zones: a German military occupation zone and Free France under the Vichy regime. Gurs, built in spring 1939 to hold refugees from Spain, became an internment center for Jewish refugees. Li...

  20. Large suitcase with a broken handle used by a young Austrian Jewish refugee during emigration

    1. Herta Griffel Baitch collection

    Large rectangular suitcase used by Herta Griffel when she emigrated from Vienna, Austria to the United States in 1940. Herta was a young girl living in Vienna, Austria, with her parents, Wolf and Beila Nagel Griffel when Germany annexed Austria in the Anschluss on March 13, 1938. German authorities quickly created new legislation that restricted Jewish life. On November 9-10, during the Kristallnacht pogrom, Wolf and Beila’s grocery store was taken from them and Wolf was forced into compulsory labor. Every morning a truck took him and the other men in the neighborhood to a labor camp, and t...