VIRTUAL JEWISH MUSEUM

Postcard to Relatives Returned!

A great part of the wartime anxiety was not knowing what was happening to loved ones. This well-traveled postcard went from the Bronx NY to Berlin in May 1941. It asks how the family (same name) is doing and why they haven't written. The card was forwarded in Germany but finally returned to NY. The markings, in French and German say 'Departed without leaving a forwarding address'. Did they run? Did they hide? Were they deported? Are they dead? It might be years before the family would know.

PostCard return to sender message

Dachau Concentration Camp

Opened in 1933, Dachau was the first concentration camp of the Nazi regime. It was seen as a model and training ground for subsequent camps. It was intended for political prisoners, uncooperative Christian clergy, and Jews. Over 200,000 souls passed through its gates. Cruelty, malnutrition, disease and murder killed perhaps a fourth of that number. Dachau remained open throughout the war. This envelope was mailed from Dachau on 14 December 1940 to Litzmannstadt, a ghetto in Poland!

Buchenwald Concentration Camp

Buchenwald was the 3rd camp to open in Germany, in 1937, near Weimar. Over 200,000 prisoners passed through before liberation (in April 1945), and over 57,000 died. Jews were taken here after Krystallnacht and others from Austria, Poland and Czeckoslovakia came later.

Buchenwald Camp Letter

"Your letter & package, bread, oil, and cheese we received - thank you. I have only words of adoration and gratefulness for your goodness and they are not empty words. Your caring and devotion...give my life substance...send sweaters & food instead of cash...".

Buchenwald Slave Labor

Paper tokens were issued in 1/2,1,2, & 3 marks as a reward for good behavior and diligent work, and could be exchanged for extra rations or cigarettes.

Buchenwald Camp..Slave Labor

Paper tokens were issued in 1/2,1,2, & 3 marks as a reward for good behavior and diligent work, and could be exchanged for extra rations or cigarettes.

Buchenwald Camp.Slave labor

Some of the paper tokens are stamped "Schwerte" or "Rottelberode". These are nearby subcamps to which field gangs were sent to work. Buchenwald notes are often singed. Reportedly they were bundled and thrown in the fire by Nazis just before the liberating US army arrived.

Mittelbau Work Camp

Mittelbau utilized Buchenwald's hardiest prisoners to produce heavy artillery, including missiles. These tokens promoted productivity among the inmates who replaced civilian Germans workers that were drafted. A warning on the back: 'Forgers of these tokens will be severely punished'. Slave labor guidelines state '..from time to time they will be awarded premium scrip'.

Sachsenhausen Camp

Sachsenhausen opened near Berlin in 1936. After Krystallnacht, 10,000 German Jews were interned here. Most were released if they had emigration papers. During the war, thousands more arrived from all over Europe. They were enslaved, shot, experimented on, and lethally injected. Half of the 200,000 inmates sent here died.

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Counterfeit Currency 5L

Operation Bernhard is the code name for a Nazi scheme to counterfeit British currency, intending to ruin the British economy. 140 Jews with skills in engraving, printing, and forging were gathered from various camps to Sachsenhausen in the summer of 1942. The product was so good that the British replaced all their older banknotes by 1945.

Counterfeit Currency 10L

The Germans successfully used some of the notes to pay spies, ransom Mussolini, and purchase automatic weapons.

Counterfeit Currency 20L

The forgers all survived the war.

Counterfeit Currency 50L

Many notes were dumped in Austrian lakes and rivers, to be discovered in 1959.

Imitation stamps

The prisoner-engravers at Sachsenhausen were also directed to make imitations of British stamps. Here we see a common 2 pence stamp on the left. On the right is the fake. It looks quite real until you look closely. The cross on top of the crown has become a star, the 'D' next to '2' is now a hammer & sickle, and more of these are hidden in the thistles. It implied that England and Russia were fighting on behalf of the Jews. These 'stamps' were sold in Europe to collectors.

Imitation Stamps.1

Here, the genuine stamps are on top and the imitations underneath. The look is similar but the designs are more obvious. Jewish star, hammer and sickle, and especially Stalin's face appear clearly. 'Teheran ...1943' is a reference to a conference among Stalin, Roosevelt & Churchill to strategize about the war. And the bold statement "THIS WAR IS A JEWISH WAR" makes the Nazi accusation that Jews are to blame, while others understand it to mean Jews are the victims.

A Jewish War

American Jewry tried mightily to avoid calling the war a 'Jewish War'. They felt that the American people would not be supportive of US war efforts if they perceived that the conflict was mainly 'just about Jews'. This affected announcements and even news reporting.

Why Die for the Jews?

This British flyer asks 'Why Die for the Jews?'. "...It is for Stalin and for Jewry that our boys are dying...". This was circulated by John Amery, a pro-Nazi British fascist. He eventually broadcast pro-Nazi propaganda from Berlin. Captured by the Allies, he was tried for high treason and executed by hanging. It was this sentiment that the U.S. was trying to avoid during the war.

Ravensbruck Women's Camp

Women were sent to separate camps as early as 1933. Ravensbruck, north of Berlin, was established in May 1939. It was Germany's only major women's camp. Thousands of women experienced humiliation, suffering, and death. This lettersheet was written in March 1942.

Ravensbruck Women's Camp

This lettersheet, written inside the camp, calls the inmates 'protective prisoners' and the regulations are signed 'Camp Director' instead of Kommandant.

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A censorship mark is stamped at the end of the message.

DeGurs France Internment Camp

After France capitulated to Germany in 1940, Gurs became a Vichy internment camp for non-French Jews and 4000 were rounded up. Conditions were harsh with rampant disease and shortages of food and water. Nearly 1000 Jews died that first winter and are buried nearby. HICEM arranged for the release of 2,000 who emigrated overseas.

deGurs France Internment Camp

Beginning August 1942, over 6,000 Jews were deported to Auschwitz and Sobibor death camps.

Recebedou France Internment Camp

Jews from enemy countries were also sent to Recebedou, which was among the worst. Many families settled near the camp to be near interned relatives. Often they too were interned. Thousands died from cold, malnutrition or disease. Starting in 1942, the vast majority were sent east to Auschwitz. They were among the 75,000 Jews France sent to their death.

Rivesaltes France Internment Camp

Located on the Spanish border, Rivesaltes interned Jews escaping from Germany starting 1940. A Jewish welfare organization did obtain release of 470 children who were placed in foster or orphan homes. Several thousand were also hidden, often in Christian homes. But hundreds of children were shipped on the last major French convoy to Auschwitz.

Rivesaltes France Internment Camp

The back of the envelope shows Rivsaltes in the return address. We also see the censure stamp.

Drancy France Transit Camp

Overcrowding, harsh conditions, and brutality made life in Drancy, a suburb of Paris, extremely difficult. More than 3000 prisoners died in these French camps from lack of medical care and starvation. Nearly 65,000 Jews were shipped from Drancy to Auschwitz and murdered there. We see the town cancellation and the seal of the French police: Internment camp of Drancy - Police.

Drancy postcard. front

David Sterman writes home to a district in Paris from Drancy, in February 1943. A building complex designed to hold 700 people, over 7,000 were interned there. The Germans took direct control of the camp in July 1943.

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David writes: 'I'm in good health...I beg you not to be worried. Tomorrow I leave with a group for an unknown destination...I'm full of courage...a thousand thousand kisses I will see you soon for always D.'

Deported from Drancy to Poland

Built in World War One, for French troops and then POWs, during WWII this concentration camp at Le Vernet in Ariege in the Pyrenee mountains held foreigners and anti-fascists. Beginning 1942 it served as a transit camp for arrested Jews. It held men, women and children. According to a plaque at the site, 45 Jewish children aged 2 to 17 were transported from here to Auschwitz on 1 September 1942. In June 1944 the last internees were deported to Dachau. 40,000 people passed through this camp.

Westerbork Holland Camp

Located in a swampy area near the German border, Westerbork opened as a Jewish refugee housing camp (holding among others passengers from the famous St. Louis ship). The invading Germans turned it into a concentration camp for Dutch Jews. Over 80% of Holland's 135,000 Jews, including Anne Frank, passed through this and other camps, never to return.

Westerbork Holland Token Scrip

Nazis took over Westerbork on 1 July 1942. Those who ended up here formed a large pool of slave labor, before shipment to death camps. Inmates were stripped of possessions and cash, and received these camp notes in exchange. They were only valid in the camp, redeemable for extra food.

Westerbork Holland Token Scrip

The tall chimney pictured on the notes was part of a large laundromat near the camp entrance. The large gear brings to mind the Nazi motto "Jewish labor is essential for German victory".

Westerbork Holland Token Scrip

Westerbork Holland Token Scrip

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Cremona Italy Concentration Camp

Although civilians were concentrated in Italian camps, they were nothing like the Nazi camps. They were internment camps which detained both Jewish and non-Jewish prisoners. These internal notes were issued when legal money was confiscated from internees. Thin specimens are signed by commandant Zucelli. Thicker specimens are found unsigned but stamped with a Jewish star. Were they used only by Jews? Were they made for collectors after the war?

Ferramonti Italy Camp

Ferramonti was the largest of the 15 internment camps created by Mussolini in 1940. In the 3 years it operated, it held as many as 3,823 Jews. They included refugees from the SS Pentcho. They were all freed when the Allies took control in September 1943. Look at the return address.

Ferramonti Italy Camp

This was wartime mail and passed through numerous censors. It must have been sent before September but arrived in Tel Aviv only in January 1944. About 1000 of these internees were allowed in to the USA and were held at an American internment camp in Oswego, upstate New York.

Campagna Italy Internment Camp

This camp, near Salerno, was built by Mussolini in 1940 to hold Jewish refugees and Italian Jews. At its peak it held 230 internees. Here too the Jews were actually protected from the privations and deportations of camps in France and Holland. They received food parcels and maintained a cultural life. They were freed when the Allies invaded in September 1943.

Tittmoning Camp.Prisoners to Trade

Jews held in Tittmoning (in a castle) were Polish, American, and British nationals with papers. The intention was to exchange them for Germans being held in Allied countries. An exchange did take place in Lisbon on March 5, 1944. Most others were eventually shipped east and died in Auschwitz.

Tittmoning Camp.Prisoners to Trade

The message on this card contains many names underlined, which may be a code asking for help for those individuals. This card was sent to Alfred Schwarzbaum in Switzerland who was using Jewish funds to help where he could.

Isolation.Trapped & Desperate

Emil Bier 72 & Laura 65 write from Cologne: "Our dear ones, Please make an effort to arrange our migration (to the USA). Write us & make it fast...Please send us 2 packages (of food). We really wish to see you again...We urge you to overcome all difficulties and enable us to leave this country as fast as possible." The card was censored but passed through. Notice Emil had to add Israel to his rubber-stamped name.

Isolation.Trapped & Desperate.messag

Clearly conditions for food and safety were deteriorating rapidly. Tragically, help did not come in time. Yad Vashem archives record that this couple was deported to Theresienstadt Ghetto 10 months later. Three months after that in Sept 1942, they were sent to Treblinka death camp, among the 80,000 murdered there.

German Occupied Poland

After Germany invaded Poland in September of 1939, it annexed the western parts and created in the center an occupied territory, known as the 'General Government'. There was no longer any mention of 'Poland' and all its nationals were now stateless subjects of the 3rd Reich. These stamps were issued to mark the new status.

General Government Map

Eastern Poland was occupied by the Russians, Western Poland was annexed by Germany, and the center was an occupied entity called "General Government". Poland as a country had ceased to exist. Its nationals had no country and were stateless.

General Government Warsaw

Five major cities, Lublin, Krakau, Radom, Warsaw, and Lemberg (Lvov) are mentioned on these five General Government stamps. They were major cities and districts in the General Government region, with manufacturing, universities and commerce. All were destined to be Germanized and made Jew-free, which is ominously hinted at by the blank white impression of the Nazi symbols in the center of each stamp.

Tarnow

Tarnow had 25,000 Jews in 1939, mainly Chassidim. They worked in garment manufacturing. The card bears Polish stamps heavily overprinted 'General Government'. Jewish leaders were deported to Auschwitz even before the ghetto was established in 1941. The entire community was wiped out, including no doubt the writer of this card to her son, who had escaped to Shanghai. "You must be strong in order to survive... Write me what you drink when it gets hot since you may not drink the water..."

Yellow Star Armband

Right after the German occupation of Poland, Jews were ordered to wear various identifying signs, usually an armband. In Lithuanian Poland, it was a white armband four inches wide with a yellow star of David. All Jews over the age of 10 were required to wear one.

Blue Star Armband

Beginning November 23, 1939, all Jewish Poles over 11 years of age were ordered to wear a white armband with a blue star of David. There are different styles, and some Jews actually tried to make a living selling these required items. Many replicas have been made in recent years. This is an example of what the armbands looked like.

Polish Armband in Original Photo

Warsaw before ghetto

Warsaw was a major Jewish center, with 350,000 Jews - 30% of the city. This postcard was written May 30, 1940. It is under German occupation but before Ghettoization. We see the Nazi overprint on the stamp, even though it is torn. And we see the seal of the Nazi censorship on the left. It is postmarked 3 June 1940.

Warsaw before ghetto. message

Written in German to a sister and brother-in-law inn Brooklyn. "We are all healthy". No hint of what is to come a few months later when the ghetto is instituted.

Package to Warsaw

This is a parcel receipt for a package sent to a Jew in Warsaw. It was sent from Sandomierz, a town in southeast Poland. That town was occupied by Germans and the stamps we see are the Nazi-issued 'General Government stamps. (Sandomierz Jews perished in death camps.)

Warsaw 'Jewish District'

The back of the parcel receipt was stamped in the Ghetto on 15 December 1941. At that time it was not officially called a Ghetto. Instead, the less ominous term 'Jewish District of Warsaw' was used. In German that is: Jüdischer Wohnbezirk in Warschau. We can see that inscription below the date on the postal cancellation. Above, it says 'Postal Distribution Sight'.

Warsaw Ghetto.Judenrat

On October 12, 1940 a ghetto was established in Warsaw, a restricted and confined sector of the city. All Jewish residents were ordered to move to this area, which was to be sealed off from the rest of the city. It was surrounded by 10 foot high walls topped with barbed wire, and heavily guarded. 30% of the city's population were now confined to 2.5 % of its area. "Please take my fate in your hands ..and send me a food package". August 1941. Notice the rectangular stamp on the upper left.

Judenrat Warsaw

This little rectangular imprint shows that the postcard passed through the 'Judenrat' (Jewish Council). This was a Nazi-appointed group which governed internal affairs in the ghetto including postal collection and censorship. Controversy arose over the degree of cooperation these councils gave the Nazis. They were in an impossible situation, trying to protect Jews but being forced to implement Nazi Policies.

Survival in the Ghetto

Survival was a daily challenge. 'Care' packages could spell the difference between life and death. Most correspondence asks for packages, food, and basics against the harsh living conditions. This post card was also censored by the Judenrat, and the Germans. It was sent by the 'Jewish Self Help Committee' to Shanghai where some aid offices operated freely. June 1941.

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Here the Jewish Self Help committee of Warsaw sends to HICEM in Shanghai a list of those who should receive packages-20 names. But this is card #3100! That would suggest over 60,000 packages were requested! HICEM was a relief coordinating agency that helped thousands of refugees and immigrants. It later merged with HIAS.

Sanz.Moving In

Moving to a ghetto means leaving your home surroundings and most of your possessions. The ghettos were usually in the poorest section of town. Shaindele Hollander is ordered to move to Spitalna street in Sanz with her family of 4, by order of the Jewish council. Jews had lived there for 500 years and it was the seat of the Sanzer Chassidus . The over 10,000 Jews were murdered at Belzec in August 1942. R' Halberstam reestablished his Chassidus in Williamsburg Brooklyn.

Krakow.Missing Persons

Jews had been living in Krakow since the 1200's. Persecution began right after the invasion. In April 1940 35,000 Jews were ordered out of the city. Many others, including elderly and orphans, were murdered on the spot. When the Red Cross inquired about the Redner family the above card from the Jewish Community replied "Before the war they lived on Augustyanska Street but now their address is unknown". March 1942.

Bendsburg Ghetto

Bedzin in western Poland was annexed by Germany and renamed Bendsburg. The 300 year-old Jewish community made up nearly half the town's population, all eventually deported. The card is rubber-stamped "Council of the Jewish Community...Mail Collection Center". "I acknowledge your lovely packages of paprika, figs, and raisins.. We are alive and well...Why are you writing so little lately". Sent July 1942 to Lausanne Switzerland.

Tarnow Ghetto

February 4, 1942. Mailed from the Tarnow ghetto to an uncle in Switzerland. "..received your parcel with 3 sardine cans..we will share it with father and Wowek...there is enough work for us but the cost of living is so high..freezing weather so severe that Wowek can't work..they sell whatever they can to live..we have nothing to spare..thanks for all your help." Struggling to survive but per Yad Vashem Mina Nattel died in Poland in 1943.

Search for Missing Persons

Mailed by Feige Ehrlich to the Red Cross in Krakow asking for information about Solomon Landwirt. "He was in the army in Lvov in the 19th division.." The Polish Red Cross was not generally helpful with missing Jews. They stamped this card 'Return to Sender for more information."

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Lodz renamed Litzmannstadt

Lodz Jewry was confined to its ghetto in early 1940. The city name was changed to Litzmannstadt by Hitler's order on 11 April 1940, as stated in the postmark. A Jewish civil authority was established and its leader, Chaim Rumkowski, was given the title 'Eldest of the Jews in Litzmannstadt' (which is in the return address in red ink). Lodz was Poland's leading industrial center. In September 1942 workshops were put into full production for the German war effort.

Lodz renamed Litzmannstadt

The postmark actually declares the change in name, and the date. "By order of the Fuhrer this city will be called as of 11 April 1940 Ghetto Litzmannstadt".

Ghetto Administration

This postcard, arriving from Prague, reflects internal aspects of the Ghetto administration. The addressee is called the "lord Mayor of the Jewish Ghetto" and the receival stamp reads 'ghetto Administration / Litzmannstadt'. The message asks for a resident's current address '..so I can send him money.'

No Hebrew or Yiddish Mail

Strict regulation of Jewish mail made communication difficult. The Jewish Ghetto authorities had to censor their own mail! Messages not written in fluent German were confiscated. This post card was stamped "in Hebrew and Yiddish language Forbidden" and never delivered.

No Hebrew or Yiddish Mail.message

The message reads: "Dear Daughter, I don't know what to think. Why don't you write?..Every day I go to the post office..please reply immediately..Your Mother" But of course it never was delivered.

Jewish Council of Elders

The Germans occupied Sosnowitz 4 Sept 1939. A 'Jewish Council of Elders' called the Aeltestenrate or Judenrat was created to represent the Jews and carry out Nazi orders. In this impossible situation, the leaders tried to please Germans in order to keep people alive. This note acknowledges receipt of food packages from Switzerland, which were a lifeline to the community. Almost all the Jews perished in Auschwitz.

Ghetto Postal Administration

Another card confiscated. This one is rubber-stamped near the top 'Postal Administration-Ghetto'. Its message seems harmless yet it was classified 'not permitted' by the censor and never delivered.

Ghetto Postal Administration.message

"Received your cards and enjoyed them tremendously...I wrote back many times and hope that you received them (!) The three of us are lively and in a good mood...In the evening I am so exhausted I cannot continue my diary...".

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Ghetto Currency.Lodz

Ghetto notes were issued dated May 1940 from 1/2 to 50 mark denominations. They were really scrip - token money- issued when the internee's real German money was confiscated. The designs of Menorah and Magen David gave the notes a Jewish look. Made on high quality paper and serially numbered, they were worthless outside the ghetto and were reason for execution. Original specimens show heavy use. They were nicknamed 'Rumkies' after Rumkowski, the ghetto leader who signed them.

Ghetto Currency.2 Mark

This is the front and back of the 2 Mark note. The reverse states "Counterfeiting of these receipts (sic) ...is subject to sever punishment'.

Ghetto Currency 2 Marks.Faked

The 2 mark note was successfully counterfeited in the ghetto by a printer named Rauchberger. The problem was discovered when 2 notes were found with the same number! Soon the entire denomination was demonitized and withdrawn. Rauchberger was imprisoned and later deported. The top note is authentic. The other seems nearly identical. But notice that on it the pink color is slightly out of register.

Lodz.Litz.paper change

A shortage of small change led to crude temporary solutions. Here is a 50 pfennig (1/2 mark) ghetto note, quite worn, which was overstamped by the ghetto post office with the numbers 20 pf(ennig) and 10 pf. It was intended to be cut into thirds for small change. Those that were cut must have soon disintegrated completely.

Lodz.Paper change.official

The ghetto post office issued temporary paper tokens in the value of 10 Pfennig, which was the cost of a stamp. They were printed on the backs of blank postcards and separated by perforations. Some have serial numbers and are signed by the ghetto post office head 'Goldblum'. "Good for 10 pf. in the /Post office of/the Eldest of the Jews/in Litzmannstadt Ghetto/17 April 1942".

Lodz.Paper Change. back

The back of the piece shows that it was printed on a post card and then separated.

Lodz Ghetto coins.10 pfennig

All German coins were confiscated and finally in 1942 special small coins were issued. They were made of a magnesium alloy called Elektron. Although bright when new, they rapidly turned very dark. Designing them was an issue. Here we see on top the official German 10pf coin. The first Jewish design is below. Only a few were made because the Germans felt it looked too much like theirs. A smaller redesigned coin was issued in quantity. Due to inflation, they didn't remain useful for long.

Lodz Ghetto Coin.First design

This was the first design, whose production was stopped by the Germans.

Lodz Ghetto Coin.2nd design

This design was produced in quantity. However, because of inflation, it soon lost its usefulness. On the front in the center is a Jewish star on which is stamped the date 1942. Around, it says 'The Eldest of the Jews in Litzmannstadt'. On the back simply 'Good for 10 pfennig'.

Lodz Ghetto Coins.5,10,20 Mark

The banknotes of 1940 were quite worn out by 1943, so coins of 5, 10, & 20 marks were issues instead. The Nazis wanted them to look very Jewish so they have big six-pointed stars. Those struck in Elektron turned very dark so later ones were made from aluminum. The words say 'Getto' and 'The Elder of of the Jews in Litzmannstadt'.

Lodz.Stamps

Reportedly the Ghetto issued their own stamps. They could only have been around for a few days before the Germans confiscated them. Specimens such as these were found after the war in the files of officials and perhaps collectors. There are no known envelopes with used examples of them. Rumkowski's portrait appears along with symbols of the town industry. 'Jewish Mail.Litzmannstadt Ghetto'.

Lodz Stamp Designs

It is said that Rumkowski conducted a contest for ghetto stamp designs. Some variations on the regular stamp exist, like these. It is hard to authenticate them.

Krakow ghetto post

The Krakow ghetto also had a Jewish postal service. This cutout displays the markings that were used. In the boxed cancel it reads 'Jewish Community Krakow' & the date. On the left we read in German 'Delivered by the Judenrat'. On the right in Polish 'Jewish Community Post'. The circular mark indicates postage due of 30 Groschen.

Theresienstadt Ghetto

Theresienstadt Ghetto in Czekoslovakia was remarkable in many ways. Established in 1940 it held Jews from the region and also Denmark & Holland. 'Special' Jews, such as WWI veterans came at first and eventually mostly the elderly. 150 thousand passed through, either dying from conditions and cruelty or when shipped to Auschwitz & Treblinka death camps. One famous inmate was Leo Baeck, the writer of this letter who survived to become a leader of the Reform movement.

Theresienstadt ghetto adressee

Leo Baeck writes to Sally Mayer, community leader in Switzerland and representative of the Joint Distribution Committee who was able to coordinate some relief efforts.

Theresienstadt.pass

The internal affairs of the camp were run by the Ältestenrat - Council of Elders comprised of Jewish leaders. Its head in 1943-44, until he was murdered, was Paul Eppstein, appointed by Adolf Eichmann (y"s). He signed this pass for H. Bachrach and stamped it with the official Jewish Council seal.

Theressienstadt Ghetto Currency

Currency was issued for the Jewish inmates. The notes are dated January 1943 and saw some use until 1945. The inscription 'Quittung' -receipt- suggests that they were issued in place of real money, perhaps in exchange for work in the camp. They were designed by inmate Peter Kien, and issued in denominations of 1,2,5,10,20,50,100 kronen.

Theresienstadt Ghetto Currency

The front shows an image intended to be Moses with the tablets of the commandments inscribed in Hebrew. The ubiquitous six pointed star appears on both sides. Many of these have survived and perhaps also been reprinted after the war for collectors.

Theresienstadt Ghetto Currency

Close up[ of back.

Theresienstadt Ghetto Currency

Close-up of front. The Red Cross actually visited Theresienstadt, perhaps because of the Danish inmates. Everyone was threatened to behave. The visitors saw a clean camp, musicians playing, currency in use, and left with a pretty good impression, especially for wartime. They even took home souvenir stamps.

Theresienstadt Postal System

Theresienstadt, too, had an internal Jewish postal system. Internees received letters & packages. Often they bear receival cancels from the ghetto post. This is a receipt for delivery of a registered letter. After being stamped 'Jewish Self-Administration Theresienstadt' and postmarked in nearby Bauschowitz, it was returned to the sender in Dusseldorf.

Theresienstadt Postal Receipt

Front of receipt.

Theresienstadt.Parcel Permit Stamp.

This notice, signed by the head of the Jewish Council in Prague, accompanied a stamp that was to be affixed to any package sent to inmates of Theresienstadt. Instructions are in German and Czech. The form and stamp could be mailed to the prospective sender, as this one was to someone in Prosnitz.

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This is a parcel stamp genuinely used and postmarked Prague. It was cut from the wrapper of the package and saved. The scene on the stamp is remarkable, showing a peaceful country display, trees, stream, hills, and clouds - ironic considering what was actually going on there.

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This copy is poorly engraved with fuzzier details compared to the authentic stamp shown above.

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The Germans printed a special souvenir sheet of 4 stamps, serially numbered in red, for the Red Cross visitors to take home with them.

Theresienstadt Parcel Thank You

When an inmate received a parcel he was also issued an acknowledgement card, to be mailed back to the sender of the package. They were pre-printed with a brief thank-you and no additional message. The cards were postmarked in nearby Bauschowitz or Prague.

Theresienstadt Parcel Thank You

Dated March 1, 1944, this card went to Hamburg.

Theresienstadt Theater Ticket

A wide variety of cultural activities were organized by the internees. Orchestras, theater groups, artists, schooling for children etc. Some art survived and has been exhibited and published. This is an admission ticket to a theater performance of 'Winterreise' (Winter Journey), a presentation of 24 poems sung to piano accompaniment, by Franz Schubert..

North African Internment Camps

The Nazis established (17) slave labor camps in North Africa: 3 in Morocco, 3 in Algeria, 7 in Tunisia and 4 in Libya. This envelope was sent by Hugo Stern from camp Sidi el Ayad, a northern Moroccan town, to Pennsylvania.

Moroccan camp Sidi Ayad near Azemour

After the armistice with Germany was signed, Vichy authorities sent foreigners (including Jews) who had volunteered for and fought in the French army against the Germans in 1940, and foreign Jewish refugees, to work camps in Algeria and Morocco. Hugo Stern must have been in this group. Jews received some aid from the Joint, HICEM, and local Jewish communities. Thousands of Jews were sent to slave labor working on the railroad in harsh conditions.

Moroccan Camp at Azammour

This camp was near Azammour, on the Atlantic coast of Morocco. Officially known as Sidi Al Ayachi. it was also for Europeans deported from France. Harsh conditions included hunger, sickness, heat, and forced labor. It was torn down by 1943.

Camp sidi Al Ayachi at Azammournew.Holocaust.Isolation

Alfred Schild writes to the Joint Distribution Committee's European office in Lisbon Portugal, which provided some relief to internees. Censored. Postmarked 7 July 1941 at Rabat.

Hungary.Labor ID card

Hungary forbade Jews to serve in the army but established a forced labor service for all males by 1940. This included war-related construction often under brutal conditions. Some accompanied troops fighting the Soviet Union. Some 50,000 Jews died in these efforts. Those working closer to home fared better. This is an identity card for Hungarian Jewish worker Bela Katona.

Hungary.in a labor camp

Under increasing German anti-Semitic influence, Jewish soldiers were forced out of the army by 1941 and into work battalions. This group was apparently not yet suffering the abuses that would torment these workers and kill a large percentage of them. They are wearing military hats but civilian clothes. They are also wearing distinguishing armbands on their left arms.

Hungary.Labor Camp to Budapest

Sent by a Jew Imre Ehrenthal who is attached to Labor battalion 208/16. The purple stamping on the left identifies the 'Jewish Military Labor Service'.

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"We are 24 Km away from Szeged... "Unfortunately we are gong to be apart for Rosh Hashana. I wish everyone a happy New Year, nicer and happier than the previous one."

Hungarian armband.labor

All Jews in the forced-labor service had to wear either a yellow or (if they had changed their religion) a white armband.

Jewish Command Camp

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Hungary.Labor camp 201 to Budapest

Sent from a Jew attached to 'Jewish Labor Battalion 201/64', which is imprinted in purple at the top. Sent to Borsala? Goldner in Budapest

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Ghetto Arrest Warrant.Vilna

This warrant was issued by the 'labor police' in the Vilna ghetto on April 3, 1943. It is for the arrest of Meyer Schumacher age 24 for the vague crime of 'Breaking Discipline' (perhaps he was out after curfew?). He was to be detained until 5 p.m. on April 4th. Vilna was the site of heroic Jewish resistance in the face of much cruelty, murder, and deportation.

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Djelfa Camp Algeria

French-controlled North Africa came under Vichy (pro-Nazi) control and all the anti-Jewish laws of Europe were applied -lost citizenship, exclusion from society and employment etc. Dozens of labor camps were created in which local Jews and refugees from France were held. A quarter of the 4000 inmates were held in Djelfa, Algeria, working long days in unbearable heat. They were released in 1943 after U.S. forces invaded. This is one of many ways that Sephardic Jews were affected by the War.

Communication thru Switzerland

Leo Ettlinger received a letter from Germany and forwarded it to the Bernstein family in England. It was mailed on 29 November 1940. The British censors opened the envelope and re-sealed it.

Communication thru Switz back

As there was no direct correspondence between enemy countries during the war, a Briton could not give or get news from relatives in Germany. They would write to relatives in Switzerland, who would put the letter in a new envelope and send it a long - and vice versa. Some were intercepted but other letters got through. That's how this family learned that their relatives in Germany were carried of to death camps.

Civilian British internee

Civilians who had the bad luck to be caught in Germany when war was declared (Dec 1941) were also locked up. Fred Zeman is confined in Internment Lager (Ilag) VIII Z. This envelope was sent by his family in England. It went through the Red Cross - no stamp was required. We see the purple British censor mark & the red German censor mark clearly reading 'VIII Z'. This camp operated in upper Silesia, in German Poland from July '42 until Nov '43. The 'Z' for Zweilager means it was a subcamp.

Ilag.Kreuzburg

K. Mossbacher, British Civilian Internee was confined in ILAG (civilian internment camp) Kreuzburg. Pieternella Deelder wrote him a long letter from Amsterdam on 24 August 1944. Kreuzberg Upper Silesia is in western Poland but was part of Germany before the war. It was the location of 3 Internment camps. Thousands of U.S. and British civilians, who found themselves in areas controlled by Germany, were interned. This letter was sent post-free through the ‘Service of Prisoners of War’.

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