Western Europe
All of these artifacts came from Western Europe. They are all old and were given to us by family members. They help us remember our ancestors and help to tell part of the story of the years before and during the Holocaust. Because we have these artifacts in spite of the Holocaust and other events in Europe, we are able to have a piece of our families' history and culture.
Passports
Germany
Ernest B.
The Nazi party was rising to power in Germany in the 1930’s. Many of the Jewish citizens wanted to leave Germany for the United States. My husband’s parents, Karl and Paula, wanted to leave with their young sons (my husband and his brother). There were two conditions necessary in order to leave: Germany had to issue a passport and the United States had to be willing to let them enter this country. If they had an America sponsor, they would be allowed to enter the United States. The sponsor had to agree to be financially responsible for the person or family. The sponsor for my husband’s family was his mother’s uncle who owned a successful butcher shop in Brooklyn, New York.
Germany issued Karl’s passport and Paula’s passport, enabling them to leave together with their sons. The names of their sons, Theodor and Ernst, were included on their mother’s passport. Their arrival in the United States allowed them to begin their lives again. They became citizens of the United States and active members of the Jewish community helping to establish a synagogue in the East Bronx.
Radiogram
Place of Origin: At Sea
Ernest B.
My husband's parents, Karl and Paula, received passports from Germany allowing them to leave for the United States where they had a sponsor to take care of them. Pictured is the radiogram sent from the ship to Paula’s parents, brother and sister-in-law who were all living together in an apartment in the East Bronx. The radiogram told them the day of arrival so that the family would be met and taken to the apartment where they would temporarily live as well.
It was a time of great relief because they had arrived in the United States to begin a new life. Their two sons would grow up with the freedom to learn about and to observe their Jewish heritage.
Telegram
Bremen, Germany
My grandmother, Hannah Coughlin
The telegram was delivered to my great grandfather from his family in Germany right after Kristallnacht. The text translates to "Help Us." It was one of the last communications they received from his family.
It is an example of the dire situation of Jews in Europe during the rise of Hitler. Even as early as 1938, they saw the frightening future that lay ahead for them, and tried to communicate this information to the outside world.
Letters
US Department of State, Congress
My grandmother, Hannah Coughlin
My great grandfather received a telegram from his family in Germany asking for help. He sent the telegram to his Congressman, Andrew Somers, in hopes of receiving aid or refugee status for his family. The letters share that this status was not possible, and included a letter from the Department of State that explained the current quota system. The family members did not get out of Germany; no one survived.
These letters illustrate the amount of knowledge the US government had in regards to the situation in Europe during the early stages of the Holocaust. Their inaction contributed to a climate where Jews were truly trapped in Europe, unable to escape or find refuge.
Wartime Letter
Italy
My Dad
The significance of the artifact to my family is that it is a letter from my grandpa to his younger brother when he was in the army during World War II. It is a window into his experience of war. It is fascinating to see how he spent his days and begin to understand the problems faced by infantry soldiers.
My grandpa was one of the only Jewish soldiers in his unit. He told my father that many of the other soldiers had never met someone who was Jewish. Some of these soldiers also did not like eating in the same mess hall as black soldiers.
Menorah
Vienna, Austria
Faith B.
This Menorah was my great grandmother's. She gave it to my grandmother who, in turn, gave it to my mother. It is important because it is one of a very few items that my great grandmother brought with her to America from Austria. We know very little about her and family members who would are no longer with us. However we have the Menorah to serve as a remembrance.
This Menorah was used by my great grandmother and she took it to America where she passed it down to my grandmother and then my mother. My mother uses it every Chanukkah.
Spice Box
England
Mother
My artifact - the besamin shaker -was purchased by my mother to celebrate the birth of my brother. It is originally from England and was made about the turn of the century.
This is a traditional spice box used for the havdalah ceremony. We don't use it much as we don't celebrate havdalah with frequency. But now I think we should start.