Bidspirit auction | A Rare and Moving Family

A Rare and Moving Family Collection of Holocaust Survivors from the Theresienstadt Ghetto - A Rare and Moving Family Collection of Holocaust Survivors from the Theresienstadt Ghetto – Jewish Medical Services Identification Tag from the Post-Liberation Period, Original Yellow Star, Handmade Star of David Clock, Ghetto Banknotes, and Personal Documents – The Lieberman Family An extraordinary historical collection comprising nine items and groups of original artifacts dating from the Holocaust, the years preceding it, and the period of recovery that followed. The collection was preserved for decades by the Lieberman family, a couple of Holocaust survivors. Among its highlights are a rare identification tag of the Jewish Medical Services operating in the Theresienstadt Ghetto after liberation; an original yellow Star of David badge; a wooden clock in the shape of a Star of David; banknotes issued in the Theresienstadt Ghetto; and personal identification documents recording the family's history. The significance of this collection lies not only in the rarity and historical importance of its individual artifacts, but above all in their shared provenance: all the items originated from the Lieberman family and were preserved as personal mementos of the Holocaust and the years that followed. Particularly moving is the fact that Mrs. Lieberman herself, many years ago, attached the yellow star, the medical services identification tag, the ghetto banknotes, and the ration coupons to a sheet of paper, wishing to preserve for future generations the memory of what she and her husband had endured during the Holocaust and their subsequent years of displacement. Thus, this is far more than a collection of historical artifacts. It is, in effect, a personal memorial assembled by a Holocaust survivor herself. Each item represents another chapter in the family's history: life in Germany before the war, persecution and humiliation under Nazi rule, the Theresienstadt Ghetto, liberation, recovery, and the establishment of a new life in the Land of Israel. The items remained in the family's possession until their arrival at the auction house. 1. Rare Cloth Identification Tag of the Jewish Medical Services in the Theresienstadt Ghetto Following Liberation – 1945 – Personal Possession of Holocaust Survivor Mrs. Lieberman One of the most important and remarkable items in the collection! An exceptionally rare personal identification tag from the Theresienstadt Ghetto, associated with the Jewish Medical Services following liberation in 1945. Individually handmade. Comparable artifacts are preserved in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., and the Jewish Museum Berlin. An exceptionally rare and moving historical relic from the period following the liberation of the Theresienstadt Ghetto: a personal cloth identification tag, handmade and bearing the stamp of the Jewish Medical Services of the former ghetto's self-administration, which operated following liberation from Nazi rule in May 1945. The tag belonged to Mrs. Lieberman, who preserved it for decades as a personal reminder of her experiences. Two comparable artifacts bearing the same historic stamp are preserved in the collections of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., and the Jewish Museum Berlin. This remarkable artifact bears witness to one of the most difficult and lesser-known chapters in the history of Theresienstadt: the weeks and months following liberation, when thousands of survivors remained in the ghetto, many seriously ill and exhausted, desperately requiring medical treatment. Description of the Tag – An Individually Handmade Artifact Cloth dimensions: 8.5 × 5 cm. Cord length: approximately 20 cm. A rectangular cloth tag with edges sewn in red thread, attached to a braided cord with metal fittings at its ends. The tag bears the following handwritten inscription: K.L. / TEREZÍN The abbreviation refers to Konzentrationslager Terezín, meaning Theresienstadt Concentration Camp. The cloth also bears an official circular stamp with the following Czech inscription: Samospráva býv. ghetta Terezína – Zdravotnictví Translation: Self-Administration of the Former Theresienstadt Ghetto – Medical Services. At the center of the stamp appears a medical emblem depicting a serpent entwined around a staff. The exceptional character of this artifact is particularly evident in its construction and manufacture. Unlike the familiar medical-service armbands from Theresienstadt, which consist of broad strips of cloth intended to be worn around the arm, the present item is a small, individually fashioned tag. Its edges were sewn with red thread, and a braided cord with metal fittings was attached to it. Its unusual construction indicates handmade manufacture and adaptation for a form of carrying or wearing different from that of a conventional armband.