Medical bag used by a Jewish Polish man while living in hiding
Archival History
The doctor's bag was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2014 by Al Kleiner and his daughters Elaine Kleiner Maltzman, Susan Kleiner Perlman, and Janet Kleiner Rosenblatt.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Al Kleiner, Elaine Kleiner Maltzman, Susan Kleiner Perlman, and Janet Kleiner Rosenblatt
Scope and Content
Leather doctor's satchel used by Josef Kleiner before and during the war when he lived in hiding with family in various places in Poland. Josef, his wife Jocheved, and 12 year old son Adolf were living in Budzanow (Budaniv, Ukraine) when Nazi Germany invaded Poland in September 1939. By 1942, the Germans were conducting large scale deportations to concentration camps. The Kleiner family went into hiding in 1942, aided by different people who hid them in their attics and cellars. In 1944, the region was liberated by Soviet troops. Josef passed away soon after the war as a result of surgery to remove his appendix. His son Adolf (later Al) saved his medical bag.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Extremely worn leather bag with detached parts.
Subjects
- World War, 1939-1945--Jews--Rescue--Poland--Biography.
- Jews--Persecution--Poland--Biography.
- Jewish families--Poland--Biography.
- Jewish children in the Holocaust--Poland--Biography.
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Poland--Personal narratives.
- Hidden children (Holocaust)--Poland--Biography.
Genre
- Object
- Containers