Glass kiddush cup with red and gold bands and the Hebrew word Shabbat saved from the Warsaw ghetto

Identifier
irn37482
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 2009.118.2
Dates
1 Jan 1940 - 31 Dec 1945
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • Hebrew
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

overall: Height: 3.125 inches (7.938 cm) | Diameter: 2.250 inches (5.715 cm)

Creator(s)

Biographical History

Emanuel Stein was born in Krakow, Poland, on February 12, 1905. He received a PhD in Philosophy and a medical degree from Jagiellonian University in Krakow. He was practicing medicine in Krakow when Germany invaded Poland in 1939. His wife, Rose, her family, and his mother were able to relocate to the eastern part of Poland to be safe from the invasion. Dr. Stein left Krakow to join the Polish Army and eventually reunited with his family. Realizing that they needed to get out of Europe, they fled to Vilnius, Lithuania, in early 1940. They learned that the Dutch consulate was issuing visas to refugees, with no questions asked, for entry to Curacao in the Dutch West Indies. Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union in June 1940 and obtaining Soviet exit visas was difficult and expensive, requiring multiple interrogations and bribes. They left Vilnius in October 1940, and travelled to Japan via train. From there, they took a boat across the Pacific and arrived in Mexico in November 1940. While in Mexico, Dr. Stein and his wife had their first child on February 27,1942. They managed to obtain US visas and emigrated to New York in November 1942. By April 1944, Dr. Stein had his New York medical license. He set up his own medical practice which he conducted until retiring in September 1977. A second daughter was born in New York in 1947. Dr. Stein died on March 6, 1994.

Archival History

The kiddush cup was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2009 by Dan and Ruth Galai and Anna Kadish on behalf of Dr. Emanuel Stein, the father of Ruth Galai and Anna Kadish.

Acquisition

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Dan and Ruth Galai, Maya Galai, and Noya Galai

Scope and Content

Glass kiddush cup with red painted leaves and Shabbat in gold letters that was used in the Warsaw ghetto from 1940-1945. It was given to Dr. Emanuel Stein in New York City by a patient who was a survivor of the ghetto and had no relatives. Dr. Stein and his family fled Krakow, Poland, following the invasion by Nazi Germany in September 1939. They managed to get to Mexico, via Lithuania, Russia, Japan, and Mexico, by the end of 1940. They eventually settled in New York where Dr. Stein had a medical practice from 1944 until his retirement in 1977.

Conditions Governing Access

No restrictions on access

Conditions Governing Reproduction

No restrictions on use

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Clear, glass, flat bottomed circular glass with vertical sides decorated with a wide painted red band with gold Hebrew text inside around the center and a red painted leaf motif around the top and bottom.

Subjects

Genre

This description is derived directly from structured data provided to EHRI by a partner institution. This collection holding institution considers this description as an accurate reflection of the archival holdings to which it refers at the moment of data transfer.