Blue velvet tefillin pouch found in a shallow grave by a Jewish American soldier

Identifier
irn514017
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 1988.118.1 a
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • Hebrew
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

overall: Height: 6.250 inches (15.875 cm) | Width: 7.250 inches (18.415 cm)

Creator(s)

Biographical History

Walter Fried was born on September 11, 1913, in Vienna, Austria, to a Jewish couple, Leopold and Margaret Adler Fried. Walter had a sister, Alice, born on March 5, 1917. Walter’s father Leopold was born on February 18, 1883, in Privigye, Hungary (now Prievidza, Slovakia), to David and Josefine Loewenbein Fried. Leopold had three siblings: Gisella, Adolph, and Ludwig. Walter’s mother Margaret was born on September 22, 1892, in Vienna, Austria, to Samuel and Josephine Adler. After graduating high school, Walter completed one year at university. The family spoke German and Walter learned English in school. He worked at an Austrian paper export company. On March 12, 1938, Nazi Germany annexed Austria. Walter and his family had their citizenship revoked because they were Jewish. They decided to emigrate to the United States. Walter’s paternal uncle Ludwig, now called Louis, had emigrated to New York in 1905 and sponsored the family’s emigration. Walter traveled to Southampton, England, and sailed on SS Ile De France on June 30, 1938, arriving in New York on July 6. Walter’s sister Alice left from Cannes, France, on the SS Rex, arriving in New York on August 17. She was accompanied by their cousins Egon and Hans, sons of their paternal uncle Adolph. Walter’s parents, Leopold and Margaret, emigrated from Genoa, Italy, on the SS Rex, arriving in New York on October 26. The family settled in New York City. Walter worked as a clerk in the credit department of the San-Nap-Pak Manufacturing Company. His father was a mechanic. In January 1939, Walter’s uncle Adolph and his wife Jolan arrived in New York. In January 1940, Walter’s paternal aunt Gisella Glogauer arrived in New York via Italy and moved in with them. Walter married Gladys Elaine Krausz (1917-1995), who was born in London, England. On December 8, 1941, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States entered World War II. On November 24, 1943, Walter was drafted into the US Army. In December, he became a naturalized American citizen. Walter deployed to Europe with the 243rd Combat Engineer Battalion. As Allied forces closed in near the end of the war, the Germans evacuated many concentration camps and force marched the inmates to the interior of the country. Inmates who were sick or could not keep up were shot and left on the side of the road or sometimes quickly buried. Walter's Army unit discovered shallow graves along a road near Regensburg, Germany. The Army arranged the re-burial of the bodies in a makeshift cemetery at a road crossing near Regensburg. A ceremony was conducted by liberated concentration camp inmates and German officials. Walter, a technician 5th grade, photographed the ceremony. On April 26, 1945, Walter was transferred to the Counterintelligence Corps (CIC) Detachment #208, VIII Corps, as an interpreter. He screened civilian employees for the US military occupation government, interrogated suspects, interviewed informants, and prepared reports. On June 28, Walter was transferred to the War Crimes Investigating Team #6824, Judge Advocate Section, Headquarters, Third United States Army. He was stationed in Regensburg. He took statements from former concentration camp inmates, guards, and commanders. He also questioeed German civilians, some of whom told him about seeing US Air Force personnel who parachuted from disabled planes being killed by German civilians. Walter returned to the US in early 1946 and, on January 23, was discharged from the Army. Walter and Gladys had two children. Gladys’s parents and grandparents perished in the Holocaust. Walter’s father Leopold, 83, died in December 1966. Walter’s mother Margaret, 88, died in August 1981. Walter, 82, passed away on June 29, 1996, in Seal Beach, California.

Archival History

The tefillin bag was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1988 by Walter Fried.

Acquisition

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Walter Fried

Funding Note: The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.

Scope and Content

Blue embroidered tefillin storage pouch found by Walter Fried, an American soldier and Jewish Austrian refugee, near Regensburg, Germany circa April 1945. Walter found the pouch with a tefillin set (1988.118.g-l) on the body of a concentration camp inmate who died on a forced march and was buried in a shallow grave along a road near Regensburg. Tefillin are small boxes containing prayers attached to leather straps and worn on the arm and the head by Orthodox Jewish males during morning prayers. The Army arranged the re-burial of the bodies in a makeshift cemetery at a road crossing near Regensburg. A ceremony was conducted by liberated concentration camp inmates and attended by German officials. Walter, 25, and his family fled Austria for America shortly after the annexation by Germany in March 1938. Walter entered the Army in November 1943 and served with the 243rd Combat Engineer Battalion. In April 1945, he was transferred to the Counterintelligence Corps as a translator. After the war ended on May 7, Walter was transferred to War Crimes Investigating Team, Judge Advocate Section, where he translated and interviewed former concentration camp inmates, guards, and commanders, as well as German citizens.

Conditions Governing Access

No restrictions on access

Conditions Governing Reproduction

No restrictions on use

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Small, nearly square, dark blue velvet bag with a metal zipper closure. On one side is a gold satin stitched Star of David enclosing Hebrew text, within a garland with three flowers. A name is hand printed on the interior, which is lined with offwhite satin cloth, now frayed.

front, center, embroidered, yellow thread : תפלין [tefillin] inside pouch, top, printed, blue ink : FRED / FROUER

Corporate Bodies

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.