Pin embroidered with a Star of David given to an inmate at Bergen Belsen for her birthday

Identifier
irn514941
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 1988.126.27
Dates
1 Jan 1940 - 31 Dec 1945
Level of Description
Item
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

overall: Height: 2.125 inches (5.398 cm)

Creator(s)

Biographical History

Ruth Klemens (1927-2011) was born in Berlin to Alfred Wiener (b. 1885) and Margarethe Wiener (nee Saulmann, 1895-1945). They moved to Amsterdam in 1934 with her grandmother, Amalia Wiener. Around 1938 Alfred moved to London, and he relocated to the United States before Pearl Harbor. Ruth was deported to Westerbork with her mother and sisters, Eva and Mirjam, in June 1943. They were transferred to Bergen-Belsen in January 1944. They left in January 1945 for Switzerland as part of a prisoner exchange based on Paraguayan passports her father had purchased for them. Her mother died upon arrival in Switzerland, and Ruth and her sisters were transferred to Marseilles, where they were put on a boat to the United States in February 1945.

Archival History

The pin was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1988 by Ruth Wiener Klemens.

Acquisition

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Ruth Klemens

Scope and Content

The pin was made by a friend and given to Ruth Wiener as a birthday gift at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany.

Conditions Governing Access

No restrictions on access

Conditions Governing Reproduction

No restrictions on use

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

The pin is made of black and white thread wound around a cardboard disk. A Star of David is embroidered in black thread on a white background in the center of the pin. A safety pin is attached to the back of the cardboard base.

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.