Soap used by a Polish Jewish concentration camp inmate

Identifier
irn514493
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 1990.51.4
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • German
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

overall: Height: 0.500 inches (1.27 cm) | Width: 2.250 inches (5.715 cm) | Depth: 1.500 inches (3.81 cm)

Creator(s)

Biographical History

Monius (later Martin) Spett was born on December 2, 1928, in Tarnow, Poland. In September 1939, the city was occupied by Nazi Germany. In 1940, the German authorities removed Monius and his family from their apartment. During the first massacre of Jews, Monius hid in an attic. The family was able to hide during two more roundups. In May 1943, the family was registered, allegedly to be exchanged for German prisoners of war, because Monius' mother, Sala, was born in the United States. They were taken by train to Krakow and then to Bergen Belsen concentration camp in Germany. They were to be transported to Theresienstadt ghetto labor camp in German occupied Czechoslovakia, but the Allied troops' advance stopped the transport. Monius was liberated by American troops on April 13, 1945. After the war, he spent some time in Belgium and then immigrated to the United States in 1947.

Archival History

The soap was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1990 by Martin Spett.

Acquisition

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Martin Spett and family In memory of Arthur and Sala Spett

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

Soap used by Monek Spett. Monek lived in Tarnow, Poland, with his parents and younger sister Roslyn. His mother was an American citizen raised in Poland. His father worked at the city's tax office. After the German occupation began in September 1939, the family lived in the ghetto and in hiding. In 1943, they were deported to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. They were liberated whil on an evacuation train by American troops on April 13, 1945. The Spett family emigrated to the United States in 1947.

Conditions Governing Access

No restrictions on access

Conditions Governing Reproduction

No restrictions on use

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Rectangular bar of offwhite soap stamped "RIF 0073" with two lines impressed vertically on either side of the marking.

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.