Text only program the Jewish Ex-Concentration Camp Orchestra acquired by an American soldier
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 9.000 inches (22.86 cm) | Width: 6.125 inches (15.558 cm)
Creator(s)
- Arnold S. Gladstein (Subject)
Biographical History
Arnold S. Gladstein was born on September 20, 1927, in Connecticut to Jewish parents, Frank and Zelda Gladstein. He had an older sister, Stelle, and a younger brother, Ansel. His father was a Russian immigrant who worked as a salesman, and later as a research assistant for the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Arnold enlisted in the United States Army on September 28, 1945, and was assigned to the Air Corps. He was deployed to the European Theater and was stationed in July 1946 in Furstenfeldbruck, Germany. Arnold married Alyce, and the couple settled in Hyannis, Massachusetts.
Archival History
The program was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2004 by Arnold Gladstein.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Arnold Gladstein
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
Bifold program received by 18 year old Arnold Gladstein, a Jewish American soldier, for a concert by the Jewish Ex-Concentration Camp Orchestra in Furstenfeldbruck, Germany, on July 21, 1946. This orchestra had been formed at the St. Ottilien displaced persons camp near Schwabenhausen, Germany, in 1945 and relocated to Fuerstenfeldbruck in 1946. Also known as the Shearith HaPleitah Orchestra, or the survivor’s orchestra, it was founded by former members of the Kovno ghetto orchestra, and expanded as other musician/refugees, such as Fania and Henia Durmashkin. arrived in the camp. From 1945-1948, the orchestra performed throughout the US and British zones of occupation, hosted by UNRRA (United Nations Refugee Relief Organization) and others.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Rectangular, light brown paper that has been folded in half to create a 4 page program with English and German text printed in black ink. The front cover has a rectangular, black scroll border; within are the place, date, and time of the performance at the top, the orchestra name in large font in the center, and names at the bottom. The first page, inside left, has the program listing in English for 14 musical arrangements. The listing is repeated on the second page, inside right, in German. The back cover has names in the center. On the lower left are numbers and on the lower right is printing information in small font. The typeface varies in size, with a few phrases italicized.
Subjects
- Germany--History--1945-1955.
- World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American.
- Jewish soldiers--United States--Biography.
- Soldiers--United States--Biography.
Genre
- Object
- Information Forms