Theresienstadt ghetto-labor camp scrip, 20 kronen note, acquired by a Jewish Lithuanian survivor
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 2.625 inches (6.668 cm) | Width: 5.250 inches (13.335 cm)
Creator(s)
- David Klipp (Subject)
Biographical History
David Klipp was born on July 9, 1905, in Skudy (Skuodas), Lithuania. On January 17, 1940, David was forced out of his apartment and was brought to the ghetto in Łódź, Poland. In spring 1944, the Germans decided to destroy the Ghetto. On August 28, 1944, he was transported to Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. He was on the same transport as Chaim Rumkowski and Leon Rosenblat. He was then selected for forced labor and sent to Continental-Gummi-Werke, AG factory, a subcamp of Neuengamme. He worked on the upper floors where rubber was cooked. On November 30, 1944, David was sent to Ahlem, also a subcamp of Neuengamme, to work in an old asphalt mine. Ahlem was being evacuated on April 6, 1945, when the prisoners were liberated by British and American soldiers. David relocated to Hannover, Germany on December. 11, 1945. While there, he met his future wife Estelle. She had been deported from Łódź and survived Auschwitz, Sasel, and Bergen Belsen concentration camps. David emigrated to the United States in 1950.
Archival History
The Theresienstadt scrip was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1989 by David Klipp.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of David Klipp
Scope and Content
Scrip, valued at 20 kronen, issued in the Theresienstadt (Terezin) ghetto-labor camp and acquired by David Klipp. All currency was confiscated from deportees upon entry and replaced with scrip and ration coupons that could be exchanged only in the camp, located in German occupied Czechoslovakia. David was deported on Janaury 17, 1940, to Łódź Ghetto in Poland from Lithuania. On August 28, 1944, he was transported to Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. He was on the same transport as Chaim Rumkowski, the head of the Jewish Council. David was then selected for forced labor and sent to Continental-Gummi-Werke, AG factory, a subcamp of Neuengamme. He worked on the upper floors where rubber was cooked. On November 30, he was sent to Ahlem, another Neuengamme subcamp, to work in an old mine. Ahlem was being evacuated on April 6, 1945, when the prisoners were liberated by British and American soldiers. David relocated to Hannover, Germany on December. 11, 1945. He emigrated to the United States in 1950.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Scrip designed by Peter Kien and printed by the National Bank of Prague on offwhite paper. The face has a graphic design in black and green ink on a green patterned background. On the left is a medallion with an image of a bearded Moses holding 2 stone tablets with the 10 Commandments in Hebrew characters, with the denomination 20 and German text on the right. On the right is a wide offwhite border with the denomination 20 below a 6-pointed Star of David in the lower corner. The reverse has a green geometric background with German text and a scrollwork line. Below the text is an engraved signature. The denomination 20 is in the upper right corner. The left side has a wide offwhite border with the denomination 20 in the lower corner with a 6-pointed Star of David within a horizontally striped circle above. The serial number in red ink is in the upper left corner. The series letter in red ink is in the right center below the scrollwork.
Subjects
- Concentration camp inmates--Biography.
- Slave labor--Germany--Biography.
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Lithuania--Personal narratives.
- Concentration camps--Economic aspects.
- World War, 1939-1945--Conscript labor--Germany--Personal narratives.
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Poland--Łódź--Personal narratives, Lithuanian.
Genre
- Exchange Media
- Object