us-005578-irn35078-irn35859
has record set type: Item
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
type: RecordSet
results or resulted from: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn35078-irn35859/acquisitions/1
physical characteristics and technical requirements: Sheepskin vest/jacket with fur lining and trim; the sleeves have been removed. There are half-circle pockets with fur trim on each side near the bottom of the front opening. A plastic button is on the right side of the front opening; a thread loop is on the left. There are 3 metal clasps on the left inside front opening. On the back are 2 side and shoulder seams with remnants of “x” shaped stitching.
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
identifier: irn35859
has end date: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/dates/1944-12-31
has or had holder: us-005578
record resource extent: overall: Height: 25.750 inches (65.405 cm) | Width: 24.000 inches (60.96 cm)
scope and content: Vest worn by 11 year old Rivka Chwoles while imprisoned in the Vilnius ghetto and while living in hiding after her escape. She removed the sleeves to make it a vest. Her father gave her the coat before the family was relocated to the ghetto with the other Jews in Vilna (Wilno), Poland (Vilnius, Lithuania) by the Lithuanians after the Soviets turned control of the region over to them in October 1939. Rivka and her sister, Sonja, escaped the ghetto around 1941 and survived the rest of the war under assumed identities as Christian Poles. All their family, except for one brother, Rafael, perished.
has or had identifier: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn35078-irn35859/alternateIDs/1
archival history: The sheepskin vest was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2008 by Maria Rivka Chwoles Lichtenfeld.
biographical history: Rivka Chowles was born on February 10, 1928 in Vilna, Poland (now Vilnius, Lithuania) to Chava Leah Bruskin and Moshe Chwoles. She had five siblings: Rafael, b. 1913, Sonja, b. 1918, Helka, b. 1922, Rochhka (Rachel), b. 1925, and Chlowa (Lalka), b. 1930. The Chowles family were orthodox Jews and attended synagogue regularly. Rivka attended a public elementary school and the Technician High School where she studied decoration, composition and painting. Her brother, Rafael, was recognized as an extremely gifted artist at an early age and by 1940, was Director of the Vilna Art School. In the fall of 1939, the Soviet Union occupied this region of Poland as part of the Nazi-Soviet Pact, and in October, transferred control of the region to Lithuania. Persecution of the Jewish population sharply increased. On June 24, 1941, Vilna was occupied by the Germans and their Einsatzgruppen [killing squads] with the enthusiastic support of the Lithuanians murdered thousands of Jews. The Chwoles family and the other Jews of the town were relocated to the newly established Vilna ghetto in September of 1941. Rivka and her sisters served as forced labor in the airfields. Helka managed to escape and worked for local Christians. However, neighbors became suspicious of her because they thought that she was working too hard for someone they knew was not being paid. The neighbors called the authorities and Helka was arrested. Rivka and Sonja escaped the ghetto using a borrowed identification card. Rivka left against the wishes of her father. He was extremely religious and told the family that everything would be fine and that God would save them. But one day, when their father went to pray, their mother told them to flee. After leaving the ghetto with the aid of the ID card, they gave it to a friend to use to escape. While waiting for her to return, they stayed with another Christian friend. Their friend never returned and they had to find another source of food and lodging. For a while, th…
is or was included in: us-005578-irn35078
has or had identifier: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn35078-irn35859/alternateIDs/2
title: Sheepskin vest worn by a Jewish girl living in hiding
has beginning date: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/dates/1939-01-01