us-005578-irn42328-irn42927
type: RecordSet
physical characterisitics and technical requirements: Circular, white porcelain medallion packaged in a circular, clear plastic case inserted in a rectangular, offwhite cardboard tri-fold presentation folder. The front has a low relief image of 7 men with sunken eyes, bald heads, and bare feet, wearing uniforms and looking to the left. One man has his hand raised, one has a fist to his chest, and one has his hands lifted to his head. There is German text incised around the edge. The reverse has 5 lines of German text in relief at the top, a horizontal center line, and 4 lines of English text at the bottom; below is a crossed swords maker’s mark. The folder has German and English text in black and dark blue ink.
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
date: 2010 April 11
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 1
has or had some members with language: deu
has or had some members with language: eng
has record set type: Item
history: The commemorative medallion was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2010 by Steven Fenves.
history: Steven Joseph Fenves was born on June 6, 1931, in Subotica, Yugoslavia (Serbia), to Lajos and Klari Gereb Fenjves. Lajos was born in October 1889 in Mako, Hungary, to Ignac and Carolyn Friedman. Klari was born in May 1897 in Subotica to Miklos and Maris Gereb. Steven had an older sister, Estera, born on April 16, 1929. Lajos and his older brother, Ferenc, changed their name from Friedman to Fenyves when Ferenc enrolled at the university in Budapest; their name was changed to Fenjves after World War I (1914-1918). Lajos was an officer in the Austro-Hungarian Army during World War I. He was the manager of a printing plant, Minerva, owned by Ferenc and his wife, Elizabeth Baruch Fenjves. After Ferenc’s death in 1935, Lajos took over his role as editor of a Hungarian-language daily newspaper, Naplo. Klari was a graphic artist who had studied in Budapest, Dresden, Florence, Paris, and Vienna. The family had a live-in governess and employed a cook, maid, and chauffeur. They were assimilated and did not keep kosher, but regularly attended the Reform Jewish congregation. Steven attended public school, and went to religious training three times a week. He spoke Serbian in school, Hungarian at home, and German with his governess. On April 6, 1941, German forces invaded Yugoslavia; the country was divided and the northern region which included Subotica came under the control of Hungary. On the first day of the occupation, Lajos was forced from his office at gun point by a Hungarian officer. The plant and newspaper were confiscated; a non-Jewish administrator was appointed to manage the plant. Three Hungarian officers moved into the family’s apartment, and the family was forced to live in only two rooms. To make money, the family sold their valuable possessions, including their silver and gold and Steven’s substantial stamp collection; Klari knitted and sold scarves and shawls. In fall 1941, despite anti-Jewish laws, Steven passed the stringent exam and was one of only eight Je…
identifier: irn42927
is or was included in: us-005578-irn42328
record resource extent: overall: Height: 3.875 inches (9.843 cm) | Width: 6.000 inches (15.24 cm) | Depth: 0.875 inches (2.223 cm) pictorial area: | Depth: 0.250 inches (0.635 cm) | Diameter: 2.000 inches (5.08 cm)
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: Commemorative Meissen white porcelain medallion received by Steven Fenves, who was a 13 year old inmate of Buchenwald concentration camp when it was liberated by US troops on April 11, 1945. The medallion was issued in 2010 for the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora concentration camps. Steven and his family were deported from Yugoslavia after the invasion by Nazi Germany in March 1944. His father, Lajos, was deported in April to Auschwitz; Steven, his mother, Klari, his 15 year old sister, Estera, and his maternal grandmother were deported in June to Auschwitz-Birkenau. His mother and grandmother were gassed upon arrival. Steven was used by the camp kapos as an interpreter. In October, as conditions worsened, the kapos smuggled him onto a transport to Niederorschel where he was a slave laborer in an aircraft factory. On April 1, 1945, inmates went on a death march to Buchenwald. After liberation, Steven returned to Subotica. He was reunited with his sister and his father, who died in February 1946, from the effects of his forced servitude in the Silesian coal mines. Steven and Estera came to the US in 1950, with the assistance of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society.
title: Medallion for the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora concentration camps received by a former child inmate