us-005578-irn49839-irn11663
type: RecordSet
physical characterisitics and technical requirements: Cylindrical, silver-colored metal mug coated in shiny, brown enamel. The mug has straight sides, a flat base with rounded edges, and a rolled rim. Just below the rim on one side, a simple loop handle with rounded edges and a diagonal lower half is soldered in place. The interior and exterior base are scratched and worn from use. The enamel is badly chipped throughout, especially along the rim, the lower sides, and the base. Where the enamel is only partially chipped, there are remnants of dull paint. Where the paint is fully chipped away and the exposed metal is corroded and discolored.
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
date: after 1943 January-before 1945 February
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 1
has or had subject: 403
has or had subject: 0
has or had subject: 2
has or had subject: 341
has or had subject: 803
has or had subject: 3
has record set type: Item
history: Erich Sakofski (later Harvey Shreibman, 1925-2007) was born in Pruzana, Poland (now Pruz︠h︡any, Belarus) to Nachum Dawid (1895-1943) and Rachel Ross (1897-1943) Sakofski. He had one older brother, Avrum. Nachum ran a leather business selling raw materials to shoemakers. Nachum was very devout, and attended services at the synagogue three times a day. While at services, Rachel would mind the store, and sometimes Erich would help. Avrum had completed his studies at the local Gymnasium, or public secondary school, while Erich attended school at the local Yeshiva, an Orthodox Jewish secondary school. On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded western Poland, and in mid-September, the Soviet Union occupied eastern Poland in accordance with the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. Pruzana fell under Soviet control, and all private businesses were banned. This forced all of the Jewish merchants and shopkeepers, as well as cultural and religious institutions, to close. Soviet authorities seized and nationalized Nachum’s store, and marked his passport to indicate that he was a businessman, which severely lowered his social status. There were very few jobs for Jewish people, and Nachum would have received the worst possible position that required him to work on the Sabbath, a sacred practice he was not willing to break. This decision left him with no income, and had a large impact on the family. Several times that fall, members of the Soviet security forces invaded the Sakofski family’s home in order to call Nachum a parasite for depending on others for his livelihood. Erich’s school was shut down after the invasion, and he was required to attend the Soviet public school and sit through many lectures centered on Soviet indoctrination. The Soviet authorities established a teacher-training course, which Avrum successfully completed and quickly found a post in a neighboring town that helped support his family. In 1940, security forces dug up the family’s yard on the pretense of looking for a cac…
history: The mug was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1996 by Harvey Shreibman.
identifier: irn11663
is or was included in: us-005578-irn49839
record resource extent: overall: Height: 3.750 inches (9.525 cm) | Width: 4.750 inches (12.065 cm) | Depth: 3.750 inches (9.525 cm)
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: Enamel-covered mug issued to Erich Sakofski (later Harvey Shreibman) while he was imprisoned at all three Auschwitz concentration camps between January 1943 and January 1945. Erich was living in Pruzana, Poland (now Pruz︠h︡any, Belarus), with his parents, Nachum and Rachel, and his older brother, Avrum, when Poland was invaded by Germany and the Soviet Union in September 1939. Pruzana came under Soviet control with authorities shuttering all Jewish institutions and quickly closing or nationalizing all businesses, including Nachum’s. On June 22, 1941, Germany invaded Soviet-occupied Poland, and by September, all Jews in Pruzana were living within a closed ghetto. In late January 1943, the Jews of Pruzana were deported for collaborating with partisans. Avrum hid during the deportation, hoping to join the resistance afterwards, but likely perished. Erich and his parents were transported to Auschwitz-Birkenau killing center. Erich was selected for work details, while his parents were likely sent to the gas chambers. After six weeks in quarantine, Erich was transferred to the main Auschwitz camp and moved to Auschwitz-Monowitz (Buna) in March 1944. In January 1945, as Soviet forces advanced on the region, all Auschwitz camps were evacuated. Erich was deported to three concentration camps in Germany: Sachsenhausen, Flossenbürg, and Platting before being liberated by US forces during a forced march on May 2, 1945. Following the war, Erich lived at Weilheim and Prien am Chiemsee displaced persons (DP) camps in Germany. On December 14, 1947, Erich sailed to the United States aboard the SS Marine Tiger.
title: Brown enamel mug used by a Polish Jewish concentration camp prisoner