us-005578-irn510939-irn510998
title: Light pink sleeveless dress worn by a hidden Dutch Jewish infant
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
type: RecordSet
has or had holder: us-005578
has record set type: Item
physical characterisitics and technical requirements: Child’s knee-length, sleeveless, light pink cloth dress with a full skirt. There is light blue cloth trim on the rounded neckline, armholes, and buttonhole waist tabs secured by shiny, pink plastic buttons. The bodice is embroidered with light blue and pink flowers and green leaves. The hem is finished. There is an opening at the back of the collar.
has or had identifier: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn510939-irn510998/alternateIDs/1
identifier: irn510998
has beginning date: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/dates/1942-01-01
history: Vera Reiss was born on March 5, 1942, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, the only child of a Jewish couple, Salomon and Sophie Duim Reiss. Salomon, called Sal, was born on January 24, 1902, in Amsterdam, to Abraham Hartog and Vrouwtje Duyts Reiss. Abraham was born March 2, 1875, in London, to a Dutch family. He was a well-known and prosperous merchant and owned a textile business in the center of Amsterdam. Vrouwtje was born August 17, 1876, in Amsterdam. Sal had four siblings: Hartog, called Harry (b. 1900), Jacob, called Jaap (1905-1944), Lehman (1907-1943), and Elizabeth Jeannette (b. 1909). Vera’s mother Sophie was born on August 7, 1903, in Amsterdam, to Wolf and Keetje Meijer Duim. Wolf was born August 16, 1856, in Amsterdam. Keetje was born March 15, 1858, in Groningen. Sophie had a sister and two brothers: Jansje (1885-1943), Mozes (1896-1944), and Salomon (1898-1943). Their father Wolf died on January 11, 1911. Sal and Sophie were married on December 23, 1936. Sal was a literary editor and devoted much of his time to charitable organizations. Sophie’s mother Keetje died on December 1, 1937. On May 10, 1940, Germany invaded the Netherlands. In 1941, Jews were required to register with the authorities. Large scale deportations to camps in the east began in summer 1942. In July, Vera’s father Sal allowed himself to be arrested, so Sophie and Vera would not be taken. He was sent to Westerbork transit camp. Sophie received a letter from her brother Salomon, who was also imprisoned in Westerbork. Salomon, his wife Rose Velleman (b.1904), and their daughter Kitty Jeanette (b. 1935) had gone into hiding, but they were betrayed and arrested. He wrote that Sophie should resist being arrested because of the terrible conditions, and that he was fearful of what awaited them. Soon after, German soldiers attempted to arrest Sophie, but she convinced them that she could not walk and that Vera was in poor health, so they let her go. Sophie decided to flee before they could be depor…
is or was included in: us-005578-irn510939
scope and content: Embroidered pink holiday dress worn by Vera Reiss while living in hiding in the Netherlands from late 1942 to May 1945. Vera was born in German occupied Amsterdam in March 1942. That summer, the Germans began mass deportations to camps in the east. In July, Vera’s father Salomon allowed himself to be arrested, to spare his wife Sophie and their infant daughter. Sophie and Vera went into hiding with Sophie’s cousin Cato and then were hidden separately. Vera, now 9 months old, was sent to Baarn to live with Hermanus and Huberta Van Pelt, clients of Vera’s paternal grandfather Abraham. Her mother assumed a false identity as a housekeeper. On May 5, 1945, the Netherlands was liberated. Vera was reunited with her mother. Vera’s father was killed in Auschwitz in February 1943. Most of Vera’s large extended family were murdered in the Holocaust.
has end date: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/dates/1945-12-31
results or resulted from: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn510939-irn510998/acquisitions/1
history: The dress was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2002 by Vera Waisvisz-Reiss.