us-005578-irn510939-irn511000
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
record resource extent: overall: Height: 14.500 inches (36.83 cm) | Width: 14.125 inches (35.878 cm)
type: RecordSet
results or resulted from: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn510939-irn511000/acquisitions/1
title: Purple striped cloth bag saved with hidden Dutch Jewish infant
has or had identifier: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn510939-irn511000/alternateIDs/1
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…
has or had holder: us-005578
physical characterisitics and technical requirements: Square, light purple, faintly striped, satin pouch made from a single piece of cloth with a top flap with angled sides and a button loop closure. The edges are trimmed with twisted, light purple cord. The interior is lined with textured, brown cloth.
date: before 1942
is or was included in: us-005578-irn510939
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
has record set type: Item
history: The bag was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2002 by Vera Waisvisz-Reiss
identifier: irn511000
scope and content: Light purple striped tallit storage pouch used by Abraham Hartog Reiss in Amsterdam. The tallit bag and his other religious articles were hidden with his infant granddaughter Vera Reiss. Vera was born in March 1942 in German occupied Amsterdam. That summer, the Germans began mass deportations. In July, Vera’s father Salomon allowed himself to be arrested, to spare his wife Sophie and Vera from deportation. Sophie and Vera went into hiding with Sophie’s cousin Cato and then were hidden separately. Vera was taken in by Hermanus and Huberta Van Pelt in Baarn, clients of Abraham's textile business. Sophie assumed a false identity as a housekeeper. On May 5, 1945, the Netherlands was liberated and Vera was reunited with her mother. Abraham and his wife Vrouwtje were killed in Auschwitz on December 7, 1942. Vera’s father was killed in Auschwitz in February 1943. Most of Vera’s large extended family was murdered in the Holocaust.