Factory-printed Star of David badge printed with Juif, acquired by a Jewish Lithuanian artist

Factory-printed Star of David badge printed with Juif, acquired by a Jewish Lithuanian artist 

Factory-printed Star of David badge printed with Juif, acquired by a Jewish Lithuanian artist 

overall: Height: 4.000 inches (10.16 cm) | Width: 3.375 inches (8.573 cm) 

Factory-printed Star of David badge acquired by the sculptor, Jacques Lipchitz. In June 1942, all Jews in German-occupied France were required to wear a badge that consisted of a yellow Star of David with a black-outline and the word “Jew” printed in French inside the star. The badge was used to stigmatize and control the Jewish population. They were distributed by the government and police authorities, and in France, they cost a textile ration coupon. Jacques was born into a Jewish family in Druskenikin, Russia (now, Druskininkai, Lithuania), and immigrated to Paris, France, in 1909 to pursue a career in sculpture. He became embedded in Paris’ art community, and achieved international success by the time France was invaded by Germany in May 1940. Jacques and his wife, Berthe, fled the city for southern France, ending up in Toulouse. He received a letter from Varian Fry, the director of the American Emergency Rescue Committee, who had been contacted by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Fry sponsored Jacques and Berthe’s immigration to the United States in June 1941. After the war ended, they returned to Paris in June 1946. Jacques reunited with his brother Rubin, who had joined the Maquis (guerilla resistance fighters in France). He also learned that his sisters Fanya and Dina, had suffered but survived the war in Russia; however, his niece, Irene, had died in the Warsaw ghetto. The pain, changes, and sense of loss Jacques felt in post-war Paris led him to return to the United States in December 1946, while Berthe chose to stay in France. Jacques continued to have a successful career in the United States until his death.