Faux alligator suitcase issued to inmates released in Bergen-Belsen prisoner exchange

Faux alligator suitcase issued to inmates released in Bergen-Belsen prisoner exchange 

Faux alligator suitcase issued to inmates released in Bergen-Belsen prisoner exchange 

overall: Height: 12.125 inches (30.798 cm) | Width: 18.000 inches (45.72 cm) | Depth: 4.880 inches (12.395 cm) 

Suitcase given to 20-year-old Toni Klar and her parents for their departure from Bergen-Belsen concentration camp to Palestine in July 1944 as part of an exchange of camp inmates for German prisoners-of-war in British custody. The suitcase was originally owned by Pauline Eisenhardt, who had perished in Theresienstadt. Toni and her parents were refugees from Germany who were deported from Amsterdam to Bergen-Belsen in January 1944. While in Amsterdam, they had obtained certificates for Palestine and received a Putkammer letter ensuring their safety. The inmates selected for the prisoner exchange were those who could prove they had permission to enter Palestine, a British protectorate. One morning, they were told to assemble in the camp, given one suitcase, and marched through the woods to the train that would take them to Turkey, the first stage of their journey to Palestine