us-005578-irn518555-irn36843
identifier: irn36843
is or was included in: us-005578-irn518555
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
scope and content: Pin given to Margarete Grünbaum (later Margaret Gruenbaum) in Theresienstadt ghetto-labor camp by a fellow inmate who worked with her in the camp’s Arts Department between November 1942 and May 1945. Before Czechoslovakia was occupied by Germany in 1939, Margarete lived in Prague with her husband, Karel, and their children, Marietta and Michael. In October 1941, Karel was arrested by the Gestapo and detained in Pankrác prison in Prague. On December 3, Karel was sent to Theresienstadt ghetto-labor camp, where he was killed on the 18th in the Small Fortress. On November 20, 1942, Margarete, Michael, and Marietta were sent to the ghetto-labor camp aboard transport Cc. Margarete was sent to work in the art studio where she made artificial flowers, teddy bears, and stage sets for theater productions. When the family received orders for deportation to Auschwitz killing center in German-occupied Poland in the fall of 1944, Margarete’s job in the workshop saved her family. She asked her boss, the Dutch artist, Josef Spier, to help her convince the German camp guard in charge of the department that her work, creating teddy bears and others toys for Germans for the Christmas season, was important enough to keep her and her children in Terezín. The guard wanted toys for his family, so he removed them from the transport list and they remained at Theresienstadt. They were liberated from the camp on May 8, 1945, by the Soviet Army.
has record set type: Item
results or resulted from: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn518555-irn36843/acquisitions/1
has or had identifier: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn518555-irn36843/alternateIDs/1
title: Horse-shaped metal pin made by a Jewish prisoner in Theresienstadt ghetto-labor camp
record resource extent: overall: Height: 1.500 inches (3.81 cm) | Width: 2.500 inches (6.35 cm) | Depth: 0.125 inches (0.318 cm)
type: RecordSet
biographical history: Margarete Popper (1899-1974) was born in Leitmeritz, Austria-Hungary (now Litomerice, Czech Republic). In 1925, she married Karel Grünbaum (1897-1941), who was born in Ceska Kamenice, to Eduard and Elizabeth Zucker Grünbaum. They had two children, Marietta (1926-2008) and Michael (b.1930). The family lived a very comfortable life in Prague. Karel, like his father and brother, was a prosperous attorney. He was one of the most prominent lawyers at the firm of Petschek & Co. He was also active in several Jewish communal organizations, and regularly took Michael to the synagogue with him. In the fall of 1938, the Munich Pact was signed, allowing Germany to annex the Czech Sudetenland border region. On March 15, 1939, Germany violated the pact by seizing the remaining Czechoslovakian regions of Bohemia and Moravia. Karel was in England on business at the time, but he soon returned home. Not long after, he lost his position at the firm, and the family’s property was confiscated because they were Jewish. The family was forced to wear yellow Star of David patches and leave their apartment. Margarete and Karel moved to a smaller apartment, while the children moved in with relatives. Later, they were all forced to move to the ghetto in Prague, and Michael was expelled from school. In September 1941, Reinhard Heydrich became Reich Protector of occupied Bohemia and Moravia. The persecution of Jews increased, and deportation plans were formed by German authorities. In October 1941, Karel was arrested by the Gestapo and detained in Pankrác prison in Prague. On December 3, Karel, was sent to Theresienstadt ghetto-labor camp, which had opened about 60 miles north of Prague on November 24. Karel was transferred to the Small Fortress at Theresienstadt bearing the designation Return Undesirable (RU). He was murdered there on December 18, 1941. After learning of Karel’s death, Margarete began to entrust the family’s few remaining valuables to non-Jewish friends throughout the city, wit…
archival history: The pin was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2006 by Michael Gruenbaum, the son of Margaret Gruenbaum.
date: 1942 November 20-1945
has or had identifier: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn518555-irn36843/alternateIDs/2
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
physical characteristics and technical requirements: Thin, bronze-colored metal brooch cut out in the shape of a leaping horse in profile. The horse has elongated, thin, triangular ears; a narrow head and nose; and a graceful, curved neck with a stylized, button-braided mane. The horse’s body is short, and compact, and the legs extend out to the front and back in an almost horizontal line, with only two of the four visible. A long, flowing tail extends from the curved rump above the hind leg. The ears, face, tail, and hooves have engraved details. A hinge pin with a C-shaped hook is soldered horizontally across the back. The surface is discolored overall, and the pin is slightly twisted along portions of the neck and body.
has or had holder: us-005578