us-005578-irn521899-irn522108
type: RecordSet
archival history: The tallit was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2004 by Klara Gorysznik-Meszel, the daughter of Shlomo Schiller.
biographical history: Klara Schiller was born on February 1, 1926, in Warez, Poland (Varyazh, Ukraine), to Henia Kaner, born in 1894 in Uwnow, and Shlomo Schiller, born in 1889 in Warez. She had a twin sister, Pola, and an older sister, Ania, born on May 15, 1921. Shlomo was a water well builder, as was his father. They were an affluent, observant Jewish family and spoke Yiddish at home. Klara and her sisters attended public school, where the majority of the students were Jewish and the teachers were Polish. Ania became engaged in 1939 to Michael Kindler. On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. The Schiller family, including Michael, fled to the east. After reaching the Bug River, Shlomo realized that he had forgotten to bring his tools from home. He returned to Warez, and the Polish military delayed the destruction of the bridge over the river. He reunited with his family, and they traveled to nearby Sokal, on the banks of the Bug River in Soviet occupied Poland. A month later, they reached Kherson in the Ukraine. The city had a large Polish Jewish refugee population as there were many job opportunities. Ania and Michael married in 1940. Shlomo and Michael worked at a metal factory. The family lived together in factory housing. Klara and Pola attended school. Ania and Michael’s daughter, Sara, was born on June 6, 1941. On June 22, 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union. Shortly after, the family was evacuated to Chelyabinsk in the Ural Mountains. Six weeks later, Michael was mobilized into the Soviet Army. Shlomo worked at a factory for a short time, then as a bookkeeper. Klara and Pola worked at an ammunition factory producing Katyusha rocket launchers. Klara had to stand on a wooden box to reach the lathing machine. Six months later, Chelyabinsk expelled refugees as untrustworthy residents, and the family moved to Kopeysk. Food was scarce, and Shlomo lost his eyesight due to starvation. He spent nine months in a hospital in Chelyabinsk. The family brought him bread as a gift. Kl…
physical characteristics and technical requirements: Large, square, thin, loosely woven, white woolen shawl with a pattern of vertical dark blue stripes of varying width repeated on each side. The sides are finished with white lace, now worn from use. There is a rectangular atarah [neck band] of embroidered silver colored metallic thread on the interior top center; the thread has become detached in many places. Tzitzit, white twined and knotted tassels, are inserted at each corner. There is a horizontal seam. The tallit is discolored and has many holes and repairs from a lifetime of use.
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
date: 1902-1964 November 10
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 1
has record set type: Item
identifier: irn522108
is or was included in: us-005578-irn521899
record resource extent: overall: Height: 65.500 inches (166.37 cm) | Width: 65.875 inches (167.323 cm)
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: Blue striped tallit gadol carried by Shlomo Schiller when he and his family fled Warez, Poland, to the Soviet Union after the German invasion on September 1, 1939. He prayed in this tallit, a prayer shawl worn by Jewish men during morning services, every day of his life until his death in 1964. After Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, Shlomo, his wife, Henia, his 20 year old daughter, Ania, and his 15 year old twin daughters, Klara and Pola, were evacuated from Kherson to Chelyabinsk in the Ural Mountains. When Chelyabinsk expelled refugees as untrustworthy residents, the family moved to Kopeysk. Shlomo lost his sight due to starvation, and was hospitalized for nine months. After the war ended, the family repatriated to Poland.
title: Large white wool tallit with blue stripes well-used by a Polish Jewish elder