us-005578-irn560463-irn561796
type: RecordSet
archival history: The prisoner badge was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2017 by Deborah Pogel, the daughter-in-law of Charlotte Pogel.
biographical history: Lotte Zagorska (later Charlotte Pogel, 1920 - 2016) was born in Breslau, Germany (now Wrocław, Poland), to Leopold Leib (b.1891) and Sarah Friedlich Zagorski (b.1895). Leopold was born in Breslau and along with his brother Jakob and their half-brother Wolf Gross, sold wine and spirits. Sarah was born in Jelen, Poland, to Yaakov and Keina Friedlich and had many siblings. Lotte had a half-brother, Samuel (later Shmuel Givon, 1914 - 2000), from her mother’s first marriage. Lotte’s father travelled during the week for work, but would return to their modest apartment for the weekend. They were an observant family, kept kosher, and celebrated Shabbat and high holidays. Lotte had many cousins in Breslau and attended a local German grammar school and a Hebrew school. On January 30, 1933, Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany, and the Nazi regime passed legislation to oppress and disenfranchise the Jewish population. Many at Lotte’s school supported these policies, which led her to transfer to a private Jewish school by March. In the mid 1930’s, Lotte’s brother, Samuel, immigrated to Palestine. Lotte also wanted to leave Germany, and received an affidavit of support from a friend in the United States. She thought it would be safer to wait for her quota number in another country, so she asked an uncle in the Netherlands to sponsor her. He mistakenly filled the paperwork out incorrectly and her visa was rejected. In 1938, Lotte graduated from school. Leopold’s company was “aryanized.” In order to keep working, he had to transfer to a branch in Katowice, Poland. In October, Lotte’s family boarded a train to Katowice and at the border, the authorities removed Lotte and strip searched her. Lotte’s uncle Wolf Friedlich owned a restaurant in Katowice, and her family moved in with his family. Several relatives were also living there, including her uncle Arnold Friedlich, his family, and cousin Halbert (later Yaakov Ben Shalom). Following the November 9 and 10, Kristallnacht pog…
physical characteristics and technical requirements: Three part, cloth identification badge consisting of a central red inverted triangle with a small, thin rectangle attached to the top and bottom. At the top is a felted, yellow rectangle with a thin, brown thread stitched along its edges. There is a discolored, silver colored metal safety pin sewn to the back. Two short lengths of thread extend from the bottom edge, connecting it to the top edge of the felted, red triangle with red thread stitched sides. Sewn to the bottom point is an off-white rectangle with a faded, red ink number stamped on the front. The ends are folded over and stitched to the back. There is a faint stain on the back of the triangle. front, white rectangle, stamped, red ink : 21968
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
date: 1944 March-1945 May 09
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 1
has or had subject: 456
has or had subject: 433
has record set type: Item
identifier: irn561796
is or was included in: us-005578-irn560463
record resource extent: overall: Height: 2.500 inches (6.35 cm) | Width: 2.125 inches (5.398 cm)
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: Removable cloth badge stamped with prisoner number, 21968, worn by Lotte Zagorska (later Charlotte Pogel) while interned in Wolta-Gabersdorf forced labor camp in Libeč, Czechoslovakia, from May 1942 to May 1945. She was issued the number in March 1944, when the camp became a sub-camp of Gross-Rosen Concentration camp. As a worker in a cotton spinning factory, she likely made the badge. Lotte’s family was originally from Breslau, Germany, but had been forced to relocate to Katowice, Poland, in October 1938, following “Aryanization” of the company where her father, Leopold, worked. When Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, Lotte lived with her family in Jaworzno. In October, Lotte secretly returned to Breslau while her friend Ada Oschinsky tried to get her a British work permit. In July 1940, Lotte returned to Jaworzno, and learned that her father had been arrested in Berlin. In 1941, her father was released and returned to serve on a forced labor detail. In May 1942, Lotte was transported to Sosnowitz transit camp and then deported to Wolta-Gabersdorf. Lotte worked on the factory floor before being moved into the office to work with her friends Herta and Ruth Michaelis. On May 9, 1945, 2 days after Germany’s surrender, Wolta-Gabersdorf was liberated by Soviet forces. Lotte worked in England for 6 months before immigrating to the United States. She later learned that her mother had likely been killed at Auschwitz concentration camp in 1942, and that her father had died in Markstädt forced labor camp in 1944.
title: Three part badge with number 21968 worn by a German Jewish forced laborer