us-005578-irn562656-irn562730
results or resulted from: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn562656-irn562730/acquisitions/1
physical characteristics and technical requirements: Rectangular poster stamp on cream paper with a black printed image. The bottom edge is unperforated. The image in the center features a screaming soldier wearing a combat helmet, and holding a submachine gun above his head with his right arm. His left arm is cradling a dying, elderly Jewish man with a manacle and chain around his wrist, and holding onto an elaborate Torah scroll. In front of the pair, at the bottom of the image, are four additional figures: a man with outstretched hands and wearing manacles, a woman with a scarf over her hair holding her dead child, and a sad-looking, elderly woman. To the left of the image, in the center, is the artist’s signature and date. At the lower left corner of the image is a small, oval logo. The slogan is printed in black across the top and the distributing organization and their address is printed across the bottom. The back of the stamp is missing adhesive.
has record set type: Item
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
date: 1944 February-1945 June 27, 1942 December
type: RecordSet
has or had identifier: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn562656-irn562730/alternateIDs/1
is or was included in: us-005578-irn562656
title: US poster stamp encouraging people to donate to a humanitarian organization
biographical history: The Emergency Committee to Save the Jewish People of Europe was founded in 1943, by Peter Bergson and other young Jewish activists. The Committee formed in reaction to the first verified information of the Holocaust that reached the United States. On July 20, 1943, the group held the Emergency Conference in New York City, bringing together 1,500 delegates. The Committee was replaced by the American League for a Free Palestine in 1945. Arthur Szyk (1894-1951) was born to Jewish parents, Solomon and Eugenia Szyk in Łódź, Poland, which at the time was part of the Russian Empire. He had his first public art exhibition at age 15, and then went to Paris, France, for formal art training at the Academie Julian. He visited Palestine in 1914 with a group of Polish-Jewish artists and studied Muslim art. Upon his return, he was conscripted into the Russian Army and served in World War I. He married Julia Liekerman in 1916, and they had a son, George, in 1917. In 1918, Poland regained independence, but continued to fight a series of regional wars to secure its boundaries. Between 1919 and 1920, during Poland's war against the Soviet Bolsheviks, Syzk served as a cavalry officer and artistic director of the Department of Propaganda for the Polish Army in Łódź. In 1921, he and his family moved to Paris where his daughter, Alexandra was born the following year. Szyk was well known for his illuminations and book illustrations, in a style reminiscent of Persian miniatures. He worked on several significant projects in France, including illustrating the Statute of Kalisz, the Haggadah, and a series of watercolors on the American Revolutionary War. The themes of his most admired works, democracy and Judaism, were already well established, earning him both fame and significant commissions. In 1934, Szyk traveled to the United States for exhibitions of his work and to receive the George Washington Bicentennial Medal, awarded by the US Congress. He resided in England from 1937-1940 to super…
scope and content: Poster stamp issued and distributed in 1944 by the Emergency Committee to Save the Jewish People of Europe. The design is copied from a piece entitled “Tears of Rage,” created in 1943 by Jewish artist, Arthur Szyk, to develop public interest in the Committee’s humanitarian efforts. The image depicts a Jewish soldier angered at the murder and suffering of Jews by the Nazis. Szyk was himself an immigrant born in Łódź, Poland, and lost his mother in the Holocaust. The mission of the Committee was a personal cause for Szyk, and he became one of the founding members. Although they were not valid for postage, poster stamps could be affixed to letters and envelopes as fund-raising, propaganda, and educational tools. The Emergency Committee to Save the Jewish People of Europe was founded in 1943 by Peter H. Bergson (pseudonym for Hillel Kook) and other young Jewish activists. The Committee formed in reaction to the first verified information of the Holocaust that reached the United States. On July 20, 1943, the group held the Emergency Conference in New York City, bringing together 1,500 delegates. The Committee was replaced by the American League for a Free Palestine in 1945.
record resource extent: overall: Height: 2.000 inches (5.08 cm) | Width: 1.625 inches (4.128 cm)
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
archival history: The stamp was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2017 by Gregg Philipson.
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had some members with language: eng
identifier: irn562730