us-005578-irn593678-irn610417
has or had identifier: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn593678-irn610417/alternateIDs/1
identifier: irn610417
has or had some members with language: deu
results or resulted from: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn593678-irn610417/acquisitions/1
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
archival history: The badge was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2018 by Lucie Steinhagen.
type: RecordSet
is or was included in: us-005578-irn593678
date: approximately 1941-approximately 1942
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
title: Star of David yellow cloth badge printed with Jude, worn by an Austrian Jewish woman
has or had holder: us-005578
biographical history: Lucie Steinhagen (nee Fried) was born in 1921 in Vienna, Austria. The daughter of Moritz Fried (c. 1880-1930) and Fanny Weiss (c. 1883-1961, born in Poland), she was the youngest of four children: She had a sister, Hedy (later Ringel, 1911-2007), a brother, Arthur (1918-1992), and another brother who died in Vienna at the age of four. Due to the age gap, Lucie was not very close with Hedy, but was close with her brother and cousins who were around the same age. While Fanny came from a religious home, Moritz did not; as a result they were moderate in their religious practices, going to synagogue on holidays. Moritz owned a retail store in Vienna. They lived a comfortable middle-class life until Moritz died in 1930 when Lucie was about 9 years old. Fanny continued to run the store after his death, but life became increasingly difficult for the family. Prior to the war, Lucie had an active social life, and went to school with Jewish and non-Jewish children alike. Due to Fanny’s strong religious background, she instilled in Lucie a sense of pride in being Jewish. On March 13, 1938, Austria was annexed into Germany, in what became known as the"Anschluss" The Germans quickly introduced anti-Jewish legislation and confiscated Jewish-owned businesses and property. Prior to that time, Lucie had no awareness or understanding of the events happening outside of Vienna, but shortly before turning seventeen, she had to leave her public school and never completed her education. Shortly thereafter, someone walked into the Frieds’ store, asked Fanny for the keys and told her to walk out. The family lost their means of support, requiring Fanny to move in with her mother and Lucie to move in with her aunt and three cousins nearby. After Kristallnacht in November 1938, 6,000 Jewish men in Vienna were arrested (including Lucie’s brother, uncles, and cousin) and sent to the Dachau concentration camp. Most of the men in the Dachau concentration camp were released if they could provide pro…
scope and content: Yellow factory-printed Star of David badge worn by Lucie Fried (later Steinhagen) while living in Vienna, Austria. After the German annexation of Austria in 1938, anti-Jewish legislation was quickly introduced and Jewish-owned businesses and property were confiscated. Lucie had to leave her public school, her mother lost the family retail store, and her brother was imprisoned in Dachau concentration camp for three weeks before immigrating to the United States. A quota on Polish immigrants prevented Lucie's Polish born mother, Fanny, from obtaining a visa for the United States. Lucie stayed with Fanny in Vienna and began volunteering at a Jewish-run community garden. On September 1, 1941, all Jews in the Reich six years of age or older were required to wear a badge which consisted of a yellow, black-outlined Star of David with the word “Jew” printed inside the star in German or in the local language. The badge was used to stigmatize and control the Jewish population. Lucie wore this badge everywhere she went, until she, her mother, and her grandmother were deported to the Theresienstadt ghetto-camp in German-occupied Czechoslovakia in August 1942. Her grandmother died after five months, but Lucie and Fanny lived in Theresienstadt for three years until the Soviet Army liberated the camp on May 9, 1945. They eventually re-located to the Deggendorf displaced persons camp before immigrating to New York in 1946.
physical characteristics and technical requirements: A dark yellow cloth badge in the shape of a 6-pointed Star of David stitched to a striped backing fabric. The star outline is formed from 2 overlapping, dyed triangles and has German text in a font resembling Hebrew in the center. A small loop of black thread extends from the top point while a tuft of frayed black thread extends from the bottom point. The backing fabric is light gray with thin pinstripes in red, navy/black, and light blue/gray. In the center of the back is an approximately 1” vertical slit that has been closed with overcast stitching in gray thread. The edges of both sides are folded over, hiding the seams. A thick crease extends horizontally across the middle of the badge, creaking a pucker in the backing fabric. There are areas of discoloration and a few small stains on the surface.
record resource extent: overall: Height: 3.375 inches (8.573 cm) | Width: 2.750 inches (6.985 cm) | Depth: 0.125 inches (0.318 cm)
has record set type: Item