us-005578-irn594405
type: RecordSet
archival history: The ladder was acquired by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2017.
biographical history: Michael “Miki” Goldmann (later Goldmann-Gilead, born 1925) was born in Katowice, Poland, to Naftali (1892-1942) and Esther Erna Goldreich Goldmann (1895-1942). He had a sister, Golda (1928-1942), and a brother, Jacob (1919-2009), named for their maternal grandfather, an Austrian soldier killed in World War I. Michael’s father, Naftali, worked in the family business as a local dairy supplier. Michael’s family lived comfortably and spoke German at home. He learned Polish and Hebrew at the local Jewish public school. The Jewish population in Katowice was small, and there was a lot of anti-Semitism in the region. In the summer of 1939, Michael’s family feared that a German invasion was imminent and would be supported by many in Katowice. At the end of August, the family went to stay with his paternal grandfather in Bircza. In September, Germany and the Soviet Union invaded Poland, and Bircza fell under Soviet rule. Michael’s grandfather lost his business. In the summer of 1940, Michael’s family went to stay with maternal relatives in Niżankowice (now Nyzhankovychi, Ukraine). In June, 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union and occupied eastern Poland. Michael, his parents, and his sister, returned to Bircza, and his brother Jacob was conscripted into the Soviet Army. In July, Michael was transported to Przemysl forced labor camp and assigned to the Jewish construction service. In mid-July 1942, the camp and surrounding area became a closed ghetto. Jews from neighboring towns, including Michael’s parents, sister, and grandfather, were brought to the ghetto. On July 26, Michael saw his family in town briefly. The following day, they were taken east by train. Michael had heard rumors they were transported to a killing center. The ghetto was run by Commandant Josef Schwammberger, an SS officer that would randomly shoot or whip prisoners. Michael worked in a metal shop and served as part of a transport commando, which collected possessions left by deported Jews. In August 194…
physical characteristics and technical requirements: Gray painted, approximately 11 foot high, single barn ladder with 9 tubular, evenly spaced metal rungs fixed between 2 slightly warped wooden rails with flat inner edges and curved exteriors. The rungs are ¾ of an inch in diameter and 16 ¾ inches long with open ends and corrosion lining the interiors. Each rung fits snugly through its hole in each rail and extends beyond the curved outer edge of the rail. The ends of each rail are tapered and rounded, with the rails spaced slightly wider at the base and narrower at the top. The gray paint is faded, flaked, and worn on the rungs and rails. There are traces of red and white paint on the ends of the rails, an assortment of metal nails hammered into both sides, and traces of dirt on the ladder’s bottom.
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
date: 1945 January 20-1945 January 26
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 1
has or had subject: 2
has or had subject: 1902
has or had subject: 3
has or had subject: 0
has or had subject: 836
has or had subject: 000364
has record set type: Item
identifier: irn594405
record resource extent: overall: Height: 131.250 inches (333.375 cm) | Width: 16.750 inches (42.545 cm) | Depth: 5.250 inches (13.335 cm)
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: Ladder used by Michael Goldmann (later Goldmann-Gilead), Chanan Ansbacher, and Eli Heilman to hide in Konrad and Regina Zimoń’s hayloft in January 1945, in Rybnik, Poland. The men had escaped from a forced march after Auschwitz concentration camp was evacuated. They hid for a week, during which time the Zimoń’s oldest daughter, Stefania, regularly brought them food. In summer 1939, fearing a German invasion, Michael’s family left Katowice, Poland, and went to stay with relatives in Bircza. In September 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union invaded Poland, and Bircza fell under Soviet control. In June 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union. Michael’s brother Jacob was conscripted into the Soviet Army and Michael was transported to Przemysl forced labor camp. On July 27, 1942, Michael’s family was transported to Belzec killing center. In August 1943, Michael carried out an act of resistance and was whipped 81 times by camp commandant Josef Schwammberger. Later that year Michael was transported to Szebnie forced labor camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, and Aushwitz III, Buna-Monowitz. In January 1945, Michael, Chanan, and Eli escaped and were hidden by the Zimoń family, who were named Righteous Among the Nations in 1995. After liberation, Michael joined the Soviet Army. In 1946, Michael illegally tried to immigrate to Palestine and was detained in an internment camp on Cyprus for 18 months. Upon his release in 1948, he settled near Tel Aviv, Israel, where he later served as a special police investigator in the Adolf Eichmann trial in the early 1960s. In 1992, he was a witness against former commandant Josef Schwammberger at his trial.
title: Gray wood and metal ladder used while in hiding by a Polish Jewish concentration camp inmate