us-005578-irn597412-irn619189
identifier: irn619189
has record set type: Item
is or was included in: us-005578-irn597412
physical characteristics and technical requirements: Finely woven, rectangular, white linen tablecloth with repeating floral, heart, and scroll patterning. There are selvedge edges along both long sides, and the short ends have been turned under and machine stitched. In one corner, there are two uppercase, cursive initials satin stitched with white thread. front, corner, embroidered, white thread : MW (Martha Wilde)
archival history: The tablecloth was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2018 by Elizabeth Irene Newhouse, grand-niece of Georg and Martha Wilde.
date: before 1959
type: RecordSet
scope and content: Finely woven, linen tablecloth, embroidered with the initials of Martha Wilde, wife of Rabbi Georg Wilde, who fled Germany in 1939. Rabbi Dr. Georg Wilde attended the Jewish Theological Seminary in Breslau, Germany (now Wroclaw, Poland), and received a doctorate in 1901. He married Breslau-born Martha Spitz, and the couple moved to Magdeburg. In 1906, Georg began serving as rabbi for the largest of Magdeburg’s three congregations, the Synagogen-Gemeinde zu Magdeburg. During World War I, Georg served as a field rabbi and presided over both Jewish and interfaith burials. While in Magdeburg, Georg functioned as an integral leader of the Jewish community, and belonged to a number of Jewish organizations and welfare associations. The morning following Kristallnacht in November 1938, Georg was arrested and learned that his synagogue had been targeted for destruction. Holy texts were burned, valuables looted, and explosives ignited inside. He was soon imprisoned in Buchenwald concentration camp. While on the train to Buchenwald, Georg threw postcards addressed to his wife out the window at multiple stops, one of which made it back to her. After eleven days of harsh treatment, lack of nourishment, and poor sanitary conditions, Georg was released on the condition that he would prepare to emigrate from Germany. During Georg’s imprisonment, Martha contacted the Chief Rabbi in London, who aided their passage to England in March 1939. The couple lived in Middlesex county and Cambridge, and became active in their new Jewish community.
has or had identifier: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn597412-irn619189/alternateIDs/1
results or resulted from: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn597412-irn619189/acquisitions/1
has or had subject: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/vocabularies/ehri-terms/819
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
title: White, monogrammed tablecloth belonging to the family of a German Rabbi
has or had subject: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/vocabularies/ehri-terms/483
record resource extent: overall: Height: 73.750 inches (187.325 cm) | Width: 59.250 inches (150.495 cm)
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had subject: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/vocabularies/ehri-camps/43
biographical history: Rabbi Dr. Georg Wilde (1877-1949) was born to Louis and Therese (nee Bab) Wilde in Meseritz-Stadt, Germany. He had three brothers, Max (1875-?), Alfred (1879-1880), and Albert (1882-1916). In 1897, he began studying at the University of Breslau and attended the Jewish Theological Seminary in Breslau (now Wroclaw, Poland), earning a doctorate in 1901. Georg married Martha Spitz (1888-1959), who was born in Breslau to Baruch (1854-1932) and Elise Spitz (1859-1942). Martha had one sister, Hedwig (later Schüler, 1890-1975). George and Martha moved to Magdeburg, a city west of Berlin with almost 2,000 Jewish residents. On August 1, 1906, Georg began serving as rabbi for the largest of Magdeburg’s three congregations, the Synagogen-Gemeinde zu Magdeburg. During World War I, which spanned from 1914 to 1918, Georg served as a field rabbi and presided over both Jewish and interfaith burials. While in Magdeburg, Georg functioned as an integral part of the Jewish community. He was a member of the Allgemeiner Rabbinerverband Deutschlands (General Rabbi Association of Germany) and the Vereinigung der liberalen Rabbiner Deutschlands (Association of liberal rabbis of Germany). Georg also served as president of the Mendelssohn Loge and as president for the Provinzial-Verband für jüdische Wohlfahrtspflege (Provincial Association for Jewish Welfare), which spearheaded economic initiatives in response to the Nazi restrictions on Jewish economic life. The association also became the major source of welfare assistance to the Jewish community in Magdeburg. In addition to Georg’s activities, Magdeburg also had a Jewish school, several Jewish youth clubs, over 400 Jewish-owned businesses, and many Jewish professionals. While the ties among the Magdeburg’s Jewish community were strong, they were largely assimilated into the larger city culture, and Georg held a deep-seated German-Jewish identity. On January 30, 1933, Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany. The German authorities p…