Watercolor depicting the exterior of a wooden synagogue.
Watercolor of a 17th century wooden synagogue painted by Alfred Bergel in 1944 while he was a prisoner in Theresienstadt concentration camp. The Wooden Synagogue of Zabludow, Poland, was built in the 1630's. German troops invaded Zabludow on June 25, 1941, and burned the town center, including the synagogue. Bergel, a physician and artist, and his wife were deported from Vienna, Austria, to Theresienstadt on October 9, 1942. Alfred worked for the German in the artist's workshop at the camp. In his free time, he created portraits of fellow prisoners and of daily life in the camp. On October 12, 1944, he and his wife were transported to Auschwitz-Birkenau and murdered.
The watercolor was acquired by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2015.
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Alfred Bergel was born in Olmütz, Czechoslovakia (Olomouc, Czech Republic), on January 4, 1902. He earned a medical degree in the 1920s. He was a talented artist and taught at the primary school in the Jewish community of Vienna, Austria. In March 1938, Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany. Anti-Jewish legislation was enacted and the civil rights of Jews were dissolved. On October 9, 1942, Alfred and his wife were deported by the Germans to Theresienstadt concentration camp in German occupied Czechoslovakia. Alfred was housed in the male artist house, where he worked for the Germans. When he was not doing official work, he created portraits of fellow prisoners and of daily life in the camp. On October 12, 1944, he and his wife were transported to Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp, where they were murdered.
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17th century Wooden Synagogue in Zabludow, Theresienstadt, 1944 Watercolor of a 17th century synagogue created by an inmate at Theresienstadt
overall: Height: 13.000 inches (33.02 cm) | Width: 15.750 inches (40.005 cm)