us-005578-irn61342-irn149054
type: RecordSet
archival history: The candlestick was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2013 by The George Washington University, which received the item as a bequest from the Estate of John P. Eden.
biographical history: Gisela Amalie Marx was born on April 24, 1925, in Dulken, Germany, the nly daighter of a Jewish couple, Leopold and Erna Lifges Marx. Her father Leopold was born on November 28, 1882, in Dulken. Leopold had two sisters: Rosetta (Rosa) and Eva. He was in the German Army in World War I (1914-1918) and was awarded an Iron Cross. Gisela’s mother Erna was born on July 23, 1892, in Suchteln, Germany. Erna’s family was very wealthy and the largest landowners in Westphalia. Leopold and Erna met in Paris, where Leopold was a junior diplomat and Erna was a correspondent. Gisela’s family kept kosher and observed the holidays, but were not very religious. In January 1933, Hitler came to power and, by summer, Germany was ruled by a Nazi dictatorship. Anti-Jewish policies were soon enacted. Leopold and Erna believed they had some protection because of their wealth and Leopold’s status as a veteran and diplomat. Still, they decided to send Gisela to England on a Kindertransport as the persecution worsened. Leopold sent money to a friend in England, who agreed to care for Gisela after she arrived. Gisela traveled from Cologne to Holland by train, then sailed to England, arriving on August 25, 1939. Her father’s friend never arrived to claim her. Gisela and two other abandoned children were sent to live with an Orthodox rabbi. Gisela had a very difficult time adjusting because she was not raised to be observant and did not speak English. A member of the Jewish Refugee Committee had Gisela sent to a boarding school in Lancashire. In 1941, Gisela was called for military service after she turned sixteen. She had to choose between the army, police, or nursing. Gisela chose to study nursing and worked at a children’s hospital in London. The hospital was bombed during the Blitz, the nightly German air raids on London from fall 1940 - May 1941. Gisela was transferred to an American military hospital in Surrey, where she cared for wounded American soldiers. The war ended when Germany surren…
physical characteristics and technical requirements: a. Wristwatch with a rectangular yellow crystal dial in a silver colored metal case, with a grooved winding knob. The face has Arabic numerals outlined in black and black hour and minute hands. In place of the 6 is a subdial for counting seconds, with no second hand. A dark red woven wristband, likely a postwar replacement, is threaded across the back through metal lugs at the top and bottom of the case. It has a gold colored metal buckle and tine, a cloth loop, and a pointed lower end. The band, at least, is postwar. b. Rectangular, red, textured, suede-like cloth pouch with a rounded front flap with red stitching.
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
date: 1939 August
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 1
has or had some members with language: eng
has record set type: Item
identifier: irn149054
is or was included in: us-005578-irn61342
record resource extent: a: Height: 7.375 inches (18.733 cm) | Width: 1.000 inches (2.54 cm) | Depth: 0.375 inches (0.953 cm) b: Height: 3.500 inches (8.89 cm) | Width: 5.125 inches (13.017 cm)
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: Wristwatch with a red band and a red cloth case brought by 14 year old Gisela Marx on a Kindertransport from Dulken, Germany, to Great Britain in August 1939. Gisela’s parents, Erna and Leopold, purchased the watch for Gisela’s journey. The Nazi regime, in power since 1933, persecuted the Jewish population. Leopold, a former diplomat and WWI veteran, and Erna, a member of a wealthy, landowning family, thought their status would protect them, but in 1939, they decided to send Gisela to safety. The friend paid to care for her never showed up, and she was sent to live with an Orthodox rabbi, and then to boarding school. In 1941, Gisela had to perform military service and she became a nurse. She worked in a children’s hospital in London. When it was bombed during the Blitz, she was transferred to an American military hospital in Surrey. The war ended when Germany surrendered on May 7, 1945. Gisela’s parents were deported and killed in the Riga Ghetto in December 1941.
title: Wristwatch with red band and a red pouch taken by a German Jewish girl on a Kindertransport