us-005578-irn627352-irn652772
type: RecordSet
archival history: The scrip was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2018 by Carl Emont, the son of Marietta Gruenbaum.
biographical history: Marietta Grünbaum (1926-2008) was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia (Czech Republic), to Karel (1897-1941) and Margarete (1899-1974) Popper Grünbaum. She had a younger brother, Michael (b. 1930). The family lived a very comfortable life in Prague. Marietta’s father, as well as her paternal grandfather and uncle, were prosperous attorneys. Her father, Karel, was one of the most prominent lawyers at the firm of Petschek & Co. He was also active in several Jewish communal organizations. In the fall of 1938, the Munich Pact was signed, allowing Germany to annex the Czech Sudetenland border region. On March 15, 1939, Germany violated the pact by seizing the remaining Czechoslovakian regions of Bohemia and Moravia, including Prague. Karel was in England on business at the time, but he soon returned home. Not long after, he lost his position at the firm, and the family’s property was confiscated. They were forced to wear yellow Star of David patches and leave their apartment. Margarete and Karel moved to a smaller apartment, while the children moved in with different relatives. Later, they were all forced to move to the ghetto in Prague. Marietta was expelled from her German high school, but was allowed to attend a Czech school for a short time. She eventually began working in a kitchen for Jewish children. Karel and Margarete made plans to immigrate to England, and had even enrolled Marietta and Michael in private schools, but they were not able to leave the country before the borders closed. In September 1941, Reinhard Heydrich became Reich Protector of occupied Bohemia and Moravia. The persecution of Jews increased, and deportation plans were formed by German authorities. In October 1941, Marietta’s father, Karel, was arrested by the Gestapo and detained in Pankrác prison in Prague. On December 3, he was sent to Theresienstadt ghetto-labor camp, which had opened about 60 miles north of Prague on November 24. Karel was transferred to the Small Fortress at Theresienstadt; he…
physical characteristics and technical requirements: Theresienstadt scrip printed on rectangular, off-white paper in navy blue ink. On the face is a rectangle with geometric patterning and a wide, off-white margin to the right. On the left, within the rectangle, is a vignette with an image of Moses holding two stone tablets inscribed with the ten Commandments in Hebrew. To his right, is the denomination centered between lines of German text. In the lower right corner is a Star of David with the denomination below. The reverse has a rectangle with geometric patterning and a wide, off-white margin to the left. Within the rectangle is a central light blue streak, German text above and below a scrollwork line, the denomination on the upper right, and signature on the lower right. In the lower left corner is the denomination below a Star of David in a striped circle. The plate letter and number are in the upper left corner. The scrip is worn and creased from use, with light staining along the edges.
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
date: 1943 January 01, 1943 January 01-1945 May 09
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 1
has or had some members with language: deu
has record set type: Item
identifier: irn652772
is or was included in: us-005578-irn627352
record resource extent: overall: Height: 2.500 inches (6.35 cm) | Width: 5.000 inches (12.7 cm)
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: Scrip, valued at 10 kronen, acquired by Marietta Gruenbaum, a Jewish-Czechoslovakian girl who was held in Theresienstadt ghetto-labor camp. Currency was confiscated from inmates and replaced with scrip, which could only be used in the camp. The scrip was part of an elaborate illusion to make the camp seem normal and appear as though workers were being paid for their labor, but the money had no real monetary value. Before Czechoslovakia was occupied by Germany in 1939, Marietta lived in Prague with her parents, Karel and Margarete, and her brother, Michael. In October 1941, Karel was arrested by the Gestapo and detained in Pankrác prison in Prague. On December 3, Karel was sent to Theresienstadt, where he was killed on the 18th in the Small Fortress. On November 20, 1942, Margarete, Michael, and Marietta were sent to the ghetto-labor camp aboard transport Cc. Marietta worked in the camp laundry. When the family received orders for deportation to Auschwitz killing center in German-occupied Poland in the fall of 1944, Margarete leveraged her job in the art studio to remove her family from the transport list. They were liberated from Theresienstadt on May 8, 1945, by the Soviet Army, and returned to Prague. In 1946, Marietta traveled to London for nine months before receiving a scholarship to attend the University of Wisconsin in the United States. During her final semester, she met Milton Emont, a Ph.D. student who had served in the U.S. Army. The couple began seeing each other on group dates. After three months, when Marietta’s visa was due to expire, Milton proposed. They married in January 1950.
title: Theresienstadt ghetto-labor camp scrip, 10 kronen note, acquired by Marietta Gruenbaum