The desk set was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2015 by Harel Gadot on behalf of the Gadot and Haimovich families.
Israel Haimovich was born and raised in Czechoslovakia. His siblings, mother, grandmother, wife and son were all killed during the Holocaust. Israel was deported to Buchenwald concnetration camp, where he was liberated by American troops on April 11, 1945. Israel spent several months recuperating in an American military hospital. After his release, he joined other survivors in an Aliyah camp who were preparing to emigrate to Palestine. While there, he met Judith Itzkivich, a Czech survivor of Auschwitz concnetration camp, with her sisters. Israel and Judith married in 1946. In 1947, they departed on a Ma'apilim ship with other survivors to illegally enter Palestine. They were captured by the British, who governed Palestine and restricted immigration to the territory. Israel and Judith were sent to a detention camp on Cyprus, where they remained until they were able to immigrate to Palestine, which in May 1948, became the independent country, Israel.
a. Handcrafted light brown limestone ink well set carved in the shape of a bridge with 5 ink wells carved in the shape of rounded Nissen huts, tents, and a guard tower. Cyprus 1948 is carved in the center in Hebrew. It also has an inscription, the name Amir in Hebrew, for the artisan's nephew, that was added at a later time b-f. Lids. a. engraved : Hebrew text [Cyprus 1948] a. engraved : Hebrew text [Amir] d. engraved[?] : 1948
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a: Height: 5.000 inches (12.7 cm) | Width: 14.750 inches (37.465 cm) | Depth: 7.500 inches (19.05 cm) b: Height: 1.500 inches (3.81 cm) | Width: 2.750 inches (6.985 cm) | Depth: 1.500 inches (3.81 cm) c: Height: 1.125 inches (2.858 cm) | Width: 2.500 inches (6.35 cm) | Depth: 2.375 inches (6.033 cm) d: Height: 3.625 inches (9.208 cm) | Width: 1.500 inches (3.81 cm) | Depth: 2.625 inches (6.668 cm) e: Height: 1.000 inches (2.54 cm) | Width: 2.500 inches (6.35 cm) | Depth: 2.250 inches (5.715 cm) f: Height: 1.500 inches (3.81 cm) | Width: 1.500 inches (3.81 cm) | Depth: 1.500 inches (3.81 cm)
Desk set with ink wells carved by Israel Haimovich while in a British detention camp in Cyprus in 1948. It is carved in the shape of the bridge that linked two of the camps and the inkwells are carved in the shape of the Nissen huts that housed the detainees, tents, and a guard tower. Israel was originally from Czechoslovakia, which was annexed by Nazi Germany and its allies in 1938-1939. Israel was deported to Buchenwald concentration camp. He was liberated by US troops on April 11, 1945. His siblings, mother, grandmother, wife, and son were all killed during the Holocaust. After recuperating in an American military hospital, Israel joined other survivors preparing to emigrate to Palestine. In 1946, he married Judith Itzkivich, a Czech survivor of Auschwitz. In 1947, they left on a Ma'apilim ship with other survivors to illegally enter Palestine. They were captured by the British who governed Palestine and had strict immigration limits. They were sent to a detention camp on Cyprus, where they remained until permitted to enter Palestine. On May 14, the state of Israel was established and, within six months, all the refugees on Cyprus were welcomed into the Jewish homeland.
Pen and ink desk set carved by Israel Haimovich in a British detention camp