As the Einsatzgruppen continued to blaze a trail of murder through the Baltic states, Ukraine and the Soviet Union, Reinhard Heydrich officiated at the Wannsee Conference in January, 1942, where plans were discussed for the systematic extermination of all the Jews of Europe in all of the countries conquered by Germany. Entire Jewish communities were to be liquidated. Concentration camps, initially used to incarcerate political prisoners, became extermination centers for mass murder in gas chambers, especially after Heydrich’s assassination. While there were many concentration camps, the major extermination centers were Auschwitz, Belzec, Chelmno, Majdanek, Sobibor, Bergen-Belsen and Treblinka. Thus Jews were to be methodically killed with poison gas, or utilized as slave labor to be worked to death in war- related industries for the Reich.
This collection includes many examples of concentration and internment camp mail (including Romanian and Croatian camps as well as French internment camps) used during the Third Reich; several Auschwitz Briefaktion Postcards; and a program of the Bermuda Conference with a copy of a letter written by Rabbi Stephen Wise.
--Michael D. Bulmash, K1966
Browse the Bulmash Family Holocaust Collection.
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Real Photo Polish Postcards of Nazi Atrocities
Black and white photograph of a group of people carrying their belongings with printed postcard lines and caption on back.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: Jews packing belongings for trip to the ghetto in Grodno.
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Real Photo Polish Postcards of Nazi Atrocities
Black and white photograph of Jewish men standing and on their knees wearing armbands with printed postcard lines and caption on back.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: Jewish men —with armbands--forced to humiliate themselves playing leapfrog to the delight of Germans. Jewish onlookers.
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Birth Announcement
Card: White card with printed and handwritten information and an illustration of a baby in a crib.Envelope: White envelope with handwritten address in blue and an SS stamp. Return address written on back flap.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: A card from a guard at the Sachsenhausen/Orienberg Concentration Camp, with an SS Cachet on the front and address on reverse. It contains a birth announcement for the guard's baby boy.
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Third Reich Cover to Dr. Pappenheimer in Shanghai from Isaak Gottleib
Tan envelope with typewritten address to Mr. & Mrs. D. Pappenheimer. Includes handwritten address on back flap from Mr. Isaak Gottlieb.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: This envelope to Dr. Pappenheimer traveled through Siberia to reach its destination in Shanghai where Jews were given safe haven. Nazi censor markings.
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"Israel" Envelope
Purple grey envelope with typewritten address to Henri Landauer and return address typewritten on back flap to Julius Israel Josephi.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: A law enacted August 17, 1938 required Jews with non-Jewish forenames to assume the name "Sara" if a woman and "Israel" if a man. This law became effective January 1, 1939. These names were to be used on all correspondence -- private or official -- including return addresses on mail.
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"The White Book" Poem Postcard
Postcard with red border titled, "The White Book." Includes a poem in English. Back is blank.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: English anti-German propaganda, World War II.
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Buchenwald Lagergeld Money
Two pieces of paper currency. First is titled, "Außenkommando" and worth -.50 RM. The second is titled, "Wertmarke" and worth 1 RM.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: Buchenwald was a Nazi concentration camp established on the Ettersberg near Weimar, Thuringia, Germany. Camp prisoners worked primarily as slave labor in local armament factories. Inmates were Jews, political prisoners, religious prisoners, and prisoners of war.
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Advertisement from Topf and Sons
Front: Blue printed German text with Topf logo in top left; Back: More printed text with Topf logo at bottom.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: Topf and Sons designed, built and perfected the crematoria at the Auschwitz, Buchenwald, Belzec, Dachau, Mauthausen and Gusen camps. The leaflet lists their slogan (“Performance decides”) and various product lines: smokestacks, furnaces, etc. Verso is a company description. Topf speaks glowingly about their new leadership and spirit since 1933, the Third Reich’s first year.
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Propaganda from Vichy, France
305: Document titled “Paroles Françaises Paroles d’Espoir” with two images of men on the left side, blue and red border.
306: Document titled “MESSAGE DU MARÉCHAL PÉTAIN” in bold, blue print with image of Pétain in center.
307: Document titled “COLLABORATION”, with three frames of illustrations, final panel includes large question mark.
308: Document includes “Que deviant la FRANCE dans toute cette histoire?” underlined in top left corner, “MAURICE DELAUNAY” underlined at bottom of page.
309: Document titled “RESTE EN FRANCE!” at top of page, includes central image of ruins and three round images on right side.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:Post-1940 Vichy propaganda supporting puppet French leader, Marshal Philippe Petain and his collaborationist Vichy French government:
2019.2.305: “Paroles Francaises Paroles d’Espoir”, a leaflet praising Petain and introducing Darlan, Weygand, Pierre laval, and other supporters
2019.2.306: a message from Petain to French veterans, essentially blaming the previous administration for French loss and promising revolutionary changes in governmental and social administration
2019.2.307: a flier headed “COLLABORATION” and showing what was hoped for France versus what characters intended to represent Jews are actually doing to destroy the process
2019.2.308: an advertisement for a pro-Petain Vichy publication
2019.2.309: two-sided flier showing American bomber destruction of French cities and satirically advising: “French workers! Do not go to Germany…wait here for the bombs of ‘your friends’ the Anglo-Americans”.