1943 saw the gradual collapse of the Nazi regime until its surrender in May, 1944. Despite losing the war in the East, and irrespective of the diversion of necessary resources from the war effort, Hitler continued to relentlessly prosecute the Final Solution of the Jews in the concentration camps and ghettos, murdering as many as 10,000 per day in the Auschwitz gas chambers alone . Many attempted to rescue Jews from Nazi extermination at great risk to their own safety, and over 13,000 have been recognized as “Righteous Gentiles” for their deeds. Rescuers include diplomats Raoul Wallenberg, Carl Lutz, and Hiram Bingham; Oscar Schindler; and Pastor Andre Trochme. The citizens of Denmark hid Jews and ferried them to safety in neutral Sweden, saving most of Denmark’s 8000 Jews. In the fall of 1944, the Nazis began the evacuation of Auschwitz, and as the Allies advanced in 1945, all camps were evacuated under Himmler’s orders, resulting in many thousands of deaths from the so-called “death marches”. At the end of the war more than 200,000 survivors were living in the Allied zones of occupation in DP (Displaced Persons) camps. They could not return home and thus remained until emigration could be arranged to either Palestine or to other countries willing to absorb the refugees.
This collection features passports, visas and other documents of diplomats and others who saved Jews, including Friedrich Born, Frank Foley, Feng Shan Ho, Vlademar Langlet, Carl Lutz, Monsignor Angelo Rota, Andrey Szeptycki, Angel Sanz-Briz, Chiune Sugihara, Raoul Wallenberg,Carl Ivan Danielsson and Jan Zwartendijk. Also noteworthy is an assemblage of ephemera—photos, covers, letters, etc.- from the Bergen-Belsen (D.P. Hohne) Displaced Persons Camp (1946-1948); and covers from organizations such as the AJDC , IRO and UNRRA, established to provide aid and assistance to Jewish refugees.
--Michael D. Bulmash, K1966
Browse the Bulmash Family Holocaust Collection.
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Hungarian ID Card of Jewish Man with Red ‘Z’ on Cover
2014.1.192
A Hungarian Ausweis including a photograph and three purple "L.W. Lazarett/Budapet" stamps, and a large, red "Zs" stamp on the right side. The "Zs" stamp signified that Imrie was Jewish.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: Hungarian ID card "Ausweis" for Alexander Imrie issued 31 August 1944 by L.W. Lazarett/Budapest. Large red "ZS" for Jew on front.
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Hungarian Permission Regarding Star of David Badge
2012.1.367
Tan document with typewritten information in Hungarian. Titled, "Tanusitvány" (Certification). Includes signature at bottom.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: Hungarian government document granting permission by the Dome Sztojay Government of occupied Hungary for a Jewish Woman to not wear the required Badge of the Star of David. Issued in Budapest by the Hungarian Ministry of the Interior allowing Agesten Jeno Janes, born 1905, a Swedish citizen but of Jewish heritage to be permitted to not wear the Star of David Badge required by 1450/1944 Decree No. 5 Regulation Requiring the distinctive Star of David Badge. The permission was granted until November 30, 1944.
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Funeral Card for Marcel Fayon
2012.1.47
Front: Depiction of Jesus on the Cross, titled, "Mon Jésus, Miséricorde!" with printed text.Back: Printed text titled, "A la pieuse mémorie de notre martyr monsieur Marcel Fayon."
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: One of a group of funeral cards for Catholic individuals who perished at various concentration camps, including Bergen-Belsen, Stettin, Mauthausen, Neuengamme and Buchenwald (2012.1.47, 2012.1.48, 2012.1.49, 2012.1.50, 2012.1.51, 2012.1.52, 2012.1.53).
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Volkssturm Medical Form for Berthold Allwardt
2019.2.232
Form with red line across page, purple text and dotted lines, writing in green, titled “DEUTSCHER VOLKSSTURM Gau Berlin” in purple print. [Related item: 2019.2.233]
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: The Volkssturm was established in October 1944 as a militia utilizing males between the ages of 16 and 60 who were not otherwise serving in the Wehrmacht or other military units. They were under the control of the Nazi party and its officials (Gauleiters) with Himmler as commander. The Volkssturm was used extensively during the defense of Berlin against an overwhelming Russian army.
Berthold Allwardt was pressed into service as a 37-year-old in Berlin, and in all probability fought in the Battle of Berlin.
This document, signed by the local group leader less than one month after the Volkssturm was established, states that Mr. Allwardt, having been medically examined, was fit for duty in his Volkssturm squad. A note states that this certificate must be presented upon request.
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Envelope from Dusseldorf, Germany to Gestapo Offices in Frankfort
2014.1.31
Green envelope with typewritten address, a purple ink stamp in bottom left and a red stamp in top right.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: Envelope from NSDAP office in Dusseldorf to Gestapo headquarters in Frankfort.
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U.S. Certificate of Naturalization for Gerdy Kaston (formerly Gertrude Katzenstein)
2012.1.40
Document with decorative border, titled, "Certficiate of Naturalization" with serial number 6295095. Includes several signatures, as well as printed and typewritten information. Several lines of text on back.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: Gertrude Katzenstein, a German citizen who was able to escape Nazi Germany and emigrate to America. Items relating to Gertrude Katzenstein: 2012.1.38ab, 2012.1.39, 2012.1.40, 2012.1.94, 2012.1.95ab, 2012.1.566
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Jews Forced to Wear Star of David
2014.1.305
Front: Black and white photo of ten Jewish men, each wearing a yellow Star of David on their chest.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: Acme wire photo with attached press release verso: 'Worn and exhausted from their experiences at the hands of the Nazis is this group of Jews liberated from German camps by Red Army troops. Because of a Hitlerite decree they were forced to wear the six-pointed Star of David on their coats." Credit (ACME Radio Photo) 11/29/44.
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Postcard From Belgian Survivor Felice Grossman Describing Her Wartime Experiences
2012.1.24
Postcard with red printed postcard lines and message written in black ink. Addressed to the Bronx in New York City.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: 1 Fr. Belgian stationary card written by Felice Grossmann to Herta Schwarzstein, her family member in New York. Felice reveals her whereabouts during the war years: "I am finally allowed to write... I have been hiding, for almost two years, in a Monastery... You can not imagine the horror, fear, misery and persecutions we suffered in the last four years... All we think about is how to reach you [in the United States] and when... We are disgusted with Europe... I always look for Egon whenever I see American soldiers... With heart full of yearning, your Lissy." The letter is written in German and has Belgian & American censor marks at front. Belgium was liberated by US troops in September 1944.
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Berlin Finance Office Mail:Jewish Mail Recipient Cannot Be Located
2012.1.291
Tan envelope with printed layout titled, "Finanzamt Wilmersdorf-Süd." Includes handwritten address to Hugo Israel Jakob.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: 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. The finance office sent this official cover to Hugo "Israel" Jacob at Badensche Street NN.21, Berlin-Wilmersdorf. Information on left advises to fulfill your national duty by paying your taxes promptly. The tax number of the addressee is given. On the reverse side the mailman writes that the recipient is unknown on aforementioned street and the post office confirms by rubber stamp with red ink that the addressee could not be located. In all probability this is because Mr. Jacob had been deported to Auschwitz in 1943. It is assumed he perished.
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Third Reich "Futches Reich" Propaganda Mini Stamps
2012.1.443
Tan paper with four red stamps of a skeletal Adolf Hitler. Titled, "We ein Volk Retten will kann nur Heroisch Denken."
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: This 12 Pfennig parody is also known as the Hitler Skull Stamp or Deaths-Head Stamp. The bottom of stamp has been changed from Deutches Reich to "Futches Reich" (lost empire). The originals were produced during the war by the OSS ("Operation Cornflake"), the brainchild of "Wild Bill" Donovan, head of the OSS, the U.S. Espionage agency during WWII and precursor to the CIA. The effort was part of a broad-based propaganda campaign to undermine the morale of the average German citizen.
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Allied Propaganda Leaflet "To the German Woman!"
2019.2.148
Front: Title underlined and centered on the top in black, “An die deutsche Frau!”. On the back centered in black, “Deutsche Frau, Du hast das Wort!”
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:The text of the leaflet reads as follows:
Recto: TO THE GERMAN WOMAN! Germany itself is now a hotbed of war. From now on, every bomb and grenade will explode on German soil. German blood will soak German soil. Cities, villages and fields will rise in smoke and flames. This is what Hitler and his party fanatics want. Do you want the war in this country? Ask the returning German soldier whether personal sacrifice and heroism can bring the Anglo-American war machine to a standstill. Ask the returning German soldier whether he wants the same fate for German women and children as that of the civilian population of Normandy, Italy and Russia. Ask the returning German soldier if he wants his home to look like the ruined villages and cities of Normandy, Italy and Russia. The loyalty of the German soldier does not belong to a bankrupt party, but to you, German woman, your children and your homeland. And you can save the German soldiers, your children and your homeland from more meaningless destruction if you ask for an END!
Verso: German woman, you have the word! This is the sixth year of the war. The German soldier has returned. He has endured inhuman suffering on the battlefields of Russia, the deserts of Africa, under the fire of the Allies in Italy and bombing on the Western Front. Now, on homeland ground, he is to take up the fight against the immense power of the Anglo-American war machine. Without enough tanks and Luftwaffe aircraft. You German woman have the power to prevent inhuman suffering, horror and death. Tell the returned German soldier: that you do not want this senseless last resistance; that you do not want your cities and villages blasted to the ground; that you have had enough of the SS and the party that ordered the destruction of your homeland just to keep themselves in the saddle for a few more days; that soldier’s loyalty belongs exclusively to the people; that this people demands: End of the war! Away with the wartime extenders! Immediate peace and reconstruction of Germany!
Translated by Roberto Stemmer
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Postcard from Serviceman to his Spouse on V-E Day
2019.2.234
Postcard with black and white image of a garden, bottom left corner marked “Bad Pyrmont,” bottom right corner marked “Palmengarten.” Back stamped by U.S. Army postal Service with date “May 8 1945.”
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: Army Sergeant Charles Witham, 334th Infantry Regiment Stationed in Germany, sends and Army-censored postcard- US Army Postal Service 84- from Bad Pyrmont to his wife in Kansas on V-E Day, May 8, 1945. This postcard is one of a number he sent, obviously in celebration of the end of the war in the European theatre. Interestingly, the postcard carries no message: the date says it all.
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Volkssturm Medical Note for Berthold Allwardt
2019.2.233
Note marked “NSDAP” in black print in top left corner, date “6/3/45” written in purple in top right corner, signed “Heil Hitler! Rossmann, Gemeinschaftsleiter der NSDAP.” [Related item: 2019.2.232]
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: The Volkssturm was established in October 1944 as a militia utilizing males between the ages of 16 and 60 who were not otherwise serving in the Wehrmacht or other military units. They were under the control of the Nazi party and its officials (Gauleiters) with Himmler as commander. The Volkssturm was used extensively during the defense of Berlin against an overwhelming Russian army.
Berthold Allwardt was pressed into service as a 37-year-old in Berlin, and in all probability fought in the Battle of Berlin.
This document is a form from the local Nazi party group in Wiesbaden, signed by the Nazi party community leader Rossmann two months before the end of the war, which states that the Volkssturmmann’s (name illegible) successful medical exam allows him to serve in his unit.
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Photographic Postcard of Church at Oradour-sur-Glane
2014.1.191
Front: A photograph of demolished church interior with infant carriages. Back: Titled 'Carte Postale; Editee par l'Association Nationale des Familles des Martyrs d'Oradour-Sur-Glane [Published by the National Association of Families of Martyrs of Oradour-sur-Glane].'
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: Oradour-sur-Glane was a small farming village of around 350 inhabitants, located approximately15 miles from Limoges. During World War II, it was located in the German-occupied zone of France. On June 10, 1944, troops of the 2nd Waffen-SS Panzer Division Das Reich, massacred 642 people, almost the entire population of the village at that time, including a number of Jewish refugees. More than 450 women and children were locked in this church by the Nazis, while the men were locked in barns and sheds. The Nazis detonated an incendiary device in the church; anyone attempting to escape was machine-gunned. The men were shot in the legs; no longer able to move, their bodies were covered with gasoline and the barns were set ablaze. The village of Oradour was partially razed that night. After the war, Oradour-sur-Glane rivaled Lidice as an iconic symbol of German crimes against civilians in occupied Europe. The ruins of the original village remain as a memorial to the dead.
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Postcard of Church at Oradour-sur-Glane
2014.1.189
Front: Color photograph of the courtyard of a church.Back: Blue printed postcard lines and text in French.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: On June 10, 1944, more than 450 women and children were locked in this church by the Nazis, while the men were locked in barns and sheds. The Nazis detonated an incendiary device in the church; anyone attempting to escape was machine-gunned. The men were shot in the legs; no longer able to move, their bodies were covered in gasoline and the barnes were set ablaze. The village of Oradour was partially razed that night.
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Hungarian Propaganda Poster for the Arrow Cross Party
2014.1.454
Poster in Hungarian titled, "Honvédek!"
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: Banner exhorting people to vote for Ferenc Szalasi, the leader of the Arrow Cross (Nylas in Hungarian). The Arrow Cross was the Hungarian fascist party and movement established by Ferenc Szalasi. Like the Nazis, they were strongly nationalistic and militantly opposed to Communism and Jews. Also like the Nazis, they were advocates of agriculture. Szalasi led the Hungarian government after Miklos Horthy was dismissed by the Nazis. The so-called "Government of National Unity" terrorized Hungarian Jews and murdered approximately 10,000 to 15,000 people and deported 80,000 to Auschwitz in a five month period.
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Work-Related Contract Relating to Gertrude Katzenstein Prior to Emigrating From Germany
2012.1.38ab
Two page document titled, "Lehr=Dertrag" with printed and typewritten information.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: Gertrude Katzenstein, a German citizen who was able to escape Nazi Germany and emigrate to America. Items relating to Gertrude Katzenstein: 2012.1.38ab, 2012.1.39, 2012.1.40, 2012.1.94, 2012.1.95ab, 2012.1.566
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Nazi Propaganda Flier Meant for Russians
2012.1.60
Illustration of men sitting on bags of money with a soldier between them with Russian text on back.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: A German propaganda flier directed towards Russians, essentially stating that Russians are dying while "kikes" make money.
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Arthur Szyk:Emergency Committee to Save the People of Europe Labels
2012.1.417a-d
Four stamps titled, "Save Human Lives." The first has an illustration of a soldier and mechanic with a bearded celestial figure. The second has an illustration of a soldier holding a Jewish man with a Star of David armband. The third shows two children wearing Star of David armbands. The fourth shows a Rabbi holding a Torah.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: Arthur Szyk illustrator: labels for the Emergency Committee to Save the People of Europe.
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Emergency Committee to Save the People of Europe Label
2012.1.417e
White stamp with black illustration of a man holding a chain with a child and young men. A barbed wire Swastika in the corner. Titled, "Help Us Survive!"
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: Szyk label for the Emergency Committee to Save the People of Europe.
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American Federation of Polish Jews Label
2012.1.417f
White stamp with red illustration of three Jewish people, including a bearded man with a Star of David armband. Titled, "They Shall Not Die.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: Szyk labels for the American Federation for Polish Jews.
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Jakob Machat
2012.1.505
A black and white photograph of a man in a concentration camp uniform.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: Original photo of Jakob Machat taken in Palestine, dressed in his own concentration camp prisoner's uniform. This young man later served as a pilot in the IDF Air Force.
[Related items: 2012.1.2, 2012.1.506, 2014.1.446ab, 2016.1.44]
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American Propaganda Dropped on Germany
2019.2.136-.147
12 documents in various sizes
.136: Flier – Volkssturm
.137: Flier – Deutsche Offiziere!
.138: Flier – Was bedeutet bedingungslose “übergabe”?
.139: Flier – KURZ UND BÜNDIG
.140: Flier – Rückzug oder Zusammenbruch?
.141: Flier – Die Toten kehren nicht zuruck
.142: Flier – Das sechste Kriegsweihnachten
.143: Flier – DIE LAGE…
.144: Flier – DIE ALLIIERTEN SIND IN DEUTSCHLAND!
.145: Flier – DIE RUSSEN SIND IN SCHLESIEN
.146: Flier – GEFALLEN am letzten Tag des zweiten Weltkriegs
.147: Flier – ZEHN GEBOTE FUR ÖSTERREICHER
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:Twelve pieces of American-issued propaganda aimed at German soldiers, air-dropped on German forces or civilian population areas. Includes: “The Russians are in Silesia”, Volkssturm, “The Allies are in Germany!”, “Died on the Last Day of the Second World War”, “Sixth Christmas of War”, “The Dead Don’t Return”, “Retreat or Crumble?”
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Anti-German Propaganda
2019.2.151-.179
29 documents (fliers, leaflets and a booklet) in various sizes
.151: Flier - Anweisung sur Lebensrettung
.152: Flier - HILF DIR SELBST
.153: Flier - Safe-Conduct
.154: Flier - Bedingungslose Ubergabe
.155: Flier – Ein Wort zum Thema Etappe
.156: Flier – FRONTSOLDAT: Frage die Heimat
.157: Flier – BEKANNTMACHUNG
.158: Booklet – De Wervelwind, No. 5, August 1942
.159: Flier – Material-Schlacht!
.160: Flier – Das Recht des Soldaten
.161: Flier – DIE ZEIT DES ZOGERNS IST VORBEI!
.162: Flier – SOLDATENPFLICHT
.163: Flier – WOFUR KAMPFEN DIE VEREINTEN NATIONEN?
.164: Flier – Made to look like a handwritten letter
.165: Flier – 7,000,000 Deutschamericaner
.166: Flier – Anweisung zur Lebensrettung
.167: Flier – Plan and Resultat-Map
.168: Flier – Rameraden!
.169: Flier – Ubersetzung des Flugblattes 146 P
.170: Flier – Kannst du dich ausweisen?
.171: Flier – Drei Versprechen
.172: Flier – Amerika fordert: SCHLUSS DAMIT!
.173: Flier – NICHT EUER KIND
.174: Flier – “Belgrad brennt immer noch!”
.175: Flier – DAS ENDE
.176: Flier – Das Winterprogramm
.177: Leaflet – LUFTPOST DAS IST HITLERS WERK
.178: Leaflet – WOLKIGER BEOBACHTER
.179: Flier – ZUSAMMENBRUCH
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:Anti-German propaganda, all air-dropped or delivered by artillery, including: safe conduct passes; “De Wervelwing” booklet; the “Rights of Soldiers”; a sarcastic bogus “ausweis”; quotes of Roosevelt and Churchill; a mock letter from a wife at home; pre-war propaganda; one article mentioning German-Americans and Wendell Willkie; dead civilians; Belgrade; the Atlantic Charter, and more.