Object numberM2018/018:050
DescriptionFrame for three photographs, dyed straw mosaic design with six-pointed star motif. Created in 1942, as indicated by date incorporated into design.
Hungarian-Jewish maker Emil Reisz created artworks such as this while in forced labour, and sent them home to his family. The frame is one of four such items which were kept by Emil's sister Ilona after the war (see M2018/018:51).
The Hungarian word "Emlék" relates to memory, reminiscence and relics. Pencil annotation on reverse side may read "Nagykanizsa". Emil is believed to have been held in forced labour at Nagykanizsa, indicating that the frame could have been made at this location.
Emil Reisz was born in 1915 to Ignacz and Margit Reisz (nee Herceg). The Reisz family were successful businesspeople and owned farmland in the village of Kunszentmiklos, south of Budapest. They were a prominent and integrated local family. Emil had one brother, Feri (b. 1911) and a sister, Ilona (b. 1916).
Emil was a gifted athlete - accomplished primarily in discus and javelin, as well as long jump and hurdling. By the time of the 1936 Berlin Olympics, he was allegedly considered a likely candidate for an Olympic medal in discus. However, as a Jew he was excluded from selection for the Hungarian team. It was around this time that the family began to use a Hungarianised form of their name: Rabay.
Emil was also a talented artist, and had a keen interest in agriculture. He and his brother were barred from entering university due to the Horthy government’s restrictive anti-Jewish quotas outlined in the ‘Numerous Clausus’ law of 1920.
In the years leading up to the war, Emil and Feri were conscripted into the army, like many other young Hungarian men. While home in Kunszentmiklos in the early years of the war, they became the focus of police harassment and were interned.
They were subsequently segregated from other non-Jewish conscripts, drafted into the Jewish Labour Service, and transported to forced labour camps. They may have both spent time in forced labour at Nagykanizsa - a camp which was home to some famous Jewish actors and intellectuals. They are believed to have died in separate camps near the river Don (present-day Russia) at some time in 1943. The family later heard that a lack of sufficient footwear may have contributed to Emil’s death.
Hungarian-Jewish maker Emil Reisz created artworks such as this while in forced labour, and sent them home to his family. The frame is one of four such items which were kept by Emil's sister Ilona after the war (see M2018/018:51).
The Hungarian word "Emlék" relates to memory, reminiscence and relics. Pencil annotation on reverse side may read "Nagykanizsa". Emil is believed to have been held in forced labour at Nagykanizsa, indicating that the frame could have been made at this location.
Emil Reisz was born in 1915 to Ignacz and Margit Reisz (nee Herceg). The Reisz family were successful businesspeople and owned farmland in the village of Kunszentmiklos, south of Budapest. They were a prominent and integrated local family. Emil had one brother, Feri (b. 1911) and a sister, Ilona (b. 1916).
Emil was a gifted athlete - accomplished primarily in discus and javelin, as well as long jump and hurdling. By the time of the 1936 Berlin Olympics, he was allegedly considered a likely candidate for an Olympic medal in discus. However, as a Jew he was excluded from selection for the Hungarian team. It was around this time that the family began to use a Hungarianised form of their name: Rabay.
Emil was also a talented artist, and had a keen interest in agriculture. He and his brother were barred from entering university due to the Horthy government’s restrictive anti-Jewish quotas outlined in the ‘Numerous Clausus’ law of 1920.
In the years leading up to the war, Emil and Feri were conscripted into the army, like many other young Hungarian men. While home in Kunszentmiklos in the early years of the war, they became the focus of police harassment and were interned.
They were subsequently segregated from other non-Jewish conscripts, drafted into the Jewish Labour Service, and transported to forced labour camps. They may have both spent time in forced labour at Nagykanizsa - a camp which was home to some famous Jewish actors and intellectuals. They are believed to have died in separate camps near the river Don (present-day Russia) at some time in 1943. The family later heard that a lack of sufficient footwear may have contributed to Emil’s death.
Production placeHungary
Production date 1942 - 1942
Subjectforced labour, forced labour camps, labourers, art, separation, family life, loved ones' final contacts
Object namepicture frames
Techniquemosaic
Dimensions
- width: 184.00 mm
length: 221.00 mm
depth: 5.00 mm
Language
- Hungarian The Hungarian word "Emlék" relates to memory, reminiscence and relics.
(rough translation via Google Translate. Vivienne Joncourt 04.06.18.)
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Ester Sarkadi-Clarke