Cake of soap from Pabianice
Object numberM2021/003:002
TitleCake of soap from Pabianice
DescriptionLarge cake of soap from Poland circa 1939. This soap was given to 17-year-old Fiszel Gingold in 1939 by his mother Sarah Gingold, not long after Germany had occupied their town of Pabianice, Poland. It was kept as a memento by Fiszel, and later his sister Losia when she left for Israel following the war. When Fiszel's Australian born daughter Mimi visited her aunt in 1971 she gave it to her, telling Mimi "she had kept it as a memento of home."
Part of a small collection of objects belonging to Yeruchem Fiszel Gingold (Fred Gold), including a cake of soap gifted by Fiszel's mother and a book of Jewish sacred texts that he kept through his escape from Pabianice and the war years spent in Russia and Turkistan. Fiszel was born on 12 February 1922 in Mlawa, Poland to Aaron Naftali Gingold and Sarah (Krusah), nee Lidzbarski. Fiszel was the second-youngest of eight children. He had five sisters: Losia, Esther-Rikvah, Malka-Brana (Mala), Chuma Nechama (Miriam) and Masha Ruchel; and two brothers: Avraham Moshes and Elazar (Luzer). Aaron Gingold was a strict Hassidic Jew who fostered a very religious household. In 1937, the family moved to Pabianice.
In 1939 following the Nazi occupation of Poland, 17-year-old Fiszel escaped Pabianice for the 'freedom in Russia.' Fiszel attempted to cross the border through the Polish town of Malkin, but was almost caught by a German patrol. Later he joined with a group of Jewish refugees and walked to Soviet-occupied Bialystock, where he found his sister Losia Shapiro and her family. After three or four months they were transferred to a Russian holding camp in Arkhangelsk. Though interned and forced into labour cutting timber, Fiszel was grateful that "I could've been in the army, I could have been in the concentration camps, I could have been in the coal mines... That's where I can say honestly that by doing this Russia saved my life." In 1943 Fiszel and the Shapiros sought refuge in Turkistan, where they remained for the rest of the war.
Fiszel returned to Pabianice in 1946, where he began to learn the fate of his family. His parents and three siblings were murdered in the Holocaust. Aaron and Sarah were murdered in Chelmo, Masha in Bergen-Belsen, Avraham in Majdanek, and Luzer in Dachau.
After facing continued anti-Semitism from the Polish locals in Pabianice, Fiszel decided to leave for Australia. He arrived in Sydney in 1947, and lived with his sister Miriam. He established a new life in Sydney, running a business 'Belle's Frocks and Lingerie' in Bondi with his wife for over forty years.
Part of a small collection of objects belonging to Yeruchem Fiszel Gingold (Fred Gold), including a cake of soap gifted by Fiszel's mother and a book of Jewish sacred texts that he kept through his escape from Pabianice and the war years spent in Russia and Turkistan. Fiszel was born on 12 February 1922 in Mlawa, Poland to Aaron Naftali Gingold and Sarah (Krusah), nee Lidzbarski. Fiszel was the second-youngest of eight children. He had five sisters: Losia, Esther-Rikvah, Malka-Brana (Mala), Chuma Nechama (Miriam) and Masha Ruchel; and two brothers: Avraham Moshes and Elazar (Luzer). Aaron Gingold was a strict Hassidic Jew who fostered a very religious household. In 1937, the family moved to Pabianice.
In 1939 following the Nazi occupation of Poland, 17-year-old Fiszel escaped Pabianice for the 'freedom in Russia.' Fiszel attempted to cross the border through the Polish town of Malkin, but was almost caught by a German patrol. Later he joined with a group of Jewish refugees and walked to Soviet-occupied Bialystock, where he found his sister Losia Shapiro and her family. After three or four months they were transferred to a Russian holding camp in Arkhangelsk. Though interned and forced into labour cutting timber, Fiszel was grateful that "I could've been in the army, I could have been in the concentration camps, I could have been in the coal mines... That's where I can say honestly that by doing this Russia saved my life." In 1943 Fiszel and the Shapiros sought refuge in Turkistan, where they remained for the rest of the war.
Fiszel returned to Pabianice in 1946, where he began to learn the fate of his family. His parents and three siblings were murdered in the Holocaust. Aaron and Sarah were murdered in Chelmo, Masha in Bergen-Belsen, Avraham in Majdanek, and Luzer in Dachau.
After facing continued anti-Semitism from the Polish locals in Pabianice, Fiszel decided to leave for Australia. He arrived in Sydney in 1947, and lived with his sister Miriam. He established a new life in Sydney, running a business 'Belle's Frocks and Lingerie' in Bondi with his wife for over forty years.
Production placePoland
Production date circa 1939
Subjectrefugee experiences
Object namesoap
Materialorganic material
Dimensions
- width: 135.00 mm
height: 50.00 mm
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Mimi Teeger
In appreciation to the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) for supporting this archival project.