Women Spinning Wool in Sered Concentration Camp
Object numberM2005/021:003
TitleWomen Spinning Wool in Sered Concentration Camp
DescriptionBlack and white photograph of Eva Klug (nee Dymova), (2nd from the right), spinning wool in Sered Transit/Labour/Concentration Camp, Slovakia, 1943. The women forced labourers depicted in the photograph are Mrs Wiess, Lise Selecky, Mrs. Fried and another woman whose name is not recalled.
In Sered, Slovakia in 1942 the donor describes that a rumour spread through the town that all young and unmarried Jewish women would be transported to concentration camps in Poland. As Eva was unmarried at the time, her father, Alexander Dym, feared for his daughter’s life. To Avoid Eva being deported, he arranged for her to receive an appendectomy by a doctor in a neighbouring village. Although the surgery was “un-necessary” medically, it was life-saving for Eva. Eva remained in recovery as the unmarried women of Sered were transported to Auschwitz; Eva was 17 years old at the time. She recalls, “Certainly, none of my friends survived”. In late 1942, Eva and her family were taken to Sered as slave labourers. The family remained in the camp until its liberation during the Slovak Uprising in August 1944.
Sered was a forced labour and concentration camp in Slovakia. Forced labourers produced a variety of quality goods that were sold at the civilian market and to government agencies. There were schools established for the children and cultural activities were frequently held. The camp had its own Angora farm; the women in the photograph are shown spinning the wool from the rabbits, later to be used for textiles.
Sered was abandoned by the Hlinke guards during the height of the Slovak Uprising allowing prisoners to flee or participate in the revolt. The uprising was eventually put down by the occupying German forces. From October 1944 to March 1945, many of the prisoners who had escaped and had gone into hiding, amongst those were Eva’s father, mother and sister, were re-captured and deported to Theresienstadt and Auschwitz. Her mother perished at Auschwitz, whilst her father died from starvation in Bergen-Belsen. Her sister was the only other survivor from her immediate family. Eva was arrested and sent to Theresienstadt where she remained until end of the war.
In Sered, Slovakia in 1942 the donor describes that a rumour spread through the town that all young and unmarried Jewish women would be transported to concentration camps in Poland. As Eva was unmarried at the time, her father, Alexander Dym, feared for his daughter’s life. To Avoid Eva being deported, he arranged for her to receive an appendectomy by a doctor in a neighbouring village. Although the surgery was “un-necessary” medically, it was life-saving for Eva. Eva remained in recovery as the unmarried women of Sered were transported to Auschwitz; Eva was 17 years old at the time. She recalls, “Certainly, none of my friends survived”. In late 1942, Eva and her family were taken to Sered as slave labourers. The family remained in the camp until its liberation during the Slovak Uprising in August 1944.
Sered was a forced labour and concentration camp in Slovakia. Forced labourers produced a variety of quality goods that were sold at the civilian market and to government agencies. There were schools established for the children and cultural activities were frequently held. The camp had its own Angora farm; the women in the photograph are shown spinning the wool from the rabbits, later to be used for textiles.
Sered was abandoned by the Hlinke guards during the height of the Slovak Uprising allowing prisoners to flee or participate in the revolt. The uprising was eventually put down by the occupying German forces. From October 1944 to March 1945, many of the prisoners who had escaped and had gone into hiding, amongst those were Eva’s father, mother and sister, were re-captured and deported to Theresienstadt and Auschwitz. Her mother perished at Auschwitz, whilst her father died from starvation in Bergen-Belsen. Her sister was the only other survivor from her immediate family. Eva was arrested and sent to Theresienstadt where she remained until end of the war.
Production placeSered, Slovakia
Production date 1943 - 1943
SubjectHolocaust, forced labour, concentration camps
Object namephotographs
Materialphotographic emulsion, paper, paper
Techniquephotography
Dimensions
- width: 85.00 mm
height: 135.00 mm
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection