Theresienstadt
Object numberM2007/080:002
TitleTheresienstadt
DescriptionParcel admission stamp, Theresienstadt ghetto, depicting a landscape with a road, river, trees and mountains.
On 10 June 1940, the Gestapo took control of Terezín, establishing a Jewish ghetto within the town walls, known as Theresienstadt, after the German name for the town. Beginning 10 July 1943, a new process was implemented for residents of Bohemia and Moravia wishing to send packages to residents of the ghetto. If a resident of the ghetto wished to receive a parcel, he could fill out a request every two months. The request would be forwarded to the Jewish Council in Prague, who would then send a notice to the proposed sender of the parcel. The sender, if in the Prague area, could stop in and pick up the stamp. If the proposed sender was not in the Prague area, the stamp would be attached to the notice and mailed to the proposed sender. The stamp had to be attached to the parcel itself. Because the wrapping paper was commonly destroyed as part of the parcel inspection, genuine used parcel stamps are scarce.
Upon receipt of the parcel, the recipient could then send a pre-printed card to the sender acknowledging that the parcel had arrived safely.
The stamp, printed in Prague, was designed by a Czech with the initials F.C. These initials can be seen with a magnifying glass among the roots of the first tree on the left. It is estimated that 75,000 copies of the stamp were used.
The donor, Edith Layer (nee Edita Sternbergova), was born in Ostrava, Czechoslovakia, in 1926. She and her sister, Charlotte, were sent to Theresienstadt ghetto in 1942. Because their mother was not Jewish, their father, Emanuel Sternberg (born 1894 in Ostrava) stayed home. In February 1943, their mother passed away and a few days later their father arrived at Theresienstadt. Around September 1944 Edith's father and sister were deported to the East. Her sister Charlotte came home, their father did not.
On 10 June 1940, the Gestapo took control of Terezín, establishing a Jewish ghetto within the town walls, known as Theresienstadt, after the German name for the town. Beginning 10 July 1943, a new process was implemented for residents of Bohemia and Moravia wishing to send packages to residents of the ghetto. If a resident of the ghetto wished to receive a parcel, he could fill out a request every two months. The request would be forwarded to the Jewish Council in Prague, who would then send a notice to the proposed sender of the parcel. The sender, if in the Prague area, could stop in and pick up the stamp. If the proposed sender was not in the Prague area, the stamp would be attached to the notice and mailed to the proposed sender. The stamp had to be attached to the parcel itself. Because the wrapping paper was commonly destroyed as part of the parcel inspection, genuine used parcel stamps are scarce.
Upon receipt of the parcel, the recipient could then send a pre-printed card to the sender acknowledging that the parcel had arrived safely.
The stamp, printed in Prague, was designed by a Czech with the initials F.C. These initials can be seen with a magnifying glass among the roots of the first tree on the left. It is estimated that 75,000 copies of the stamp were used.
The donor, Edith Layer (nee Edita Sternbergova), was born in Ostrava, Czechoslovakia, in 1926. She and her sister, Charlotte, were sent to Theresienstadt ghetto in 1942. Because their mother was not Jewish, their father, Emanuel Sternberg (born 1894 in Ostrava) stayed home. In February 1943, their mother passed away and a few days later their father arrived at Theresienstadt. Around September 1944 Edith's father and sister were deported to the East. Her sister Charlotte came home, their father did not.
Production placeTheresienstadt ghetto
Production date 1943 - 1945
Object namepostage stamps
Materialpaper
Dimensions
- width: 41.00 mm
height: 29.00 mm
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Edith Layer