Pair of Shabbat candlesticks
Object numberM2014/008
TitlePair of Shabbat candlesticks
DescriptionPair of silver-plated Shabbat candlesticks belonging to Ruth Kroll's family home which were saved by a non-Jewish family friend and returned to Ruth after the war.
Part of a collection that includes photographs and a work permit for foreign workers issued to Ruth Kroll (nee Gerstl) in the name of Bronislawa Chrnanowska, a false name chosen because it belonged to her Polish teacher, a name she would not forget.
Ruth Krol (nee Gerstl) was born 14 January 1920 in Katowice, Poland. Both German and Polish were spoken in the city; the family spoke German at home. Her parents were businesspeople and had a shop. The family was modern orthodox and associated themselves more with Germans. With Hitler’s rise to power, Ruth experienced a change in attitude towards the Jewish students. When war began, Ruth’s father took the children (Ruth and her 14-year-old brother) further inland for safety but returned a few weeks later and took them back home. Upon returning, Ruth witnessed the synagogue destroyed and the family business confiscated. Her father was soon deported for forced labour, and she never saw him again.
Ruth’s brother was also called up for forced labour, and a few months after that she, her mother and aunt were transferred to the Chrzanow ghetto. Her mother had a fairly senior job because of her language and secretarial skills so was able to protect Ruth for a while. When the ghetto was liquidated Ruth was transferred to Neusalz concentration camp. There she worked with spinning machines which was dangerous work. She and a friend managed to escape, and boarded a train which was full of German refugees from Hamburg, so she was able to blend in. She went to Breslau where eventually a man, Gustav Wagner, helped her. They found her a place to hide. She continued to use the Hamburg story as a cover. She got a job working in the fields until she someone suspected she was Jewish. Wagner then helped her get a work permit and she got a job at a restaurant, eventually becoming the cook.
After the war Ruth returned to Katowice. Soon after she married Jan Kroll. An aunt in Paris arranged a visa for them to go there for a few years. They arrived in Australia in 1949.
Part of a collection that includes photographs and a work permit for foreign workers issued to Ruth Kroll (nee Gerstl) in the name of Bronislawa Chrnanowska, a false name chosen because it belonged to her Polish teacher, a name she would not forget.
Ruth Krol (nee Gerstl) was born 14 January 1920 in Katowice, Poland. Both German and Polish were spoken in the city; the family spoke German at home. Her parents were businesspeople and had a shop. The family was modern orthodox and associated themselves more with Germans. With Hitler’s rise to power, Ruth experienced a change in attitude towards the Jewish students. When war began, Ruth’s father took the children (Ruth and her 14-year-old brother) further inland for safety but returned a few weeks later and took them back home. Upon returning, Ruth witnessed the synagogue destroyed and the family business confiscated. Her father was soon deported for forced labour, and she never saw him again.
Ruth’s brother was also called up for forced labour, and a few months after that she, her mother and aunt were transferred to the Chrzanow ghetto. Her mother had a fairly senior job because of her language and secretarial skills so was able to protect Ruth for a while. When the ghetto was liquidated Ruth was transferred to Neusalz concentration camp. There she worked with spinning machines which was dangerous work. She and a friend managed to escape, and boarded a train which was full of German refugees from Hamburg, so she was able to blend in. She went to Breslau where eventually a man, Gustav Wagner, helped her. They found her a place to hide. She continued to use the Hamburg story as a cover. She got a job working in the fields until she someone suspected she was Jewish. Wagner then helped her get a work permit and she got a job at a restaurant, eventually becoming the cook.
After the war Ruth returned to Katowice. Soon after she married Jan Kroll. An aunt in Paris arranged a visa for them to go there for a few years. They arrived in Australia in 1949.
Production date 1920 - 1920
SubjectJudaica, Pre-war life
Object namecandlesticks
Materialsilver
Techniqueplated
Dimensions
- height: 320.00 mm
basae depth: 165.00 mm
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Arthur Cario