Barbed wire collected from Auschwitz
Object numberM1991/009:001
TitleBarbed wire collected from Auschwitz
DescriptionElectrified barbed-wire fences surrounding the camps made escape for prisoners almost impossible. This small length of barbed wire was picked up as a souvenir during a post-war visit to Auschwitz by Mark Spigelman who accompanied his son and a group of Habonim students on a tour of Poland in 1990 - the first Australian Zionist youth movement to visit.
Born in Poland in November 1940, Spigelman was asked to act as a guide for the group. In 1943 he and his parents were in a work camp in Srodula. To avoid being deported to a concentration camp, they constructed a bunker in a shoe workhouse and survived the war in the bunker. The family left Poland in 1949 on false passports when he was eight years old.
Born in Poland in November 1940, Spigelman was asked to act as a guide for the group. In 1943 he and his parents were in a work camp in Srodula. To avoid being deported to a concentration camp, they constructed a bunker in a shoe workhouse and survived the war in the bunker. The family left Poland in 1949 on false passports when he was eight years old.
Production placeAuschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp
Production periodWorld War II (1939-1945)
Subjectconcentration camps
Object namebarbed wire
Materialwire
Dimensions
- whole length: 200.00 mm
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Dr. Mark Spigelman