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Quilt
رقم الكائنM2025/094:001
العنوانQuilt
الوصفPatchwork quilt. Gifted to Greta Allen.
Born in May 1942 in Nazi-occupied Holland, Greta Matteman’s early life was marked by the unimaginable sacrifices of her parents, Rebecca and Abraham, who entrusted her to strangers to save her from deportation to Nazi death camps. At seven months old, Greta was given to Filippus and Anna Jüch. Fearing exposure, the Jüch family passed her to Jacqueline Reinink, a widow with seven children. When Jacqueline could no longer care for her, Greta was taken in by Francis and Lewis van der Meulen, who raised her as their fifth child until the war’s end.
In 1946, Greta was sent to Australia to live with her uncle, Appie (Abraham) van Rooijen, and his wife, Joyce, becoming part of their family alongside their children, Robin and Arnold, whom Greta considers her siblings. Her parents and sister tragically did not survive the Holocaust.
As an adult, Greta was able to piece together the fragments of her early life, and grasp the bravery and selflessness of the righteous families who saved her.
The quilt was handcrafted by Greta’s biological mother, Rebecca, for Elise and Nico Sweije. Decades later, Elise’s son, Robert, gifted the quilt to Greta. For her, it is a more than a symbol of her mother’s quilting skills but a tangible connection to her.
Born in May 1942 in Nazi-occupied Holland, Greta Matteman’s early life was marked by the unimaginable sacrifices of her parents, Rebecca and Abraham, who entrusted her to strangers to save her from deportation to Nazi death camps. At seven months old, Greta was given to Filippus and Anna Jüch. Fearing exposure, the Jüch family passed her to Jacqueline Reinink, a widow with seven children. When Jacqueline could no longer care for her, Greta was taken in by Francis and Lewis van der Meulen, who raised her as their fifth child until the war’s end.
In 1946, Greta was sent to Australia to live with her uncle, Appie (Abraham) van Rooijen, and his wife, Joyce, becoming part of their family alongside their children, Robin and Arnold, whom Greta considers her siblings. Her parents and sister tragically did not survive the Holocaust.
As an adult, Greta was able to piece together the fragments of her early life, and grasp the bravery and selflessness of the righteous families who saved her.
The quilt was handcrafted by Greta’s biological mother, Rebecca, for Elise and Nico Sweije. Decades later, Elise’s son, Robert, gifted the quilt to Greta. For her, it is a more than a symbol of her mother’s quilting skills but a tangible connection to her.
مكان الإنتاجNetherlands
التاريخ 1944
الموضوعfamily members, child survivors, adoption, searching
اسم الكائنblankets
مادةfibres (fabrics)
تقنيةpatchwork
الأبعاد
- length: 2230.00 mm
width: 1480.00 mm
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum collection, donated by Greta Allen.
In appreciation to the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) for supporting this archival project.