charm
Номер объектаM2011/048:015
Названиеcharm
Создатель Egon Fuchs
ОписаниеSmall metal charm in the shape of a diamond with the letter H on the top have and the number 21 on the bottom.
Egon Fuchs had trained as a jeweller in Prague. His father was a skilled jeweller. He had a shop in Ostrava. Egon was deported to Theresienstadt in 1942. He worked in a jewellery workshop in Theresienstadt. Egon was transported to Auschwitz in October 1944. He survived and migrated to Australia in 1950.
Part of a collection of jewellery made by Egon Fuchs while incarcerated in Theresienstadt (Terezin) ghetto/concentration camp. It contains handmade broaches, pendants and bracelets, some featuring decorative designs of the Terezin coat of arms, mushrooms, owls, seahorse and turtle. A few items contain the initials 'MF' (most likely made for his first wife Miriam Fuchs nee Wasserman) who sadly did not survive Auschwitz.
Egon Fuchs was born 4 May 1908 in Moravska Ostrava, Czechoslovakia to Wilhelm and Else Fuchs (nee Kohn). From 1923 to 1926 he trained as a goldsmith (Goldschmied) in Prague. His father was also a skilled jeweller. Egon had his own jewellery workshop in Ostrava. On 15 May 1942 he was deported to Theresienstadt on Transport Ez-St-14 - German initials for special transport of individuals (Einzelreisende Sondertransport). These transports usually consisted of the relatives of members of the Jewish Council in Theresienstadt, Jews arrested by the Gestapo, or Jews who had been brought to Prague from other cities in the Protectorate.
Despite the deplorable living conditions and the constant threat of deportation, Theresienstadt had a well-developed cultural life. Jewish artists, mainly from Czechoslovakia, Austria and Germany, created artworks and art workshops; writers, academics, musicians and actors gave lectures and concerts, and workshops were operating specialising in welding, tool making and typewriter and sewing machine repair. Egon obtained work in a jewellery workshop. Some of the items he made would likely be commissioned by the German guards; little items made unofficially for friends and loved ones as souvenirs or to be exchanged for necessities. For materials, Egon recycled the light metal from orthotics and used other scrap metal.
Fearing that these items would be confiscated when he was deported to Auschwitz, he hid them.
He was deported from Theresienstadt to Auschwitz on Transport EK on 28 September 1944, a day after the Day of Atonement, together with 2,499 healthy men under the age of 55 as part of a work transport. In Auschwitz he was registered under the number B11539. Inhabitants of the ghetto were made to believe that the men were going to build a new labour camp near Dresden. According to the donor, Egon's first wife requested to be transferred with her husband: "Where she ended up and what exactly happened to her is unknown; no evidence was found." One of the survivors, Max Mannheimer, recalls in his testimony that near Dresden, the inmates were asked by the SS guards to write postcards to their wives relating that they had arrived at their destination, that food and accommodation were good and that the work was not too demanding. They were to invite their wives to follow them as soon as possible.
Out of the 2,499 people on the transport, only 472 survived the war. Egon was one of them; he was liberated in Blechhammer on 29 January 1945. After the war, he returned to Theresienstadt to reclaim his hidden jewellery, "looking for what he hid and found it."
Egon met Milena Schulz through common friends; they married in Prague in 1947. Their marriage was delayed until it was confirmed that Miriam was dead. Milena, 20-years-old at the time, was 19 years younger than her husband. They left for France, arriving 7 January 1949. French temporary residence was extended several times. Egon worked for a jeweller in France. He had travelled to France before on several occasions and was fluent in the language. They left for Australia in May 1950, arriving 8 June 1950 on the Napoli, bringing the jewellery with them. Egon continued to manufacture jewellery in Sydney until his death in 1966, aged 58. Milena worked in the shop with him, and then for two to three years after he died, but then gave up the business.
The jewellery is an example of ingenuity and craftsmanship produced under inhumane conditions with limited available materials.
Egon Fuchs had trained as a jeweller in Prague. His father was a skilled jeweller. He had a shop in Ostrava. Egon was deported to Theresienstadt in 1942. He worked in a jewellery workshop in Theresienstadt. Egon was transported to Auschwitz in October 1944. He survived and migrated to Australia in 1950.
Part of a collection of jewellery made by Egon Fuchs while incarcerated in Theresienstadt (Terezin) ghetto/concentration camp. It contains handmade broaches, pendants and bracelets, some featuring decorative designs of the Terezin coat of arms, mushrooms, owls, seahorse and turtle. A few items contain the initials 'MF' (most likely made for his first wife Miriam Fuchs nee Wasserman) who sadly did not survive Auschwitz.
Egon Fuchs was born 4 May 1908 in Moravska Ostrava, Czechoslovakia to Wilhelm and Else Fuchs (nee Kohn). From 1923 to 1926 he trained as a goldsmith (Goldschmied) in Prague. His father was also a skilled jeweller. Egon had his own jewellery workshop in Ostrava. On 15 May 1942 he was deported to Theresienstadt on Transport Ez-St-14 - German initials for special transport of individuals (Einzelreisende Sondertransport). These transports usually consisted of the relatives of members of the Jewish Council in Theresienstadt, Jews arrested by the Gestapo, or Jews who had been brought to Prague from other cities in the Protectorate.
Despite the deplorable living conditions and the constant threat of deportation, Theresienstadt had a well-developed cultural life. Jewish artists, mainly from Czechoslovakia, Austria and Germany, created artworks and art workshops; writers, academics, musicians and actors gave lectures and concerts, and workshops were operating specialising in welding, tool making and typewriter and sewing machine repair. Egon obtained work in a jewellery workshop. Some of the items he made would likely be commissioned by the German guards; little items made unofficially for friends and loved ones as souvenirs or to be exchanged for necessities. For materials, Egon recycled the light metal from orthotics and used other scrap metal.
Fearing that these items would be confiscated when he was deported to Auschwitz, he hid them.
He was deported from Theresienstadt to Auschwitz on Transport EK on 28 September 1944, a day after the Day of Atonement, together with 2,499 healthy men under the age of 55 as part of a work transport. In Auschwitz he was registered under the number B11539. Inhabitants of the ghetto were made to believe that the men were going to build a new labour camp near Dresden. According to the donor, Egon's first wife requested to be transferred with her husband: "Where she ended up and what exactly happened to her is unknown; no evidence was found." One of the survivors, Max Mannheimer, recalls in his testimony that near Dresden, the inmates were asked by the SS guards to write postcards to their wives relating that they had arrived at their destination, that food and accommodation were good and that the work was not too demanding. They were to invite their wives to follow them as soon as possible.
Out of the 2,499 people on the transport, only 472 survived the war. Egon was one of them; he was liberated in Blechhammer on 29 January 1945. After the war, he returned to Theresienstadt to reclaim his hidden jewellery, "looking for what he hid and found it."
Egon met Milena Schulz through common friends; they married in Prague in 1947. Their marriage was delayed until it was confirmed that Miriam was dead. Milena, 20-years-old at the time, was 19 years younger than her husband. They left for France, arriving 7 January 1949. French temporary residence was extended several times. Egon worked for a jeweller in France. He had travelled to France before on several occasions and was fluent in the language. They left for Australia in May 1950, arriving 8 June 1950 on the Napoli, bringing the jewellery with them. Egon continued to manufacture jewellery in Sydney until his death in 1966, aged 58. Milena worked in the shop with him, and then for two to three years after he died, but then gave up the business.
The jewellery is an example of ingenuity and craftsmanship produced under inhumane conditions with limited available materials.
Место изготовленияTheresienstadt ghetto
Дата 1942 - 1944
Период созданияWorld War II (1939-1945)
Наименованиеjewellery
Размерность
- width: 23.00 mm
height: 25.00 mm
Кредитная линияSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Mrs Milena Engelbert