Advanced Search

Learn About The Holocaust

Special Collections

My Saved Research

Login

Register

Help

Skip to main content

Brown leather and cork men’s dress shoes crafted in Sedan Kaserne Ulm DP camp by a Jewish Polish soldier

Object | Accession Number: 2012.432.1 a-b

Search this record's additional resources, such as finding aids, documents, or transcripts.

No results match this search term.
Check spelling and try again.

results are loading

0 results found for “keyward

    Brown leather and cork men’s dress shoes crafted in Sedan Kaserne Ulm DP camp by a Jewish Polish soldier

    Overview

    Brief Narrative
    Brown leather dress shoes crafted by Noel Galicki in Sedan Kaserne displaced persons camp in Ulm, Germany, between 1946 and 1949. Noel was taught and certified as a shoemaker in the Organization for Rehabilitation through Training (ORT) vocational training program at the camp. Noel, 27, was a soldier in the Polish Army during the German invasion on September 1, 1939. Seventeen days later, the Soviet Union invaded eastern Poland and Noel was captured. On June 29, 1940, the Soviets deported Noel and his wife Henja to Komi ASSR. Henja died during childbirth on March 30, 1941, and their daughter, Paja, died a month later. In 1943, Noel married Lydia Turubanov, and they had a son, Paul. Lydia, the widow of a Soviet soldier, had a 4 year old son Albert. The family was living in Syktyvkar, Komi when the war ended in May 1945. They decided to leave because of the increasing anti-semitism. They reached Poland, and then the Bricha movement smuggled the family to the DP camp in Germany. The family immigrated to the United States in 1951.
    Date
    creation:  after 1946 July-before 1949 June
    Geography
    creation: Ulm Sedan Kaserne (Displaced persons camp); Ulm (Germany)
    Credit Line
    United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Adam Gell
    Contributor
    Subject: Noel Gell
    Artist: Noel Gell
    Biography
    Noel Galicki was born on March 25, 1912, in Siedlce, Poland, to Jewish parents, Szul-Ajzyk and Paja Siennicka Galicki. They lived in Warsaw. He married Henja Abramovna Galitzky, who was born in 1916.

    On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. Noel was in the Polish Army. On September 17, 1939, the Soviet Union invaded eastern Poland. The Polish Army, retreating from the German advances in western Poland, was regrouping in eastern Galicia when the Soviets invaded. Noel and thousands of Polish troops were taken prisoner by the Soviets. Noel was released and lived in Soviet occupied Poland with Henja. On June 29, 1940, the Soviets deported Noel and Henja from Brest-Litovsk, Poland (Brest, Belarus) to Komi ASSR (Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic) (Komi Republic, Russia). On March 30, 1941, Henja died during childbirth. Their daughter, Paja, died on April 27, 1941. Noel’s brothers, Benik (Ben) and Abraham, also went to the Soviet Union. Ben’s first wife stayed behind. Ben fought in the Soviet Army and was imprisoned for three years in Vorkuta, Komi. Noel stayed with Abraham and his wife Mollie (Malka) following the deaths of Henja and Paja. He chopped timber in the summer and worked at a collective farm in the winter. In 1941, Abraham and Mollie had a daughter, Frieda. In 1942, Noel met Lydia Senkin Turubanov. Lydia was born on June 27, 1920, in Mezhador, Russia, to Aleksiej and Anastazja Pysccina Senkin. In 1938, she married a Soviet soldier, Nikolai Vickentevich Turubanov. They had a son, Albert, on August 27, 1939. Nikolai died on February 8, 1942, following the Battle of Moscow. Noel and Lydia married and had a son, Paul, on April 3, 1943. They lived in Syktyvkar, Komi. In 1946, Abraham and Mollie had a son, David.

    In 1946, Noel, Lydia, and their children left Syktyvkar for Łódź(?), Poland because of increased anti-Semitism. The Bricha movement smuggled them across the border into Germany. In July 1946, they entered the Sedan-Kaserne Ulm displaced persons camp. Noel and Lydia were educated through the Organization for Rehabilitation through Training (ORT) vocational training school. Noel learned how to make shoes and Lydia took classes in garment making. On October 29, 1947, Noel was certified as a shoemaker. Noel’s brothers and their families, Abraham, Mollie, and their children David and Frieda, and Ben and his wife Lucia, also lived in Ulm. By June 1949, they were transferred to Foehrenwald displaced persons camp. On January 7, 1951, the family boarded the United States Navy Ship General CC Ballou in Bremerhaven, and arrived in New York on January 20. They settled in Brooklyn and Americanized their last name to Gell. Noel's brothers also emigrated to America. Noel worked in the garment industry and Lydia as a seamstress. On May 8, 1956, Noel and Lydia became naturalized American citizens. Albert worked on Wall Street and Paul was an architect. Paul, age 40, died in May 1983. Noel, age 85, died on June 25, 1997. Lydia, age 81, died on November 3, 2001.

    Physical Details

    Classification
    Dress Accessories
    Category
    Footwear
    Object Type
    Shoes (lcsh)
    Physical Description
    a. Men’s left reddish brown leather lace-up dress shoe with a rounded toe cap attached to the vamp with 3 rows of stitching. The tongue has zigzag edges and is attached to the vamp with a curved double row of stitches. The quarter is stitched to the vamp and has a double row of decorative edge stitching. A brown cloth shoelace with frayed ends is inserted through 5 pairs of lace holes. There is a Y shaped back strap with decorative geometric edge stitching. The interior is lined with light brown leather and the insole is worn, with visible nail heads. The dark brown leather welt has braided light brown rope on top. The middle sole is cork. The heel and outersole are dark brown leather and are attached small nails and stitching; a curved metal plate is nailed to the heel. The sole is worn and the shoe is scuffed.
    b. Men’s right reddish brown leather lace-up dress shoe with a rounded toe cap attached to the vamp with 3 rows of stitching. The tongue has zigzag edges and is attached to the vamp with a curved double row of stitches. The quarter is stitched to the vamp and has a double row of decorative edge stitching. There are 5 pairs of lacing holes, but no shoelace. There is a Y shaped back strap with decorative geometric edge stitching. The interior is lined with light brown leather and the insole is worn with visible nail pops. The dark brown leather welt has braided light brown rope on top. The middle sole is cork. The heel and outersole are made of dark brown leather and are attached with small nails and stitching; a curved metal plate, is loosely nailed to the heel. The sole is worn and the shoe is scuffed.
    Dimensions
    a: Height: 10.750 inches (27.305 cm) | Width: 3.750 inches (9.525 cm) | Depth: 3.625 inches (9.208 cm)
    b: Height: 10.875 inches (27.623 cm) | Width: 3.750 inches (9.525 cm) | Depth: 4.000 inches (10.16 cm)
    Materials
    a : leather, cork, rope, cloth, thread, metal
    b : leather, cork, rope, thread, metal

    Rights & Restrictions

    Conditions on Access
    No restrictions on access
    Conditions on Use
    No restrictions on use

    Keywords & Subjects

    Administrative Notes

    Provenance
    The shoes were donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2012 by Adam Gell, the grandson of Noel Galicki.
    Funding Note
    The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
    Record last modified:
    2022-07-28 20:14:02
    This page:
    https:​/​/collections.ushmm.org​/search​/catalog​/irn47425

    Download & Licensing

    In-Person Research

    Contact Us