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Engraved sterling silver tea tray honoring recipient's service to the URO

Object | Accession Number: 1994.97.1

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    Engraved sterling silver tea tray honoring recipient's service to the URO

    Overview

    Brief Narrative
    Sterling silver tea tray presented to Benjamin Ferencz from the staff of the JRSO, LAD, and URO (United Restitution Organization) commemorating his service from 1948-1956 in Nuremberg and Frankfurt, Germany.
    Date
    commemoration:  1948-1956
    received:  1956
    Geography
    received: Frankfurt am Main (Germany)
    Credit Line
    United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Benjamin B. Ferencz
    Contributor
    Subject: Benjamin B. Ferencz
    Biography
    Benjamin Berell Ferencz (1920-2023) was born in Șomcuta Mare, Romania (Nagysomkút, Hungary) on March 11, 1920 to Joseph and Sarah Ferencz. At the time, Șomcuta Mare was part of Hungary, but was occupied by Romania. The city was ceded to Romania under the Treaty of Trianon shortly after Benjamin’s birth, and the Ferencz family immigrated to the United States at the end of 1920 and settled in New York City. Ferencz received a Bachelor of Science in Social Science from the City College of New York in 1940, and a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1943. Ferencz served in the United States Army from 1943-1945. During that time he held several positions, including with the anti-aircraft artillery battalion and the War Crimes Branch of the Army.

    After the war, the US Government recruited Ferencz to join a team working on the Nuremberg trials. Ferencz was sent to Berlin with a team to investigate official Nazi records, which would later be used in the trials, and was later appointed Chief Prosecutor for the Einsatzgruppen Trial. After the trial, Ferencz fought for compensation for victims and survivors and continued to dedicate his life to ending war and promoting Justice. He authored numerous monographs, articles, and commentaries, primarily on matters of international law, the need for an international criminal court, and world peace.

    Ferencz served in a variety of positions related to the Holocaust. Some of those positions included Executive Counsel, Office of the Chief of Counsel for War Crimes, Nuremberg, 1946-1948; Chief Prosecutor for the United States in the war crimes trial against Nazi extermination squads, 1947; Director General, Jewish Restitution Successor Organization, 1948-1956; Director of Operations, United Restitution Organization, Ltd., 1954-1956; Special Legal Advisor at Hague reparations negotiations, Germany-Israel, 1952; Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, 1953-1956; Counsel, International Council of B'nai B'rith, 1958-1961; Counsel, American Oeuvre de Secours aux Enfants, 1959-1961; and numerous other councils and conferences related to the Holocaust. He held the position of Adjunct Professor of International Law at Pace University in White Plains, New York, and was the founder and Executive Director of the Peace Center.

    Ferencz married Gertrude Ferencz Fried (1919-2019) in 1946, and had four children: Carol, Robin Donald, and Nina. He passed away in Florida on April 7, 2023.

    Physical Details

    Language
    English
    Classification
    Household Utensils
    Category
    Tableware
    Object Type
    Tea trays (lcsh)
    Physical Description
    Large oval sterling silver tray with a raised, beveled, scalloped edge that was part of a coffee and tea service, with an engraved inscription in English on the underside.
    Dimensions
    overall: Height: 14.750 inches (37.465 cm) | Width: 18.625 inches (47.308 cm) | Depth: 0.313 inches (0.795 cm)
    Materials
    overall : silver
    Inscription
    reverse, engraved : To Benny and Gertrude, presented by JRSO LAD and URO Staff Members in friendly remembrance of common work for a good cause 1948-1956, Nurnberg; Frankfurt / M. ( list of staff members from the URO and JRSO follows.)

    Rights & Restrictions

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

    Keywords & Subjects

    Administrative Notes

    Provenance
    The tray was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1994 by Benjamin Ferencz.
    Record last modified:
    2023-08-25 15:50:22
    This page:
    https:​/​/collections.ushmm.org​/search​/catalog​/irn8895

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