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Handkerchief with embroidered floral motif carried by a Polish Jewish refugee

Object | Accession Number: 2008.216.2
2008.216.2 front Handkerchief with embroidered floral motif carried by a Polish Jewish refugee Click to enlarge

Handkerchief embroidered by 19-year old Shejna Sylvia Jaroszewska and brought with her when she emigrated from Sokolka, Poland, to the United States in November 1938. She settled with an aunt in New York City. All the members of her family who remained in Poland were killed during the Holocaust.

Date
emigration:  1938
Geography
creation: Sokolka (Poland)
Classification
Dress Accessories
Category
Handkerchiefs
Object Type
Handkerchiefs (lcsh)
Credit Line
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Elliot H. Bassman This collection is donated in memory of Bonnie Anne Bassman and in honor of her son Joshua Kob

About This Object

Physical Description
Square, white, linen handkerchief with a dark blue cross-stitched border and, in one corner, a cross-stitched bouquet with flowers in shades of red and orange, brown stems, and blue and green leaves.
Dimensions
overall: Height: 10.500 inches (26.67 cm) | Width: 11.875 inches (30.163 cm)
Materials
overall : linen, thread
Contributor
Subject: Sylvia Bassman
Biography
Sylvia Bassman was born Szejna (Shejna) Sylvia Jaroszewska on September 18, 1919, in Sokolka, Poland. She had a brother, Israel Zvi. With her family's blessing, she left Poland for the United States on November 24, 1938, on board the SS Aquitania. She had an aunt who lived in New York City who provided a home for her. Sylvia worked as a dressmaker. All of her family members in Poland were killed during the Holocaust. She became a naturalized citizen in July 1946. She had three children, a daughter and two sons. She passed away in Brooklyn, New York, in June 1974, at the age of 56.

Keywords and Subjects

Administrative History

Legal Status
Permanent Collection
Provenance
The handkerchief was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2008 by Elliot H. Bassman, the son of Sylvia Bassman.

Rights and Restrictions

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

 
Record last modified: 2022-07-28 21:51:04
This page: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn36251

Also in Sylvia Bassman collection

The collection consists of an artifact, documents, and photographs relating to the experiences of Sylvia Bassman before, during, and after the Holocaust. Some of these materials may be combined into a single collection in the future.

Date: 1938-1946

Sylvia Bassman papers

Document

Contains a passport issued to Szejna Jaroszewska (donor's mother, born September 18, 1919 in Sokółka, Poland), that she used to leave Poland on November 24, 1938 for the United States; a ship ticket bought by Szejna Jaroszewska in Warsaw for her 3rd class passage on SS Aquatania to New York; a photograph of Szejna Jaroszewska, taken in Dabrowa near Grodno, Poland on the eve of her departure; and a labor union card issued to Sylvia Jaroszewski (later Sylvia Bassman), on June 12, 1939 in New York by Joint Board Dress and Waistmakers Union.

View All 2 Items in the Collection