Dorien Grunbaum family papers

Documents, correspondence and photographs illustrating the experiences of Manfred and Rita Grunbaum, and their daughter Dorien [donor], before, during, and after the Holocaust in the Netherlands and Germany; includes letters sent between Manfred in the Netherlands and family in Mexico, pre-war photographs, and post-war writings. Dorien Grunbaum was born in 1942 in the Netherlands and was deported with her parents to the Westerbork internment camp and then to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany. From there they were sent by train from which they were liberated in April 1945.

Lace doily with net semi-circles and floral design recovered by Dutch Jewish family

Object

Lace doily with large net semi-circles and embroidered flowers recovered by Rita Grunbaum in the Netherlands after the war. She was living in Rotterdam with her husband, Manfred, when Nazi Germany invaded the country on May 10, 1940. Jews became targets of official persecution. Manfred was arrested but quickly released in October 1941. Rita and Manfred decided to have a child to show faith in the future and their daughter, Dorien, was born on August 28, 1942. A year later, two SS men and a Dutch policemen came and arrested them on September 29, 1943. While in the local police station, they considered giving their baby to a non-Jewish woman about to be released, but decided that the family should stay together. They were sent to Westerbork transit camp, and then to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. On April 9, 1945, the Germans began to evacuate the camp because of advancing Allied forces and the inmates were loaded onto trains. Their guards abandoned them near Troebitz, Germany, and with the arrival of Soviet Forces on April 23, they realized that they were free. The family returned to Holland on July 1, 1945.

White net doily with embroidered flowers recovered by a Dutch Jewish family

Object

Embroidered floral net doily recovered by Rita Grunbaum in the Netherlands after the war. She was living in Rotterdam with her husband, Manfred, when Nazi Germany invaded the country on May 10, 1940. Jews became targets of official persecution. Manfred was arrested but quickly released in October 1941. Rita and Manfred decided to have a child to show faith in the future and their daughter, Dorien, was born on August 28, 1942. A year later, two SS men and a Dutch policemen came and arrested them on September 29, 1943. While in the local police station, they considered giving their baby to a non-Jewish woman about to be released, but decided that the family should stay together. They were sent to Westerbork transit camp, and then to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. On April 9, 1945, the Germans began to evacuate the camp because of advancing Allied forces and the inmates were loaded onto trains. Their guards abandoned them near Troebitz, Germany, and with the arrival of Soviet Forces on April 23, they realized that they were free. The family returned to Holland on July 1, 1945.

Flower patterned crocheted doily made by a Dutch Jewish woman after the war

Object

Embroidered floral weblike doily made by Rita Grunbaum after the war. She was living in Rotterdam with her husband, Manfred, when Nazi Germany invaded the country on May 10, 1940. Jews became targets of official persecution. Manfred was arrested but quickly released in October 1941. Rita and Manfred decided to have a child to show faith in the future and their daughter, Dorien, was born on August 28, 1942. A year later, two SS men and a Dutch policemen came and arrested them on September 29, 1943. While in the local police station, they considered giving their baby to a non-Jewish woman about to be released, but decided that the family should stay together. They were sent to Westerbork transit camp, and then to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. On April 9, 1945, the Germans began to evacuate the camp because of advancing Allied forces and the inmates were loaded onto trains. Their guards abandoned them near Troebitz, Germany, and with the arrival of Soviet Forces on April 23, they realized that they were free. The family returned to Holland on July 1, 1945.

Matzoh cover with an embroidered Star of David, kiddush cup, and Hebrew inscription recovered postwar by a Dutch Jewish family

Object

Embroidered white matzoh cover with a Star of David, goblet, and Hebrew inscription recovered after the war by Rita Grunbaum. The inscription includes the date 1919 and the blessing over the matzoh that is recited at the seder. Rita was living in Rotterdam with her husband, Manfred, when Nazi Germany invaded the country on May 10, 1940. Jews became targets of official persecution. Manfred was arrested but quickly released in October 1941. Rita and Manfred decided to have a child to show faith in the future and their daughter, Dorien, was born on August 28, 1942. A year later, two SS men and a Dutch policemen came and arrested them on September 29, 1943. While in the local police station, they considered giving their baby to a non-Jewish woman about to be released, but decided that the family should stay together. They were sent to Westerbork transit camp, and then to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. On April 9, 1945, the Germans began to evacuate the camp because of advancing Allied forces and the inmates were loaded onto trains. Their guards abandoned them near Troebitz, Germany, and with the arrival of Soviet Forces on April 23, they realized that they were free. The family returned to Holland on July 1, 1945.