Overview
- Brief Narrative
- Pen and wash drawing from a series of 19 captioned, narrative drawings created by Peretz Chorshati (born Pavel Szenwald) between 1994 and 1997 about his wartime experiences. It depicts Pavel and a Beitar member looking at a military uniform in October 1945 when Pavel deserted the Soviet Army and exchanged his uniform for a civilian identity. Pavel was an 18 year old student in Warsaw when the Germans invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. He was imprisoned in the Warsaw ghetto until his father got him forged papers and he escaped. He posed as a German national, and joined the German army. In March 1943, while serving as a guard, Pavel deserted the army and joined the Bielski partisan group. After the war ended on May 7, 1945, Pavel returned to Warsaw and joined Beitar, a right wing Zionist group. In June 1946, he illegally emigrated to British ruled Palestine.
- Artwork Title
- Out of Uniform, October 1945
- Date
-
creation:
1994
depiction: 1945 October
- Geography
-
creation:
Israel
depiction: Warsaw (Poland)
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Peretz Chorshati
- Signature
- front, lower right, black ink : Peretz Chorshati / 94
- Contributor
-
Artist:
Peretz Chorshati
Subject: Peretz Chorshati
- Biography
-
Pavel Szenwald was born on December 28, 1920, in Warsaw, Poland. He was a student at the Technical College in Warsaw when the Germans invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. A few months later, he was imprisoned in the Warsaw ghetto and in March 1941 was transported to the Nedev labor camp; he escaped and returned to the ghetto. In 1942, Pavel used forged Polish papers obtained by his father and escaped the ghetto. He posed as a German national, joined the German army, and served as a guard at a prisoner of war camp for Soviet prisoners. Believing his identity was about to be revealed, he fled his post in March 1943 and traveled over 600 miles to the Lida ghetto in Poland (Belarus). He escaped in April to the forest in Belarus and joined the Bielski partisans as a machine gunner and saboteur. In December, the group established a permanent base in the Naliboki forest which was under the administration of a Soviet partisan group led by General Chernyshev. The Bielski group established a relationship with the Soviet partisans who provided them with weapons. In July 1944, the camp was liberated by the Soviet Army; Pavel and his battalion fought alongside the Soviets. After the war in Europe ended on May 7, 1945, Pavel was drafted into the Soviet Army.
Pavel returned to Warsaw in August 1945. He stayed at an army barracks and searched the ghetto ruins for surviving relatives but found none. Not wanting to return to his Russian army unit, Pavel decided to go to Palestine. In October 1945, he joined Beitar, a right wing Zionist group which was involved in illegal immigration and military activities. He gave up his papers, uniform, and weapons in exchange for ragged clothing and forged papers declaring him a Greek refugee. In November 1945, he crossed the border into Czechoslovakia with other Poles. They stayed in a safe house in Prague and were forbidden to leave, but Pavel heard that he could get cakes in town and left. He stopped to ask directions and was arrested. His identity, and the fact he was a deserter from the Soviet army, was discovered. His Russian interrogator told Pavel, in Yiddish, to go to Palestine, and released him. In November, Pavel and the other displaced persons crossed the border into Germany. They arrived at a United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration refugee camp and in June 1946, the Jewish Brigade transported them to Marseilles, France. In Marseilles, Pavel was one of 1100 passengers to board the Biria as part of the illegal immigration to Palestine. The British ruled Palestine by mandate and restricted Jewish immigration during and after the Holocaust.
The Biria was discovered by the British near Cyprus. To evade capture, the passengers were transferred to the Akbel, a Turkish coal boat, under the watch of an armed French ship, the Joan D’Arc, as British planes circled overhead. The Akbel almost sank, had no water or bathrooms, and many people were sea sick. The British intercepted the ship and rerouted it to Haifa, Palestine. The passengers were interred in the Atlit detention camp outside of Haifa. In July 1946, Pavel and another man escaped and hid by the side of the Haifa-Tel Aviv road. A passenger bus stopped and let them board without papers or money. Pavel made his way to Ramat-Gan and by winter was living in Givat Shmuel, where his daughter Shula was born. He patrolled the neighborhood at night and guarded the water tower.
In the spring of 1947, Pavel joined the Irgun National Military Organization. In May 1948, he enlisted in the Israeli Defense Forces and fought in the War of Independence. The war ended on May 14, when Israel became an independent state. Pavel served in the army until 1961 and left with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He changed his name to Peretz Chorshati, settled in Eilat, established the Fire and Rescue Service, and served as station chief.
Physical Details
- Language
- Hebrew
- Classification
-
Art
- Category
-
Drawings
- Object Type
-
Autobiography--Illustrations (lcsh)
- Physical Description
- Ink and wash drawing on white rectangular paper depicting a man with short dark hair in an undershirt sitting at a plain wood table. His right forearm has a white cloth around it and he is holding a handgun. A second man, in a jacket and pants, is standing on the right, hands on the table, facing the seated man. On the table is a jacket and pants with Russian insignia, hat, sword, papers, and black kneeboots. They sit under a bulb and shade hanging from a cord, the only light source in a dark room. There is a paragraph length artist’s caption in Hebrew, dates, number, and the artist’s name inscribed on the front. Some text is covered in correction fluid and written over. There are 2 punched holes at the top center of the paper.
- Dimensions
- overall: Height: 8.125 inches (20.638 cm) | Width: 11.500 inches (29.21 cm)
- Materials
- overall : paper, ink, graphite, correction fluid, paint
- Inscription
- front, lower left, handwritten, black ink : Hebrew text [A week of searching for my relatives in Warsaw ended with no results. I did not want to return to my unit which arrived from Russia. In Warsaw I met young Jews. All of them wanted to reach Palestine, so I too wanted that. I was referred to Beitar which was active in the underground. I gave up my documents, uniform and weapon and received tattered clothing and forged papers of a Greek refugee! After some time we crossed the border to Czechoslovakia] / October 45
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- No restrictions on access
- Conditions on Use
- No restrictions on use
Keywords & Subjects
Administrative Notes
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- 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:
- 2023-07-10 11:58:18
- This page:
- http://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn42930
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Also in Peretz Chorshati collection
The collection consists of drawings created by Peretz Chorshati in the 1990s about his experiences as a soldier, forced laborer, and refugee in Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, and Poland during the Holocaust, and his voyage to and detention in Palestine after the Holocaust.
Date: 1994-1997
Autobiographical ink drawing of 6 refugees trekking through the snow at night
Object
Pen and wash drawing from a series of captioned, narrative illustrations created by Peretz Chorshati (born Pavel Szenwald) between 1994 and 1997 about his wartime experiences. It depicts Pavel and 5 other men hiking through deep snow in November 1945, disguised as Greek refugees illegally crossing the Czechoslovakian border en route to a displaced persons camp. Pavel was an 18 year old student in Warsaw when the Germans invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. He was imprisoned in the Warsaw ghetto until his father got him forged papers and he escaped. He posed as a German national, and joined the German army. In March 1943, while serving as a guard, Pavel deserted the army and joined the Bielski partisan group. After the war ended on May 7, 1945, Pavel returned to Warsaw and joined Beitar, a right wing Zionist group. In June 1946, he illegally emigrated to British ruled Palestine.
Photocopy of an autobiographical ink drawing of a uniformed man and his Russian interrogator
Object
Photocopy of a drawing from a series of 19 narrative illustrations created by Peretz Chorshati (born Pavel Szenwald) between 1994 and 1997 about his wartime experiences. It depicts Pavel standing in a Russian interrogation office. In November 1945, Pavel left a detention camp to get cakes, was arrested, then released. Pavel was an 18 year old student in Warsaw when the Germans invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. He was imprisoned in the Warsaw ghetto until his father got him forged papers and he escaped. He posed as a German national, and joined the German army. In March 1943, Pavel deserted the German army and joined the Bielski partisan group. After the war ended on May 7, 1945, Pavel returned to Warsaw and joined Beitar, a right wing Zionist group. In June 1946, he illegally emigrated to British ruled Palestine.
Photocopy of an autobiographical ink drawing of Polish refugees disguised as Greeks crossing the border
Object
Photocopy of a drawing from a series of 19 narrative illustrations created by Peretz Chorshati (born Pavel Szenwald) between 1994 and 1997 about his postwar experiences. It depicts Pavel and 3 men at a train station on the Polish border in November 1945, disguised as Greek refugees en route to a displaced persons camp. Pavel was an 18 year old student in Warsaw when the Germans invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. He was imprisoned in the Warsaw ghetto until his father got him forged papers and he escaped. He posed as a German national, and joined the German army. In March 1943, Pavel deserted the German army and joined the Bielski partisan group. After the war ended on May 7, 1945, Pavel returned to Warsaw and joined Beitar, a right wing Zionist group. In June 1946, he illegally emigrated to British ruled Palestine.
Autobiographical ink drawing of a man sitting in a bathtub under a running shower
Object
Pen and wash drawing from a series of 19 narrative illustrations created by Peretz Chorshati (born Pavel Szenwald) between 1994 and 1997 about his wartime experiences. It depicts Pavel taking a bath in August 1945, when he visited a bathhouse in Warsaw for his first bath in nearly a year after the war. Pavel was an 18 year old student in Warsaw when the Germans invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. He was imprisoned in the Warsaw ghetto until his father got him forged papers and he escaped. He posed as a German national, and joined the German army. In March 1943, Pavel deserted the German army and joined the Bielski partisan group. After the war ended on May 7, 1945, Pavel returned to Warsaw and joined Beitar, a right wing Zionist group. In June 1946, he illegally emigrated to British ruled Palestine.
Autobiographical ink drawing of 2 men in uniform sharing a meal at a train station cafe
Object
Pen and wash drawing from a series of 19 captioned, narrative illustrations created by Peretz Chorshati (born Pavel Szenwald) between 1994 and 1997 about his wartime experiences. It depicts Pavel talking to a Polish Army recruiting officer in a cafe. Pavel arrived in Warsaw in August 1945 to look for relatives and had a drink with a Jewish security officer who asked him to join the Polish army. Pavel was an 18 year old student in Warsaw when the Germans invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. He was imprisoned in the Warsaw ghetto until his father got him forged papers and he escaped. He posed as a German national, and joined the German army. In March 1943, Pavel deserted the German army and joined the Bielski partisan group. After the war ended on May 7, 1945, Pavel returned to Warsaw and joined Beitar, a right wing Zionist group. In June 1946, he illegally emigrated to British ruled Palestine.
Autobiographical ink drawing of a uniformed man searching in the rubble of a destroyed city
Object
Pen and wash drawing from a series of 19 captioned, narrative illustrations created by Peretz Chorshati (born Pavel Szenwald) between 1994 and 1997 about his wartime experiences. It depicts an injured Pavel staring at the ruins of a demolished city block. Pavel returned to the destroyed Warsaw ghetto in August 1945 to search for surviving relatives. Pavel was an 18 year old student in Warsaw when the Germans invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. He was imprisoned in the Warsaw ghetto until his father got him forged papers and he escaped. He posed as a German national, and joined the German army. In March 1943, Pavel deserted the German army and joined the Bielski partisan group. After the war ended on May 7, 1945, Pavel returned to Warsaw and joined Beitar, a right wing Zionist group. In June 1946, he illegally emigrated to British ruled Palestine.
Photocopy of an autobiographical ink drawing of 4 refugees peeling potatoes in a refugee camp
Object
Photocopy of a drawing from a series of 19 captioned, narrative illustrations created by Peretz Chorshati (born Pavel Szenwald) between 1994-1997 about his wartime experiences. It depicts Pavel and 3 refugees peeling potatoes in a refugee camp in March 1946, in Germany prior to leaving for Palestine. Pavel was an 18 year old student in Warsaw when the Germans invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. He was imprisoned in the Warsaw ghetto until his father got him forged papers and he escaped. He posed as a German national, and joined the German army. In March 1943, Pavel deserted the German army and joined the Bielski partisan group. After the war ended on May 7, 1945, Pavel returned to Warsaw and joined Beitar, a right wing Zionist group. In June 1946, he illegally emigrated to British ruled Palestine.
Autobiographical ink drawing of a group of men and women in a Jewish Brigade truck
Object
Pen and wash drawing from a series of 19 captioned, narrative illustrations created by Peretz Chorshati (born Pavel Szenwald) between 1994 and 1997 about his postwar experiences. It depicts Pavel and 3 others in the back of a military transport truck. In June 1946, Pavel was transported from Germany to France by the Jewish Brigade to board a ship for Palestine. Pavel was an 18 year old student in Warsaw when the Germans invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. He was imprisoned in the Warsaw ghetto until his father got him forged papers and he escaped. He posed as a German national, and joined the German army. In March 1943, Pavel deserted the German army and joined the Bielski partisan group. After the war ended on May 7, 1945, Pavel returned to Warsaw and joined Beitar, a right wing Zionist group. In June 1946, he illegally emigrated to British ruled Palestine.
Photocopy of an autobiographical ink drawing of 3 men sharing a bed as a fourth removes his shoes
Object
Photocopy of a drawing from a series of 19 captioned, narrative illustrations created by Peretz Chorshati (born Pavel Szenwald) between 1994-1997 about his wartime experiences. It depicts Pavel and 3 men sharing a hotel room in June 1946 in Lyon, France, on their way to board a ship for Palestine. Pavel was an 18 year old student in Warsaw when the Germans invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. He was imprisoned in the Warsaw ghetto until his father got him forged papers and he escaped. He posed as a German national, and joined the German army. In March 1943, Pavel deserted the German army and joined the Bielski partisan group. After the war ended on May 7, 1945, Pavel returned to Warsaw and joined Beitar, a right wing Zionist group. In June 1946, he illegally emigrated to British ruled Palestine.
Photocopy of an autobiographical ink drawing of 5 refugee men with knapsacks crossing a guarded gangplank
Object
Photocopy of a drawing from a series of 19 captioned, narrative illustrations created by Peretz Chorshati (born Pavel Szenwald) between 1994-1997 about his wartime experiences. It depicts Pavel and 4 men boarding a ship. In June 1946, Pavel boarded the Biria in Marseilles, France, as an illegal immigrant to Palestine. Pavel was an 18 year old student in Warsaw when the Germans invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. He was imprisoned in the Warsaw ghetto until his father got him forged papers and he escaped. He posed as a German national, and joined the German army. In March 1943, Pavel deserted the German army and joined the Bielski partisan group. After the war ended on May 7, 1945, Pavel returned to Warsaw and joined Beitar, a right wing Zionist group. In June 1946, he illegally emigrated to British ruled Palestine.
Autobiographical ink drawing of a passenger transfer at sea between two Ma’apilim ships
Object
Pen and wash drawing from a series of 19 captioned, narrative illustrations created by Peretz Chorshati (born Pavel Szenwald) between 1994 and 1997 about his wartime experiences. It depicts Pavel and other passengers being transferred between 2 ships mid-sea. In June 1946, Pavel was on the ship Biria bound for Palestine when it was discovered by the British near Cyprus. Pavel was an 18 year old student in Warsaw when the Germans invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. He was imprisoned in the Warsaw ghetto until his father got him forged papers and he escaped. He posed as a German national, and joined the German army. In March 1943, Pavel deserted the German army and joined the Bielski partisan group. After the war ended on May 7, 1945, Pavel returned to Warsaw and joined Beitar, a right wing Zionist group. In June 1946, he illegally emigrated to British ruled Palestine.
Autobiographical ink and pencil drawing of a sinking passenger filled boat
Object
Pen and wash drawing from a series of 19 captioned, narrative illustrations created by Peretz Chorshati (born Pavel Szenwald) between 1994 and 1997 about his wartime experiences. It depicts Pavel and other passengers packed on a boat deck. In June 1946, Pavel was transferred mid sea from the immigrant ship Biria to the coal boat Akbel en route to Palestine. Pavel was an 18 year old student in Warsaw when the Germans invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. He was imprisoned in the Warsaw ghetto until his father got him forged papers and he escaped. He posed as a German national, and joined the German army. In March 1943, Pavel deserted the German army and joined the Bielski partisan group. After the war ended on May 7, 1945, Pavel returned to Warsaw and joined Beitar, a right wing Zionist group. In June 1946, he illegally emigrated to British ruled Palestine.
Photocopy of an autobiographical ink drawing of 3 adults and a child disembarking at a guarded port
Object
Photocopy of a drawing from a series of 19 captioned, narrative illustrationscreated by Peretz Chorshati (born Pavel Szenwald) between 1994-1997 about his wartime experiences. It depicts Pavel, 2 adults, and a child disembarking a boat at port. In June 1946, Pavel arrived in port after his illegal immigrant boat was discovered by the British. Pavel was an 18 year old student in Warsaw when the Germans invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. He was imprisoned in the Warsaw ghetto until his father got him forged papers and he escaped. He posed as a German national, and joined the German army. In March 1943, Pavel deserted the German army and joined the Bielski partisan group. After the war ended on May 7, 1945, Pavel returned to Warsaw and joined Beitar, a right wing Zionist group. In June 1946, he illegally emigrated to British ruled Palestine.
Autobiographical ink wash drawing of men, women, and children in a detention camp separated by barbed wire
Object
Pen and wash drawing from a series of 19 captioned, narrative illustrations created by Peretz Chorshati (born Pavel Szenwald) between 1994 and 1997 about his wartime experiences. It depicts Pavel at a detention camp divided by a barbed wire topped fence where he was sent by the British in Junre 1946 after arriving illegally in Palestine. Pavel was an 18 year old student in Warsaw when the Germans invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. He was imprisoned in the Warsaw ghetto until his father got him forged papers and he escaped. He posed as a German national, and joined the German army. In March 1943, Pavel deserted the German army and joined the Bielski partisan group. After the war ended on May 7, 1945, Pavel returned to Warsaw and joined Beitar, a right wing Zionist group. In June 1946, he illegally emigrated to British ruled Palestine.
Autobiographical ink drawing of 2 uniformed men boarding a bus in the countryside
Object
Pen and wash drawing from a series of 19 captioned, narrative illustrations created by Peretz Chorshati (born Pavel Szenwald) between 1994 and 1997 about his wartime experiences. It depicts Pavel and another man boarding a bus. In July 1946, Pavel escaped from a detention camp in Palestine and boarded a passenger bus without money or papers. Pavel was an 18 year old student in Warsaw when the Germans invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. He was imprisoned in the Warsaw ghetto until his father got him forged papers and he escaped. He posed as a German national, and joined the German army. In March 1943, Pavel deserted the German army and joined the Bielski partisan group. After the war ended on May 7, 1945, Pavel returned to Warsaw and joined Beitar, a right wing Zionist group. In June 1946, he illegally emigrated to British ruled Palestine.
Autobiographical ink and pencil drawing of a woman on a storefront sidewalk and a man at an outdoor counter
Object
Pen and wash drawing from a series of 19 captioned, narrative illustrations created by Peretz Chorshati (born Pavel Szenwald) between 1994 and 1997 about his wartime experiences. It depicts Pavel standing an open-air soda fountain and a woman walking along a street in August 1946. Pavel, only in Palestine 1 month with limited Hebrew and no money, is welcomed with a free soda. Pavel was an 18 year old student in Warsaw when the Germans invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. He was imprisoned in the Warsaw ghetto until his father got him forged papers and he escaped. He posed as a German national, and joined the German army. In March 1943, Pavel deserted the German army and joined the Bielski partisan group. After the war ended on May 7, 1945, Pavel returned to Warsaw and joined Beitar, a right wing Zionist group. In June 1946, he illegally emigrated to British ruled Palestine.
Autobiographical ink drawing of a man walking along a traffic filled highway
Object
Pen and wash drawing from a series of 19 captioned, narrative illustrations created by Peretz Chorshati (born Pavel Szenwald) between 1994 and 1997 about his wartime experiences. It depicts Pavel walking down a busy street in 1946. Pavel was without bus fare and walked 17 miles from Tel Aviv to Ramat-Gan. Pavel was an 18 year old student in Warsaw when the Germans invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. He was imprisoned in the Warsaw ghetto until his father got him forged papers and he escaped. He posed as a German national, and joined the German army. In March 1943, Pavel deserted the German army and joined the Bielski partisan group. After the war ended on May 7, 1945, Pavel returned to Warsaw and joined Beitar, a right wing Zionist group. In June 1946, he illegally emigrated to British ruled Palestine.
Autobiographical ink drawing of an armed man guarding a watertower at night
Object
Pen and wash drawing from a series of 19 captioned, narrative illustrations created by Peretz Chorshati (born Pavel Szenwald) between 1994 and 1997 about his wartime experiences. It depicts Pavel patrolling a neighborhood street corner. Pavel guarded the watertower in the Ramat-Gan neighborhood during the winter of 1946-1947. Pavel was an 18 year old student in Warsaw when the Germans invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. He was imprisoned in the Warsaw ghetto until his father got him forged papers and he escaped. He posed as a German national, and joined the German army. In March 1943, Pavel deserted the German army and joined the Bielski partisan group. After the war ended on May 7, 1945, Pavel returned to Warsaw and joined Beitar, a right wing Zionist group. In June 1946, he illegally emigrated to British ruled Palestine.