Overview
- Brief Narrative
- Fountain pen used by Mayer Altarac in his stonework and home design business in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (later Serbia). In September 1941, he fled with his wife, Mimi, and seven-year-old son, Jas̆a, following the German occupation in April. Yugoslavia had been dismembered by the Axis Alliance, and Skopje was now controlled by Bulgaria. A month later, Mayer encountered a man from Kosovo who recognized him as Jewish and the Altarac family fled that night to Pristina, which was under Italian control. There as a large Jewish refugee population there, as the Italians did not regularly deport Jews to the German-run concentration camps. In December 1941, the Jewish refugees in Pristina were ordered to move into a transit camp at the main prison. In March 1942, German authorities demanded the deportation of fifty-one Jews to German territory. This group included Jas̆a 's maternal aunt Frida Barta, her husband, and daughter. The Italians complied and they were all murdered. In September 1943, the Italian military commander informed the Jewish families that Italy had surrendered to the Allies and their troops were withdrawing from Pristina. Assuming the Germans would soon occupy the region, Jas̆a 's family took a taxi to Tirana, Albania. His mother sold hand knit sweaters, and one of her customers, Ganimet Toptani, learning that she was Jewish, offered to help them. Her husband, Atif Toptani, took the family to an estate outside of town. In August 1944, a German unit came to search the estate for weapons, as someone had shot at the soldiers. Atif showed them they had no weapons. They were not arrested, but they were ordered to move back to Tirana. That September, Tirana was liberated by the partisans. The family returned to Belgrade. In December 1948, the family immigrated to Israel.
- Date
-
use:
1935-1941
- Geography
-
use:
Belgrade (Serbia)
manufacture: Hannover (Germany)
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Jas̆a Altarac
- Markings
- a: nib, engraved : Pelikan / .585. / 14 KARAT
b: cap, top, engraved in a band : Pelikan PATENT Pelikan PATENT / [Pelican logo at end] - Contributor
-
Manufacturer:
Pelikan
Subject: Jas̆a Altarac
Previous owner: Jas̆a Altarac
- Biography
-
Jaša Altarac was born on January 1, 1934 in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (Serbia), to Mayer (Meir) and Mimi (Miriam) Finci Altarac. Mimi was born in 1910 in Brcko (now in Bosnia and Hercegovina). Her father was an accountant and she had two brothers, David and Shalom, and a sister, Frida. Shalom immigrated to Palestine before the war. Mayer was born in 1901 in Sarajevo (later in Bosnia and Hercegovina) and had a successful business as a marble craftsman and home contractor. Jaša’s younger sister, Lea Lela, was born in 1937. The family was well off, assimilated, and spoke Serbian. Mayer also supported his mother and other family members in Sarajevo. They traveled by car every year to celebrate Passover with Jaša’s grandmother in Sarajevo.
Yugoslavia was held together by a totalitarian monarchy backed by the military. On April 6, 1941, continuing the policy of eastward expansion, Germany and Italy invaded Yugoslavia supported by Hungary and Bulgaria. Jaša and his family were in Sarajevo for Passover on April 14 and there was an aerial attack. The family rushed to the basement, and the house was directly hit by a bomb. Jaša was thrown through the air. His sister, Lela, was found in the arms of her grandmother, both dead. A few days later, German troops occupied Sarajevo. The family left the city ten days after the funeral for Sabac, a village in central Serbia. They stayed with Miloje Markovic, the foreman of Mayer’s business. On July 18, the family returned to Belgrade. Yugoslavia had been dismembered by the Axis Alliance and Serbia, where Belgrade located, was under German military government. Anti-Jewish policies were immediately implemented. Jews had to register with the police. Jewish men, including Mayer, were taken for forced labor. The Germans took hostages to prevent any resistance, and Jewish hostages were killed for any pretext. Mayer asked a former business partner, and Italian named Erminio Dorio, to help them obtain travel documents for the Italian occupation territory. This area was preferred because Italian authorities generally refused to deport Jews to German-run concentration camps. The permits were not ready as quickly as needed, but Dorio provided a letter on the stationary of the Bulgarian Embassy in Belgrade stating that a travel visa for Skopje was waiting for them in Tirana, Albania.
On September 9, 1941, the family fled to Skopje, Macedonia (now North Macedonia), a former province of Yugoslavia, now occupied by Bulgaria. They rented a room with a Jewish family named Amarillo. On October 10, Mayer met an Albanian man from Kosovo, who recognized Mayer as Jewish. The family left Skopje that night for territory under Italian jurisdiction, and settled in Pristina in Kosovo. Pristina had a large, Jewish refugee population. In December 1941, the Italians ordered the Jewish refugees to move into the main prison. Families remained together, they were allowed to use the prison courtyard, and many of the Italian guards were friendly. Moshe Mandil, a professional photographer from Novi Sad, secured permission for a group of inmates to go to the local market to sell the bread they received from the prison authorities for vegetables and other food. Jewish residents of Pristina also helped the prisoners by providing kosher meals.
On March 17, 1942, German authorities demanded the transfer of the Jews into their custody. The Italians turned over fifty-one individuals. Jaša’s maternal aunt, Frida Barta, her husband, and daughter, Dita, were among them. His mother, Mimi, wanted to join her sister, but an Italian guard convinced her not to go. All fifty-one people were murdered by the Germans. On July 8, the Italian command decided to transfer the Jewish prisoners to Albania. They were divided into groups and each group had to find trucks to take them to different destinations in Albania. Jaša, then eight, and his family went to Kavaje, with four other families: Azriel, Borger, Ruchwarger, and Mandil. There were three other children in the group: Marki Azriel, 14, Gavra Mandil, six, and his sister Beba, five. In Kavaje, the head of each family had to register with the Italian commander daily, but otherwise there were few restrictions. They rented apartments in the same building which they called the Red House. Moshe Mandil opened a photography studio. The children attended a school, with an Italian soldier as their teacher.
In September 1943, the Italian military commander assembled the heads of the Jewish families and announced that Italy had surrendered to the Allies on September 8. The Italian garrison would be leaving town, but they had destroyed the records on the families. The mayor of Kavaje provided documents identifying them citizens and Muslims. It was felt that German forces would soon occupy the town. The Altarac family decided they would be safer in a city and went by taxi with Jasa’s cousin, Sida Levi, and her ten-year-old son, Mikica, to Tirana, the capital. They rented an apartment and Sida and Jaša’s mothers earned money by knitting sweaters. A customer, Ganimet Toptani, who spoke German because her father had been the ambassador to Austria, knew that the family was Jewish and often gave Mimi food for the children. In February 1944, Ganimet asked Mimi to come see her. She told Mimi that the Germans were planning deportation round-ups and that the Jews needed to leave Tirana. Her husband, Atif, moved the Altarac and Levi families to an estate in Kamza, outside Tirana. He later moved Sida and her son to different hiding places. They celebrated Passover with the Mandil family who were being protected by the Veselis family and the Gershons, who were aided by the Frasheris family. In August 1944, the estate was searched by a German unit of Bosnian Muslims, the Hadj Amin El Husseini division (Handjar), after shots were fired at them. They interrogated Mayer, who spoke German, and explained that he was a relative. There were German books, including Nazi propaganda, in the villa, so they believed him and left. Atif moved them to another location in Tirana. In September 1944, Tirana was liberated by partisans.
The Altarac family returned to Belgrade. They later learned that Mimi’s brother David and his family had survived. Shalom had served in the British Army, parachuting behind enemy lines and working with the Yugoslav partisans. In December 1948, the family immigrated to Israel. In 1960, Jaša married Enica Frances, from Skopje, who had survived with her parents, brother, and grandmother in Albania. The couple had two daughters. In 1992, Atif and Ganimet Toptani were recognized as Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem.
Physical Details
- Classification
-
Office Equipment and Supplies
- Category
-
Writing materials
- Object Type
-
Fountain pens (lcsh)
- Genre/Form
- Writing materials
- Physical Description
- Lustrous, brown, maroon, and gold-toned tortoise-shell patterned plastic fountain pen (a) with a matching, screw-off cap (b). The top end of the barrel is maroon, and the cap has two gold-colored, engraved rings near the base and a curved, colored-colored clip. At the bottom of the barrel, visible only when the cap is removed, is a black plastic section. At the end of the section is a 14K gold nib, the end of a black, plastic feed piece for the ink visible on the underside. Manufacturing information is engraved on the nib and the cap, which also has a pelican logo engraved on the rounded tip.
- Dimensions
- overall: Height: 4.750 inches (12.065 cm) | Width: 0.625 inches (1.588 cm) | Depth: 0.500 inches (1.27 cm)
- Materials
- a : plastic, metal, gold
b : plastic, metal
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- No restrictions on access
- Conditions on Use
- No restrictions on use
Keywords & Subjects
- Topical Term
- Hidden children (Holocaust)--Albania--Biography. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Yugoslavia--Personal narratives. Jewish children in the Holocaust--Yugoslavia--Biography. Jewish refugees--Albania--Biography. Jews--Serbia--Belgrade--Biography. Righteous Gentiles in the Holocaust--Albania--Personal narratives. World War, 1939-1945--Refugees--Albania--Personal narratives. World War, 1939-1945--Jews--Rescue--Albania--Personal narratives. Yugoslavia--History--Axis occupation, 1941-1945.
Administrative Notes
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- The pen was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2002 by Jas̆a Altarac, the son of Mayer Altarac.
- Record last modified:
- 2024-07-24 09:00:05
- This page:
- http://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn520812
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Also in Jaša and Enica Frances Altarac families collection
The collection consists of artifacts, documents, and photographs relating to the experiences of Jaša Altarac and his family before and during the war in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (later Serbia,) and during the Holocaust in Skopje, Macedonia, Pristina, Kosovo, and Albania and two photographs relating to the experiences of Enica Frances and her family in Albania during the Holocaust.
Date: approximately 1915-approximately 1964
Jas̆a Altarac papers
Document
The Jaša Altarac papers consist of biographical materials, correspondence, Mermer-Oniks business records, photographic materials, and a newspaper documenting the Altarac family in Belgrade; their Holocaust itinerary of flight, imprisonment, deportation, and hiding through Skopje, Pristina, Kavaja, Kamza, and Tirana; and Mayer Altarac’s marble business Mermer-Oniks. Biographical materials include identification papers, travel permissions, labor documents, and false identification papers documenting Mayer, Mimi, and Jaša Altarac in Belgrade, Skopje, Pristina, Kavaja, and Tirana. This series also includes the notebook the Altarac family used to record the signatures of Italian police in Kavaja proving that the family reported to the police station daily. Correspondence includes Red Cross inquiries from Mimi Altarac seeking information about Frieda and Andrija Barta and about Esther, Ana, and Leon Finci as well as two letters from Albert Altarac, Mayer Altarac's brother, to Gavro Navon and Mario Altarac in Pristina. This series also includes postwar receipts for money sent to Palomba Finci, Hajima Altarac, and Joska Herman in Vareš-Majdan, Mostar, and Sarajevo. Mermer-Oniks records include prewar building documents, commercial correspondence, letterhead, and tax payments as well as postwar surveys of quarries documenting Mayer Altarac’s marble and granite business. Mayer was one of the most prominent architects in prewar Belgrade. He discovered several sources of marble and other stone in Yugoslavia and used the stone from his quarries in his architectural projects. Photographic materials include loose family photographs and pages from a family photo album documenting the Altarac family in Belgrade, Sarajevo, Pristina, Kavaja, Kamza, and Tirana, as well as vacation photos from Bled, Makarska, Planica, Postojna, and Split. Photographs include the Altarac family while imprisoned in Pristina and while living at the “red house” in Kavaja, Jasa Altarac’s class portrait from Kavaja where he attended school under a false Muslim identify, and photographs of the family during hiding in Kamza and Tirana. This series also includes two photographs of Jaša Altarac’s wife, Enica Frances, and her family from Skopje. They were rescued during the war by Dr. Tode and Lala Hadjimitkov, taken to Tirana, and went into hiding. Albanians Zonda and Hamdi Kasapi later helped them escape arrest and hid them in the remote village of Zaliheri. The newspaper is the May 9, 1945 issue of Borba, the Yugoslav communist party organ.
Nameplate from the home of the Altarac family who fled from German occupying forces
Object
Nameplate that originally hung on the outside of seven-year-old Jas̆a Altarac's family home in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (later Serbia), before he and his parents, Mayer and Mimi, fled to Skopje, Macedonia, in September 1941, following the German invasion in April. Yugoslavia had been dismembered by the Axis Alliance, and Skopje was now controlled by Bulgaria. A month later, Mayer encountered a man from Kosovo who recognized him as Jewish and the Altarac family fled that night to Pristina, which was under Italian control. There as a large Jewish refugee population there, as the Italians did not regularly deport Jews to the German-run concentration camps. In December 1941, the Jewish refugees in Pristina were ordered to move into a transit camp at the main prison. In March 1942, German authorities demanded the deportation of fifty-one Jews to German territory. This group included Jas̆a 's maternal aunt Frida Barta, her husband, and daughter. The Italians complied and they were all murdered. In September 1943, the Italian military commander informed the Jewish families that Italy had surrendered to the Allies and their troops were withdrawing from Pristina. Assuming the Germans would soon occupy the region, Jas̆a 's family took a taxi to Tirana, Albania. His mother sold hand knit sweaters, and one of her customers, Ganimet Toptani, learning that she was Jewish, offered to help them. Her husband, Atif Toptani, took the family to an estate outside of town. In August 1944, a German unit came to search the estate for weapons, as someone had shot at the soldiers. Atif showed them they had no weapons. They were not arrested, but they were ordered to move back to Tirana. That September, Tirana was liberated by the partisans. The family returned to Belgrade. In December 1948, the family immigrated to Israel.
Handkerchief bearing a two-headed eagle owned by the Altarac family who fled from German occupying forces
Object
White handkerchief emblazoned with a two-headed eagle, the symbol of Albania, owned by Jas̆a Altarac. Seven-year-old Jas̆a and his parents, Mayer and Mimi, fled Belgrade, Yugoslavia (later Serbia), for Skopje, Macedonia, in September 1941, following the German invasion in April. Yugoslavia had been dismembered by the Axis Alliance, and Skopje was now controlled by Bulgaria. A month later, Mayer encountered a man from Kosovo who recognized him as Jewish and the Altarac family fled that night to Pristina, which was under Italian control. There as a large Jewish refugee population there, as the Italians did not regularly deport Jews to the German-run concentration camps. In December 1941, the Jewish refugees in Pristina were ordered to move into a transit camp at the main prison. In March 1942, German authorities demanded the deportation of fifty-one Jews to German territory. This group included Jas̆a 's maternal aunt Frida Barta, her husband, and daughter. The Italians complied and they were all murdered. In September 1943, the Italian military commander informed the Jewish families that Italy had surrendered to the Allies and their troops were withdrawing from Pristina. Assuming the Germans would soon occupy the region, Jas̆a 's family took a taxi to Tirana, Albania. His mother sold hand knit sweaters, and one of her customers, Ganimet Toptani, learning that she was Jewish, offered to help them. Her husband, Atif Toptani, took the family to an estate outside of town. In August 1944, a German unit came to search the estate for weapons, as someone had shot at the soldiers. Atif showed them they had no weapons. They were not arrested, but they were ordered to move back to Tirana. That September, Tirana was liberated by the partisans. The family returned to Belgrade. In December 1948, the family immigrated to Israel.
Slide rule used by Mayer Altarac whose family fled from German occupying forces
Object
Slide rule used by Mayer Altarac in his stonework and home design business in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (later Serbia). In September 1941, he fled with his wife, Mimi, and seven-year-old son, Jas̆a, following the German occupation in April. They went to Skopje, Macedonia, then under Bulgarian control because Yugoslavia had been dismembered by the Axis Alliance. A month later, Mayer encountered a man from Kosovo who recognized him as Jewish and the Altarac family fled that night to Pristina, which was under Italian control. There as a large Jewish refugee population there, as the Italians did not regularly deport Jews to the German-run concentration camps. In December 1941, the Jewish refugees in Pristina were ordered to move into a transit camp at the main prison. In March 1942, German authorities demanded the deportation of fifty-one Jews to German territory. This group included Jas̆a 's maternal aunt Frida Barta, her husband, and daughter. The Italians complied and they were all murdered. In September 1943, the Italian military commander informed the Jewish families that Italy had surrendered to the Allies and their troops were withdrawing from Pristina. Assuming the Germans would soon occupy the region, Jas̆a 's family took a taxi to Tirana, Albania. His mother sold hand knit sweaters, and one of her customers, Ganimet Toptani, learning that she was Jewish, offered to help them. Her husband, Atif Toptani, took the family to an estate outside of town. In August 1944, a German unit came to search the estate for weapons, as someone had shot at the soldiers. Atif showed them they had no weapons. They were not arrested, but they were ordered to move back to Tirana. That September, Tirana was liberated by the partisans. The family returned to Belgrade. In December 1948, the family immigrated to Israel.
Eyeglasses and case used Mayer Altarac whose family fled from German occupying forces
Object
Eyeglasses and case used by Mayer Altarac, who owned a stonework and construction business in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (later Serbia). In September 1941, he fled with his wife, Mimi, and seven-year-old son, Jas̆a, following the German occupation in April. They went to Skopje, Macedonia, which was under Bulgarian control because Yugoslavia had been dismembered by the Axis Alliance. A month later, Mayer encountered a man from Kosovo who recognized him as Jewish and the Altarac family fled that night to Pristina, which was under Italian control. There as a large Jewish refugee population there, as the Italians did not regularly deport Jews to the German-run concentration camps. In December 1941, the Jewish refugees in Pristina were ordered to move into a transit camp at the main prison. In March 1942, German authorities demanded the deportation of fifty-one Jews to German territory. This group included Jas̆a 's maternal aunt Frida Barta, her husband, and daughter. The Italians complied and they were all murdered. In September 1943, the Italian military commander informed the Jewish families that Italy had surrendered to the Allies and their troops were withdrawing from Pristina. Assuming the Germans would soon occupy the region, Jas̆a 's family took a taxi to Tirana, Albania. His mother sold hand knit sweaters, and one of her customers, Ganimet Toptani, learning that she was Jewish, offered to help them. Her husband, Atif Toptani, took the family to an estate outside of town. In August 1944, a German unit came to search the estate for weapons, as someone had shot at the soldiers. Atif showed them they had no weapons. They were not arrested, but they were ordered to move back to Tirana. That September, Tirana was liberated by the partisans. The family returned to Belgrade. In December 1948, the family immigrated to Israel.
Drafting kit used by Mayer Altarac whose family fled from German occupying forces
Object
Drafting kit used by Mayer Altarac in his stonework/home design business in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (later Serbia) before fleeing with his wife Mimi and seven year old son Jasa in September 1941 following the German occupation in April. They went to Skopje, Macedonia, then under Bulgarian control, as Yugoslavia had been dismembered by the Axis Alliance. A month later, Mayer encountered a man from Kosovo who recognized him as Jewish and the Altarac family fled that night to Pristina, which was under Italian control. There as a large Jewish refugee population there, as the Italians did not regularly deport Jews to the German run concentration camps. In December 1941, the Jewish refugees in Pristina were ordered to move into a transit camp at the main prison. In March 1942, German authorities demanded the deportation of fifty-one Jews to German territory; Jasa's maternal aunt Frida Barta, her husband, and daughter were on the list. The Italians complied and they were all murdered. In September 1943, the Italian military commander informed the Jewish families that Italy had surrendered to the Allies and their troops were withdrawing from Pristina. Assuming the Germans would soon occupy the region, Jasa's family took a taxi to Tirana, Albania. His mother sold hand knit sweaters and one of her customers, Ganimet Toptani, learning that she was Jewish, offered to help them. Her husband, Atif Toptani, took the family to an estate outside of town. In August 1944, a German unit came to search the estate for weapons, as someone had shot at the soldiers. Atif showed them they had no weapons. They were not arrested but they were ordered to move back to Tirana. That September, Tirana was liberated by the partisans. The family returned to Belgrade. In December 1948, the family immigrated to Israel.
Travel clock within a brown leather case used by the Altarac family while imprisoned
Object
Travel clock used by all the Jewish occupants of the "red house" in Kavajë, Albania, where the Altarac family was interned for several months. This was the only working clock. In September 1941, seven-year-old Jas̆a and his parents, Mayer and Mimi, fled Belgrade, Yugoslavia (later Serbia), for Skopje, Macedonia, following the German invasion in April. Yugoslavia had been dismembered by the Axis Alliance, and Skopje was now controlled by Bulgaria. A month later, Mayer encountered a man from Kosovo who recognized him as Jewish and the Altarac family fled that night to Pristina, which was under Italian control. There as a large Jewish refugee population there, as the Italians did not regularly deport Jews to the German-run concentration camps. In December 1941, the Jewish refugees in Pristina were ordered to move into a transit camp at the main prison. In March 1942, German authorities demanded the deportation of fifty-one Jews to German territory. This group included Jas̆a 's maternal aunt Frida Barta, her husband, and daughter. The Italians complied and they were all murdered. In September 1943, the Italian military commander informed the Jewish families that Italy had surrendered to the Allies and their troops were withdrawing from Pristina. Assuming the Germans would soon occupy the region, Jas̆a 's family took a taxi to Tirana, Albania. His mother sold hand knit sweaters, and one of her customers, Ganimet Toptani, learning that she was Jewish, offered to help them. Her husband, Atif Toptani, took the family to an estate outside of town. In August 1944, a German unit came to search the estate for weapons, as someone had shot at the soldiers. Atif showed them they had no weapons. They were not arrested, but they were ordered to move back to Tirana. That September, Tirana was liberated by the partisans. The family returned to Belgrade. In December 1948, the family immigrated to Israel.
Embroidered, pink dress once worn by Lela Altarac, who was killed in a bombing raid
Object
Pink dress with embroidery worn by four-year-old Lela Altarac, who was killed on April 14, 1941, in a German bombing raid on Sarajevo, Yugoslavia (later Bosnia and Hercegovina.) In September 1941, seven-year-old Jas̆a and his parents, Mayer and Mimi, fled Belgrade, Yugoslavia (later Serbia), for Skopje, Macedonia, following the German invasion in April. Yugoslavia had been dismembered by the Axis Alliance, and Skopje was now controlled by Bulgaria. A month later, Mayer encountered a man from Kosovo who recognized him as Jewish and the Altarac family fled that night to Pristina, which was under Italian control. There as a large Jewish refugee population there, as the Italians did not regularly deport Jews to the German-run concentration camps. In December 1941, the Jewish refugees in Pristina were ordered to move into a transit camp at the main prison. In March 1942, German authorities demanded the deportation of fifty-one Jews to German territory. This group included Jas̆a 's maternal aunt Frida Barta, her husband, and daughter. The Italians complied and they were all murdered. In September 1943, the Italian military commander informed the Jewish families that Italy had surrendered to the Allies and their troops were withdrawing from Pristina. Assuming the Germans would soon occupy the region, Jas̆a 's family took a taxi to Tirana, Albania. His mother sold hand knit sweaters, and one of her customers, Ganimet Toptani, learning that she was Jewish, offered to help them. Her husband, Atif Toptani, took the family to an estate outside of town. In August 1944, a German unit came to search the estate for weapons, as someone had shot at the soldiers. Atif showed them they had no weapons. They were not arrested, but they were ordered to move back to Tirana. That September, Tirana was liberated by the partisans. The family returned to Belgrade. In December 1948, the family immigrated to Israel.
Purse carried by Mimi Altarac who fled German-occupied Belgrade with her family
Object
Purse used by Mimi Altarac to hold all the family documents during World War II (1939-1945). In September 1941, seven-year-old Jas̆a and his parents, Mayer and Mimi, fled Belgrade, Yugoslavia (later Serbia), for Skopje, Macedonia, following the German invasion in April. Yugoslavia had been dismembered by the Axis Alliance, and Skopje was now controlled by Bulgaria. A month later, Mayer encountered a man from Kosovo who recognized him as Jewish and the Altarac family fled that night to Pristina, which was under Italian control. There as a large Jewish refugee population there, as the Italians did not regularly deport Jews to the German-run concentration camps. In December 1941, the Jewish refugees in Pristina were ordered to move into a transit camp at the main prison. In March 1942, German authorities demanded the deportation of fifty-one Jews to German territory. This group included Jas̆a 's maternal aunt Frida Barta, her husband, and daughter. The Italians complied and they were all murdered. In September 1943, the Italian military commander informed the Jewish families that Italy had surrendered to the Allies and their troops were withdrawing from Pristina. Assuming the Germans would soon occupy the region, Jas̆a 's family took a taxi to Tirana, Albania. His mother sold hand knit sweaters, and one of her customers, Ganimet Toptani, learning that she was Jewish, offered to help them. Her husband, Atif Toptani, took the family to an estate outside of town. In August 1944, a German unit came to search the estate for weapons, as someone had shot at the soldiers. Atif showed them they had no weapons. They were not arrested, but they were ordered to move back to Tirana. That September, Tirana was liberated by the partisans. The family returned to Belgrade. In December 1948, the family immigrated to Israel.
Drafting tool piece used by Mayer Altarac who fled German-occupied Belgrade with his family
Object
Drafting tool piece used by Mayer Altarac in his stonework and home design business in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (later Serbia). In September 1941, he fled with his wife, Mimi, and seven-year-old son Jas̆a, following the German occupation in April. They went to Skopje, Macedonia, then under Bulgarian control because Yugoslavia had been dismembered by the Axis Alliance. A month later, Mayer encountered a man from Kosovo who recognized him as Jewish and the Altarac family fled that night to Pristina, which was under Italian control. There as a large Jewish refugee population there, as the Italians did not regularly deport Jews to the German-run concentration camps. In December 1941, the Jewish refugees in Pristina were ordered to move into a transit camp at the main prison. In March 1942, German authorities demanded the deportation of fifty-one Jews to German territory. This group included Jas̆a 's maternal aunt Frida Barta, her husband, and daughter. The Italians complied and they were all murdered. In September 1943, the Italian military commander informed the Jewish families that Italy had surrendered to the Allies and their troops were withdrawing from Pristina. Assuming the Germans would soon occupy the region, Jas̆a 's family took a taxi to Tirana, Albania. His mother sold hand knit sweaters, and one of her customers, Ganimet Toptani, learning that she was Jewish, offered to help them. Her husband, Atif Toptani, took the family to an estate outside of town. In August 1944, a German unit came to search the estate for weapons, as someone had shot at the soldiers. Atif showed them they had no weapons. They were not arrested, but they were ordered to move back to Tirana. That September, Tirana was liberated by the partisans. The family returned to Belgrade. In December 1948, the family immigrated to Israel.