French ration stamps

British military armband acquired by a Jewish emigre serving in the US Army

Object

Military uniform armband issued by the Army Council owned by Joseph Strip (originally Striponsky) who was sent to Germany by the United States Army in 1944. Joseph and his parents Menachem Nathan and Regina Stripounsky, and brother Astriel fled Antwerp, Belgium, in May 1940 for France. A year later, they received American visas, and traveling via Spain and Portugal, left for New York in May 1941.

Green patch with a paintbrush and palette acquired by a Jewish emigre serving in the US Army

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Badge with a painter's palette and brush owned Joseph Strip (originally Striponsky) who was sent to Germany by the United States Army in 1944. Joseph and his parents Menachem Nathan and Regina Stripounsky, and brother Astriel fled Antwerp, Belgium, in May 1940 for France. A year later, they received American visas, and traveling via Spain and Portugal, left for New York in May 1941.

Green patch with a red tent acquired by a Jewish emigre in US Army

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Badge with an embroidered red tent owned by Joseph Strip (originally Striponsky) who was sent to Germany by the United States Army in 1944. Joseph and his parents Menachem Nathan and Regina Stripounsky, and brother Astriel fled Antwerp, Belgium, in May 1940 for France. A year later, they received American visas, and traveling via Spain and Portugal, left for New York in May 1941.

Set of ration stamps

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Set of ration stamps, one of a number of materials documenting the experiences of the Stripounsky (later Strip) family: Menachem Nathan and Regina Stripounsky and their sons Joseph and Asriel during the time period surrounding the Holocaust. The Stripounskys fled Antwerp, Belgium in May 1940 to France. After a year, they got American visas, traveling via Spain and Portugal, arriving in New York in May 1941. Joseph was sent by the US Army to Germany in 1944.

Austrian two schilling scrip

Object

Austrian two schilling scrip printed in 1944 by the Alliierte Militarbehorde. One of a number of materials documenting the experiences of the Stripounsky (later Strip) family: Menachem Nathan and Regina Stripounsky and their sons Joseph and Asriel during the time period surrounding the Holocaust. The Stripounskys fled Antwerp, Belgium in May 1940 to France. After a year, they got American visas, traveling via Spain and Portugal, arriving in New York in May 1941. Joseph was sent by the US Army to Germany in 1944.

Austrian ten schilling scrip

Object

Austrian ten schilling scrip issued by the Austrian Nationalbank in Vienna on 20 May 1945, one of a number of materials documenting the experiences of the Stripounsky (later Strip) family: Menachem Nathan and Regina Stripounsky and their sons Joseph and Asriel during the time period surrounding the Holocaust. The Stripounskys fled Antwerp, Belgium in May 1940 to France. After a year, they got American visas, traveling via Spain and Portugal, arriving in New York in May 1941. Joseph was sent by the US Army to Germany in 1944.

Austrian fifty groschen scrip

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Austrian fifty groschen scrip printed by the Alliierte Militarbehorde in 1944. The scrip is one of a number of materials documenting the experiences of the Stripounsky (later Strip) family: Menachem Nathan and Regina Stripounsky and their sons Joseph and Asriel during the time period surrounding the Holocaust. The Stripounskys fled Antwerp, Belgium in May 1940 to France. After a year, they got American visas, traveling via Spain and Portugal, arriving in New York in May 1941. Joseph was sent by the US Army to Germany in 1944.

Austrian one schilling scrip

Object

Austrian one schilling scrip issued in 1944 by the Alliierte Militarbehorde, one of a number of materials documenting the experiences of the Stripounsky (later Strip) family: Menachem Nathan and Regina Stripounsky and their sons Joseph and Asriel during the time period surrounding the Holocaust. The Stripounskys fled Antwerp, Belgium in May 1940 to France. After a year, they got American visas, traveling via Spain and Portugal, arriving in New York in May 1941. Joseph was sent by the US Army to Germany in 1944.

German one-half mark scrip

Object

German one-half mark scrip, one of a number of materials documenting the experiences of the Stripounsky (later Strip) family: Menachem Nathan and Regina Stripounsky and their sons Joseph and Asriel during the time period surrounding the Holocaust. The Stripounskys fled Antwerp, Belgium in May 1940 to France. After a year, they got American visas, traveling via Spain and Portugal, arriving in New York in May 1941. Joseph was sent by the US Army to Germany in 1944.

German one mark scrip

Object

German one mark scrip issued in 1944, one of a number of materials documenting the experiences of the Stripounsky (later Strip) family: Menachem Nathan and Regina Stripounsky and their sons Joseph and Asriel during the time period surrounding the Holocaust. The Stripounskys fled Antwerp, Belgium in May 1940 to France. After a year, they got American visas, traveling via Spain and Portugal, arriving in New York in May 1941. Joseph was sent by the US Army to Germany in 1944.

Chinese scrip

Object

Chinese piece of scrip, dated 1953, one of a number of materials documenting the experiences of the Stripounsky (later Strip) family: Menachem Nathan and Regina Stripounsky and their sons Joseph and Asriel during the time period surrounding the Holocaust. The Stripounskys fled Antwerp, Belgium in May 1940 to France. After a year, they got American visas, traveling via Spain and Portugal, arriving in New York in May 1941. Joseph was sent by the US Army to Germany in 1944.

Pro-Vichy propaganda handbill acquired by a Jewish emigre in US Army

Object

Pro-Vichy government handbill acquired by Joseph Strip (originally Striponsky) who was sent to Germany by the United States Army in 1944. Joseph and his parents Menachem Nathan and Regina Stripounsky, and brother Astriel fled Antwerp, Belgium, in May 1940 for France. A year later, they received American visas, and traveling via Spain and Portugal, left for New York in May 1941.

Stripounsky family papers

Document

The Stripounsky family papers consist of identification, education, immigration, and military papers, correspondence, photographs, printed materials, and writings documenting the flight of Menachem (Nathan) and Regina Stripounsky and their sons Joseph and Asriel from Nazi-occupied Belgium to France in 1940 and from France to the United States in 1941 and Joseph Strip’s military service in 1945 and 1946. Biographical materials consist of identification papers, student records, ration cards, military records, employment records, citizenship records, and immigration records documenting the Stripounsky family, Menachem Stripounsky’s years in England and immigration to Belgium, the birth of his son Joseph, the family’s refuge in France, and their immigration to the United States. This series also contains correspondence documenting Joseph’s work for military intelligence and war crimes trials after the war and his efforts to redress his Belgian court martial. Correspondence files document Menachem Stripounsky’s efforts in 1940 and 1941 to find employment in France and to enable his family to immigrate to the United States with the help of his previous employer, and they include Menachem’s hand-copied correspondence entries into notebooks that appear to have also been used by Joseph for his studies. This series also documents the Stripounskys’ unsuccessful efforts to help the Kaminsky family immigrate to the United States, poems by Morris Polaskoff, and Joseph Strip’s return visit to the French city of Grantentour where his family found refuge after leaving Belgium before immigrating to the United States. Photographic materials include two photo albums and loose photographs documenting Joseph Stripounsky’s military service in Europe from 1944-1946 as well as Menachem Stripounsky, his family, and his coworkers. Printed materials include the July 21, 1947 edition of the daily newspaper of the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, a map of Belgium, a program for a Mendele Folk Shul event, and a few clippings. Writings include Joseph’s 1939 geometry notebook, his 1940 algebra notebook which he also used as a diary, and his 1941 diary. Joseph’s diaries describe the 1940 invasion of Belgium, his family’s flight to France, the invasion of France, his life as a refugee in Gratentour (near Toulouse) and Nimes, his family’s immigration to the United States via Spain and Portugal, and their new life in the United States. Throughout the diaries he notes his activities, impressions, living conditions, rations, and news about the progress of the war. His writings also include his memoirs written between 1978 and 2014 describing his family escape to France and the United States in 1940 and 1941. His memoirs comment and expand on his diary entries and his father’s correspondence from the time and describe in detail their flight from Belgium, his father’s efforts to secure the family’s immigration to America, his education in the United States, and his work as translator and interpreter for the US Army. This series also includes drafts of a short composition Regina wrote for an English class about an American couple escaping war-torn France as well as the memoirs of Marcel Braitstein, a nephew of Regina Stripounsky’s relative Rachel Gunzig, about his survival as a hidden child in Belgium.

Book

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40 franc stamp

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5 franc stamp

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