Overview
- Brief Narrative
- Kiddush cup saucer engraved with a Star of David and crescent moon owned by a Jewish family living on Rodnei Street close to the center of Tîrgu-Mureș (Târgu Mureş), Romania before World War II. A Kiddush cup is a ceremonial vessel to hold wine for the blessing said at Shabbat and holiday meals. The star was often depicted alongside a crescent moon in older decorative elements. Before World War II, Tîrgu-Mureș was home to a robust, diverse, and prosperous Jewish community of more than 2,000 people. The town was in the historically contested region of Transylvania, which became part of Romania after World War I. In 1937, the fascist Romanian government enacted anti-Jewish laws similar to those in Nazi Germany. In August 1940, northern Romania, including Transylvania, was ceded to Hungary and joined the Axis Alliance in November. In Transylvania, the Hungarian authorities conscripted Jews to work in forced labor battalions and changed laws. Following several German defeats in 1943, Hungary realized that Germany was likely to lose and began to negotiate with the Allies, which prompted Germany to occupy Hungary in March 1944. In May, a Jewish ghetto was established in the brickyard of Tîrgu-Mureș and more than 7,000 Jews from the local area were held there. They were deported to Auschwitz concentration camp in German occupied Poland, between May 27 and June 8, where the majority were murdered.
- Date
-
use:
before 1944 May
- Geography
-
use:
Tirgu-Mures (Romania)
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Borbála Kriza
Physical Details
- Classification
-
Jewish Art and Symbolism
- Category
-
Jewish ceremonial objects
- Object Type
-
Kiddush cups (lcsh)
- Genre/Form
- Kiddush cups.
- Physical Description
- Shallow, circular, brass colored metal saucer with a flat base and low, flared, scalloped sides. Engraved at the center is a Star of David with a thick crescent moon in the open center. Around the star are several concentric, decorative bands. The first is a band of embossed Xs with black, horizontal and vertical lines filling the background and flanked by smooth, narrow bands. These are ringed with a band of smooth scallops edged with a row of scallops engraved with lines and bordered by a smooth, wide outer ring. The sides extend up and form a scalloped edge. Each scallop has a slightly rolled tip with a crescent engraved in the center. The underside is flat, smooth, and shiny with some visible elements of the surface design. The surface is worn and discolored, and some of the side scallops are slightly misshapen.
- Dimensions
- overall: Height: 0.375 inches (0.953 cm) | Diameter: 4.500 inches (11.43 cm)
- Materials
- overall : metal
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- No restrictions on access
- Conditions on Use
- No restrictions on use
Keywords & Subjects
Administrative Notes
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- The Kiddush cup saucer was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2017 by Borbála Kriza.
- Record last modified:
- 2022-07-28 18:16:46
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn564931
Download & Licensing
In-Person Research
- By Appointment
- Request 21 Days in Advance of Visit
- Plan a Research Visit
- Request to See This Object
Contact Us
Also in Town of Tîrgu-Mureș collection
The collection consists of a Kiddush cup and saucer relating to the experiences of a Jewish family in Tîrgu-Mureș, Romania before and during the Holocaust.
Date: before 1944 May
Kiddush cup engraved with a Hebrew prayer owned by a Romanian Jewish family
Object
Kiddush cup engraved with a Hebrew blessing owned by a Jewish family living on Rodnei Street close to the center of Tîrgu-Mureș (Târgu Mureş), Romania before World War II. A Kiddush cup is a ceremonial vessel to hold wine for the blessing said at Shabbat and Jewish holiday meals. Before World War II, Tîrgu-Mureș was home to a robust, diverse, and prosperous Jewish community of more than 2,000 people. The town was in the historically contested region of Transylvania, which became part of Romania after World War I. In 1937, the fascist Romanian government enacted anti-Jewish laws similar to those in Nazi Germany. In August 1940, northern Romania, including Transylvania, was ceded to Hungary and joined the Axis Alliance in November. In Transylvania, the Hungarian authorities conscripted Jews to work in forced labor battalions and changed laws. Following several German defeats in 1943, Hungary realized that Germany was likely to lose and began to negotiate with the Allies, which prompted Germany to occupy Hungary in March 1944. In May, a Jewish ghetto was established in the brickyard of Tîrgu-Mureș and more than 7,000 Jews from the local area were held there. They were deported to Auschwitz concentration camp in German occupied Poland, between May 27 and June 8, where the majority were murdered.
