Light brown leather billfold used by a Polish Jewish refugee

Object | Accession Number: 2012.358.2

2012.358.2 open
Light brown leather billfold used by a Polish Jewish refugee

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Date: unavailable:
Language: English
Classification: Dress Accessories
Category: Carried dress accessories
Object Type: Wallets (lcsh)
Credit Line: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Harold Minuskin

Physical Description: Rectangular, light brown, thin leather bi-fold wallet with 2 interior lengthwise pockets. The left pocket has a smaller half length pocket sewn horizontally on the front. The right pocket has 2 slits near the top edge. All three pockets have a different English word impressed in gold ink on the top center. Both large pockets are nearly detached from the body. The wallet is well used and stained.
Dimensions: overall: Height: 7.000 inches (17.78 cm) | Width: 3.875 inches (9.843 cm)
Materials: overall : leather, ink, thread
Inscription: interior, left pocket, pressed, gold ink : LETTERS
interior, left small pocket, pressed, gold ink : CARDS / LAMBSADDLE
interior, right pocket, pressed, gold ink : CURRENCY
Contributor: Subject: Lew Minuskin
Subject: Harold Minuskin
Biography: Lajb (Lew) Minuskin was born on December 28, 1910, in Warsaw, Poland. He had an older brother Shlamke, born on March 12, 1905, in Zhetel. The family was Jewish and Lajb attended rabbinical school in Slonim, but by 1937, he was living in Zhetel, Poland (Dzialava, Belarus.) Nazi Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. A few weeks later, on September 17, the Soviet Union invaded and occupied eastern Poland, and Zhetel came under Soviet control. In June 1941, Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union and occupied Zhetel. From 1941-1942, Lajb was assigned to a forced labor battalion that assisted the Soviet Army. From 1942-1945, he was sent to live in Kokand Fergana in eastern Uzbekistan, a border region of the Soviet Union, where he worked as a mechanic. When the war ended on May 9, 1945, Lajb travelled to Munich, Germany, where he lived in a displaced persons camp. By 1949, he was living in a DP camp near Frankfurt. He applied to the International Relief Organization for assistance to emigrate to the United States where his brother Shlmake had gone with his family in September 1946. By 1956, Lajb had joined them in New York, where he Americanized his name to Lew. Lew, age 72, died in March 1982 in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Henikel (Henach) Minuskin was born on July 22, 1938, to Shlamke, born on March 12, 1905, and Shanke Orlinsky Minuskin, born on September 17, 1914. He had one brother, Kalmanke, born on August 17, 1940. All of the family members were born in Zhetel, Poland (Dziatlava, Belarus). They lived in a home built by his father and his four brothers. Shlamke owned a bus transportation business. Shanke was trained as a hairdresser and manicurist. On September 17, 1939, the Soviets invaded and occupied eastern Poland, and Zhetel came under Soviet control. Shortly after the invasion, Shlamke prepared a secret hiding place under the outhouse in the backyard. On June 30, 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union and occupied Zhetel. The persecution of Jews became increasingly violent and on July 23, 1941, German mobile killing units murdered about 120 prominent members of the Jewish community, including Harold’s maternal uncle, Leib Orlinsky. On February 22, 1942, the Germans put up posters ordering all Jews to move into the ghetto which was established in the area where Harold’s family lived. They had to share their home with several others. On August 6, 1942, the Germans began the final liquidation of the ghetto. Shlamke was rounded up during the massacre and locked with hundreds of others in the synagogue. He was able to hide in the rafters in the midst of the confusion. After two days, he escaped into the Belorussian forest and joined the Jewish partisan resistance.

During this time, Henik, Kalmanke, Sonia, and eight others hid in the underground hiding place. After three days, Shanke decided to flee with her sons to the nearby forest. Harold’s grandmother, Rivka Orlinsky, suffered from poor eyesight, so an aunt remained behind with her. Both were captured by the Germans and shot and killed the following day. Shanke and the boys received shelter and food from some peasants and farmers that Shanke knew, but many were afraid of the Germans and would not help. They slept in ditches and fields some nights. Shlamke found them hiding in a root cellar and led them to the partisan unit’s base in the Lipiczanski (Lipichanski) forest. He was a private in the Lenin Partisan Brigade. The boys and their mother stayed in camouflaged underground dugouts [zemlyankas] when the unit went on missions to sabotage German troops or eliminate collaborators. The group had to keep moving to avoid capture by the Germans.

Living conditions were harsh; the family often had little food and many partisans perished from the cold and disease. The family subsisted on food acquired from local peasants or wild food from the forest. They had a supply of Russian Czarist era gold coins which they used to get supplies, but they often were not accepted and the partisans took things by force. Shanke would venture out at night to find milk or bread. She served as a seamstress for the partisans. She made the family clothing from silk parachutes left behind by Soviet officers and sewed coats for Harold and Carl from a German great coat. The boys had Russian aviator’s hats that were also scavenged n the woods. Harold’s father taught him to shoot a rifle and load machine gun magazines and he helped his mother saw logs to build shelters. The area was liberated on September 7, 1944, by the Soviet Army.

The family briefly returned to their home in Zhetel after the war ended in May 1945. They decided not to stay because of the still strong anti-Semitism. In November 1945, they arrived at Zeilsheim displaced persons camp near Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Their names were listed by the Red Cross as survivors of the war. Harold’s maternal aunt, Helen Orlinsky Gulfetta, who lived in New York, saw their names and sponsored their emigration to the United States. On September 16, 1946, the family emigrated to the US on the Marine Marlin. They Americanized their names to Harold, Carl, Sonia, and Sam. Harold received a masters in electrical engineering from the University of California, and was a senior design engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He married Arlene and had two children. In 2009, he translated his mother’s memoir of their wartime experiences. Sam died on August 14, 1984, age 79. Sonia died on November 7, 2008, age 94.
Topical Term: Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Belarus--Dziatlava--Personal narratives.
Jewish refugees--United States--Biography.
World War, 1939-1945--Refugees--United States.
World War, 1939-1945--Prisoners and prisons, Soviet.
Legal Status: Permanent Collection
Provenance: The wallet was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2012 by Harold Minuskin, the nephew of Lew Minuskin.
Conditions on Access: No restrictions on access
Conditions on Use: No restrictions on use
: Record last modified: 2022-07-28 20:08:52
This page: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn58655

Also in Harold Minuskin family collection

The collection consists of a billfold, currency, documents, oral history compact discs, photographs, and postcards relating to the experiences of Shlamke and Shanke Orlinsky Minuskin, their two young sons, Henikel (Harold) and Kalmanke, and their extended families in prewar Zhetel, Poland, in the Zhetel ghetto and the surrounding forests with the partisans during the Holocaust, and as refugees in Germany and then the United States after the war, and a billfold, day planner, and photographs relating to the experiences of Lew Minuskin who was in Siberia during the war.

Date: 1919-1990

Harold Minuskin: Soviet sound recordings

Recorded Sound

Minuskin family papers

Document

Consists of photographs, postcards, and documents related to the Orlinksy and Minuskin families of Zhetel, Poland. Includes a DVD entitled "Our Town of Zhetel," a documentary produced in 1990; pre-war family photographs; identity documentation; and post-war displaced persons photographs. Members of the Minuskin family belonged to the Zhetel partisan group in Belorussia during the war.

Weimar Germany Reichsbanknote, 1000 marks, kept by a Polish Jewish refugee

Object

German bank note for 1000 marks acquired by 8 year old Henikel (Harold) Minuskin before he and his family left Germany for the US in 1946. It was issued during the Weimar Republic in 1923. Henikel lived in Zhetel (Zdieciol) Poland (Dziatlava, Belarus), with his parents Shlamke and Shanke, and his younger brother Kalmanke. In June 1941, Zhekel was occupied by Nazi Germany. The Jews of the town were violently persecuted and over 120 prominent community members, including Henikel's uncle Leib, were shot. On February 22, 1942, all Jews were relocated to a ghetto. That August, the Germans began preparations to liquidate the ghetto. His father escaped to the nearby forest and joined the Jewish partisan resistance. His mother took 3 year old Henikel and 1 year old Kalmanke to an underground hiding place. After three days, they escaped to the forest. His father found them hiding in a root cellar and brought them to live with the Lenin Partisan Brigade in the Lipichanski forest in Poland (Bialowieza Forest, Poland and Belarus) from 1942-1944. Shlamke participated in the guerrilla action against the Germans, while Shanke repaired and sewed clothing. The area was liberated by the Soviet Army in September 1944. When the war ended in May 1945, the family went to Zeilsheim displaced persons camp in Germany. With the assistance of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), the family emigrated to the United States, arriving in New York on September 6, 1946.

Imperial Germany Reichsbanknote, 100 marks, kept by a Polish Jewish refugee

Object

Imperial German bank note for 100 marks acquired by 8 year old Henikel (Harold) Minuskin before he and his family left Germany for the US in 1946. The note was issued in Imperial Germany in 1908. This note has a green seal which indicates it was printed post World War I (1914-1918.) Henikel lived in Zhetel (Zdieciol) Poland (Dziatlava, Belarus), with his parents Shlamke and Shanke, and his younger brother Kalmanke. In June 1941, when he was three years old, Zhekel was occupied by Nazi Germany. The Jews of the town were violently persecuted and over 120 prominent community members, including Henikel's uncle Leib, were shot. On February 22, 1942, all Jews were forcibly relocated to a ghetto. That August, the Germans began preparations to liquidate the ghetto. His father escaped to the nearby forest and joined the Jewish partisan resistance. His mother took the two brothers to an underground hiding place. After three days, they escaped to the forest. His father found them hiding in a root cellar and brought them to live with the Lenin Partisan Brigade in the Lipichanski forest in Poland (Bialowieza Forest (Poland and Belarus) from 1942-1944. The area was liberated by the Soviet Army in September 1944. When the war ended in May 1945, the family went to Zeilsheim displaced persons camp in Germany. With the assistance of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), the family emigrated to the United States, arriving in New York on September 6, 1946.

Oberhausen, Germany, emergency currency, 5 million marks, kept by a Polish Jewish refugee

Object

City of Oberhausen emergency currency note [notgeld] for 5 million marks acquired by 8 year old Henikel (Harold) Minuskin before he and his family left Germany for the US in 1946. The currency was issued in 1923 due to the period of hyperinflation during the Weimar Republic. Henikel lived in Zhetel (Zdieciol) Poland (Dziatlava, Belarus), with his parents Shlamke and Shanke, and his younger brother Kalmanke. In June 1941, when he was three years old, Zhekel was occupied by Nazi Germany. The Jews of the town were violently persecuted and over 120 prominent community members, including Henikel's uncle Leib, were shot. On February 22, 1942, all Jews were forcibly relocated to a ghetto. That August, the Germans began preparations to liquidate the ghetto. His father escaped to the nearby forest and joined the Jewish partisan resistance. His mother took the two brothers to an underground hiding place. After three days, they escaped to the forest. His father found them hiding in a root cellar and brought them to live with the Lenin Partisan Brigade in the Lipichanski forest in Poland (Bialowieza Forest (Poland and Belarus) from 1942-1944. The area was liberated by the Soviet Army in September 1944. When the war ended in May 1945, the family went to Zeilsheim displaced persons camp in Germany. With the assistance of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), the family emigrated to the United States, arriving in New York on September 6, 1946.

Soviet Union, 1 chervonets note, kept by a Polish Jewish refugee

Object

Soviet bank note for 1 chervonet acquired by 8 year old Henikel (Harold) Minuskin before he and his family left Germany for the US in 1946. Henikel lived in Zhetel (Zdieciol) Poland (Dziatlava, Belarus), with his parents Shlamke and Shanke, and his younger brother Kalmanke. In June 1941, when he was three years old, Zhekel was occupied by Nazi Germany. The Jews of the town were violently persecuted and over 120 prominent community members, including Henikel's uncle Leib, were shot. On February 22, 1942, all Jews were forcibly relocated to a ghetto. That August, the Germans began preparations to liquidate the ghetto. His father escaped to the nearby forest and joined the Jewish partisan resistance. His mother took the two brothers to an underground hiding place. After three days, they escaped to the forest. His father found them hiding in a root cellar and brought them to live with the Lenin Partisan Brigade in the Lipichanski forest in Poland (Bialowieza Forest (Poland and Belarus) from 1942-1944. The area was liberated by the Soviet Army in September 1944. When the war ended in May 1945, the family went to Zeilsheim displaced persons camp in Germany. With the assistance of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), the family emigrated to the United States, arriving in New York on September 6, 1946.

Soviet Union, 10 chervonets note, kept by a Polish Jewish refugee to the US

Object

Soviet bank note for 10 chervonets acquired by 8 year old Henikel (Harold) Minuskin before he and his family left Germany for the US in 1946. Henikel lived in Zhetel (Zdieciol) Poland (Dziatlava, Belarus), with his parents Shlamke and Shanke, and his younger brother Kalmanke. In June 1941, when he was three years old, Zhekel was occupied by Nazi Germany. The Jews of the town were violently persecuted and over 120 prominent community members, including Henikel's uncle Leib, were shot. On February 22, 1942, all Jews were forcibly relocated to a ghetto. That August, the Germans began preparations to liquidate the ghetto. His father escaped to the nearby forest and joined the Jewish partisan resistance. His mother took the two brothers to an underground hiding place. After three days, they escaped to the forest. His father found them hiding in a root cellar and brought them to live with the Lenin Partisan Brigade in the Lipichanski forest in Poland (Bialowieza Forest (Poland and Belarus) from 1942-1944. The area was liberated by the Soviet Army in September 1944. When the war ended in May 1945, the family went to Zeilsheim displaced persons camp in Germany. With the assistance of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), the family emigrated to the United States, arriving in New York on September 6, 1946.