"V" pendant or charm, made by Vapniarka prisoners

Object | Accession Number: 2019.183.8

2019.183.8 back
"V" pendant or charm, made by Vapniarka prisoners

Click to enlarge

Classification: Jewelry
Category: Necklaces
Object Type: Pendants (Jewelry) (lcsh)
Credit Line: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of David Kessler

Expand all

Dimensions: overall: Height: 0.810 inches (2.057 cm) | Width: 0.440 inches (1.118 cm)
Materials: overall : metal
Legal Status: Permanent Collection
Provenance: The pendant was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2019 by David Kessler, the son of Arthur Kessler.
Conditions on Access: No restrictions on access
Conditions on Use: No restrictions on use
: Record last modified: 2023-08-31 10:24:17
This page: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn707013

Also in Dr. Arthur Kessler collection

Date: 1890-1982

Dr. Arthur Kessler papers

Document

The collection documents the Holocaust experiences of Dr. Arthur Kessler, originally of Czernowitz (Chernivtsi, Ukraine), including his imprisonment in the Vapniarka concentration camp in Transnistria and his efforts to treat and manage an outbreak of paralysis of fellow prisoners due to consumption of Lathyrus sativus. Included are biographical materials, correspondence, research notes on Lathyrism, written testimony, writings, and a small amount of photographs. Also included is his unpublished memoir Ein Arzt im Lager (A Camp Physician). Biographical materials include birth certificates, a marriage certificate, identification cards, Romanian passports, and papers related to Arthur’s medical career. Also included is a document regarding Arthur’s release from jail in Czernowitz in 1942 and an exemption certificate from deportation from Czernowitz in 1942. Correspondence primarily consists of wartime letters written to his cousin Jacob Granirer in Bucharest, possibly regarding his work with Lathyrism in Vapniarka. There is also a 1946 letter to Arthur from the Bezalel National Museum regarding the exhibition of gifts given to him by fellow prisoners of Vapniarka. Vapniarka related documents include a list of survivors of the camp living in Israel, notebooks and loose notes regarding Arthur’s work with Lathyrism while in Vapniarka, and typed testimony in German about his experiences there that was likely submitted to Yad Vashem. Writings consist of articles written by Arthur regarding Lathyrism as well as his unpublished memoir. The articles include a 1963 article in German and an English translation entitled “Vascular diseases by consumption of Lathyrus Sativa” that was never published. Arthur’s unpublished memoir, Ein Arzt im Lager (A Camp Physician) was likely written in the 1960s. In it, he describes his arrest and deportation to Vapniarka, his involvement and observations about the disease afflicting the prisoners, the experiences of Arthur and other prisoners transferred from Vapniarka to the Olgopol ghetto (Olhopil, Ukraine), his return to Romania, reunification with his family, and flight from Romania. The manuscript is typed in German with some handwritten edits. It is split into three chapters: I. Im Lager, II. Im Ghetto, and III. Der Weg Zurück. Chapter II contains some hand illustrations and there are two hand drawn maps after Chapter III. Photographs consist of pre-war, wartime, and postwar depictions of Arthur and his family. Included is a photograph of Arthur’s parents, Anna and David Kessler; depictions Arthur as a doctor in the Romanian army and in Zwickau, Germany, a 1943 photograph of Arthur in Olgopol with Dr. Moritz, Polia, Dubs, and three other unknown individuals, and an undated photograph with Arthur, Polia Dubs, “Engineer Berkovitz,” Dr. Moritz, and “Engineer Davidovitz.” There are also four post-war photographs of an exhibit on Vapniarka at the Ghetto Fighters’ House in Israel.

Star of David badge

Object

Blank yellow cloth Star of David badge

Miniature book of sketches made by camp prisoners for Dr. Arthur Kessler

Object

Miniature, handmade sketchbook of ink and watercolor sketches created by several prisoners in Vapniarka concentration camp and gifted to Dr. Arthur Kessler in 1943. The images depict scenes of daily prisoner life in the concentration camp. Dr. Kessler was a fellow inmate, and was given “The Little Book” by the prisoners, many of whom he treated while managing a 30-person medical department at the camp. In late 1942, he treated fellow prisoners who had gone on a hunger strike because of their reactions, including paralysis, to eating a toxic fodder pea, Lathyrus sativus. Following the war, Dr. Kessler gave lectures and published articles about these reactions, and was considered a leader in the field of Lathyrism. He also continued to treat the victims of Vapniarka who survived and immigrated to Israel without compensation.

Metal plaque made by Vapniarka prisoners

Object

Handmade metal plaque with yarn loop for hanging, given as gift to Dr. Arthur Kessler, who was interned and worked at Vapniarka concentration camp in Transnistria. The plaque was made and given to him by prisoners at Vapniarka.

Bracelet made by Vapniarka prisoners

Object

Metal bracelet given as gift to Dr. Arthur Kessler, who was interned and worked at Vapniarka concentration camp in Transnistria. The bracelet was made and given to him by prisoners at Vapniarka.

Pin made by Vapniarka prisoners

Object

Pin given as gift to Dr. Arthur Kessler, who was interned and worked at Vapniarka concentration camp in Transnistria. The pin was made and given to him by prisoners at Vapniarka.

Chain with pendant or charm, made by Vapniarka prisoners

Object

Chain with pendant or charm given as gift to Dr. Arthur Kessler, who was interned and worked at Vapniarka concentration camp in Transnistria. The pendant was made and given to him by prisoners at Vapniarka.

Portfolio cover for series of drawings and sketches

Object

Portfolio of drawings by Leibel and Ilie, along with the original sketches by Dr. Arthur Kessler. Dr. Kessler commissioned the drawings based on his sketches.