Ernest Bergman philatelic and document collection
Consists of envelopes, postcards, correspondence, and philatelic material from the collection of Ernest Bergman. The papers demonstrates the breadth of stamps and postal marks used in wartime and post-war Switzerland, including in refugee camps. Includes copies of Bergman's curatorial text for the collection and loose postcards and envelopes from the French internment camps of Masseube, Nexon, and Gurs, as well as some commemorative anniversary stamps.
- Date
-
inclusive:
1938-2012
- Extent
-
2 folders
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Ernest Bergman
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Record last modified: 2021-11-11 13:54:01
This page: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn76149
Also in This Collection
Factory-printed Star of David badge printed with Jude, manufactured in Nazi Germany.
Object
German, factory-printed Star of David badge, acquired postwar by Ernest Bergman. On September 1, 1941, all Jews in the Reich six years of age or older were required to wear a badge, which consisted of a yellow Star of David with a black outline and the word “Jew” printed inside the star in German. The badge was used to stigmatize and control the Jewish population. Prior to this large-scale decree, identification requirements for Jewish individuals varied by locality and administration. As Germany annexed territory, the same or similar decrees were enforced in other countries, resulting in the manufacture of similar badges with text in various languages. The badges specified in the decree were first produced by Berliner Fahnenfabrik Geitel & Co., a flag factory. They were distributed by government and police authorities at the cost of 10 Reichspfennig each. Later, they were duplicated by other factories. Ernest was living in Laupheim, Germany, with his mother, brother, and grandparents, when Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany in January 1933. The increasing restrictions and pressures on Jews led Ernst to immigrate to St. Gallen, Switzerland, in 1936. He was joined by his brother in 1937, and mother in 1939. The family remained in Switzerland for the duration of World War II, and immigrated to the United States in September 1946.