Overview
- Brief Narrative
- Theresienstadt ghetto-labor camp scrip, valued at 5 [funf] kronen, acquired by Beno Helmer under unknown circumstances. Camp inmates were not allowed to have currency, which was confiscated. Scrip for use only in the camp was issued beginning May 1943 to promote an illusion of normalcy, as there was nothing to to exchange it for in the camp. In 1941, Beno, 18, and his family were interned in Łódź Ghetto, set up by the Germans after their occupation of Poland in September 1939. In spring 1944, as the ghetto was liquidated, Beno and his family were sent to Auschwitz concentration camp. Beno was selected for labor and sent to a subcamp of Gross-Rosen that supplied slave labor to the metalworks factory, Krupp Bertha-Werk, at Laskowitz-Meleschwitz. He was later transferred to Buchenwald, then Ludwigslust, a Neuengamme subcamp. Beno joined a Polish forced labor group that was conscripted into the Soviet Army. He was liberated by American soldiers while in a Soviet prisoner-of-war camp. The war ended in early May 1945 when Germany surrendered. All of Beno's family was killed, except one sister.
- Date
-
issue:
1943 January 01
- Geography
-
issue:
Theresienstadt (Concentration camp);
Terezin (Ustecky kraj, Czech Republic)
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Beno Helmer
- Markings
- front, upper center, brown ink : QUITTUNG ÜBER / FÜNF KRONEN [RECEIPT OF / FIVE CROWNS]
front, lower center, brown ink : 5
front, lower center, brown ink : WER DIESE QUITTUNG VERFÄLSCHT ODER NACHMACHT / ODER GEFÄLSCHTE QUITTUNGEN IN VERKEHR BRINGT. / WIRD STRENGSTENS BESTRAFT [ANYONE WHO FALSIFIES OR DISTORTS OR FAKES THIS RECEIPT, OR COUNTERFEITS RECEIPT, WILL BE STRICTLY PUNISHED]
reverse, upper left, plate letter and number, brown ink : A022
reverse, lower left and upper right corner, blue ink : 5
reverse, center, brown ink : Quittung / über / FÜNF KRONEN [Receipt / of / FIVE CROWNS]
reverse, lower center, brown ink : THERESIENSTADT, AM 1.JANNER 1943 DER ALTESTE DER JUDEN / IN THERESIENSTADT / Jakob Edelstein [THERESIENSTADT, ON 1. JANUARY 1943 THE ELDER OF THE JEWS IN THERESIENSTADT Jakob Edelstein] - Contributor
-
Subject:
Beno Helmer
Printer: National Bank of Prague
Designer: Peter Kien
Issuer: Der Alteste der Juden in Theresienstadt
- Biography
-
Beno Helmer was born in 1923 in Teplice-Sanov, Czechoslovakia, to Isaak and Dora Helmer. As a young man, Beno used his foreign language skills to land small movie roles. He and his family attempted to settle in Hungary. In 1939, because they did not have legal immigration papers, they were deported to Łódź, Poland. In February 1940, the German authorities set up a ghetto where Beno and his family and all Jewish residents were forced to move. In 1942, Beno had to perform forced labor outside the ghetto. Through an underground contact, he got a job under a false identity, posing as a non-Jewish German. He assisted the resistance by collecting information. He also helped commit acts of sabotage, and became an expert at derailing trains. Beno returned to the ghetto when his father became sick. He remained with his family until they were deported. In spring 1944, the Łódź ghetto was liquidated and the family was sent to Auschwitz concentration camp. Beno was separated from his family. He was sent to a series of German concentration camps, including a subcamp of Gross-Rosen associated with the metalworks factory, Krupp Bertha-Werk, at Laskowitz-Meleschwitz, then to Buchenwald, and to Ludwigslust, a subcamp of Neuengamme. He was liberated by American soldiers while in a Soviet prisoner-of-war camp. In an attempt to get back to Poland, he joined a Polish forced labor group that was later drafted into the Soviet Army. The war ended in early May 1945 when Germany surrendered. All of Beno's family was killed, except one sister, who he found after the war. He spent time hunting for Nazi war criminals. Beno remained in Europe for several years, but eventually immigrated to the United States
Franz Peter Kien was born January 1, 1919, in Varnsdorf, Czechoslovakia (Czech Republic), to Leonard and Olga Frankl Kien. His father Leonard was born in 1886, in Varnsdorf, and was a member of the German-speaking Jewish population in the, the Sudetenalnd, which bordered Germany. Leonard was a textile manufacturer with his own factory. Peter’s mother Olga was born in 1898, in Bzenec, Austro-Hungary (Czech Republic), to Jewish parents. After 1929, the Kien family moved to Brno. Peter enrolled at the German Gymnasium, where he excelled at drawing, painting, and writing. In 1936, he graduated and moved to Prague to study at the Academy of Fine Arts. He also attended the Officina Pragensis, a private graphic design school run by a well-known Jewish artist, Hugo Steiner-Prag.
On September 29, 1938, Germany annexed the Sudetenland. On March 15, 1939, Germany invaded Prague and annexed the Bohemia and Moravia provinces of Czechoslovakia, ruled by a Reich Protector. Jews were banned from participation in government, businesses, and organization, including schools. Peter had to leave the Academy, but continued to study at the Officina Pragensis. He also taught at Vinohrady Synagogue. In September 1940, Peter married Ilse Stranska, who was born on May 9, 1915, in Pilsen, to Jewish parents.
In late September 1941, Reinhard Heydrich, the SS head of RSHA, Reich Main Security Office, became Reich Protector. Soon there were regular deportations of Jews to concentration camps. At the end of November, Theresienstadt concentration and transit camp near Prague got its first shipment of Jewish prisoners. On December 14, Peter was transported to Theresienstadt ghetto-labor camp. He was assigned to the technical department where he worked as a draftsman and designer alongside other artists, including Bedrich Fritta, Leo Haas, and Jiri Lauscher. On July 16, 1942, Peter’s wife Ilse arrived in the camp. On January 30, 1943, Peter’s parents Leonard and Olga were transported from Bzenec to Terezin. Peter was assigned major projects by the Jewish Council that administered the camp for the Germans, such as the scrip receipts used in place of money in the camp. He secretly documented the inmate’s daily life, creating portraits and other drawings, and wrote plays, poems, and an operatic libretto. On October 16, 1944, Peter’s wife Ilse and his parents Leonard and Olga were selected for deportation. Peter volunteered to go with them. Before leaving, Peter and his family were sent to Auschwitz concentration camp in German-occupied Poland. Peter survived the selection process, soon fell ill, likely with typhus, and died at age 25 in late October 1944. His wife and parents were killed at Auschwitz. Some of the work that Peter left with other prisoners or hid at Theresienstadt survived and has been exhibited worldwide.
Physical Details
- Language
- German
- Classification
-
Exchange Media
- Category
-
Money
- Object Type
-
Scrip (aat)
- Physical Description
- Theresienstadt scrip printed on rectangular, offwhite paper in black and brown ink. On the face is a vignette of Moses, a bearded man with a wrinkled brow, holding 2 stone tablets with the 10 Commandments in Hebrew. To the right is the denomination 5 and German text. The background rectangle has a wavy latticework pattern. On the right is a wide offwhite border with 5 in the bottom corner below a Star of David. The reverse has a background rectangle of interlocked diamonds with an orange center streak, overprinted with German text, engraved signature, and a scrollwork line. The denomination 5 is in the upper right corner. On the left side is a wide offwhite border with 5 in the lower corner below a Star of David within a lined circle. The plate letter and number are in the upper left corner. Scrip has a stain but appears unused.
- Dimensions
- overall: Height: 2.375 inches (6.032 cm) | Width: 4.625 inches (11.747 cm)
- Materials
- overall : paper, ink
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 Theresienstadt scrip was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1988 by Beno Helmer.
- Funding Note
- The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
- Record last modified:
- 2022-07-28 18:21:07
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn785
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Also in Beno Helmer collection
The collection consists of a prisoner patch, currency, scrip and ration cards, and documents related to the experiences of Beno Helmer in the Łódź ghetto in Poland during the Holocaust.
Date: approximately 1940
Łódź Ghetto ration card issued to a ghetto inmate
Object
One of three ration cards saved by Beno Helmer, issued when he and his family were incarcerated in Łódź Ghetto in German occupied Poland from 1940- spring 1944. There are cards from three family members: Beno, Dora, and Sonia. Nazi Germany occupied Poland on September 1, 1939. Łódź was renamed Litzmannstadt and, in February 1940, the Germans forcibly relocated Beno, 18, and his family, along with the entire large Jewish population, into a sealed ghetto. All ghetto residents had to work in order to receive a ration card for food. There were severe food shortages and overcrowding and many died of starvation and disease. In spring 1944, as the ghetto was liquidated, Beno and his family were sent to Auschwitz concentration camp. Beno was selected for labor and sent to a subcamp of Gross-Rosen that supplied slave labor to the metalworks factory, Krupp Bertha-Werk, at Laskowitz-Meleschwitz. He was later transferred to Buchenwald, then Ludwigslust, a Neuengamme subcamp. Beno joined a Polish forced labor group that was conscripted into the Soviet Army. He was liberated by American soldiers while in a Soviet prisoner-of-war camp. The war ended in early May 1945 when Germany surrendered. All of Beno's family was killed, except for one sister.
Blue-gray striped uniform square with a red triangle and yellow Star of David badge
Object
Badge removed from a concentration camp uniform.
Republic of Czechoslovakia currency, 1 korunu note, acquired by a Jewish Polish survivor
Object
Czech currency, 1 korunu note, acquired by Beno Helmer under unknown circumstances. Ghetto inmates were not allowed to have currency. Scrip was issued as a labor incentive and facilitated the confiscation of money and goods from internees. There was little to exchange it for in the ghetto. In 1941, Beno, 18, and his family were interned in Łódź Ghetto, set up by the Germans after their occupation of Poland in September 1939. In spring 1944, as the ghetto was liquidated, Beno and his family were sent to Auschwitz concentration camp. Beno was selected for labor and sent to a subcamp of Gross-Rosen that supplied slave labor to the metalworks factory, Krupp Bertha-Werk, at Laskowitz-Meleschwitz. He was later transferred to Buchenwald, then Ludwigslust, a Neuengamme subcamp. Beno joined a Polish forced labor group that was conscripted into the Soviet Army. He was liberated by American soldiers while in a Soviet prisoner-of-war camp. The war ended in early May 1945 when Germany surrendered. All of Beno's family was killed, except one sister.
Łódź (Litzmannstadt) ghetto scrip, 5 mark note, acquired by a Jewish Polish survivor
Object
Łódź Ghetto scrip, 5 [funf] mark note, acquired by Beno Helmer who was imprisoned in the Ghetto from 1941 - spring 1944. Ghetto inmates were not allowed to have currency. Scrip was issued as a labor incentive and facilitated the confiscation of money and goods from internees. There was little to exchange it for in the ghetto. In 1941, Beno, 18, and his family were interned in Łódź Ghetto, set up by the Germans after their occupation of Poland in September 1939. In spring 1944, as the ghetto was liquidated, Beno and his family were sent to Auschwitz concentration camp. Beno was selected for labor and sent to a subcamp of Gross-Rosen that supplied slave labor to the metalworks factory, Krupp Bertha-Werk, at Laskowitz-Meleschwitz. He was later transferred to Buchenwald, then Ludwigslust, a Neuengamme subcamp. Beno joined a Polish forced labor group that was conscripted into the Soviet Army. He was liberated by American soldiers while in a Soviet prisoner-of-war camp. The war ended in early May 1945 when Germany surrendered. All of Beno's family was killed, except one sister.
Łódź Ghetto ration card issued to a ghetto inmate
Object
One of three ration cards saved by Beno Helmer, issued when he and his family were incarcerated in Łódź Ghetto in German occupied Poland from 1940- spring 1944. There are cards from three family members: Beno, Dora, and Sonia. Nazi Germany occupied Poland on September 1, 1939. Łódź was renamed Litzmannstadt and, in February 1940, the Germans forcibly relocated Beno, 18, and his family, along with the entire large Jewish population, into a sealed ghetto. All ghetto residents had to work in order to receive a ration card for food. There were severe food shortages and overcrowding and many died of starvation and disease. In spring 1944, as the ghetto was liquidated, Beno and his family were sent to Auschwitz concentration camp. Beno was selected for labor and sent to a subcamp of Gross-Rosen that supplied slave labor to the metalworks factory, Krupp Bertha-Werk, at Laskowitz-Meleschwitz. He was later transferred to Buchenwald, then Ludwigslust, a Neuengamme subcamp. Beno joined a Polish forced labor group that was conscripted into the Soviet Army. He was liberated by American soldiers while in a Soviet prisoner-of-war camp. The war ended in early May 1945 when Germany surrendered. All of Beno's family was killed, except for one sister.
Łódź Ghetto ration card issued to a ghetto inmate
Object
One of three ration cards saved by Beno Helmer, issued when he and his family were incarcerated in Łódź Ghetto in German occupied Poland from 1940- spring 1944. There are cards from three family members: Beno, Dora, and Sonia. Nazi Germany occupied Poland on September 1, 1939. Łódź was renamed Litzmannstadt and, in February 1940, the Germans forcibly relocated Beno, 18, and his family, along with the entire large Jewish population, into a sealed ghetto. All ghetto residents had to work in order to receive a ration card for food. There were severe food shortages and overcrowding and many died of starvation and disease. In spring 1944, as the ghetto was liquidated, Beno and his family were sent to Auschwitz concentration camp. Beno was selected for labor and sent to a subcamp of Gross-Rosen that supplied slave labor to the metalworks factory, Krupp Bertha-Werk, at Laskowitz-Meleschwitz. He was later transferred to Buchenwald, then Ludwigslust, a Neuengamme subcamp. Beno joined a Polish forced labor group that was conscripted into the Soviet Army. He was liberated by American soldiers while in a Soviet prisoner-of-war camp. The war ended in early May 1945 when Germany surrendered. All of Beno's family was killed, except for one sister.
Postcard
Object
Ernie Pyle news report
Document
Single page typed transcript of a 1947 news report about the Ernie Pyle. Object removed from scrapbook accessioned as 1988.68.1.
