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Drawing of a memorial sculpture made to honor a Romanian Jewish boy who died in the ghetto

Object | Accession Number: 2013.452.2

Pastel drawing for a sculpture to be made in memory of 5 year old Dady Gorenstein, who died of typhus in the Mogilev-Podolski ghetto in 1942. His mother Laura wanted a monument created for Dady in Transnistria and had this drawing made of the potential design. In 1940, Dady lived in Craiova, Romania, with his parents Moritz and Laura, and infant brother Harry. That November, Romania joined the Axis alliance. The Antonescu government was violently antisemitic and 1000s of Jews were massacred in 1941. In October, the family was sent to Cernauti ghetto in northern Romania. In November, they were sent to the Mogilev-Podolski ghetto in Transnistria. Moritz was taken as a forced laborer for Organisation Todt (OT), the Nazi civil and military construction and engineering corps. That winter was extremely cold and thousands died from starvation or, like Dady, from typhus. In spring 1944, Moritz was released from his labor brigade and Laura and Harry were liberated by Soviet forces. They returned to Craiova,then left for Prague, and Paris, until emigrating to the US in 1949.

Artwork Title
Our Precious Angel
Date
commemoration:  1942
Language
Hebrew
Romanian
Classification
Art
Category
Drawings
Object Type
Commemoratives (aat)
Credit Line
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Michael Gorenstein

About This Object

Physical Description
Pastel and ink drawing on brown paper with uneven edges depicting a large tree trunk shaped statue with several cut off limbs and Hebrew text. It is outlined in dark blue ink, colored with white and blue mottled pastel, and gradient shading that darkens on the right side. In the center is a rectangular block with a brown plaque with Hebrew and Romanian text. It rests upon a large rectangular base. On either side of the base are scribbled lines that suggest plants. To the right is a black ink drawing of 2 leafy branches, tied together with striped ribbon. The artist’s signature is on the statue base. The drawing is adhered to a modern black backing board with an offwhite mat with a margin so that all the drawing is exposed. The paper is discolored, has tears and deep creases, with tape on the back.
Dimensions
overall: Height: 16.500 inches (41.91 cm) | Width: 13.000 inches (33.02 cm)
pictorial area: Height: 11.625 inches (29.528 cm) | Width: 8.125 inches (20.638 cm)
Materials
overall : paper, pastels, ink, adhesive tape
Signature
front, bottom, cursive, black ink, : M Gellhager
Inscription
front, on tree, black ink : פינ
front center, black ink : דוד שלמה / בר משה הל / גארעכשטיין / נפיכא אלדל תשיב / תי כי צי בי תי
front, center, black ink : AICI SE ODIHNESTE INGERASUL NOSTRU / SCUMP / Dady / Gorenstein / RÂPIT DE LANGA NOI: LA VÂRŚTA DE / 5 ANISORI. NOI NU TE VOM, UITA NICI- / ODATÂ, MAMA TA, TATÂL TÂU BUNICATA, / BUNICII TÂI, MÂTUSILE UNCH(I?) SI CEI CE / TE-AU CUNOSCUT TE VOR PLÂNGE / TOATÂ VIATA LOR. [Here lies our precious angel Dady Gorenstein taken from us at the age of five. We will never forget you, your mother, your father, your grandparents, aunts, uncles, and those who have known you will weep all their lives.]
Contributor
Subject: Dady Gorenstein
Biography
Dady Gorenstein was born on October 19, 1937, in Craiova, Romania, to Moritz and Laura (Lora) Brauman Gorenstein. He had one brother, Harry, born January 17, 1940, also in Craiova. Moritz was born on March 4, 1908, in Noua Sulita, Romania, to Marcus (Max) and Sima Gorenstein, and had a sister and brother. Laura was born on September 14, 1910, in Focsani, Romania, to David and Eva Goldenberg Brauman, and had two brothers. After Moritz and Laura were married, they moved to Cernauti (Chernivtsi, Ukraine) and Laura attended school to become a pharmacist. They moved to Craiova, where they had their children. Dady’s paternal grandparents and great aunt emigrated to the United States in the 1930’s, possibly 1937.

On June 28, 1940, Romania was forced to cede parts of northern Romania to the Soviet Union. On November 20, 1940, Romania formally joined the Axis alliance. In June 1941, Romanian partook in the German invasion of the Soviet Union. Romania took back their lost territory and obtained new territory, Transnistria. The Romanian government under Antonescu was violently antisemitic and massacred 1000s of Jews throughout the country. In fall 1941, Romanian authorities began deporting Jews to Transnistria. In October 1941, Dady and his family were put in the Cernauti ghetto in northern Romania. In November, they were moved to the Mogilev-Podolski (Mohyliv-Podilskyi, Ukraine) ghetto, which was devastated by typhus, as well as severe food and fuel shortages. There was a German Army unit and an Organisation Todt (OT), the Nazi civil and military construction and engineering corps, stationed in the city. Moritz was taken as a forced laborer for the OT. In 1942, 5 year old Dady died of typhus in the ghetto. On March 20, 1944, Mogilev-Podolski was liberated by the Soviet Army. Moritz was released from his labor brigade in April 1944. Laura and Harry remained in Mogilev-Podolski until May 1944. The war ended when Germany surrendered on May 7, 1945.

The family returned to Craiova and had another son, Michael. In 1946, they left for Prague, and then Paris. In February 1949, they boarded the MS Sobieski and sailed to America. They settled in New York and had a daughter. Moritz Americanized his name to Morris. Morris, age 84, died on July 6, 1992. Laura, age 92, died on May 18, 2003. Harry, age 73, died on September 15, 2013.

Keywords and Subjects

Administrative History

Legal Status
Permanent Collection
Provenance
The drawing was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2013 by Michael Gorenstein, the brother of Dady Gorenstein.
Funding Note
The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.

Rights and Restrictions

Conditions on Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions on Use
Restrictions on use
 
Record last modified: 2020-09-15 08:45:29
This page: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn84761

Also in Michael Gorenstein family collection

The collection consists of a drawing, a photograph, and a letter relating to the experiences of Dady Gorenstein and his parents, Moritz and Laura Gorenstein, during the Holocaust when Dady died in the Mogilev-Podolski ghetto, and after the Holocaust in Transnistria.

Gorenstein family papers

Document

Contains a photograph and Red Cross letter concerning the experiences of Morris and Lora Gorenstein, who were deported to Mogilev in Transnistria [modern day Moldova] with their children Harry and Dady. The letter is written from Morris Gorenstein in the Jewish Community of Transnistria to family in New York, who then responded and returned the letter inquiring after one family member, Dady, who Morris did not mention had died in Transnistria. The photograph is a post-war image of Morris, Lora, Harry and Michael Gorenstein.

View All 2 Items in the Collection