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On view September 16, 2018 – January 31, 2019

In a rare moment of quiet, a young woman records in her diary her impressions of life in the ghetto.

A photo album—painstakingly assembled across years—reveals the complexity of pre-War life and suggests the enormous losses to come.

A little girl—suffering illness, confined to a hospital—writes a letter begging her mother to come to the window so she can see her.

Decades after he loses his own parents, a survivor strengthens his family bonds by sharing his story with his great-grandson—and all of us.

In Confidence: Holocaust History Told By Those Who Lived It presented opportunities to consider Holocaust history through the personal expressions of those who lived it. (opens in a new window)

As guests made their way through In Confidence, they discovered artifacts from the collections of the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, a special presentation of The Girl in the Diary (in partnership with the Galicia Jewish Museum), an introduction to the stunning work of acclaimed artist Mikhail Turovsky, an encore presentation of the HBO film The Number on Great-Grandpa’s Arm, and the museum premiere of The Last Goodbye—an immersive virtual reality testimony (produced by USC Shoah Foundation).

The Last Goodbye – A Virtual Reality Testimony

The Last Goodbye, the virtual reality component of this installation, was a 20-minute experience available to one person at a time.

Drawing by Helga Weissova. Two men wearing Stars of David pull a cart marked “Z.P.” for the “Zentral Proviant” (Central Food Warehouse) where food is prepared. They are bringing barrels of food to the living quarters, where it will be distributed. On the building in the background is the sign “Koffer” (Suitcases). Such so-called shops are opened in late 1943/1944 as part of beautification efforts. They sell expropriated goods. Sometimes the Jewish people confined to Terezin are able to purchase back their own belongings. The large “V” (left) stands for the German phrase meaning “Victory over Europe.”
Transport leaving Terezin by Helga Weissova. People walk past the Hamburg barracks to the train that will deliver them to Auschwitz. Others witness their deportation—and say goodbye.
Peter Lowenstein, South Barracks, 1944. Peter Loewenstein (b. 1919) was deported to the Terezin concentration camp/ghetto in the fall of 1941, when he was 22 years old. In the years he was in Terezin, Peter created 70 drawings in ink and watercolor—depicting the camp, the Jewish people who were forced to live there, and the difficult conditions that they endured. When Peter learned that he would be deported to Auschwitz in 1944, he entrusted his portfolio to his mother. When his mother and sister were then deported, the portfolio passed to a family friend. Peter Loewenstein perished in Auschwitz.
Autograph book of Regina Cajgfinger. Regina Cajgfinger and her sister Bronia fled Nazi persecution on a Kindertransport bound for England. There they reunited with their mother. Their father, who remained behind in Danzig, was murdered by the Nazis. Regina’s autograph book spans 1938 to 1941 and preserves handwritten notes in Polish and English from her friends and acquaintances—from Danzig to England.
In July 1942, Gita (10 years old), Zuzana (7 years old), and their mother Gertrude were deported from their native Prague to the Terezin concentration camp/ghetto. They were liberated in 1945. On the back of this drawing she made in Terezin, Zuzana wrote: Dear Mommy, I wish you all the best and hope that next year for your birthday we will be together in Prague. Lots of luck and health wishes your Zuzka.
Pinchas Gutter at Majdanek. This image, from USC Shoah Foundation, shows some of the work done for the virtual reality testimony experience The Last Goodbye.
Photograph of Regina Cajgfinger Feuerstein and her husband Ralph Fierstein-Feuerstein. Handwriting on reverse: “With best wishes to Familie Weisser, Regina & Ralph. October 1947.” Regina Cajgfinger and her sister fled Nazi persecution on a Kindertransport bound for England. Her autograph book and other items appear in this exhibition.
From Ha-Noar ha-Zioni book of photographs, 1930-1940. This book of 163 photographs mounted on 44 pages shows the members and activities of Zionist youth group Ha-Noar Ha-Zioni in Poland. It documents scenes in Bielsko, on outings, at summer camps, celebrating Jewish holidays, and receiving visits from members of the Warsaw branch of the organization. It also includes evidence of troubling times—a photo of a Jewish school, windows broken, after a pogrom. The owner of the book—who eventually donated it to this Museum—brought it with him to the United States in 1938 and continued to preserve photographs of his own experiences, including his visit to the 1939–40 New York World’s Fair. Gift of Dr. Saul Scheidlinger.
From Ha-Noar ha-Zioni book of photographs, 1930-1940. This book of 163 photographs mounted on 44 pages shows the members and activities of Zionist youth group Ha-Noar Ha-Zioni in Poland. It documents scenes in Bielsko, on outings, at summer camps, celebrating Jewish holidays, and receiving visits from members of the Warsaw branch of the organization. It also includes evidence of troubling times—a photo of a Jewish school, windows broken, after a pogrom. The owner of the book—who eventually donated it to this Museum—brought it with him to the United States in 1938 and continued to preserve photographs of his own experiences, including his visit to the 1939–40 New York World’s Fair. Gift of Dr. Saul Scheidlinger.
Diary of Maryla Krinski. From 1943 to 1947, Maryla Krinski kept a diary in the form of poems about her niece Sarah, daughter of Maryla’s brother Joseph and sister-in-law Rachela. Maryla wrote and preserved her diary through her time in the Vilna Ghetto, Kaiserwald concentration camp, Stutthof concentration camp, on a death march, and after liberation.
Diary of Maryla Krinski. From 1943 to 1947, Maryla Krinski kept a diary in the form of poems about her niece Sarah, daughter of Maryla’s brother Joseph and sister-in-law Rachela. Maryla wrote and preserved her diary through her time in the Vilna Ghetto, Kaiserwald concentration camp, Stutthof concentration camp, on a death march, and after liberation.
Passover greetings from Bronia Cajgfinger (10 years old) in Danzig to her mother in England, 1939. Handwritten Yiddish text translates: “I wish you my beloved, golden Mutti, a good Passover, Bronia, 1939.” Bronia and her sister Regina would flee Danzig on a Kindertransport to join their mother in England in June of that year. Their father, who remained behind in Danzig, was murdered by the Nazis.