Yad VaJerusalemhem Volume 82, February 2017 Who Was Karoline Cohn? Searching for the Identity of the Owner of a Pendant Found in Sobibór (pp. 2-3) International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2017 (pp. 4-5) First International Conference for Jewish Educators (pp. 6-8) J Contents Yad Vaerusalemhem ■ Who Was Karoline Cohn? 2-3 Volume 82, Shvat 5777, February 2017 Searching for the Identity of the Owner of a Pendant Found in Sobibór Published by: 27 January ■ 4-5 Who Was Karoline Cohn? International Holocaust Remembrance Day Worldwide Education ■ 6-10 “The Shoah and Jewish Identity” ■ 6-8 ■ First International Conference Chairman of the Council: Rabbi Israel Meir Lau for Jewish Educators Vice Chairmen of the Council: Seminars for Muslim Educators ■ 8 ■ For over a decade, Yad Vashem has coordinated Dr. Yitzhak Arad Dr. Moshe Kantor Teachers from Europe Attend excavations at the site of the former Nazi ■ Chairman of the Directorate: Avner Shalev Follow-Up Seminar 9 extermination camp, Sobibór (Poland). The Director General: Dorit Novak News from the Virtual School ■ 9 excavations are conducted by Wojciech Mazurek Head of the International Institute for Holocaust Holocaust Education Video Toolbox (Poland), Israel Antiquities Authority researcher and archeologist Yoram Haimi, and archeologist Research and Incumbent, John Najmann Chair Greece to Accredit Teacher-Training for Holocaust Studies: Prof. Dan Michman Ivar Schute (Holland). Among the discoveries Seminars ■ 9 Chief Historian: Prof. Dina Porat made over the years are the foundations of the Graduate Spotlight ■ 10 Academic Advisor: gas chambers, the original train platform, and Dr. Andrea Peine and Gerda Küper, Germany Prof. Yehuda Bauer a large amount of personal artifacts belonging Members of the Yad Vashem Directorate: Building a Visual Memory to the victims, including watches, jewelry and Yossi Ahimeir, Daniel Atar, Michal Cohen, of the Holocaust ■ 11 Matityahu Drobles, Abraham Duvdevani, children’s identification bracelets. Prof. Boleslaw (Bolek) Goldman, Yad Vashem Online ■ 12-13 In late 2016, the remains of the hut where Vera H. Golovensky, Moshe Ha-Elion, “We Shall Meet Again” victims undressed and were shaved before being Adv. Shlomit Kasirer, Yossi Katribas, Last Letters from the Holocaust: 1941 Yehiel Leket, Baruch Shub, Dalit Stauber, Dr. Zehava Tanne, Adv. Shoshana Weinshall, Research ■ 14-18 Dudi Zilbershlag International Research Conference ■ 14-15 The Jewish Refugee Problem 1933-1945: THE MAGAZINE Reconsidered Editor-in-Chief: Iris Rosenberg Mirilashvili Center International Workshop: Managing Editor: Leah Goldstein Jews and Non-Jews in the USSR Editorial Board: During the Shoah ■ 14-15 Simmy Allen ■ 16 Yifat Bachrach-Ron Dr. Kim Wünschmann Deborah Berman 2016 International Book Prize Winner Marisa Fine PhD Candidates Study the Holocaust Dana Porath Lilach Tamir-Itach in Poland ■ 16 ■ The online Deportations Database helped researchers Susan Weisberg International Workshop for identify the possible owner of the pendant Editorial Coordinator: Miri Rabinovich Nissim ■ 16 Doctoral Students sent to the gas chambers was uncovered. The Language Editor: Leah Goldstein Fellows Corner: Dr. Anna Marczisovszky ■ 17 ruins unearthed by the archeologists are located Proofreader: Ezra Olman IHRA’s Growing Impact ■ 17 on the “Pathway to Heaven,” the trail cynically Translated by: James Joseph Mclntosh Yad Vashem Studies ■ 18 named by the Germans used to force arriving Jews Assisted by: Alexander Avram, Seizing the Opportunity: to the gas chambers. The personal items found Shaya Ben Yehuda, Inbal Kvity Ben-Dov, Ayala Peretz, Amanda Smulowitz, Robbing the Jews During the Shoah in the foundations of the building probably fell Martin Sykes-Haas through the floorboards and remained buried Jews Rescuing Jews ■ 19 in the ground until they were discovered a few Photography: Yossi Ben-David, Isaac Harari Brothers in Arms Production: Ayalon Press months ago. “We Are No Longer Alone” ■ 20-21 Design: Stephanie & Ruti Design The items found in the area include a Star of Family Reunion at Yad Vashem This magazine was published with the David necklace, a woman’s watch and a metal assistance of The Azrieli Group. Gathering Holocaust-era Effects in the FSU ■ 20 charm covered in glass with an etching of the Names Recovery Among Russian-Speaking image of Moses holding the Ten Commandments; ISSN 0793-7199 Communities Worldwide ■ 21 engraved on the reverse side of the charm is the ©Articles appearing in this issue may be reprinted News ■ 22-25 central Jewish prayer “Shema.” Also found was with proper acknowledgement. a pendant bearing the date 3.7.1929, the words Friends Worldwide ■ 26-31 Yad Vashem’s activities are supported by “Frankfurt AM” and “Mazal Tov” (written in The International Institute for Holocaust the Ministry of Education Hebrew) on one side, and on the other side the Research: Publications ■ 32 Hebrew letter “He” (representing God’s name) as and The Conference on Jewish Material well three Stars of David. Claims Against Germany With the help of Yad Vashem, Yoram Haimi ■ On the cover: The pendant found at Sobibór with the was able to speculate to whom the pendant Hebrew words “Mazal Tov” and the date 3 July 1929. belonged. Through concerted and complicated Photo: Yoram Haimi, Israel Antiquities Authority 2 Who Was Karoline Cohn? Searching for the Identity of the Owner of a Pendant Found in Sobibór ■ A metal charm covered with glass with the image of Moses holding the Ten Commandments painted on it. ■ A woman’s watch and ring found in the ground at the location of the remains of the hut where victims undressed Engraved on the reverse side is the central Jewish prayer before their murder. Photo: Yoram Haimi, Israel Antiquities Authority “Shema.” Photo: Yoram Haimi, Israel Antiquities Authority The personal items found Additional research revealed a very similar In addition, contact was made with relatives pendant belonging to another young girl murdered of Karoline Cohn living in Israel and abroad. in the foundations of the in the Holocaust who was born in Frankfurt and “These recent findings from the excavations building probably fell wrote a diary during her time spent in hiding in at Sobibór constitute an important contribution Holland – Anne Frank. After the discovery of to the documentation and commemoration of through the floorboards the pendant the Holocaust,” said Prof. Havi Dreifuss, Head of in Sobibór the Center for the Research on the Holocaust in and remained buried in was widely Poland at Yad Vashem's International Research the ground until they publicized, Institute and Tel Aviv University. “They also Yad Vashem help us to understand better what happened at were discovered a few received a Sobibór, both in terms of the camp’s function months ago number of and also from the point of view of the victims.” messages from According to Yoram Haimi, “The significance work, Yad Vashem researchers identified its members of the of the research and findings at Sobibór only possible owner as Karoline Cohn, a young girl public who own grows with every passing season of excavations. born in Frankfurt on 3 July 1929. Haimi also similar pendants Every time we dig, we reveal another part of checked the population registry in Frankfurt once belonging to Sobibór, find more personal items and expand and discovered just one Jewish girl born that family members our knowledge about the camp. Despite attempts day – Karoline Cohn. Dr. Joel Zisenwine, Head who were by the Nazis and their collaborators to erase all of the “Transports to Extinction” Deportations born in traces of their crimes, as well as the effects of Database, a project of Yad Vashem’s International Frankfurt. forestation and time, we are gradually enhancing Institute for Holocaust Research, found Karoline's our understanding of the site’s history, which was name on a list of Jews deported from Frankfurt previously known to us only through survivor to Minsk on 11 November 1941. While it is not testimonies. This pendant demonstrates once known if she survived the harsh conditions again the importance of archaeological research in the Minsk ghetto, her pendant reached of former Nazi death camp sites. The moving story Sobibór sometime between November 1941 of Karoline Cohn is symbolic of the shared fate and September 1943, when the ghetto was of the Jews murdered in the camp.” liquidated and the 2,000 Jewish prisoners The archeological excavations at Sobibór are interned there were deported to the funded by the Steering Committee for the International Project to Establish a New death camp. There, along the path to Museum-Memorial Site in the Area of the the gas chambers of Sobibór, the Former German Nazi Extermination Camp in Sobibór, in coordination with Yad pendant belonging to Karoline Vashem’s International Institute for Cohn was taken, dropped and Holocaust Research and supported by Tel Aviv University. remained buried in the ground ■ The reverse side of the pendant bears the words writing “Mazal Tov,” the Hebrew letter for over 70 years. “He” and three Stars of David. Photo: Yoram Haimi, Israel Antiquities Authority 3 27 January International Holocaust Remembrance Day Worldwide In honor of International Day of "We are fulfilling our fled the Czestochowa ghetto and wandered for Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of some two years from refuge to refuge, until they the Holocaust, popularly known as International obligation never to forget, were finally liberated. During their travels, Ruth Holocaust Remembrance Day, Yad