Pair of leather slippers received from Oskar Schindler by a Jewish Polish worker 2004.702.2 a front
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Washington, United States
Pair of leather slipon shoes given to Sam Klasner by Oskar Schindler from a store of Red Cross supplies shortly before liberation. From October 1944-May 1945, Sam worked at the armament factory owned by Schindler in Brunnlitz (Brnenec) in German occupied Czechoslovakia as a subcamp of Gross Rosen concentration camp. Schindler protected his workers from deportation, kept German camp personnel out of the camp, and did his best to provide food, although shortages were severe. In October 1944, when Schindler moved his factory from Plaszow to Brunnlitz, his workers were processed at Gross Rosen. Some were mistakenly sent to Auschwitz and had to be replaced. Sam had mechanical skills and was offered a spot on Schindler's list and sent to Brunnlitz. Sam was first imprisoned by the Germans in 1939 as a Polish soldier captured after the German invasion of Poland. When they realized he was Jewish, he was incarcerated in the Krakow ghetto. In June 1941, he was sent to Reichshof [Rzeszow] forced labor camp, then in September 1942, transferred to the brutal Plaszow labor camp until his transfer to Gross Rosen in 1944. Schindler left the Brunnlitz camp on May 7, 1945, the day Germany surrendered. The camp was liberated May 9 by Soviet troops. Sam was sent to Poland to search for his family but found no survivors. He was nearly killed in a pogrom and left for the American zone of occupation in Germany. He learned that his family had been killed in Treblinka and Auschwitz. Sam stayed in Regensburg displaced persons camp and emigrated to the United States in 1949.
Pair of leather slipon shoes given to Sam Klasner by Oskar Schindler from a store of Red Cross supplies shortly before liberation. From October 1944-May 1945, Sam worked at the armament factory owned by Schindler in Brunnlitz (Brnenec) in German occupied Czechoslovakia as a subcamp of Gross Rosen concentration camp. Schindler protected his workers from deportation, kept German camp personnel out of the camp, and did his best to provide food, although shortages were severe. In October 1944, when Schindler moved his factory from Plaszow to Brunnlitz, his workers were processed at Gross Rosen. Some were mistakenly sent to Auschwitz and had to be replaced. Sam had mechanical skills and was offered a spot on Schindler's list and sent to Brunnlitz. Sam was first imprisoned by the Germans in 1939 as a Polish soldier captured after the German invasion of Poland. When they realized he was Jewish, he was incarcerated in the Krakow ghetto. In June 1941, he was sent to Reichshof [Rzeszow] forced labor camp, then in September 1942, transferred to the brutal Plaszow labor camp until his transfer to Gross Rosen in 1944. Schindler left the Brunnlitz camp on May 7, 1945, the day Germany surrendered. The camp was liberated May 9 by Soviet troops. Sam was sent to Poland to search for his family but found no survivors. He was nearly killed in a pogrom and left for the American zone of occupation in Germany. He learned that his family had been killed in Treblinka and Auschwitz. Sam stayed in Regensburg displaced persons camp and emigrated to the United States in 1949.
- Title: Pair of leather slippers received from Oskar Schindler by a Jewish Polish worker 2004.702.2 a front
- Provenance: The shoes were donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2004 by Bruce Klasner, the son of Samuel Klasner., The shoes were donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2004 by Bruce Klasner, the son of Samuel Klasner.
- Subject Keywords: Concentration camp inmates--Czech Republic--Brnenec--Biography. Concentration camp inmates--Poland--Plaszow--Biography. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Poland--Personal narratives, Jewish. Jewish refugees--Germany--Biography. Righteous Gentiles in the Holocaust--Biography. World War, 1939-1945--Jews--Rescue--Personal narratives., Concentration camp inmates--Czech Republic--Brnenec--Biography. Concentration camp inmates--Poland--Plaszow--Biography. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Poland--Personal narratives, Jewish. Jewish refugees--Germany--Biography. Righteous Gentiles in the Holocaust--Biography. World War, 1939-1945--Jews--Rescue--Personal narratives.
- Type: Dress Accessories, Dress Accessories
- Rights: Permanent Collection, Permanent Collection
- External Link: See the full record at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, See the full record at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Medium: a. Brown leather, well worn, left slipper with a rounded toe and a stitched, hard leather insole. The upper vamp is double stitched with brown thread along the edge. The outsole has 3 nails at the toe and 2 at the heel. There is a half circle of empty sewing holes around the heel edge. Letters and a number are stamped on the bottom. The outsole is worn, exposing string from the insole along the edges. The toe is scuffed and the leather is creased. b. Brown leather, well worn, right slipper rounded toe and a stitched, hard leather insole. The upper vamp is double stitched with brown thread along the edge. The outsole has 3 nails at the toe and 2 at the heel. There is a half circle of empty sewing holes around the heel edge. Letters and a number are stamped on the bottom. The outsole is worn down, exposing string from the insole along the edges. The scuffed toe area is almost worn through and has a slight tear and the leather has creases and cracks., a. Brown leather, well worn, left slipper with a rounded toe and a stitched, hard leather insole. The upper vamp is double stitched with brown thread along the edge. The outsole has 3 nails at the toe and 2 at the heel. There is a half circle of empty sewing holes around the heel edge. Letters and a number are stamped on the bottom. The outsole is worn, exposing string from the insole along the edges. The toe is scuffed and the leather is creased. b. Brown leather, well worn, right slipper rounded toe and a stitched, hard leather insole. The upper vamp is double stitched with brown thread along the edge. The outsole has 3 nails at the toe and 2 at the heel. There is a half circle of empty sewing holes around the heel edge. Letters and a number are stamped on the bottom. The outsole is worn down, exposing string from the insole along the edges. The scuffed toe area is almost worn through and has a slight tear and the leather has creases and cracks.
Additional Items
Get the app
Explore museums and play with Art Transfer, Pocket Galleries, Art Selfie, and more
You are all set!
Your first Culture Weekly will arrive this week.