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Red enamel permit tag in a leather holder issued to a German Jewish refugee in the Shanghai ghetto 2007.101.8 front

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Washington, United States

Metal and leather identification tag issued to Moritz Sondheimer when he lived in the Hongkew ghetto in Shanghai, China, from 1941-1945. The tag permitted the bearer to leave the ghetto for work and was color coded to denote the term of valid use. The pass would also include an identification photograph. Moritz, his wife, Setty, and their children, 17 year old Hanni and 14 year old Karl fled Kaunas, Lithuania, in February 1941 following the Soviet occupation in 1940. They planned to emigrate to the United States, but visa restrictions made them take a difficult route through Russia to Japan. Classified as stateless refugees when they reached Japan in March 1941, they were deported to Shanghai where they survived the war in the Hongkew ghetto. Hanni married a US soldier and emigrated to the United States in 1946. Her family emigrated the next year.

Metal and leather identification tag issued to Moritz Sondheimer when he lived in the Hongkew ghetto in Shanghai, China, from 1941-1945. The tag permitted the bearer to leave the ghetto for work and was color coded to denote the term of valid use. The pass would also include an identification photograph. Moritz, his wife, Setty, and their children, 17 year old Hanni and 14 year old Karl fled Kaunas, Lithuania, in February 1941 following the Soviet occupation in 1940. They planned to emigrate to the United States, but visa restrictions made them take a difficult route through Russia to Japan. Classified as stateless refugees when they reached Japan in March 1941, they were deported to Shanghai where they survived the war in the Hongkew ghetto. Hanni married a US soldier and emigrated to the United States in 1946. Her family emigrated the next year.

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  • Title: Red enamel permit tag in a leather holder issued to a German Jewish refugee in the Shanghai ghetto 2007.101.8 front
  • Provenance: The identification tag was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2007 by Lloyd Vogelweid, the widower of Hanni Vogelweid, on behalf of the Estate of Hanni Vogelweid., The identification tag was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2007 by Lloyd Vogelweid, the widower of Hanni Vogelweid, on behalf of the Estate of Hanni Vogelweid.
  • Subject Keywords: Jewish families--China--Shanghai--Biography. Jews, German--China--Shanghai--Biography. Jewish refugees--Lithuania--Kaunas--Biography. Jewish refugees--China--Shanghai--Biography. World War, 1939-1945--Refugees--Lithuania--Kaunas. World War, 1939-1945--Refugees--China--Shanghai--Personal narratives., Jewish families--China--Shanghai--Biography. Jews, German--China--Shanghai--Biography. Jewish refugees--Lithuania--Kaunas--Biography. Jewish refugees--China--Shanghai--Biography. World War, 1939-1945--Refugees--Lithuania--Kaunas. World War, 1939-1945--Refugees--China--Shanghai--Personal narratives.
  • Type: Identifying Artifacts, Identifying Artifacts
  • 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: Teardrop shaped brown leather holder with a circular metal tag inserted in the leather. The silver colored metal tag has red enamel paint with a silver Chinese character. On the back of the leather is a metal spring pin with a safety pin at the top., Teardrop shaped brown leather holder with a circular metal tag inserted in the leather. The silver colored metal tag has red enamel paint with a silver Chinese character. On the back of the leather is a metal spring pin with a safety pin at the top.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

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