Loading

White cloth baby's bib with red trim worn by an infant placed in hiding with a Gentile family

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Washington, United States

White baby bib with red trim made for and worn by Betti Blaugrund when she was an infant living in hiding with the Louise and Udile Ceulemans-Gryson family in Aarschot, Belgium. Betti was three months old when the Gryson's gave her a safe home in October 1942. Betti's parents, Cypra and Wolf, had fled to France when Belgium was occupied by Nazi Germany in May 1940, but returned because of antisemitism. In the summer of 1942, the Germans put into action their plan to get rid of all the Jews in Belgium. Betti was born on July 16. Around this time, the family was told to report for forced labor. They suspected they would be deported and went into hiding. It was too unsafe to hide with a baby, so Cypra found a non-Jewish woman who agreed to look after Betti for money. Cypra and Wolf hid in an apartment with several other family members. One day, while Cypra was out visiting Betti, the home was raided by Germans looking for Jews. Nine people in the house were arrested; only Wolf escaped and warned Cypra not to come home. They found a new place to hide and found a Gentile family in the country to provide better care for Betti. The Grysons loved the baby like their own and took her to see her mother every month as promised. Belgium was liberated by Allied Forces in September 1944 and Betti rejoined her parents. Both Cypra and Wolf were from very large families and nearly all of their relatives perished.

Show lessRead more
  • Title: White cloth baby's bib with red trim worn by an infant placed in hiding with a Gentile family
  • Provenance: The baby bib was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2011 by Betti Blaugrund.
  • Subject Keywords: Hidden children (Holocaust)--Belgium--Biography. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Belgium--Brussels--Personal narratives. Jewish children in the Holocaust--Belgium--Brussels--Biography. Jews--Rescue--Belgium--Biography. Righteous Gentiles in the Holocaust--Belgium--Biography.
  • Type: Clothing and Dress
  • Rights: Permanent Collection
  • External Link: See the full record at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
  • Medium: White cloth, circular handstitched infant’s bib with flat edged end sections that fasten into a circle behind the neck by inserting a mother of pearl button on the right end into a white cloth loop on the left. There is a band with a repeating pattern of geometric shapes embroidered in red thread around the edges.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Get the app

Explore museums and play with Art Transfer, Pocket Galleries, Art Selfie, and more

Home
Discover
Play
Nearby
Favorites