Images(3)

Prayer book

Date1944

ClassificationsBook

Credit LineGift of Miriam Novitch, Yaffa Eliach Collection donated by the Center for Holocaust Studies

Object number5060.80ab

Object DescriptionMissing its cover and partially burned, this siddur (prayer book) was found hidden in Auschwitz concentration camp.

Collections

Judaica
In the Galleries

Keywords

German
Hebrew
Prayer
Camps-death
Ritual
Defiance-religious and cultural
Auschwitz-Birkenau

NotesPrisoners in the camp were not allowed any personal items; officially, they were only permitted to have a belt and handkerchief. Objects of religious cult, such as rosaries, medallions, and prayer books were nonetheless illegally retained by inmates or smuggled for them from outside by people employed in the camp, the so-called civilian workers, and through members of the resistance. Some were also made by the camp’s inmates. The ownership of an object of religious cult could result in drastic measures against the inmate; hence, the highest level of caution had to be exerted. (“Religious Life in the Auschwitz Camp.” Auschwitz-Birkenau, www.auschwitz.org/en/museum/news/religious-life-in-the-auschwitz-camp-new-online-lesson,1212.hmtl. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.)

Exhibitions

The Holocaust: What Hate Can Do

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