Room Seven: Life After Liberation at the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust
This is the seventh room in the museum.
"This room explores life after January 27, 1945, when Russian forces made Auschwitz the first liberated camp. The Allies completed their rout of German troops on May 8, 1945, V-E (Victory Europe) Day. Soldiers with little understanding of what they were seeing found thousands of emaciated people, most either near-starvation or suffering from typhus and other diseases. As Survivors returned to health they began to seek any family members who may have survived. In spite of a ruined train system and limited food, many Survivors struggled to return to their home towns. Some found former neighbors living in their homes and their possessions stolen. In some cases they became victims of pogroms or anti-Jewish riots conducted by people who blamed them for World War II. The Allies established displaced persons camps to accommodate the hundreds of thousands who found themselves homeless and penniless. These camps became the foundation on which many Survivors began to build new lives. Lists of Survivors were regularly posted in central locations, allowing some people to find a relative or friend. But in most cases those who survived were the only one from entire families or communities. Young Survivors found mates and married. Virtually all Survivors struggled to obtain visas to countries outside of Europe where they could begin new lives. Palestine, South Africa, Australia, South America, Mexico, Canada and the United States were some of the most popular destinations. In 1948 the founding of the State of Israel gave many Survivors new hope. Featured in Room 7 is the Bluthner piano, produced by the Bluthner family from Leipzig, Germany. This particular instrument belonged to composer Alfred Sendrey, born in Budapest, Hungary. Sendrey rose to prominence in early 1930's Germany, but due to rising levels of anti-semitism decided to leave Germany in 1933. Sendrey, like many other Jewish musicians fleeing Nazi Germany, had to sell or leave their prize instruments behind. However, due the dedication of the Bluthner family, surviving musicians were able to reunite with their instruments after the war. The Bluthner piano shown in Room 7 was shipped by the Bluthner family to Sendrey at his new home--Los Angeles.”
"This room explores life after January 27, 1945, when Russian forces made Auschwitz the first liberated camp. The Allies completed their rout of German troops on May 8, 1945, V-E (Victory Europe) Day. Soldiers with little understanding of what they were seeing found thousands of emaciated people, most either near-starvation or suffering from typhus and other diseases. As Survivors returned to health they began to seek any family members who may have survived. In spite of a ruined train system and limited food, many Survivors struggled to return to their home towns. Some found former neighbors living in their homes and their possessions stolen. In some cases they became victims of pogroms or anti-Jewish riots conducted by people who blamed them for World War II. The Allies established displaced persons camps to accommodate the hundreds of thousands who found themselves homeless and penniless. These camps became the foundation on which many Survivors began to build new lives. Lists of Survivors were regularly posted in central locations, allowing some people to find a relative or friend. But in most cases those who survived were the only one from entire families or communities. Young Survivors found mates and married. Virtually all Survivors struggled to obtain visas to countries outside of Europe where they could begin new lives. Palestine, South Africa, Australia, South America, Mexico, Canada and the United States were some of the most popular destinations. In 1948 the founding of the State of Israel gave many Survivors new hope. Featured in Room 7 is the Bluthner piano, produced by the Bluthner family from Leipzig, Germany. This particular instrument belonged to composer Alfred Sendrey, born in Budapest, Hungary. Sendrey rose to prominence in early 1930's Germany, but due to rising levels of anti-semitism decided to leave Germany in 1933. Sendrey, like many other Jewish musicians fleeing Nazi Germany, had to sell or leave their prize instruments behind. However, due the dedication of the Bluthner family, surviving musicians were able to reunite with their instruments after the war. The Bluthner piano shown in Room 7 was shipped by the Bluthner family to Sendrey at his new home--Los Angeles.”
Works Cited:
"Virtual Tour - LAMH." Virtual Tour - LAMH. Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust , n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2017. <http://www.lamoth.org/exhibitions/virtual-tour/>.