A pocket watch that was given as a gift to the head of the Judenrat in the Lodz Ghetto, Mordechai Chaim Rumkowski. On the watch cover is a Star of David in the center and the inscription: DER AELTESTE DER JUDEN Litzmannstadt - "Elder of the Jews in the Litzmannstadt Ghetto" - the title given to the head of the Judenrat Mordechai Chaim Rumkowski (a name given to him by the head of the civil administration in Lodz, Albert Leister, and thus he was called by the Jews of the ghetto). Swiss pocket watch with a spring mechanism.
Rumkowski who was appointed to the position at the age of 62 in February 1940, maintained a cult of personality around him, organized youth parades in his honor, and hung his picture in schools. Primo Levi referred to him in his book as "the King of the Jews of Ghetto Lodz". It is known that he moved around the ghetto in a luxurious carriage, and that on Rosh Hashanah he sent greeting cards decorated with his portrait. He printed banknotes and coins, called 'Rumki' after his name, which were legal tender in the ghetto and even produced stamps with his portrait, all under the auspices of the Nazis. Some of the ghetto residents gave gifts to Rumkowski out of gratitude for the protection and assistance they received. Others did so in the hope of gaining favor or securing better jobs, living conditions, or exemptions from deportations. Some see Rumkowski's acceptance of the gifts as a pragmatic necessity in maintaining his position and the functioning of the ghetto. Others see it as an abuse of power and a moral failure, given the extreme deprivation suffered by the ghetto residents. Some of the residents gave him handcrafted items or works of art - from small decorative items to more sophisticated items created by the ghetto's artists and craftsmen, while others painted handwritten notebooks and presented them as a gift with a dedication to Rumkowski.
The collection of artifacts at the Yad Vashem Museum contains several unique silver objects made by Jewish silversmiths in the Lodz Ghetto during the Holocaust, including a silver Hanukkah menorah that folds into the shape of a small prayer book, given to Rumkowski by Ziso Eybeshitz, the director of the paper factory in the ghetto (the menorah was found in the ruins of Rumkowski's house in the ghetto); a decorated silver case for the Scroll of Esther, also given as a gift to Rumkowski; pins and a bracelet made in the ghetto by the artist Chaim Kliger; and other items.
Rare. Never appeared in auctions.
Diameter: 4.5 cm. Spring mechanism in working order. The dedication on the back is faded. Good condition.
