Vilma's Letter Donated to USHMM
Post date: Aug 1, 2012 4:25:00 PM
by Jennifer Goss, Misa's Fugue Producer
On Tuesday, July 24, a unique and poignant artifact from the Holocaust era was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (Washington, DC). Nearly 70 years after it was penned, Frank donated his mother Vilma's letter to USHMM via Photo Archivist Judy Cohen so that the letter may be preserved and shared with future generations. In addition, Judy likened it to helping to create a "virtual tombstone" for Vilma since the letter will also become part of their digital archives and be accessible, at some point, on the Museum website.
In addition to the donation of the letter, Frank also loaned USHMM 20 photographs of his family to add
to the Museum's existing collection of photographs that help to show what life was like before the Holocaust for those who were affected by this horrific event. The photographs contain images of all of the members of the Grunwald's immediate family and show the happiness that filled their lives before the Holocaust.
As a Holocaust educator and historian, it was very meaningful to be a part of this donation process. Sean worked with Frank in the months leading up to the event to ensure that all of his questions and concerns were addressed. Since Judy was such a pivotal part of the creation of the film, by assisting us with securing stock photographs from USHMM, we wanted her to be a part of the donation as well. Judy brought along several new discoveries in ITS records that related to Frank and Kurt's experiences during the Holocaust. Some of these documents were newly archived since our last search in 2010. It was very interesting to watch Frank and Judy review these documents together.
According to Judy, ""Meeting Frank was an unforgettable experience. As a curator of the Holocaust Museum, I am so grateful to him for entrusting us with this unique letter to preserve for the generations. This precious piece of paper written by his mother as she was being taken to her untimely death does so much to personalize the human tragedy of the Holocaust and the sufferings of the people as they experienced it."
Although plans for the letter's residence are not yet set in stone, there is a possibility that it could be put on display, either in the Permanent Exhibition or as part of a temporary exhibit. We will be sure to keep everyone posted of these possibilities. A special screening of the film for Museum staff and volunteers is also in the works.
