Jewelry Confiscated by Nazis Returned to Polish Families in Emotional Ceremony
In a poignant ceremony held in Warsaw, jewelry and personal items seized by the Nazis from concentration camp prisoners during World War II were returned to the families of 12 Polish victims.
This event is part of an ongoing initiative by the Arolsen Archives to reconnect families with their long-lost belongings.
Among the items returned was jewelry belonging to Stanislawa Wasilewska, who was captured by Nazi forces in Warsaw on August 31, 1944, and sent to the Ravensbrück concentration camp. Wasilewska, who later worked in the Neuengamme forced labor camp, had her valuables taken upon arrival. Eighty years later, her grandson and great-granddaughter were given back her two amber crucifixes, a fragment of a golden bracelet, and a gold wristwatch engraved with her initials and a significant date, likely marking her wedding.
The ceremony also saw the return of items belonging to other victims. Adam Wierzbicki received two rings that belonged to Zofia Strusińska and a golden chain and tooth filling from Józefa Skórka, both of whom were sisters of his great-grandfather. The sisters had been captured together and, like Wasilewska, were interned at Ravensbrück and Neuengamme before being transferred to Sweden by the Red Cross.
The Arolsen Archives, an international center dedicated to documenting Nazi persecution, has accumulated approximately 2,000 items from concentration camp inmates across more than 30 countries. These items were cataloged and stored in envelopes marked with the prisoners’ names, facilitating their return to the families decades later.
Floriane Azoulay, director of the Arolsen Archives, underscored the significance of the returned items.
“Every object that we return is personal. It is the last personal thing a person had on them before they became a prisoner, before they became a number. So it is a very important object for a family,” stated Azoulay.
The return of these items is not only a deeply emotional event for the families but also an important historical gesture. The Arolsen Archives has launched a campaign titled “Warsaw Uprising: 100 Untold Stories” to mark the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising. This initiative aims to connect the families of 100 victims with mementos from their loved ones.
Many recipients of the returned items had not previously known about their existence. Volunteers from the archives have worked tirelessly to trace families, sometimes leaving notes at cemeteries or contacting relatives through various means.
