'They can be here for remembrance': Silver stolen from victims of Holocaust now in London
It has been a long journey, but two silver items looted from a Jewish family that was killed in the Holocaust, are now in London, Ont.
“They belong to the Ackermann family, they were coerced into giving up objects that were rightfully theirs, and now they are going to be held in Museum London, in the city where they made their home,” said Eric Robinson, program director of the Jewish Community Centre.
Robinson said they recently learned that the pieces of silver were being held since 1940 by a Museum in Germany.
Dr. Matthias Weniger is the curator of the Bavarian National Museum in Munich, Germany and works toward restitution of Nazi silver that had been stored in their museums since the Holocaust.
“We wanted to return the pieces to the family if we can, and if there is no direct descendants, then what accords to the will of the family since it was a Jewish Community Foundation, and therefor we brought the objects here, and now they can be here for remembrance,” said Weniger.
The silver belonged to Mina and Adolf Ackermann, but the couple was forced to give them up to a pawn shop. The family would later be killed during the Holocaust, with only their son, Theodore, surviving and eventually settling in London, Ont. with his wife Ellen in 1974.
Two silver items looted from a Jewish family killed in the Holocaust, are now in London, Ont. (Reta Ismail/CTV News London)
“On Theadore’s tombstone, Ellen wrote, ‘survivor, scientist, chess master, musician’ and that essentially captures what Theo was all about,” recalled friend Gloria Gilbert, a volunteer with the London Jewish Community Foundation.
The couple, who did not have any children, left their estate to the London Jewish Community Foundation, and in turn the silver will be handed to Museum London to be held in public trust.
Museum London said this is an especially important gift, and they look forward to exhibiting the objects and sharing their stories with Londoners.
“Museum London has a vast collection of artifacts, we hold 45,000 objects related to the history of London, but out of the 45,000, so far, only two objects in the collection are related to the history of Jewish Londoners,” said Julie Bevan, executive director at Museum London.
The silver objects, a bowl and a small lamp, date back to the 17th century. It is believed the items were passed down from generation to generation until 1939.
Bevan said they will intergrade the artifacts into an exhibit at Museum London called “London, a History.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Blaine Higgs 'furious' over sexual education presentation
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs has shared his anger on social media over a presentation in at least four high schools.
Grayson Murray's parents say the two-time PGA Tour winner died of suicide
Grayson Murray's parents said Sunday their 30-year-old son took his own life, just one day after he withdrew from a PGA Tour event.
The dreams of a 60-year-old beauty contestant come to an abrupt end in Argentina
A 60-year-old woman saw her dreams of becoming the oldest Miss Universe contestant in history melt away in a haze of sequins and selfies Saturday at Argentina’s annual beauty pageant.
North Korea informs Japan of a plan to launch military spy satellite
North Korea has told Japan it plans to launch a satellite by early next week, an apparent effort to put its second military spy satellite into orbit.
2 died in plane crash near Squamish, B.C., police confirm
Two people died after a plane went down in a remote area near Squamish, B.C. on Friday, authorities have confirmed.
Driver, 18, gets $3,000 ticket, 32 demerit points after speeding on Laval boulevard
A young driver received a hefty fine from Laval police after they say he was driving nearly 100 km/h over the posted speed limit.
Are you a loud snorer? You could have sleep apnea
You'll have a lot more energy throughout the day if you get a good night's sleep, but not everyone does due to a medical condition.
At least 15 dead after severe weather carves path of ruin across multiple U.S. states in the South
Powerful storms killed at least 15 people and left a wide trail of destruction Sunday across Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas during the latest deadly weather to strike the central U.S.
Some birds may use 'mental time travel,' study finds
Real quick — what did you have for lunch yesterday? Were you with anyone? Where were you? Can you picture the scene? The ability to remember things that happened to you in the past, especially to go back and recall little incidental details, is a hallmark of what psychologists call episodic memory — and new research indicates that it’s an ability humans may share with birds called Eurasian jays.