Objects

Brown leather folder, with embossed floral decoration at right edge of front cover. It was, as we infer from the dedication, a birthday present from Dawid Guzik (1890-1946), director of the Polish branch of the JDC charity (commonly known as “Joint”, an abbreviation of American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee), to Luba Blum-Bielicka, at the time holding a position of a director of an orphanage in Otwock. After Guzik's tragic death in an airplane accident in March 1946 (i.e., just a few weeks after the presentation of the folder), the orphanage was named after this outstanding activist. The orphanage functioned from the beginning of March 1945 until 1949, and was located at 11 Bolesława Prusa Street in Otwock. At the time of Guzik's death it was home to approx. 130 children.

We do not know whether Luba Blum-Bielicka used the folder and, if so, during what period (perhaps she treated it as a memento of David Guzik and, not wishing to damage it, put it away). She never has written on any of the pages, so this section looks complete and the only page used was the one with the dedication. When it was found in the Blums' flat by Ewa Brylewska and subsequently donated to the Museum, the object was quite damaged, but not necessarily because of its regular use by the director of the orphanage, a nurse.