Objects

‘In October 1967, the Goldhars managed to buy back the entire flat where Janina’s parents (Mieczysław Proner and Maria Pronerowa vel Pogonowska) had lived before the war After just a few months spent 'at their own place', they were forced to sell the family home. This time, they were leaving it forever.

Due to formal limitations connected with the transport of property (numerous restrictions), as well as the capacity of the containers (the so-called lifts), the March emigrants tried to sell or give away part of the property they owned. Since the restrictions also applied to the export of money from the country, many emigrants invested it in goods that would be easily sold in the new country, converting them into a currency of sorts. As Janina Goldhar remembers, her family invested the money for which they planned to set up at a new place, in crystal glassware. ‘All this stands here to this day… we were told it was very easy to sell it in Israel, every piece was packed separately, everything looked very nice’ Sabina Baral, in her book ‘Notes from Exile’ ['Zapiski z wygnania', 2015] also mentions examples of investing funds in modern electronic devices, deemed to be easily sellable in the new country.

The presented document is a kind of description of a more detailed inventory of movables. It categorises the items being carried and provides their total quantities. The list reflects, in a very vivid way, what the containers loaded with the emigrants’ property looked like. It also gives an idea of what is necessary to rebuild everyday life in a new country. The Goldhars’ cargo includes: ‘down-filled quilts 2 units. Total weight 6,2 kg.’, ‘carpets 3 units, contemporary production’, and ‘pillowcases 40 units, used’.