Objects

Ornamental cast-iron stove door from the house of Szymon Kluger in Oświęcim, preserved before the 2013–14 renovation of the building. At present, part of the interior design of Café Bergson, run by the Auschwitz Jewish Center (AJC). Built in the late 19th century/early 20th century, the Kluger Family House changed hands over time and was consecutively owned by the Wulkan, Leser, and Teichner families. In 1928, it came into the possession of Bernard Teichman and his daughter Fryda Kluger. The Kluger family – Fryda and her husband Symcha as well as their children Mojżesz, Szymon, Bronia, Icchak, Melech, Izrael, Jehoszua, Chaim, and Malka – moved their in the early 1930s. They sold chickens for a living. In addition, Symcha Kluger was a melamed (Hebrew: religious teacher). Every Saturday afternoon he would deliver his commentaries on the Torah in the vestibule of the Great Synagogue in Oświęcim. Of the eleven-strong family, only three siblings, Bronia, Mojżesz, and Szymon, survived the Shoah. After WW2, Bronia and Mojżesz left for the United States, while their brother emigrated to Sweden. In 1961, Szymon Kluger returned to Oświęcim and resided in the family house. He died on 26 May 2000 and was buried in the local Jewish cemetery. His death put an end to the Jewish presence in Oświęcim that stretched over more than four centuries. In 2002, Bronia Rosenblatt and Mojżesz Kluger bequeathed the house to the Auschwitz Jewish Center (AJC).