Objects

The photograph shows an elderly woman, Leja Szmidt, sitting at a kitchen table. The woman is lifting a piece of matzah to her mouth. On the table, there is a newspaper spread out, a plate with a slice of matzah and a sugar bowl and an empty plate. | On the left side of the frame, you can see a white stove (westfalka) with dishes and a white vase on it. Another slice of matzah is lying on the vase. Behind the cooker there are two cupboards with ceramic utensils on them. A tin bowl of leftovers is standing on the floor, under the cooker. | The photo was taken at the home of 92-year-old Leja in the village of Baniocha (in the Piaseczno County). Before the war, the Szmidt family ran a bakery that supplied the area with bread. Almost all the woman's relatives died in the Holocaust. The surviving few emigrated. At the time the photograph was taken (1984), the woman was living alone. She was helped by her Polish neighbours. | Marta Frączkiewicz