WJRO’s #MyPropertyStory campaign encourages Holocaust survivors and their families to share their personal stories. The campaign raises awareness of the need to address the restitution of Jewish private and communal property seized during the Holocaust and its aftermath.
We are excited to announce the launch of the fifth annual #MyPropertyStory campaign, “Cherished Possessions,” beginning on Yom HaShoah, April 24, 2025, and running through May 22, 2025. This year’s campaign highlights personal belongings—family artwork, heirlooms, Judaica, and everyday objects—that were stolen or lost during the Holocaust, emphasizing their deep emotional and historical significance.
We invite you to share your story and be part of this meaningful initiative. Please click the “Add Your Story” button to submit your experience and contribute to the campaign.
Behind your family’s home, business, and keepsake, there is a story.
What connects you to your family history?
View of the entrance to a Jewish owned business in Zagreb, Croatia belonging to Vilim Weiss (circa 1941). Credit: @USHMM, courtesy of Marta Kupfermann Elkana
Marcel’s Album
A handmade autograph book belonging to Holocaust survivor Marcel Anisfeld—carried with him from Siberia to Poland to England—captures messages from children he met along the way and remains one of his most treasured possessions.
John’s Teddy
#MyPropertyStory: Cherished Possessions
As part of this year’s #MyPropertyStory campaign, WJRO is proud to partner with 80 Objects/80 Lives, a digital exhibition highlighting belongings of Holocaust survivors and refugees. Among them is a small teddy bear that John Hajdu carried with him as a child during the war—a lasting symbol of survival and memory.
Explore more at: wjro.org.il/mypropertystory
Full exhibition: 80 Objects | Holocaust Testimony at ajr.org.uk
The Nicest House in the Village
The nicest house in the village” was built by Fania Feldman’s family near Buczacz with money sent from America. When the Nazis arrived, they took it over as their headquarters. It was never returned. Today, it remains a symbol of all that was lost — not just property, but identity, history, and hope
Erna Klein: Challah Cover
A challah cover was given to Erna Klein, born in 1919, by her former teacher in Olsz, Silesia, Poland. The cover had once belonged to Rabbi Kudowski, the former rabbi of Olsz, and remains a powerful link to a lost world.
A Pendant, A Memory: Lia Lesser’s Silent Reminder
As part of #MyPropertyStory, WJRO and 80 Objects/80 Lives honor a pendant given to Lia Lesser in 1939—her only possession as she fled to safety, and a quiet symbol of her Jewish identity.
Uncovering a Holocaust-Era Injustice in Przemyśl, Poland
After discovering a lost branch of my family, I began investigating what happened to my great-grandfather’s building in Przemyśl, Poland—property that was never truly “abandoned,” but lost in the aftermath of the Holocaust. What I uncovered reveals a deep injustice, and I’m now seeking to correct the record and honor my family’s legacy.
Milena’s Album
#MyPropertyStory: Cherished...
Deportation to Transnistria and Robbery
Both grandfathers were victims – my maternal grandfather was deported to Transnistria, and my paternal grandfather was robbed.
Helen Aronson: Powder Compact:
One such treasure is a powder compact belonging to Helen Aronson, who was born in 1927 in Pabianice, Poland. While living in the Litzmannstadt Ghetto (Łódź Ghetto), Helen’s brother Henry gave her this engraved compact as a birthday gift on April 24, 1944.