Aunt Olga’s Silver Candlesticks. A Munich Family History

In 1939, a decree was issued that forced Germans of Jewish origin to hand over jewelry and valuable household effects. Olga Maier from Munich was also forced to part with a pair of silver candlesticks, which the Bavarian National National Museum acquired for its collection. Olga Maier, a family person, and a true “Münchner Kindl”, always maintained a close relationship with her relatives. This remained strong even when some of them fled abroad. Olga herself was unable to do so. She was deported to Theresienstadt Ghetto in 1942 and later murdered in the Treblinka concentration camp.

For a long time, the life of Olga Maier and also the history of the candlesticks remained obscure. It was not until 2022 that the pair of candlesticks was restituted to the community of heirs, thanks to research carried out by the Bavarian National Museum. In order to preserve the memory of Olga Maier, her descendants donated the candlesticks to the Jewish Museum Munich.

The exhibition in the Study Area tells the story of Olga Maier and her family, which is now scattered all over the world. At the same time, the pair of candlesticks exemplifies the systematic robbery and persecution of Jews during the Nazi era.

An exhibition in the Study Area of the Jewish Museum Munich.