Library

Hebrew printed text. Below the text is a faded dark blue stamp reading "Dieses Buch gehört der Bibliothek der Jüd. Gemeinde Berlin". The Brandeis Library has found stamps from several different Jewish organizations in Berlin.

The front cover of a book with worn board bindings in a black and grey marbled print. In the lower left corner is a peeling black and white stamp with a large "T" and the handwritten number 3743. This sticker indicates the book was at the Nazi Reichsinstitut.

A title page reading "Die topographische Entwicklung der kurmainzischen Aemter in Hessen". There is a handwritten note with the first line mostly cut off, continuing "ergebenst uberreicht vom Verfasser Purim 5685!". This book was a gift from the author for Purim 5685 (Spring 1925).

"Theodor Herzl: das Erlebnis des Jüdischen Menschen" by Josef Kastein, published in Wien (Vienna) in 1935. In the lower-right corner is a black stamp reading BUCHEREI THERESIENSTADT. This book was held at the library of the Theresienstadt/Terezin concentration camp.

The lower right-hand corner of a title page with publication information and a black stamp reading "BUCHEREI THERESIENSTADT".

An inside cover with a Brandeis Library bookplate and a red Offenbach Archival Depot stamp. The flyleaf has the Jewish Cultural Reconstruction bookplate.

A secondary title page of Helene Deutsch's "Psychoanalyse der Neurosen" with a faint black rectangular stamp that reads "Reichsinstitut für Geschichte des neuen Deutschlands".

The Jewish Cultural Reconstruction bookplate. The center of the image is two nested stars of David with a ring between them reading "תקומה לתרבות ישראל". Below in blackscript typeface: "Jewish Cultural Reconstruction".

The title page of "Psychoanalyse der Neurosen Elf Vorlesungen gehalten am Lehrinstitut der Wiener Psychoanalytischen Vereinigung von Dr. Helene Deutsch". Under the author's name is a faint stamp reading "Reichsinstitut für Geschichte des neuen Deutschlands". A book on psychoanalysis written by a socialist Jewish woman was an obvious target for looting.

A round stamp reading "Bibliothek des Rabbiner-Seminars zu Berlin" above the publication information, a publisher in London. Most of the books the Brandeis Library has found are in Hebrew or Eastern European languages, but a few are in English or other languages.

A cover and flyleaf of a book. The top left sticker reads "Bibliothek des Rabbinerseminars Abt. D No. 651". The center stamp in blackscript typeface reads "Eigentum der Bibliothek des Rabbiner-Seminar zu Berlin. Geschenk vom Verfasser im Jahre 1926". On the flyleaf is a handwritten table of contents with the names of three articles. This is one of several volumes the Brandeis Library has from the Rabbinical Seminary of Berlin. They are hand-bound collections of articles or pamphlets on a particular topic, in this case three articles in English from the same author.

The outline of a rectangular purple stamp with its contents scratched off. Underneath is a pencilled "40/7". Many of these markings are partially removed, obscured, faint, overinked, or otherwise difficult to read. One reason that the Brandeis Library collects these stamps is that they may be able to identify stamps like this one by finding an example of the complete stamp.

The flyleaf of a damaged book with a black rectangular stamp reading "Bibliothek der Isr. Gemeinde Frankfurt A.M." The Jewish community of Frankfurt had a very large research library which was looted by the Nazis, and their stamp is one of the most common the Brandeis Library has found.

The title page of "Anatole Leron=Beaulieu: Die Juden und der Antisemitismus". There is a purple stamp reading "M.U.Dr. ŠAL. LIEBEN PRAHA I., Leimerova 8." and black stamp reading "M. Weisskopf". There is also "Weisskopf" in faint cursive pencil.

A round purple stamp reading "Bibliothek der Synagogen-Gemeinde Breslau".

Stamps on a yellowed page that read "Bibliothek der Synagogen-Gemeinde Beuthen O.S.", "24.8.36", and handwritten "3162".

A flyleaf with a pencil inscription reading "Aaron Strauss Wien Sept. 1933".

Stamp in blackscript typeface reading "Haupt-Archiv der NSDAP. Nr." This is the library stamp of the Central Archive of the NSDAP (Nazi Party).

An inside cover and flyleaf with a sticker reading "Ex libris des Lesevereins der Rabbiner Württembergs. / Nr. ____". This book was owned by the "Rabbi's Reading Club" of Württemberg.

The title page of "Goethes Leben und Schriften. von Karl Goedeke." On the title page there is a purple date stamp reading 4. Okt. 1936 and a purple stamp reading "Bibliothek der Synagogen-Gemeinde Beuthen O.-S." On the flyleaf is a cursive handwritten note: "zur festl. Erinnerung von [illegible] Frida Gleucker. 19.4.97." This book appears to have been owned by an individual in 1897, then by the Synagogue-Association of Beuthen O.-S.

A faintly-inked round stamp that reads "INTERNATIONAL WORKERS ORDER Lenin Branch 96, Chicago Illinois Organized May 15, 1930". In the center is a line drawing of three men with working tools. This book was almost certainly not looted, as it was probably in Chicago during the war, but in addition to the main history we are looking for, this project is revealing fascinating history about many of the Brandeis Library's other books.

The title page of "Schelm aus den Alpen. Allerlei Geschichten und Gestalten Schwaenke und Schnurren. von Peter Rosegger". At the top of the page is a rectangular purple stamp reading "Wanderbibliothek der Rheinland-Loge in Köln und des Provinzialverbandes rhein. Synagogen-Gemeinden." Next to the author's name is a round purple stamp reading "Bibliothek der Synagogen-Gemeinde Köln". This book has stamps from two different Jewish organizations in the city of Köln/Cologne.

The title page of "Hofjuden" by Peter Deeg, "herausgeber Julius Streicher". Below the publisher is a round purple stamp reading "Volksbücherei Sinsheim" and the center of the stamp has a blocky eagle with a swastika on it. This book is in the category of things that were originally owned by the Nazis rather than looted. It is an antisemitic text that was held at the public library of Sinsheim, Germany. As its logo suggests, this library was established by the Nazi government as a propaganda tool.

The title page of "Geschichte der Deutschen Literatur von Otto v. Leixner". The text is in a highly decorated blackscript typeface. In the lower right is a round stamp reading "ARCHIVAL DEPOT OFFENBACH A.M." With many looted materials, it's immediately obvious why the Nazis might have wanted to steal or restrict them, but others make it plain that they just looted entire collections regardless of how "subversive" the contents were. This book is a mainstream history of German literature published by an upper-class Christian German author.

A round stamp reading "ARCHIVAL DEPOT OFFENBACH A.M."

The title page of "Der Wahrheitsgehalt der Religion" von Rudolf Eucken; next to the author's name is a stamp reading "Philo-Loge Aschaffenburg".

A round black stamp with the Nazi eagle and swastika seal and text surrounding it reading "Reischsinstitut für Geschichte des neuen Deutschlands Bibliothek".

Flyleaf of a book with ornate cursive German handwriting and a round stamp from the Offenbach Archival Depot. The handwriting reads "Zum Andenken in Hochzeits Geschenk zu meinem [?] Freundn Moritz Maram in Auf[illegible] Freundschaft F. Scheitlis Cure Suwalki 12sten April 1862". This book was a wedding present from F. Scheitlis to Moritz Maram in the Polish town of Suwalki; at some point after that it was looted, as shown by the OAD stamp.

"Ursprung des deutschen Trauerspiels" by Walter Benjamin, published in Berlin in 1928, printed in blackscript typeface. In the middle of the page is a round stamp with the Nazi eagle and swastika seal and surrounding it "Reischsinstitut für Geschichte des neuen Deutschlands Bibliothek". This stamp is one of the most common Nazi stamps we see and indicates that the book was almost certainly looted.

The opening page of a book in German blackscript typeface with a square purple stamp reading "Bibliothek der Mamreh-Loge U.O.B.B. V 344 Beuthen O.-S."

"Расскаэы Товарищет by Юрии Либединскии", published in Moscow in 1933. It has several stamps on it including one from a Jewish organization with text in German and Yiddish, and another reading "Sichergestellt durch Einsatzstab RR Reval". Einsatzstab RR was one Nazi looting campaign and this stamp indicates the book was stolen in the city of Reval, modern-day Talinn, Estonia.

A small book with Cyrillic text on the cover. The revealed title page is in Cyrillic with several German and Yiddish stamps.

The opened cover and flyleaf of a hardback. It has a Brandeis bookplate on the left, and on the right are several stamps from Jewish organizations in the city of Beuthen O.-S. The synagogue of Beuthen (Bytom, Poland) was destroyed in 1938 and the Jewish community were some of the first to be murdered in the Shoah.

Two stamps on a yellowed book page. Purple text reads "Jüdischer Jugendverein Aschaffenburg" and a round black stamp reads "Israelit.-Kultus-Verwaltung Aschaffenburg": Jewish Youth Association Aschaffenburg and Israelite Cultural Administration Aschaffenburg.