Matzo Cover and Article
We were liberated on April 23, 1945. This was shortly after Passover. Probably in May my mother commissioned a Church supply store in Biberach to make a Matzo cover which is used on the first two nights of Passover during the Seders. My brother has this beautifully embroidered item and he provided the photograph shown below. The Matzo cover is 44 cm. in diameter. Translation of the top inscription is: "Passover, the time of our freedom." The bottom verse is from Exodus, Chapter 34, verse 18: "Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread (Matzo)." It is an expression of my mother's unshakable faith even after severe suffering that she had the will to show her appreciation to God for our survival and freedom in this manner.
This article was published in the German newspaper: Schwabische Zeitung on April 8, 2002
Here is a transcript of an email sent to Henry Joshua on the date of publication (Apr. 8, 2002):
Dear henry,
Only one hour after my article had been published in our local paper my telephone rang. There were several Biberachers on the phone, two of whom could definitely tell me where and how your matzo cover was produced. The first caller was Herr Gustav Gerster, owner of one of the largest textile factories at Biberach. He told me, when he read the name Joshua he immediately remembered your mother. Herr Gerster was a young man of 22 years who had gladly survived the war and was just about to start running his father's factory again, when your mother came to him to ask him for some textiles, particularly cords and braids of different colours. Obviously she urgently needed them for her daughter who appreciated arts and needlework. Your mother gave him cigars, cigarettes and food in exchange. Herr Gerster was sure that your mother had ordered the matzo cover in a special factory at Biberach called Carl Neff GmbH & Co KG, Kunststickerei, Waldseestrasse 24, 88400 Biberach. He worked together with the 60-year-old manager of that firm, Herr Victor Spiess who once showed him the matzo covers already produced. Herr Gerster confirmed that the Neff factory produced lots of matzo covers for Jewish people that lived at Laupheim near Biberach and in URRA camp Jordanbad, where the Joshua family also lived at that time.
The second caller was Frau Dreher, now living in the neighboring village of Mittelbiberach. As a girl she was employed with the Neff factory as an embroideress. She was very excited this morning when she saw the embroidering together with a friend of hers. She told me that Jewish people (mostly men from Laupheim in fact) came into the factory, drew the picture of the matzo cover on a paper after which she had to copy the drawing on material. The embroidery was hand-made only. Sometimes the Jewish people came to check. It was most important not to make a mistake with the Hebrew letters which were absolutely unknown to the embroideresses, of course. Often they were given extra food, mostly matzos which was a real pleasure for them at that time since there was a lack of food at Biberach. I have not yet succeeded into contacting Herr Manall, now owner of the Neff factgory. I would like to ask him for more details. Possibly they still keep the drawings or could tell me the price of the Matzo cover. However in the meantime the original owners have died and since Herr Manall seems to be fairly young I am not so sure he can give me some more information.
Anyway I think it was worth while publishing the photo at Biberach, wasn't it?
Best regards,
Reinhold