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Henryk Reiss Must Cease to Exist
25.06.2025-31.03.2026
New exhibition at the Galicia Jewish Museum
Exhibition opening: 25.06.2025, 17:30
The exhibition “Henryk Reiss Must Cease to Exist” presents the dramatic story of the Reiss family: Henryk, his wife Łucja, and their daughter Elżunia, who hid their Jewish identity during the Second World War and the Holocaust.
In 1942, facing mortal danger, the Reisses decided to buy false documents known as “Aryan papers” using the name of the Polish, Christian Daraż family from Lviv. They managed to survive until the end of the war under this assumed name. Unfortunately, almost none of Łucja and Henryk’s numerous relatives and friends survived.
The exhibition is based on Henryk Reiss’s post-war memoirs and the family’s collection of priceless documents. Almost 50 artifacts will be on display, including one of the most complete collections of preserved “Aryan papers” used by a specific family.
Life on “Aryan Papers”
What were “Aryan papers” and how were they obtained? What did the process of adopting a false identity entail and what were its consequences? What did it truly mean to “live on Aryan papers” and did having them guarantee safety? These questions are crucial to understanding not only the fate of the Reiss family, but the experiences of the thousands of Jews who changed their identities to save their lives.
“Henryk Reiss Must Cease to Exist” also reveals how the survival strategy of assuming a false identity was constantly jeopardized by chance events and uncontrollable forces. Their journey from Kraków took the Reiss family through Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary, including Warsaw, Lviv, and Budapest, as they experienced a series of dramatic, dangerous situations as well as lucky coincidences. Ultimately, it was the people they encountered along the way who played the most decisive role. The attitudes of these people ranged from compassion and friendship to antisemitic prejudice and open hostility. This aspect of the family’s survival – who helped them, who sheltered them, who looked the other way, and who brought mortal danger upon them – is a defining element of the exhibition.
The story of the Reiss family is one of fear and courage, sadness and resilience, loss and hope. While the exhibition focuses on a single family, it frames their personal experiences within the wider historical context and allows visitors to examine the chronology and geography of the Holocaust. The narrative goes beyond the Second World War, shedding light on the difficult realities and challenges of the postwar years faced by those who managed to survive.
