Signboard

The double-sided signboard informed about the fruit shop run by Jakob Siedlecki, located in one of Warsaw's tenement houses. With time, the inscription Jüdisches Geschäft (Jewish shop) (German: Jewish shop) and a dark blue Star of David (in the upper left corner) were painted. It resulted from an order issued by the governor of the Warsaw district, Ludwig Fischer, on 24 November 1939, under which Jews were obliged to wear a white band with a star symbol on their right forearm and mark Jewish shops and workshops. After the liquidation of the Warsaw Ghetto, another inscription was made on the other side of the plaque: LEBENSMITTEL LADEN | GROCERY SHOP | JÓZEF WIERZBICKI. (German: grocery shop). It proves that the signboard was reused after the liquidation of the ghetto by the Polish shop owner.

The inscription was most probably made by hand using a stencil. The background is white. On the left side of the inscription, a deep plate full of fruit is a decorative representation. The representation occupies approximately 1/3 of the width of the plate and is coloured. The plate is écru in colour and has a geometric pattern along the edge. In the centre of the dish are two yellow-orange fruits resembling lemons, a bunch of dark (right) and light (left) grapes and half a sliced watermelon (top right). Below, two pears (left) and a piece of watermelon (right) can be seen under the plate. Above the representation (upper left corner of the plate), a six-pointed star in dark blue has been painted. The star's background is visibly lightened (with a thin, translucent layer of white paint), making the star more legible.

The background colour of the other side of the sign is écru. The entire surface of the rectangular metal plate is occupied by the inscription mentioned above in Polish and German, divided into four rows of letters. There is no decorative appliqué here.The signboard is presented at the permanent exhibition of the POLIN Museum. It can be seen in the Holocaust gallery.

Marta Frączkiewicz