A Polish woman and her son have donated a remarkable collection of over 500 artifacts recovered from the Auschwitz death camp, including a child’s ragdoll, a prisoner’s uniform, and suitcases belonging to camp victims. The items, hidden for decades, were handed over last week to the Foundation of Memory Sites Near Auschwitz-Birkenau. The donors, who wish to remain anonymous, explained that the woman’s father collected the items shortly after the camp’s liberation in 1945, before Auschwitz became a museum. He had helped with cleanup efforts and stored the objects in an attic, where they remained untouched for more than 80 years. Dagmar Kopijasz, a member of the foundation’s council, described the cache as one of the most extraordinary finds in recent years. “We couldn’t believe what we were seeing. The van she and her son drove to us was full of things,” Kopijasz told TVP3. The cache includes clothing, dishes, a prisoner’s striped uniform, and Judaica items, as well as artifacts that may have belonged to SS guards at Auschwitz. Among the items is a suitcase marked “Ungermann” and “transport 3262.” The objects are in varying states of preservation and are now being cataloged by the foundation. Select pieces were displayed at the Auschwitz museum during the 80th anniversary commemorations of the camp’s liberation on Monday, Jan. 27. The commemoration was attended by dignitaries and heads of state, including Israel’s Education Minister Yoav Kisch. More than 1.8 million people visited Auschwitz in 2024, and the site received approximately $8 million in funding from Poland’s government to preserve its history. Yacov Livne, Israel’s ambassador to Poland, highlighted the significance of the donation, noting that Holocaust-related sites near Auschwitz have often been neglected or destroyed. “I hope that on the 80th anniversary of its liberation, a solution will be found to preserve what remains,” Livne tweeted. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)