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Exhibition highlights two individuals forced to the edges of society by the Nazis
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November 8, 2018 [St. Petersburg, FL] — The Sam and Inge Lewkowitz Collection opens this Saturday, November 10 at The Florida Holocaust Museum (The FHM). In the latest special exhibit of objects from the Museum’s permanent collection, the stories of Sam and Inge Lewkowitz are highlighted.
Sam Lewkowitz and Inge London were forced to the edges of society by the Nazis during World War II. Sam was forced to flee Germany to Shanghai, China. Inge was trapped in Berlin during the war and was constantly under the eyes of the Nazi regime. After the war they met in the United States and married, beginning a new phase of their lives.
“I had the honor of meeting a daughter and granddaughter of Survivors – Mindy Valerioti and Judith Lewkowitz, and listened to them retell the stories Inge and Sam Lewkowitz. After several hours, we left entrusted with a treasure trove of artifacts that held in them the Holocaust experiences of their parents,” said Erin Blankenship, The FHM’s Curator of Exhibitions and Collections.
During the war, Inge Lewkowitz was forced to work at the Jewish Hospital of Berlin. During the war, the hospital served a myriad of uses: a Jewish hospital, a hospital for Jewish concentration camp prisoners, a transit camp for those selected for deportation with one wing set apart as a hospital for Wermacht soldiers. She emigrated to America in 1950.
Inge saved her Star of David patch, important documents, and a number of pre-war family photographs. Mindy and Judith donated all of these objects to The FHM and are on display in The Sam and Inge Lewkowitz Collection.
Boxer Sam Lewkowitz lived in Berlin before the war and was billed as the Maccabi Champion of Berlin. After Kristallnacht, he was arrested and sent to a concentration camp but later released. Upon leaving the camp, Sam left for Shanghai like many other German and Austrian Jews to flee Nazi persecution. There, he continued to focus on Athletic pursuits and joined the International Sporting Club of Shanghai. The first refugee bouts began in 1939 and the Jewish refugees, including Sam Lewko (his boxing name), defeated the top boxers from Japan, France, and the U.S. After boxing was banned by the Japanese in 1941, Sam played soccer with the club until 1945 when the boxing ban was lifted. He emigrated to the United States in 1948.
The Sam and Inge Lewkowitz Collection includes Sam’s boxing shorts, two of his boxing match advertisements, trophies won in Shanghai, and several documents related to the sporting club.
The Sam and Inge Lewkowitz Collection opens to the public on November 18, 2018 and will be on display through May 5, 2019 at The Florida Holocaust Museum.
The Florida Holocaust Museum is located at 55 5th Street S, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.
About The Florida Holocaust Museum
2017 marked a monumental milestone for The Florida Holocaust Museum (The FHM) as the Museum celebrated its 25th Anniversary. One of the largest Holocaust museums in the country, and one of three nationally accredited Holocaust museums, The FHM honors the memory of millions of men, women and children who suffered of died in the Holocaust. The FHM is dedicated to teaching members of all races and cultures the inherent worth and dignity of human life in order to prevent future genocides. For additional information, please visit www.TheFHM.org.
Photos and credits  Ingeborg Lewkowitz, circa 1946.
Photo credit: The Florida Holocaust Museum’s permanent collection, courtesy of Judith Lewkowitz
 Sam Lewkowitz, circa 1938 – 1946.
Photo credit: The Florida Holocaust Museum’s permanent collection, courtesy of Judith Lewkowitz
 Some of the items featured in The Sam and Inge Lewkowitz Collection.
Photo credit: The Florida Holocaust Museum
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