A silver maple tree with a lineage that goes back to a Czech concentration camp has been transplanted to the New York Museum of Jewish Heritage. The second-generation tree grew for a time at Longwood Gardens, writes Sasha Rogelberg for the Jewish Exponent.

The tree was donated by former Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia President Bud Newman. He received the sapling from former Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation President Steve Kessler.

At the time, Kessler informed Newman that a sapling descended from the Czech concentration camp tree, which belonged to the memorial, was being housed at Longwood Gardens. The memorial was under construction at the time, which made it impossible to keep the tree, as it had grown too large.

Newman accepted the sapling from the tree and tended to it on what was formerly his farm in New Hope.

“I look at these trees as being symbolic of more people recognizing what Jews have gone through, and more people recognizing that Jews are survivors, and their strengths and their attitude towards continuing through survival is miraculous,” said Newman.

The silver maple tree lineage comes from the Czech ghetto and concentration camp Theresienstad.

Read more about this significant tree in the Jewish Exponent.

Here’s the story of the children’s tree, the sapling planted at Theresienstad.