Importance of Frau Rosenthal's Jewels?

Frau Rosenthal's jewels symbolize a connection to her past when she had her family, her home and a successful business. Prior to the arrival of the Nazis in Germany, Frau Rosenthal's family had everything they needed and wanted. Hitler's oppression of the Jews brought about much loss, both materially and personally, for all Jews, including the Frau. As she sits alone in her room at Judge Fromm's home, she repeatedly touches and handles her jewelry and money, thinking about the past and all that she has lost. Her children, her husband, her home and even her freedom are gone. All she has left are her jewels. As she jumps out of her kitchen window and plummets to her death she is clutching a jeweled bracelet, symbolizing that she clung to her past even as she died.