Portraits of Survival
The idea to photograph Omaha's survivor community in conjunction with the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht arose from the desire to honor those who survived the horrific life-changing experiences of the Holocaust and who found their way to Omaha after the War and rebuilt their lives in our community.
The goal of this project was not to ask the survivors to recall painful memories but to capture each person as they are today, in a peaceful, quiet moment. As a result of the talent and sensitivity of photographer David Radler, viewers feel as though they are looking into the essence of each of our beloved members of the survivor community. The exhibit is an appropriate and meaningful way for the Institute for Holocaust Eduation to show our deepest honor and respect to the survivors in our community.
Personally, this has been one of the most important projects I have been involved in since the creation of the Institute in 2000. It was an emotional experience to be welcomed into so many homes, to reflect on the amazing strength and resiliency of each of these individuals and to watch each life being captured in a unique way. I thank every one for their hospitality and for the opportunity to honor them. I am sorry that not all the survivor community was able to participate and that so many others are no longer with us. We hope that the spirit of the exhibit will serve to honor the entire survivor community.
Beth Seldin Dotan, Director of the Institute for Holocaust Education
portraits of survival
David Radler, Photographer
Esther
Esther was born in Benzin, Poland, in 1924. Shortly after the war began, Benzin was turned into a ghetto where Esther lived until the spring of 1942. She was then transported to the Oberalstadt Camp where she remained for three years until the end of the war in 1945. Esther and her husband Norman settled in Omaha and raised two sons. "I think about it (the Holocaust) every day when I'm happy and when I'm sad. It's part of my life".
Bella
Bella was born in Krakow in 1926. With her mother, she experienced the Krakow Ghetto and survived the Plaszow Camp outside of Krakow. They were separated only one day, but Bella saw to it that they were never apart again. Together, they were transported on one of the last trains to Auschwitz, later surviving the harrowing experience of a death march, Ravensbrück Concentration Camp and the chaos that followed at the conclusion of the war. Bella and her husband Erwin came to Omaha at the end of 1948 and owned a successful fine arts store.
Paulette & Hersh
Hersh was born in Poland and Paulette in Paris, although her family was originally from Poland. Paulette went into hiding during the war. Hersh was unfortunately sent to Auschwitz. The two met in Paris after the war, married and emigrated in 1954 with the help of Hersh's cousin in Omaha. Hersh worked as a ritual slaughterer, and Paulette started knitting slippers. She found a job at Brandeis where she worked for 41 years. They struggled in the early years - moving from apartment to apartment, sleeping on the floor, not having a refrigerator or a car. Paulette says, "I want children to learn about the Holocaust, to understand what happened to the Jews."
Leo
Born in Nyirodony, Hungary, in 1925, Leo's town was near the Romanian border. Taken in 1944, his family was first confined in a ghetto and later sent to Auschwitz. There, most of his family was murdered. Having endured Mengele's experimentation and surviving a failed event at the gallows, he was liberated and eventually went to Canada. Leo became a cantor and later came to Omaha.
Lola
Lola was born in 1925 in Krakow, Poland. She spent time in the Krakow ghetto from March 1941 to Spring 1942. She was in the Plaszow Concentration Camp where she had an encounter with Oskar Schindler and was later sent to the Skarzysko Camp. She was liberated from the Chantochaw Concentration Camp. After settling in Omaha, Lola later discovered her mother and sister Helena were alive and living in Uruguay.
Helena
Helena was born in Krakow, Poland, in 1922. She was forced to live in the Krakow ghetto, then was taken to the Plaszow Camp and later deported to Auschwitz. She was with her mother throughout the war, caring for her and helping her survive. After the war, they went to Switzerland and then Paris. Unable to find a stable place to live, they went to Uruguay. In 1963, her sister Lola discovered her mother together with Helena and Helena's new family and brought them to Omaha. Helena's son remarks, "My mom is a true survivor in so many ways - her life gives me inspiration. It took so much courage, fortitude and strength for her to go through the war."
Jacob
Jacob was born in Przytyk, Poland, in 1918. During the war, he was sent away to Siberia for six years. Upon returning to Poland after the war, he received devastating news - all of his family members had perished in the gas chambers. He eventually found his way to Israel where he stayed for three years. In 1959, he arrived in Omaha with his wife and two daughters. Jacob is a tailor and continues to work with his daughter today.
Sara
Sara was born in Ostrowiec, Poland, in 1925. Sara was in the Ostrowiec and Vilna ghettos and several concentration camps. She was liberated from Bergen-Belsen in 1945. Sara and her husband raised their children in Omaha, creating a circle of friends, also survivors, who were like a new family.
Jack & Mindel
Mindel was born in Dolhinow, Poland. Jack, originally Zelik, was born in 1922 also in Dolhinow. They were in the Dollhinow ghetto for a year before being transferred to the Knianigan Labor Camp. Each managed to escape in 1943. Jack joined the Partisans and remained with them through the end of the war. Mindel hid in the woods with other Jews until the war ended. They settled in Omaha, and Jack has worked at the Nebraska Furniture Mart for 54 years. They have two daughters both living in New York.
Helen
Helen was born in Kaunas, Lithuania, in 1923. Life was very difficult for the Jews as they lived under the scrutiny of both the Russians and later the Germans during the war. At 18 years old, Helen received a visa from Chiune Sugihara, the Japanese diplomat in Lithuania who acted against his country's orders and aided nearly 6,000 Jews in escaping Lithuania. The journey took Helen to Japan before she arrived in the United States in 1954. She then came to Omaha. "It was a haven to come to this country. I am indebted to Sugihara for his kindness to the Jews."
Margot
Margot was born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, in 1922. Her family was warned not to stay in their apartment the night of November 9, 1938. They hid in the attic during the Kristallnacht pogrom. Soon after, a friend was able to secure work for Margot in England. She never expected the separation from her parents to be permanent. They perished in Auschwitz in 1942. Margot arrived in the U.S. in 1946. She helped create the Hatikvah Holocaust Education & Resource Center of Western Massachusetts in 2001. She has recently come to Omaha to be near her son and his family.
Bea
Bea was born in Lauterbach, Germany, in 1932. Her family was sent to Gurs concentration camp in France. Later, Bea's mother arranged for Bea and her sister to be saved by the Jewish French underground, the Osay. The Nazis tracked these hidden children, and therefore Bea was moved 14 times during the war. Her parents were murdered in Auschwitz. The Osay helped Bea and her sister locate relatives in England where they stayed after the war until she came to the United States in 1947. Bea and her husband raised four girls in Nebraska. "There needs to be less hatred and prejudice in this world. People need to understand they are more alike than they are different."
Joachim
Joachim (Joe) was born in Berlin, Germany, in 1922. He was sent to Saxon-Hausen at the age of 17 and later was imprisoned in Buchenwald and Auschwitz working as a slave laborer. Near the end of the war, Joachim escaped with ten companions into the forest near a stone quarry. His immediate family was reunited at the end of the war at a Displaced Persons camp. Joachim went to Israel and fought during the War of Independence, moved to the U.S. in 1966 and later to Nebraska. "I can't hate any more because I saw what hate did."
Martha & Gershon
Martha was born in 1926 in Aleksandruwtodz, Poland. She was in the Warsaw ghetto and then transported to Ravensbrück Concentration Camp until she was liberated by the Russians. Gershon was born in 1922 in Benzin, Poland. He was sent to work for the Germans and then transported to Auschwitz. Gershon was moved to Dachau before the end of the war and was liberated by American troops. Martha and Gershon met in a DP camp and settled in Omaha in 1949.
Hilde
Born in Mühlheim on der Mosel, Germany, in 1920, Hilde was a witness to Kristallnacht. She fled Germany in 1939 with a Domestic Permit that enabled her to work in England. She arrived in the United States in 1947. Hilde's son Steven remarks, "Mom's mother was one of ten children. There was only one sibling able to escape Germany and she provided the affidavit for my mother to come to the U.S. I would like to express my gratitude for the help my parents received along the path toward a new chance at life in this country."
Victor
Victor was born in 1920 in Warsaw, Poland. He and his family lived in Radom, and when the war began, they were driven from their home and their town. A young scholar, Victor was forced to work in a munitions factory and then sent to several slave labor camps. His daughters describe their father as an indomitable man of great strength and courage to have survived the horrors of the war. "He has always been a dignified, compassionate and learned man deeply devoted to his family and to God. A poetic soul, Victor has a wonderful, wry sense of humor."
Rachel
Rachel was born in Wolanov, Poland, in 1923. At the age of 16, she was sent to the ghetto and later to four concentration camps including Theresienstadt and Auschwitz. Rachel's sisters, Mania and Bluma, were also in Auschwitz, but she saw them only once. At the end of the war, the sisters reunited. She married her husband Carl in 1946 and arrived in Omaha with a child in 1949. "I love life, I love nature and I love people around me, and I want to be as happy as possible."
Mania
Mania, the older sister of Rachel and Bluma, was born in Wolanov, Poland, in 1920. She, too, experienced numerous camps including Auschwitz and worked under forced labor. When Mania, her sisters and cousins returned to their home in Wolanov, neighbors told them, "If you want to live, go away from here." Mania went to Israel in 1948 and stayed for about nine years. She then moved to Omaha where she and her husband owned a bakery and raised two children. Mania's children have remarked, "It's amazing how strong our mother was and how strong she still is today. She has so much spirit and life."
Joe & Bluma
Bluma, born in Wolanov, Poland, in 1930, is the younger sister of Mania and Rachel. Bluma spent time in numerous camps, including Auschwitz. Joe was born in Suwalki, Poland, in 1925. He escaped a train on its way to the Treblinka death camp and joined the Partisans. After the war, Joe came to Omaha with 20 dollars in his pocket and later married Bluma. Joe owned the successful Ak-Sar-Ben TV & Appliance Company. "We were able to raise our children well here. We have a lot of joy from them and from our grandchildren. We're happy we are in this free United States. Omaha has been good to us."
Abe
Abe was born in 1910 in a small town called Slawitze, which was located outside of Warsaw, Poland. When the Nazis invaded from the West, Abe's mother urged Abe and his brother George to flee to Russia. There were also four sisters in his family. He faced many perils in Russia, hiding in forests, being drafted into the Russian army, labor in Siberia and more. At the end of the war, he made his way back to Poland and found all his relatives had been murdered except for his brother, George, who had been with the Partisans during the war. They reunited in Berlin and began to renew their lives. Abe came to Omaha in 1951.
Roman
Roman was born in a farming community near Krakow, Poland, in 1911. He was imprisoned in Auschwitz but escaped with his brother Joe. Having been shot in the leg, it was difficult for Roman to flee. At one point, his brother made him hide in a dog house in one of the small villages. The Germans poured gasoline on the houses and lit them aflame. They did not burn the dog house where Roman was hiding. Later, he was hidden by Partisans and villagers until the end of the war. Roman came to Omaha with his bride in 1950 and worked as a butcher with his brothers.
Fred
Fred was born in Antwerp in 1938. At the age of four, his mother had the strength and the insight to send him out of the train station before deportation in hope of saving his life. He was found wandering the streets and was ultimately hidden in a convent in Weisenbeck. Fred's parents did not survive. He reconnected with relatives and went to Canada after the war. Fred and his wife Sarah settled in Omaha in 1974 and raised a family. Fred comments, "People should learn to be kind and find ways to support one another in this world."
Tom
Tom was born in Antwerp, Belgium, in 1940. He is one of the thousands of children hidden during the Holocaust. Tom arrived in the United States on New Year's Eve 1947. "As a group we were very young, but we were fortunate enough to be fairly resilient in our post-war experience. I believe we owe that to the people who either hid us during the war and to those who raised us right after the war. In my case, I attribute this sense of good direction to my foster family here in the United States."
Katherine
Born in 1924 in Sáránd, Hungary, Katherine (Kitty) was in the Sáránd ghetto and the Nagyvárad ghettos in 1944. As was the fate of most Hungarian Jews, Katherine was taken to Auschwitz. After four months, she was moved to the Allendorf work camp until her liberation. Katherine married a U.S. service man and emigrated to Council Bluffs, lowa, in 1947. She raised three children and worked for US Bank where she rose to be Vice President. "The U.S. not only liberated me from the camps but gave me and other survivors the opportunity for a new life. We worked hard not to be a burden in this country, and we left Europe with nothing."
Freda
Freda was born in Jareslow, Poland, in 1925. Her family was removed from their home by the Gestapo and forced to cross the San River by foot into Russia. When Germany later occupied Russia, she was sent to Siberia for six years. Freda was liberated back to Poland and then moved to Israel. She came to Omaha in 1950. Her experiences taught her lessons that she shares with her grandchildren: "I don't complain, I don't waste anything - somebody else does not have what we have."
Leelo
Leelo, born in Nuremberg, Germany, narrowly escaped the Holocaust by immigrating to the United States in 1938. She suffered polio as a young child but went to school in Italy and Switzerland. She later met her future husband Lou, and they were married in Nuremberg in 1937. The couple was able to leave Germany in January 1938 for New York. Leelo's parents were successful in their business in Germany and escaped the Nazi terror by immigrating to England and then the United States. Lou's parents were not as fortunate, being transported to Theresienstadt in 1942 where they perished. Leelo and Lou's two children were born in New York. The family later moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, where Lou was employed with the Northwestern Metal Company.
Lou
Lou was born in the Netherlands in 1931. His family was prosperous, and Lou enjoyed a carefree childhood. Not long after the family went into hiding in 1942, they were discovered by the Nazis. Lou escaped through a back entrance and was separated from his parents who were captured. Wandering on his own, he was caught by a farmer and later handed over to the Dutch Resistance who cared for him until the end of the war. Lou then lived in an orphanage and finished high school. He moved to Israel and lived on a kibbutz, worked for several companies and studied engineering at the Technion in Haifa. After completing his PhD at Purdue University, Lou worked for NASA, the US Army and in Israel. He joined the faculty at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln in 1975. Now Professor Emeritus, Lou works as a curator in a museum and lectures on the Holocaust.
Eli & Ann
Eli from Mlawa, Poland, was 21 when the war begun. He worked in the Mlawa Ghetto along with his mother and sisters through 1942 until they were ultimately transferred to Auschwitz. Eli worked in the satelite Buna camp. He saved himself by trading a piece of sausage for a hat and other warm clothes at the end of a death march. Ann, born in Kovno, Lithuania, was sent with her family to the Slobodka Ghetto after the war began. In the transport to the camps, they encountered Dr. Mengele. Ann's mother was killed in Stutthof Concentration Camp, and Ann was forced to dig trenches as a slave laborer. Following a death march in 1945, Ann was liberated by the Russians. She met Eli through friends, and after four years in a Displaced Person's camp, they arrived in Lincoln in March 1949.
Ilona
Ilona was born in Czechoslovakia to a large family. She was interned in six different camps during the Holocaust, including Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen. At one point, she was required to help Dr. Mengele. Ilona was liberated by the Swiss Red Cross with her mother and some of her siblings. She met the Prince of Switzerland to thank the country for saving them, and he encouraged her to work as a seamstress. She and her family stayed in Switzerland for six years before immigrating to the United States. Ilona worked as a talented seamstress in Lincoln for many years. She and her husband have one son, Jim.
Sami
Sami was born in 1925 and is from Khujand, Tajikistan. He was conscripted into the Soviet Army in 1943 and later transferred to the 4th Ukranian Army. Sami received a shrapnel wound to the head in combat and was captured by the Germans. He regained consciousness in a cattle car on the way to Auschwitz where he remained until he was evacuated on a 40-day death march in January 1945 to Augsburg, Germany. Later transferred to Brescia, Italy, Sami was liberated by the 7th American Army. He has reunited with his liberating unit in Council Bluffs, Iowa, following a special search assisted by his grandson who lives in Omaha.
Special thanks and acknowledgements to
James Keller, Justin Limoges, Shelly Fox, Gloria Kaslow, Bob Cohen, June Advertising, Quint Bowsman, Ruth E. Raskin Fund (in memory of Ruth and Bernard Raskin), Anonymous
The Institute for Holocaust Education, founded in 2000, provides a central location in Nebraska for the development and dissemination of educational resources and programs for students, teachers and the general public in order to teach the lessons of the Holocaust and their applications to life and society today. The Institute for Holocaust Education is a division of the Plains States Office of the Anti-Defamation League in Omaha.
The philosophy of the Institute for Holocaust Education embraces the idea that Holocaust education must incorporate not only statistics and descriptive information but also the stories of specific children, families and individuals to reveal the human dimension of such pervasive inhumanity. The Institute uses the lens of the Holocaust through which to view the behavior of humanity in the past while examining choices for human behavior today and in the future.
333 South 132nd Street | Omaha, Nebraska 68154 | tel: 402.334.6576 | fax: 402.333.5497 | email: holocaust@jewishomaha.org
