Cousin Nathalie's story....as told to me during my visit with her Aug 2018

I met my cousin Simonne Nathalie Szbrenic Chuteau  during my visit with cousin Lilianne in France last August. I initially discovered Nathalie after I discovered her nephew Remy Binsztok had followed me on Twitter, 2015.  Here I share the family stories she shared with me.

Nathalie's Family - branch of my tree

Nathalie's dad - David Szbrenic

At the beginning of the war, 1940,  David enlisted in the French army & was imprisoned in Germany. When his rank was captured, the German commandant instructed all Jewish prisoners to step out of line. David complied. The German officer approached him and told him to "Stop fooling around". David's Aryan looks had saved him. 

Nathalie's mom - Chaja Sura (Helen) Srebrnik (born Binsztok):

During the day Helen was working at M. Strausberg's atelier. October 1943, the French police came in the night to capture Helen, who tried to escape and ran downstairs into the street, but she could not fight with the policemen who sent her to Drancy, and Auschwitz. Upon her arrival, she was chosen to work.  April 1945, Helen returned in very bad shape, but alive.  She had survived Auschwitz, liberated by American soldiers.

Nathalie's sister - Rose

A couple of days before Nathalie's mom's capture, her sister Rosette (born 1937) had been taken away by a gentile woman, Madeleine Gallois living in a small village, Grisy les Platres.  Nathalie's maternal uncle Albert Binsztok knew Madelaine because he had sent his daughter Nicole to spend holiday with her in Grizy... (near Pontoise, near Paris).  Fortunately, Madeline Gallois' daughter rescued Rose two days after La Rafle and just one day before her mom's capture.  Madeline's mother was a nurse and already had cousins Fanny and Lucienne Lerner to take care.  Thanks to the Gallois', Nathalie's sister remained alive.

Unfortunately, Fanny and Lucienne were deported in August 1942, shortly after their mother Madelaine, returned for them. She could not bear to be without them.  Fanny was sent on convoy 16 August 7, 1942, and Lucienne on convoy 24, August 26, 1942 along with cousin Robert Binzstock. The three small children were murdered in the gas chambers.

 

 

Visiting the Strausbergs in France

This past August I visited my newly discovered cousins in France. Liliane Strausberg invited me for holiday with her and her daughter Catherine, in a small port town near Nantes (Pornic) France. It was a vacation and also a genealogical mission.    

I brought the FamilyTree DNA kit for Catherine to take... to help her track down her dad's half-sibling. Back in March 2015 I had relayed the story my mom told me about Catherine's paternal grandma, Jeanette Karetchsky Sztrausberg.  Jeanette came to France from England when she was unwed and pregnant.  My dad's parents helped Jeanette put the baby up for adoption in Paris & kept it a secret. I am hoping that the DNA results from Catherine's sample could connect us to this lost child's family, who may not be aware of their Jewish heritage.  

Lilianne's Story:
I videotaped Lilianne sharing testimony from her childhood during the Holocaust.  Her father had been taken by the French police and never returned, leaving Lilianne as a toddler,  alone with her mother in Paris. One day the French police came for them. "Madame you must come with us". Lilianne's mom Sonia Linderman Konkowksi told them "I need more time, I will give you all my money". They took the money and warned that they would return. Sonia took little Liliane to hide in the cellar for the whole day. At night Sonia ventured back to the apartment to get some food. She overheard voices in her apartment, speaking Flemish. Her Uncle Menachem Konkowski, her mothers brother, had sent them to smuggle Liliane and her mom out of France, to safety in Belgium.  Liliane survived the Shoah in Belgium in hiding with her three cousins: Henriette 7, Rene 5, Claudine 3.

Lilianne knew my parents and my Aunt Claire. She retold the terrifying ordeal my Aunt shared of getting stuck under a train during her clandestine escape across the border at the Vierzon train station in 1942.  The train began to roll as my Aunt was left frozen in place lying between the rails and train wheels.

Lilianne also shared her concern that her granddaughter Justine was disconnected from her Jewish heritage.  Justine did not consider herself Jewish and was trying to hide it. I felt that if she knew her family's story, she would not be ashamed.  Her grandmother's uncle,  Menachem Konkowski was the hero of her family and also a nationally recognized hero of Belgium.  His brigade committed many acts of sabotage against the Nazis in Belgium.  He also saved many Jewish family members and children, including Liliane, with his factory as a front.  I showed Justine a Facebook post of the
commendation letter from President Eisenhower to Konkowski.  I also showed her the family tree. The Shoah and what happened to her family should not be a source of shame.

Lilianne and I also went to meet Simonne Nathalie Sebrenick.  I had connected with Nathalie late 2014.  It was quite amazing that I discovered Nathalie through Remy, her nephew. He followed me on Twitter. I don't know how he found me or why he followed me. I believe it to be beshert, fate.  I had been searching for family on my dad's side and they found me online; first Yael on JewishGen and then Remy. Remy was not even looking for me.

Nathalie lives in a medieval chateau in Huile, France, about 2 hours from Catherine, near Angers. For someone going through chemotherapy she looked amazing, young.  She loves classical music, her 3 dogs and her 3 horses.  Her dogs are named after classical music/ musicians: Amadeus the beagle, Fantasia the Labrador, Barcarole the Schnauzer. Since her husband Claude Chuteau died she lives in this big chateaux alone with her dogs.

Nathalie's Story:
She shared some old photos and heart-wrenching stories. The violin story stands out: Nathalie wanted to play the piano since she was 4 years old.  But her parents were against it, wanting her to focus on your schooling.  One day she told a teacher that she could not have a piano. The teacher suggested a smaller instrument. When Nathalie found a broken violin in her basement she showed her father to ask to play.  He was enraged.  It turned out the violin belonged to her young cousins Fanny & Lucienne Lerner, the sisters were music child prodigies. They were deported from Paris and sent to the gas chambers; The loss of those precious children and their musical gifts never shared with the world. The murder of these children were now more real and tragic.  I discovered their picture on the Serge Klarsfeld site. 

Honoring My Family's Heroes of the Holocaust, Then and Now

Heroes who saved my family during Holocaust

1. My dad, Jack Bienstock - It was his ego, so humiliated by having to wear the "Juif" star, he insisted on leaving Paris immediately, within days of the edict.   Timing was key, since the final solution -"la grande rafle - the big roundups", had begun June/ July 1942. My dad, left Paris just days before his 21st birthday on July 1, 1942. It was my dad who convinced the rest of the family to follow him to Ceyroux.  "Mon pere etait le hero de ma famille parce que c'etait lui qui dit les mots, l'address de Ceyroux."  Hear him tell his story on youtube.com/bevmargo.
2. The cheminot from Vierzon - This hero lived and worked in Vierzon, one of the largest railroad stations, strategically located on the boundary between zones. He gave his life for the lives of desperate Jewish families. He smuggled my dad, my mom, my aunt, & countless others onto coal trains headed south to the Free zone, "la zone libre".  My dad did not know this hero's name & often referred to him as the "cheminot",  French for railroad worker. 
3. French resistance fighter, Albert Mayne. He provided the house in Ceyroux Les Brisseau, where my parents and grandparents lived in hiding for two years. My dad did not know who owned the house he was renting. Mayne's daughter Bernadette, who I met at the Yad Vashem ceremony 12/4/2017, still lives there today.
4. Parcelier and Simonnet families - farmers also members of the resistance.  Alice Meillassoux was a bicycle courier for the Maqui, the resistance of the woods. These families also provided an occupation on the farm and made Ceyroux-Les Brisseaux home for them for two years.
5. Mayor Leon Daquet - provided my dad with a new Identity card to disguise his Jewish identity, changing his name from "Jacob Joseph" to Jacques and his occupation from printer to cultivateur, farmer.

Some heroes of today:

• Nicki Haley - Ambassador to the UN - fights for Israel
• Alan Dershowitz - speaks up against Anti-Israel hate groups
• Ben Shapiro - outspoken journalist
• Brigitte Gabriel - Lebanese author of "Because They Hate"
• Ryan Bellerose- Native American who fights for the indigenous rights of the Jewish people to the land of Israel.

My FACEBOOK Presentation at IAJGS 2017

I recently received the recording of my session from the June 2017 International Association of Jewish Genealogy (IAJGS) conference iajgs2017.org.   In my Facebook for Collaborative Family History Research presentation I share the Facebook albums I created, the photos, documents, videos I posted and the discussions and discoveries they generated.

The recording is 55 minutes long, too big to upload to YouTube. I will be extracting and sharing 1-minute portions here.   So, please check back to this post.  I will post excerpts like I did with the 3 hour Steven Spielberg videos on my youtube/bevmargo channel.

1-Minute Video clips extracted from my Facebook presentation:

1. This video clip describes connecting with my cousin Yael through JewishGen.org  and a photo.
 


2. In this next Facebook video clip, my mom describes seeing her little sister Henny for the first time after 7 years. She describes how confused my Tata Henny was, just learning that she was Jewish in 1945. She was 2 years old when she was sent to Switzerland. She grew up with the name Evi and parents who loved her.  She only discovered the truth of who she really was after liberation and a 1-year custody battle.


 

Delivering my Speech in French - a feat for sore ears

Luce Petitjean sent me the DVD of the ceremony. Luce, who works in the mayor's office in Ceyroux, was instrumental in the planning of the event in the Ceyroux town hall on 12/4.   In the midst of all the chaos on that day, with all the last-minute details as people were arriving, within minutes of the ceremony starting,.... she took the time to help me translate my speech. This was especially difficult since some of my English phrases were complicated and did not translate well into French. 

For example I planned to say "the story of Ceyroux was ingrained in my brain". I don't think the French use that expression. Some of what I was trying to express, was confusing to Luce, to understand what I meant.  My sentences were a disordered mess. There was no elegant 1-for-1 translation.  The last-minute nature of this exasperated both of us. Luce was in a hurried state, putting out the champagne, posting the photos on display,,... etc...  While I was panicked because my yet-to-be-translated speech was locked in the office.   The only calm one was the Scottish Simonnet son who was also helping us.

The French words and phrases I was comfortable with & could easily pronounce were sometimes traded for a more proper version.  I was prepared to say "my dad told me the story of Ceyroux" as "mon pere m'a dit....". Luce changed this familiar, easy to pronounce phrase to "mon pere m'a parler".  Were those extra syllables really necessary? LOL. I do not know the subtleties of the language.  What was the difference between "dad told me" vs. "dad talked to me". 

In the end, I did not have time to practice using these French phrases. So it was clumsy and my accent was painful to listen to.  I should have apologized to the audience.  Luckily, Luce & Mr. Benguigui were at my side to help when I got stuck midway.

The DVD allowed me to replay the ceremony.  I played a portion of my speech for my family. When my son heard it he agreed it was really bad,....  & he heard the good part.    Although I regret not being better prepared, I did say most of what I intended. I thanked the families: the Simonnet, Parcelier, & Daquet families. I thanked my niece Danielle for making the visit 5 years ago which  facilitated the submission process with Yad Vashem.  I was grateful to Yad Vashem for recognizing Ceyroux and the role they played.   I regret not mentioning the person who especially helped me with my speech. I hope Luce will forgive me.

From this 1-hour DVD, I can extract key speeches. So far I have created a version with just Monique's speech. Next, I will separate mine, Luce's, & Mayor Daquet's.  I hope to upload to my YouTube channel & put CC (Closed Captions) in English & French.  Is there an APP to translate audio from a DVD into text?   Google? SIRI? anyone?

The Righteous Medal Ceremony - Yad Vashem

I was thrilled and honored to represent my family at this special ceremony in Ceyroux on 12/4/2016. Yad Vashem honors righteous gentiles who risked their lives to save Jews during the Shoah.

My father always talked about the good people of Ceyroux.  The story of Ceyroux was imprinted upon my brain from a young age as a special place of refuge.

My dad was a hero for fleeing Paris in June 1942, at the beginning of "La Grand Rafle", and for saving our family by leading them to Ceyroux.  My dad described how the kindness of strangers restored his faith in humanity. I am grateful to my niece Danielle for making the trip to Ceyroux 6 years ago in 2010, with my nephew Carl. Their visit facilitated the process of submitting the names of the righteous with Yad Vashem.  I am thankful to Mayor Daquet and the Simonnet and Parcelier families for protecting my family, giving them a new life in hiding on the farm for 2 years during the Shoah. Now, we are not strangers, we share a special bond, like family.

At the ceremony I met members of the families from Ceyroux,  many, many generations of  descendants. It was interesting to me the various levels present: There were 3 people who were original - alive during those 2 years:

• Madame Alice Meillassoux, Leontine's niece.  She knew my parents.
• Mr. Simonnet 
• Daniel Daquet, grandson of Mayor Leon Daquet
• Henri Gaujal who was 10 when my grandfather made him a suit for his communion. He remembered seeing my dad hiding in the woods. He kept it a secret until my niece & nephew visited 6 years ago.

I met the daughter of Mr. Merigot, Vieilleville pharmacist who was also the coach of my dad's Sunday soccer team.  He warned my dad when he saw buses coming to collect Jews in Ceyroux.  I met Bernadette, granddaughter of Mr. Albert Mayne who was active in the Maqui. I learned that Mr. Mayne was the owner of the house that hid 8 members of my family in 3 small rooms.  He also warned my dad when my dad got called into Gueret. Bernadette still lives in that very same house.

my dad's 2 identity cards:
on the left from Ceyroux issued by Mayor Daquet, without the Juif stamp,
the one from Paris on the right with the Juif stamp in red

Bernadette of Mayne family

Daughter of Coach Merigot, the little girl in the Team photo

Yad Vashem Medal Ceremony - Righteous honor granted to Daquet, Simonet, & Parcelier families- Ceyroux 12/4/16

In 2010 my niece Danielle made the visit to Ceyroux, France to meet the people who saved our family.

On Sunday December 4, 2016, MEDALs of Righteous Among the Nations  were awarded to Daquet, Simonnet & Parcelier families.  Dignitaries & recipients gave speeches to a packed town hall...    I gave a speech as representative of our family that was saved by these good people from 1942-1944. 8 family members survived in this remote farm village thanks to people who risked their lives to save us.

Mayor Leon Daquet provided my dad with a new ID that concealed his Jewish identity, changing his name from Jacob Joseph to Jacques, occupation from printer to farmer "cultivateur", and no more "Juif" stamp.

Read Article in 12/3/16 Saturday Paper:
http://www.lamontagne.fr/ceyroux/histoire/2016/12/03/ils-recevront-la-medaille-des-justes-parmi-les-nations-demain_12193322.html 

Monique Resche accepting the medal for the Parcelier family

I saw the house & barn that hid my parents, grandparents, and aunts for 2 years, in 3 small rooms. There was no running water or toilets.  The original well was still there although no longer operational. The house was owned by Monsieur Albert Mayne, a MAQUI (resistance fighter).

My dad described how he arrived in Ceyroux unannounced in June 1942 & told Leontine Parcelier that he was Jewish & needed a place of refuge. She welcomed him with open arms, "avec bras ouvert".

Madame Monique Resche said although what her family did was extraordinary, they did what was natural. Her mom was a bicycle message courier for the MAQUIs.

Upcoming Visit to Ceyroux to retrace journey of July 1942 for Yad Vashem ceremony

On December 4, 2016, I will be visiting Ceyroux  for a Yad Vashem ceremony to present the Righteous medal of honor to the Daquet, Simonet & Parcelier descendents for their role in my parents life in hiding. They provided my parents & their families with a place to live, new identities and work as farmers.  I look forward to retracing my dad's journey from Paris through Vierzon to Chateauxroux, to Ceyroux.  When my parents arrived there in July 1942 Ceyroux was in the Free zone "zone libre".  After 6 months, France was completely consumed by the German Nazi occupation.  Ceyroux was subject to intrusive searches which forced my parents to hide in the woods and barn.

Ceyroux's mayor Leon Daquet, the Simonnet and Parcelier families, and the people of Ceyroux all played a part in my parents survival.  Mayer Daquet provided my dad with a new identity card, "carte d'identite", changing his name from the revealing Jacob Joseph to a neutral Jacques. His occupation changed from printer to cultivateur (farmer), and no more Juif stamp.

http://db.yadvashem.org/righteous/righteousName.html?language=en&itemId=9320436

Twitter Follower turns out to be long lost cousin!

another connection….This one through TWITTER:

When people follow me on Twitter, I often wonder why. Sept 17, 2014 Twitter alerted me to a new follower: Remy. After checking Remy's profile I saw we shared a surname & PARIS.  I had been searching for my dad's French cousins Maurice and Albert for 20+ years and my Twitter follower turns out to be their nephew!

May 2015 Remy connects me to his cousin Nathalie Simonne, or rather she emails me.   Nathalie is the niece of Albert & Maurice.  She shares some valuable family tree info, adding names of extended family I did not know existed.  We exchange details of our families.
Originally I had thought that the 2 brothers had perished in the Holocaust.  I had discovered that Maurice's 8 year old son Robert was deported from Paris and murdered. Here is a link to a picture of him I found on the Serge Klarsfeld's website. Caption: Robert  Binsztock with Lucienne & Fanny Lerner:  http://www.holocaust-history.org/klarsfeld/French%20Children/html&graphics/T0951.shtml   Now I know that the 2 girls in the photo with him were also cousins: Fanny & Lucienne.  The 3 of them were deported from France and murdered in the Holocaust.

La Conscience des Francais - book authored by Rene Duschler

Like a detective, I often search  back through my old Genealogical email correspondence for clues I may have missed.  I also repeat prior google searches to see if something new is posted about a specific person.

Last week I googled "Rene Duschler" as I have many times before.  But this time,  I had an exact match on his name,  a book he authored was listed for sale:  "La conscience des Français".  Although it was published in 1987, this was the first time I noticed it in my search results.  I immediately placed my order.

I believe the author, Rene Duschler, was my dad's best friend and neighbor growing up in Paris. In 1939 Rene was a year older than my dad and Rene was enlisted in the French army.  Rene was captured by the Germans and somehow escaped. When Rene returned home to his apartment in Paris, his dad was concerned that the Germans would come looking for him.  My dad's family hid Rene in their apartment for several weeks.  My dad described this unique scenario of his family as "Jews hiding a Gentile".  

In June 1942  my dad and his family were forced to wear the  yellow star of David that identified them as  "Juif" Jewish.   My dad described the panic in the Jewish community, the pandemonium.  Jews became hunted animals, desperate for an escape route.  

Rene Duschler's dad was a peddlar with many connections.  When the time came, Mr. Duschler provided the name and address of a "cheminot", a railroad worker in Vierzon.  The railroad station in Vierzon was one of the largest in France, strategically located on the boundary between zones.  At the time France was divided into a Northern Nazi-occupied zone and a Southern free zone.

This Cheminot became my family's courageous savior.  He smuggled members of my family, and other desperate Jews, onto railroad cars headed south, all while German soldiers patrolled the area.  My dad could not recall this cheminot's name, but often talked about him.  He was eventually captured by the Germans and killed.    

When I came across Rene Duschler's book on Amazon, I felt that this book could provide  answers and details from my dad's story. Who was this cheminot? What was his full name? Wouldn't it be something extraordinary if Rene mentioned my dad in his book?  I am trying not to hold impossible expectations as I anticipate the precious content that this book may hold.  



 

Collaborators, Bystanders, & Heros - my TEDx Talk at College -unknown HERO -Vierzon Cheminot

In preparing to give my talk on Friday 4/26/2013, I have reflected on my parents' struggles and the people who helped them.  Rene Duschler's dad connected my dad to a "cheminot", a railroad worker who lived and worked in Vierzon. Vierzon at the time was one of the largest, busiest railroads in France which was strategically located on the border between Northern Nazi-occupied zone and Southern Free-zone. This cheminot was a complete stranger, yet he risked and gave his life smuggling desperate Jews onto freight cars headed South.  Unfortunately, he was captured and executed by the Germans and I never learned his name.  I have been searching for decades now.  Under the cover of darkness, under constant heavy German patrols: he alone lead my dad, my mom, my grandparents, my 2 aunts, and countless other Jews to safety.  He did this many times for just my family including some aborted attempts. If anyone knows who he was please let me know.  He should be honored by Yad Vashem.

In My Dad's Own Words: Roundups in Paris 1941

In 1941 I had a deviated septum operation on my nose at a clinic in Belleville. I had to stay a couple days there. My father, David, came to visit me. When he arrived he was very shook up and out of breath. He had taken the Metro from Paris two stops and got off at the Belleville station. The clinic was at Boulevard de Belleville and he had to walk a few hundred yards from the station. When he exited the Metro car there were four exits, one on each of the four corners of the Boulevard. Somehow he went out a different exit than his usual. Upon arriving at street level he looked around him and could not believe his eyes. The other three exits were completed surrounded by Police with Germans. Busses were waiting to fill up with all the Jews they could find. My father, by pure luck, had taken the one exit that was not surrounded and avoided being captured.
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In my dad's own words: Escape from Paris

My parents had hid Mr. Duschler's son after he had escaped from Germany as a Prisoner of War at the beginning of the war in early 1940. Mr. Duschler was a peddlar and knew his way around and knew many people in many places. He really came through for me, and also for my family later on. He had contact with a "chemino", a man who worked for the railroad. This "chemino" lived and worked in Vierzon.
Vierzon, at the time, was one of the largest railroad stations in France and was located strategically on the boundary line between zones. But Vierzon was in German occupied territory. Vierzon had only 3 or 4 passenger train lines, but dozens of railroad lines for freight and cattle cars. These freight cars came loaded with food or freight equipment from the South and were discharged ( in Vierzon) and headed North to the occupied Zone and returning empty to the free zone going South.
Mr. Duschler gave me the name of the "chemino" and his address along with the hours that he would return home from work so I could wait for him. I also was instructed how much money I was to give him for helping to cross me over the border. I had no idea how this was to work. I was very reluctant and scared to take the train directly from Paris to Vierzon. Police and Germans were always all around the railroad stations looking for those who were forbidden to ride the train. Many Jews were caught at the station or riding on the train after they were asked to see their identity card.

In My Dad's Own Words: Wearing the Star 1942

In December 1941 the US entered the war. For a short time we felt reassured, but it was only a false sense of security. In early 1942 the newspapers announced that all Jews under occupied territories must report to Police to pick up a star of David with the word "JEW" printed on it. The Star was a 3x3" piece of yellow fabric that we had to cut and sew ourselves with black thread onto our clothes over our left breast. Any Jew caught not wearing it would be arrested.

This caused pandemonium, like a bomb shell. Every Jew, now, was involved. I now realized fully that being a French Jew was of no help to me. My country had betrayed me and was completely working with the Germans. I cannot describe the way I felt at that time having to wear the Star of David in the street. I felt humiliated, degraded, branded like an animal. The hurt inside me was killing me and I knew right then and there I could not take it anymore. I would have to do something. The due date to attach the star was June 6, 1942.

...Finished was the sense of security that I had for being a French citizen. I learned and realized the hard way that I was a Jew, and nothing else. By wearing the Star of David we were sitting ducks. Wherever we went they could spot us a mile away. I decided I would leave the German-occupied zone and go to the Free Zone which was under the Vichy Government, but not German rule.

In My Dad's Own Words: Why write this?

My dad's story in his own words as a teenager in Paris, France 1930's - written by Jack Bienstock - edited by me © Beverly Margolies

There is something unique and extraordinary about our past. We were born in Europe, me in France in 1921, and my wife in Germany in 1923. We were both born to Jewish parents and were living in France in 1939 when the second World War started. We lived under the German occupation of France. We escaped the Germans and were lucky to survive. What we went through during the occupation can not compare to what happened to the Jews that were deported to concentration camps where six million Jews lost their lives. But the fact is that because we were Jews living in Europe at that time our lives were always in danger during the war years 1939 to 1945. We are Jewish survivors of the holocaust.

researching my Family History online

I recently helped my mom, an elderly Holocaust survivor,  find the cousin in the Netherlands, that she had been seeking for more than 15 years! 

I have been a genealogy researcher for more than 10 years. Jewishgen.org has helped me tremendously. By posting surnames and countries, Jewishgen researchers can connect with others searching for common ancestors. In the past 10 years I have found some Polish records online for my mom's family and emailed many other JewishGen researchers in attempts at finding connections, around the world.

For 10 years I searched for potential cousins that were lost or dispersed in the Holocaust. For the victims, I want to learn their identity, to memorialize them in my family tree and in Yad Vashem yadvashem.org. Familyecho.org hosts free Family Tree software that can be edited and shared.