Transcribing my Dad's Story from pencil...

Happy New Year 2020! On this blog I have often posted excerpts from my dad's story "In His Own Words." 

Sometime in the late 1990's, my dad completed writing his memoir, more than 150 pages handwritten in pencil.   When he first handed me his manuscript, he watched as I inspected it.  One of the entries in his Table of Contents was "experience".  I turned to the page and began reading. I was not expecting that "experience" referred to his first sexual experience, his visit to a brothel! 

I knew I needed to preserve his story, electronically on my computer. So I began the process of transcribing and entering his words into Word Perfect.   I did some wordsmithing and editing to tweak his English.  In one chapter he describes the increasingly threatening conditions in Paris 1942 as "titanium".  It took me a while to realize he was referring to the state of chaos, or "pandemonium."

To this day I refer back to details in his story to help me track our family tree.  My dad diligently  detailed names of cousins, their occupations, locations in Poland, street addresses in Paris.  The street addresses were a key clue in connecting a name in a database as a cousin.

My dad wrote that cousins Albert and Maurice Binstock moved into his parents' apartment on Rue Fessart.  For many years I tried to track down these two cousins in documents online. During my 2011 visit to the USHMM research floor I copied all ITS records for Binstock of Bedzin or Paris.  Finally I discovered a Mordka Binstock with the same address listed for Rue Fessart & immediately I knew I had found my "Maurice."  It wasn't till 2014 that I connected with his living descendant, Remy, through Twitter.

I could write an entire miniseries just from the stories that were passed down. The survivor witnesses, each with their own unique story of survival: my mom, my aunts, my uncle, my cousins.

My next step is to get my dad's story published in a book, to share with the world.   My dad would want his name as the writer. I can put my name as editor. Not sure how to begin the process.

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.

 

 

Stephane: Another lost cousin finds me

Yesterday I got an unexpected email inquiry from Stephane of Paris.  He described his grandfather Wilhelm Gehlkopf from Elberfeld. His great grandfather Abel had a brother Schelemen and  a sister Maryjem.  Maryjem is my great grandmother: my mothers paternal grandfather Kiva was married to Maryjem Gielkop.  I knew immediately from what Stephane shared in his email that we were related. I confirmed the relationship. It was Stephan's 2nd week researching his tree.  I 've been searching for decades!  He found me through an email I sent his grandfather more than a year ago, 2/2016.

I made the first connection to my mom's Gehlkopf cousins in 2011. Thankfully my mom was still alive to discover I found the Gelkop cousin she was searching for since she left France in 1950's.

Today I met Stephane and his wife Valerie via Video chat through Facebook.  I am hoping to add him as a Facebook friend so I can introduce him to the other Gehlkopf family and share photos

My 1st Yom HaShoah Speech at local high school

Last April,  I launched the Speaker's Bureau  at BCC's Center for Peace, Justice, Reconciliation.  My main motivation was to give a voice to the 2nd & 3rd generation of genocide survivors as the original survivors age and dwindle.  Only descendants of survivors can tell the stories with the same passion as their elders, having lived it through their parents/ grandparents. Telling survivor stories captivates the students' attention. A lecture given by a professor will not share the same energy.

Although I have spoken to students at BCC a couple times,  this year was the first time we had an outside request from a local high school. I had the honor of presenting for Yom HaShoah  (4/24/2017) at Passaic County Tech for ~50 students.   During my 90-minute presentation, I showed my mom's video testimonial about her escape from Germany and also told stories from my dad, and uncle;   about their survival, from Paris to Ceyroux.

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.

Alicia - My Story - Holocaust memoire

I just reread this memoire by Alicia Jurman, a young Jewish girl's survival, escapes, and heroics during the Holocaust.    It is both tragic and miraculous.  Alicia suffers the tragic loss of her entire family one-by-one.  Her first escape is on the transport to Auschwitz: She is pushed out of the train when her neighbor discovers a loose floor board. He tells her "You must live."

She is imprisoned, beaten, starved, and infected with typhus by the Germans and their Polish collaborators.   After being whipped unconscious by an SS officer she is left in a pile of dead bodies awaiting burial.  A Jewish couple from the Chortov ghetto rescue her and nurse her back to health.  When she is later captured again by the Germans waiting to be shot by a firing squad, she is saved by  Jewish partisans.  There are many occasions where she saves other victims of the Nazis: Jews and Russians.  She speaks out and advocates for her right to live on many occasions.

She survives by living as a peasant girl and working as a farm hand.  When she overhears German officers plotting to kill  Russian partisans in the nearby woods,  She rides the farmer's horse into the forest to warn the Russians.  On her way back she is discovered by the Germans who question her: what is she doing in the woods at night.  She saves herself by concocting a story crying and blaming the disobedient horse!  The Germans dismiss her as a silly peasant girl.

When the WWII ends, she returns to her uncle Kurtz' house to discover it occupied by a hostile stranger. Alicia unleashes her outrage accusing him of betraying her uncle so he could steal his property.
As a sole survivor, she sets up orphanages for other lost and hungry Jewish children. She later is recruited by the Breka to smuggle Jews out of Europe and into Israel.  She describes the difficulty of starting a new life after the war. 

Alica Jurman's Story

"Alicia - My Story" by Alicia Appleman-Jurman.  Another incredible survival story of a young teenager in Poland during the Holocaust; 13 year-old Alica. She survives the Ghetto in Buczacz, escapes from the cattle car on way to concentration camp, escapes prison cell, survives alone after her father, brothers & mother are murdered one by one.... becomes a courageous hero.... faces fierce Antisemitism even after Poland is liberated....
tragic, poignant, miraculous .... http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1988-12-16/features/8803120502_1_alicia-appleman-jurman-brothers-holocaust

The Children of Willesden Lane – Beyond the Kindertransport

The Children of Willesden Lane – Beyond the Kindertransport: A Memoir of Music, Love, and Survival – by Mona Golabek and Lee Cohen  

This is the memoire and life journey of  a child prodigy, Lisa Jura, who escaped from Austria to England via the Kindertransport.

Here is a Holocaust story that can be shared with middle schoolers.  Teenagers would be able to relate to 14-year old Lisa's struggle and inspirational story. I read it in just 2 days.   I recently learned that the the author, Mona Golabek, is now performing her mother's story through her piano music. I am hoping she comes back to perform in the NYC/NJ area.    

Read the Chicago Tribune article from 2013 

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.  



 

Remembering: Voices of the Holocaust

Just finished reading this book by Lyn Smith, "Remembering: Voices of the Holocaust".  This is a comprehensive conglomeration of stories, testimonies by Holocaust survivors who experienced and witnessed unspeakable atrocities, degradation, starvation, terror, brutality...  in the Ghettos and concentration camps. It is difficult to read but these stories must be heard. Detailed at...
http://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/education/books/remembering_voices.asp

Sala's Gift

Just finished reading "Sala's Gift - My Mother's Holocaust Story" by Ann Kirshner.   The author really brought the characters to life, as well as the Jewish community of Bedzin-Sosnowicz.  I was especially interested since my dad and uncle had large families living in Bedzin & Sosnowiec, and I never learned who they were or what happened to them.   The book destails the history of the area, Eastern Upper Salesia - Zaglembie.  Auschwitz was near Sosnowiec & the final destination for most of Jewish population that perished.  Most of what I learned of my dad's family comes from his documentation from a visit to Bedzin as a small child and from Yad Vashem records.

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: 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.

In Memory of my dad Jacques Bienstock 7/1921-7/2011

My dad passed away last year on July 18th, 2011, 17 days after his 90th birthday. The date on record is 7/19/11. In tribute to his legacy I will be posting episodes from his autobiography. It was actually a joint effort. He wrote his life story in his own words, in his own handwriting, no computer or electronic device to help him. I later edited his handwritten version into an electronic Word Perfect version and later converted it to Microsoft Word. I corrected any grammatical errors or incorrect wording. For example, when he described the events in Paris in turmoil as "titanium", I eventually deduced that "pandemonium" was the word he intended.

Please pay tribute to my dad by visiting http://youtube.com/bevmargo and listening to testimony in his own words. I could not duplicate the intensity of his emotion, in my writing. He does a good job of describing how he felt in the videos, in his own words.

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.