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 

1st Armenian Genocide Website - BCC's Center for Peace, Justice, Reconciliation

April 2015 was the 100th anniversary of the Armenia Genocide.  In my role as Web Designer I created the first Armenian Genocide website for BCC's Center for Peace, Justice, & Reconciliation (PJR).   http://bergen.edu/PJR 
The site features embedded videos from BCC's inaugural TEDx event.  Another page features the Armenian artwork slide show from the Bergen Gallery. Events and links are also posted. Please visit the site. Feedback is welcome.
Other college genocide programs in Northern New Jersey:

• Ramapo College Holocaust & Genocide Studies  http://www.ramapo.edu/holocaust/ 
• Rutgers  Newark Genocide Program http://www.ncas.rutgers.edu/center-study-genocide-conflict-resolution-and-human-rights/genocide-program
• Kean College Holocaust Resource Center  http://www.kean.edu/academics/human-rights-institute/holocaust-resource-center-hrc 
• College of Saint Elizabeth Holocaust Center  https://www.cse.edu/holocaustcenter/
• Drew University Center for Holocaust/Genocide Study  https://www.drew.edu/chs/ 

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.

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.