Please Help Preserve The Przemysl Cemetery

The long Polish winter is almost over and soon Mr. Joachim Glettner will begin the annual spring maintenance of the Jewish Cemetery in Przemysl, Poland. Mr. Glettner is one of the last remaining acknowledged Jews in Przemysl and for the last 15 years he has partnered with the Remembrance and Reconciliation Foundation to restore and maintain the cemetery.

While the Foundation covers material costs: mostly stone, concrete, and equipment rental, Mr Glettner does masonry work for the site without any compensation. Just keeping up with storm damage and erosion now runs over $5,000 per year and as we continue to gain access to more and more sections of this large cemetery, those costs will increase considerably.

On top of routine maintenance, this year Remembrance and Reconciliation will partner with Daemen College of Buffalo, New York and the East European State College of Przemysl in a project involving the Jewish Cemetery. Students from both colleges will work this summer to map each gravestone in the cemetery as to name, pertinent information, and location. We have had the names of most people in the cemetery but not locations so it has been difficult for relatives to locate their relatives’ graves. Modern technology will allow us to access names and locations of each individual grave site on computer or other electronic device. This should prove to be an exciting and quite unique contribution to preserving the Jewish heritage in Eastern Europe.

Please help us again this year with a generous donation to fund our yearly maintenance as well as the new mapping initiative. US tax-deductible donations may be sent to: 

Remembrance and Reconciliation, Inc. 

300 S. Hyde Parke Avenue, Suite 150 Tampa, FL 33606 USA

Or by PayPal at: http://www.remembrance-reconciliation.org/contribute.html 

Thank you for helping to preserve the cemetery, one of the few remaining Jewish treasures in Przemysl, Poland.

Warm regards,


John Hartman, President
David Semmel, Treasurer
Remembrance and Reconciliation, Inc.

Precious (metal) Przemysl

Dear Blog-friend Marla's ancestors were goldsmiths in Przemysl. Below, she researches:

My RAUCHER family came from Przmeysl, Poland, today at the Ukraine border. My great-grandfather Selig and his son Marcus were goldsmiths in that town. They emigrated to NY in 1891 and 1897, respectively, where they continued this occupation. Marcus' son, David (my grandfather) later also went into this line of work. Logan advises me that you had an ancestor who was a famous goldsmith from Lwow, and that you are something of an expert on Galician Jewish goldsmiths' marks. I am wondering if perhaps you have some info or leads that might be of interest to me for my Przemysl ancestors Selig and Marcus RAUCHER/RAUSCHER?

Mastermarks...?

How nice of Logan to call me an expert. I have done lots of research in this area, hoping to find more of Baruch Dornhelm's (From Lemberg) works with some success. One problem is that many Polish -Ukranian Jewish goldsmiths did not sign much of their work. I can give you a list of some key books to look at and I will look myself. I never found our relatives master mark in a book. I did find his brother's in Vienna but maybe you will be more successful. Fortunately, the family has his tools, including his mark. Do you have the mastermark they used in New York? It could be the same. Did they work for themselves? The best resource is probably in the Polish/Ukrainian Town Archives of business records. Contacting the archive is one resource I have not done as yet so I am guessing. There was an assay office in every town. Pieces that are marked have the town mark, year and metal quality marks and sometimes the maker mark. Let me know what questions you have. I will send you some book titles/ internet sites. They are in various languages. Looking forward to hearing from you, Marilyn P.S. I have a great grandmother Penner/Panner from Przemysl area.

Brief dead-end...

I am afraid I have no information on the "mastermark" my RAUCHERs may have used, either in NY or in Przemysl. Nor do I know if they worked for themselves or for others, in either location. I have personal experience in the Przemysl archive and also with a professional researcher and friend who lives in Lviv who has done quite a bit of work in that archive as well. Perhaps I can pursue this avenue, as you have kindly suggested. In the meantime, if you can please send book and internet references my way, I would be most appreciative.

The mark of Przemysl...

I found the story of your discovery of your grandfather fascinating. Now I understand your search better. Having been away this last year or so from my research, I will have to review what I have. The timing is perfect since I have planned to start the process to do something productive with this research. There are many books on Jewish Art, which includes silversmiths but one stands out because its focus is Galicia and the vicinity. "SILVER: Masterpieces of Jewish Art" by A.Kantsedikas I am assuming that your gggrandfather made Jewish items as well as secular and other. Also, if you can get all the marriage records of your gggrandfather in Przmysl, you might find information about his apprenticeship signed by the master and required for the marriage. The mark for the Przmysl assay office was F1, in a rectangle, for the years 1866-1922. This would be in addition to other marks, the mastermark and the fineness mark. Their are lists of mastermarks online. I hope this is useful. I have to dig a little deeper for the references for mastermark sources. Best Regards, Marilyn

Family Rosenberg

Over the transom comes an email from Tanya looking for more information on her Przemysl family:

My great grandfather was Max Rosenberg 1860-1934 maybe born in Sambor. He was a glass and ceramics manufacturer in Przemysl.

His parents were Dawid and Perla. Dawid was a doctor; I'm not certain where. It could perhaps have been Przemysl, Sambor or Chyrow/Stare Miasto. Dawid's father was Mordechai Rosenberg, 1819-1878. Mordechai's father was Sjyje who was married to Blime. Max's first wife was Bronia (nee Sperling).

They had two sons, Ignacy (1888-1976) who was a doctor and Josef (1894 or 5 - 1966). Josef was in the business manufacturing (I think) large kitchen supplies and he lived in Vienna until the war and then he and his wife (Hilda Roth) and son (my father) came to NYC. Max's second wife was Ida Graff.

They had one son, Edward Czerny (Graff) born in Przemysl, 1912. He lived in Varsovie Poland and married Mila Czerny. They had one son, Adam and a daughter, doctor Kristina.

Any information on any of these people would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Tanya

Marla's pictures from Przemysl

Blog friend Marla was in Przemysl last year and took some wonderful shots.  See them all.

Looking for family Licht

By email:

Hi, I am looking for any records concerning Sara and Moses Licht form Przemysl. As I know they were living on Slowackiego street. They where my grandmothers grandparents. can you help me? regards, Magda

I know that they lived at Dworskiego 48 in 1910 before moving to Słowackiego 96. Anyone know this name?

ul. Dworskiego back in the day.

Gerda's Story: Family Krebs

Hello David and thank you very much for your kind note.

Yes, Pesach Krebs was my grandfather, though I never knew him. My father took over the store on  Franciszkanska No: 8 after my grandfather died. My other grandfather David Goliger (my mother's father) owned a large lumber yard and wood processing plant right on the river San.  We lived on ulica Pilsudskiego 27 in a house owned by my mother, which faced the lumber yard.

In October 1939 Russians occupied eastern Poland & our river San became the border between Germany & Russia at that point. The communists took all our personal  possessions since they considered my father an enemy of the State.

In the spring of 1940 we moved to Lwow, trying to avoid being sent to Siberia. (In retrospect, we may all have survived if we had gone to Russia)

We spent the rest of the war in Lwow, but unfortunately I was the only survivor. Out of 40 close relatives only one other cousin & I survived the Holocaust. His name was Zygmund  Schwarzer & he lived in Jaroslaw before the war. His mother Zofia was my mother's older sister & his father Wilhelm, was a physician.

When the war began, they joined us in Premysl  & later entered the Ghetto.  The parents were both shot, while hiding in the cemetery, while Zygmund was sent  to Auschwitz. During one of the worst & longest Actions (round-ups) in the Lwow Ghetto, I was sent into hiding, outside the ghetto and spent 6 weeks in a cellar of a Polish woman who was willing to hide me for a price.  My young cousin Richard about 11 years old, lived with us. His mother  Helena (my mother's youngest sister) was taken out of a bread line several months earlier & never returned. Her husband Henryk Leibel (they lived in Bielsko   & he practiced law) was sent to Russia with his aged parents where he survived. Richard lived with us & my father sent him into hiding as he did me. Unfortunately, Richard was afraid to stay in his hiding place & returned to the  Ghetto.

My mother could hide alone, but since he'd be left alone, she opted to stay with him. My father worked in a textile factory & was considered  a useful Jew with a good Ausweiss so he was "safe".  My dearest mother and Richard were taken to Janowska Street camp & from there they were sent to Belzec. My father desperately tried to save me & found a Polish woman, who was willing  to take me in as her illegitimate daughter( who in fact died in infancy, but had she lived, she'd have been my age)

I spent the rest of the war living with her as her daughter & her slave. Though my father paid her generously, I performed all the house work, cooking, took care of her baby son, (also illegitimate). Actually, she needed me as much as I needed her, but despite the fact that she was very mean & treated me badly, she did save my life.

My father planned to go to Germany on false papers, since he spoke fluid German & did not look Semitic.  I hoped to see him when the war ended, but fate took a different turn. My father was recognized on the street in Lwow by some Polish anti-Semite & pointed him to the police. I don't know how or where he died, but he died because he was trying to help other Jews. THAT MUCH I KNOW.

When finally I was able to tear myself from her clutches in January of 1946, I went to Katowice to stay with a friend of my parents, who wanted to adopt me. I was too old for adoption but I was grateful for her rescuing me from the Polish woman.  Soon after I was able to go to England  with a transport ow Jewish war orphans, led by Rabbi Solomon Schonfeld.

We arrived on a Swedish ship in March 1946 and I began a new life. After learning enough English, I entered Nurses Training at St. James' Hospital and graduated in 1950 as an RN. By then, my cousin Zygmund lived in the US in Brooklyn & was able to obtain a visa for me. I arrived on August 11-th 1951 to New York & started my third stage of my life in America, a country I dreamed about since my early childhood and never believed, that I would ever be able to live here.

Each move and each change  presented many problems & difficulties, but nothing was impossible. I was young, full of hope & energy and I was always full optimism. I met my future husband Harold Seifer at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York and we've been married 56 years. We have resided in Long Beach since 1956, have 3 children and 4 grandchildren. We are a very close knit family and our children all  live in the Los Angeles area.

Well David, this is quite a long story, though I did not mean it to be so long.

SINCERELY,  GERDA.

read more about Gerda in the JPost

I've been a poor correspondent

Seems the blog has been off line for some time. No more. The Przemysl Blog is back!

A father without a face - family Pritsch

To find the missing is hard; to find a photo is next to impossible. Nevertheless, I fully understand why the emailer, below, must try. Anyone have any leads that might help this family?

Dear Mr Semmel,

My name is Richard Sherman. For the past several years, my sister and I have been attempting to locate any information, but ESPECIALLY a picture, of our Polish grandfather, Josef Pritsch.

Our mother, Irene Sherman (originally born Ruth Pritsch), has never seen a picture of her father; she only has descriptions from her mother and uncle. We believe Josef Pritsch was executed by the Nazis in Poland in approximately 1943, possibly in Auschwitz, and possibly by hanging instead of the gas chambers.

The reason I am writing to you (I got your e-mail from the Jewish Przemysl Blog site) is that we are desperate and all of our family's efforts to date have not been successful. Based on family stories, we have strong reason to believe that, at some point prior to the German invasion of Poland, our grandfather temporarily went to Palestine, but returned to Poland when our grandmother refused to leave. So he came back.

Our presumption is that, if the story is true, he must have received some kind of travel documents, possibly a passport. I have been unsuccessful in attempting to confirm this however. Another website had a list of surnames, but his was not listed. The instructions stated that it wasn't an exhaustive list, and several other factors may account for missing names. Attempted contact with the person who I thought ran the website, a "JR Baston" did not get a reply.

Information I can provide about my grandfather in addition to his name is: He was born and lived in the town of Przemysl for most of his life. I believe he was born in 1910. His parents' first names may have been Mordechai and Tauba. He was married to Klara Kurzweil, who was also his cousin. Klara's family may have operated some kind of import/export business before the war. He was a college student (possibly in Austria?) before the war.

We believe he went to Palestine at some point, possibly in the 1930's. His daughter, Ruth Pritsch (my Mom), was born on June 6, 1938. We believe he was executed by hanging by the Nazis, likely in 1943, possibly in Auschwitz.

I have filed records requests with other organizations through the US Holocaust Museum and received some responses, but no information more than what we already have. My sister and I have also attempted contact and sought help from both the Polish Embassy (which was no help), and some more distant relatives that settled in France and in Israel. (who also didn't have any information or pictures we could positively identify as him. This was hampered more because the relative in France we found was blind, didn't speak English [we had to use an interpreter], and was still angry at my grandmother's side of the family for her not going with grandfather to Palestine when they had the chance.)

Since the website listed your contact info regarding your book, I thought you might have some help or advice for us as to how we might find any photographic evidence of our grandfather.

It would be the greatest gift I could give my mother if I could allow her to see the face of the father she is too young to remember. If you can, please help us. I eagerly await your reply.

Richard can be reached at: rsherman1 (the "@" sign) yahoo.com

More Love Letters

A treasure trove of love letters from a young Jewish man in Soviet-occupied Przemysl to Janina (Janka) Rottenberg, one of 7,000 Jews deported into the Russian interior. So who was the letter writer? I forwarded the scans to our friend Lukasz, and...

Hello Alana and David,
thanks for sending me the letter. Very moving indeed. Janek's name is Ringelheim. Jakub, Josef, Israel ... we don't know. Janek is Polish diminutive from Jan, John. He writes from Slowackiego 68 ... Bingo!! This house belonged to Jakob Ringelheim, wealthy landowner.

A few Google searches later and here it is, on the US Holocaust Museum site, no less:

Pictured are Jacob and Miriam (Reich) Ringelheim with their son Josef. All were shot in a mass execution in Sambor in 1943.

Chaja (Klara) Ringelheim (later Chaja Rosenfeld, Chaja Rosenzweig, and finally, Claire Rosen) is the daughter of Jacob and Miriam (Reich) Ringelheim. She was born December 5, 1911 in Jaroslaw, Poland. Chaja had three brothers: David (b. 1906), Shimon (Sidney, b. 1907) and Josef (b. ca. 1921-22). Chaja's father, Jacob, had immigrated to the U.S., where he was naturalized on May 5, 1903. The following year, he was joined by his younger brother Benjamin, who was naturalized in 1913 and remained a resident of the U.S. for the rest of his life. Jacob returned to Poland in 1904 or 1905, settling in Jaroslaw. There, he married Miriam Reich and raised three children.

Together with his brother-in-law Nathan, Jacob ran a flour mill and possibly also a marmelade factory. Jacob returned to the U.S. in May 1916 following a violent incident at the flour mill. He returned to Poland in 1920 or 1921. His two sons, David and Shimon, immigrated to the U.S. in 1924. The rest of the Ringelheim family moved to Przemysl in the early to mid-1930s. Jacob eventually acquired co-ownership of a brick factory and several apartment houses.

Hitler's rise to power was a source of great concern to Jacob. Already in 1934 he wrote to his brother Benjamin in the U.S. that he was worried about the impact of the Nazi regime on the political stability of Poland, and was considering returning to America with the rest of his immediate family. However, the difficulty of liquidating his assets in Poland seems to have prevented him from doing so. Chaja started to work for her father as a bookkeeper in the brick factory in 1932 and continued in that capacity until the end of 1937.

In August 1937 she married Henryk Rosenfeld, the son of Chaskiel and Ernestyna Rosenfeld from Jaroslaw. The following year the couple left for Pisa, Italy, where Henryk began or continued medical school. Soon after the outbreak of World War II, Henryk decided to return to Poland. Chaja's mother tried to get her permission to return to Poland, but did not succeed. Consequently, Chaja remained in Italy, and on April 13, 1940 was issued an American passport in Genoa (on the basis of her father's American citizenship). She immigrated to the U.S. shortly thereafter. Her parents and brother Josef were killed in Sambor, Ukraine in 1943. Henryk was also killed in 1943 near Przemysl. Chaja was living and working in the United States when she received a letter from Markus Rosenzweig, a Polish Jew from Krakow, who had survived the war as a member of the Anders Army. He invited her to come to London to meet with him. He was single, and when he learned that Chaja was a widow it seemed as if it might be an opportunity for them both. She sailed to London on the SS St. Mary in 1948, and on January 22, 1949 Chaja and Markus were married. The wedding took place in Paddington, England, and the couple moved later that year to the United States. In 1951, when Markus was naturalized as an American citizenship, they formally changed their names to Marcus and Claire Rosen.

So, does the ten-year old Josef in the photo grow up to be the letter-writer Janek? Alana thinks so:

This is truly amazing, and very fast. I recognize Janek's ears from the photograph I have, and the one you just sent me, so that's definitely him. I can't help but feel incredibly sad right now - My girlfriend and I had quite fallen in love with Janek from the letters we have translated so far. I can't imagine what it was like for my Grandmother.

Lukasz weighs in:

That would be strange, but not impossible. The diminutive from Josef is Jozek, not Janek. OK, sometimes they changed their names. Anyway, I'd rather be careful and think of some Ringelheim cousin. Israel, Icchak, who liked to be called Janek. I forgot to add that my family was deported to Siberia from Lwow at the same time. To Altai, not to Kazakhstan, like Janina.

Me? Hmmmm... Next: we get the Kazakhstan address and locate Janek/Josef's niece(?)

Love letters from Przemysl

From over time and overseas comes a remarkable time capsule to my in box. In it is the story of a doomed love between a man in Soviet occupied Przemysl and a women who had been deported to a work camp deep in Russia. Ominously, the letters end in June, 1941 - coinciding with the date that the Nazis crossed the San and took control of Przemysl.

I have been living with and caring for my late-grandmother’s sister - Ada Halpern (formerly Ada Rottenberg born 1922 in Przemysl) while she suffered from dementia. She has since passes away, and I’ve discovered 132 love letters / telegrams sent from a man in Przemysl named Janek to my Grandmother Janina (Janka) Rottenberg during the beginning of WW2.

The love letters are dated from May 10th 1940 to June 18th 1941, and are addressed in Russian to Siberia where Janka and Ada worked in a labor camp and were able to survive the war. Neither of them mentioned these letters to my father, and Janka married my grandfather - Henryk Kornfeld (another survivor) after the war. Unfortunately my grandmother passes away just before I was born, so no one knows the story.

Attached are scans of a couple of the letters and photos I've found. A friend is helping translate the Polish, but I’d love to get them professionally done. If you know a good service, please let me know. I would love to find out if anyone knew of my family, and what happened to Janek – the man who wrote these incredibly tender letters, that give some insight into what it was like in Przemysl during that period. There are other names mentioned briefly in the letters of others living there during that time that may help connect people. (Above) is a photo dated 1939 with the name Janek in the same hand writing from the letters. I think it might be him and my Grandmother?


I do know a little about Henryk Kornfeld (my Grandfather). He was not from Przemysl, but he had been studying in Italy when he came back to Poland to visit his mother. He ended up being sent to three different concentration camps before buying his way onto Schindler's List with a diamond his mother gave him. He worked in Schindler's munition factory until the end of the war, and would smoke Schindler's cigaret butts that he dropped on the factory floor. He told my father that Schindler was a very good business man.

Henryk only ever spoke of his experience the one time just before he died. After the war he moved to the Phillipines and eventually Australia (where I grew up), and became a very successful business man himself. It's quite an extraordinary story that I'd like to write about and find more information on as well.

Alana

One of the letters:

Addressed to Siberia

The Przemysl Fourm is moving

As promised, we are moving the Przemysl Forum to a GoogleGroups platform that provides improved functionality and ease-of-use.This blog is NOT moving!

Design of New Forum Platform:

• A Google account but not a Google address will be necessary to obtain access.
• When signing up, a person can opt for several different options for email notification when there is a new post.
• In order to post a message, a person must first apply to the Moderator to be accepted into the group.
• Documents can be posted (e.g. mini Family Finder) on GoogleDocs and linked to the forum by contacting the Moderator.

Transition from Old to New Platform:

• In order to continue to be part of the Przemysl Forum, each person will need to (re-)register on the new platform (instructions below).
• Messages from the old forum will not automatically be transferred to the new one. Access to the old platform will continue and people are encouraged to re-post important messages to the new platform.

INSTRUCTIONS

Getting into the Forum

1. Go to the Forum: http://groups.google.com/group/jewish-przemysl-forum?hl=en

2. If you are not signed into Google, or if you have not been invited/accepted to the group, you will only see the Jewish Przemysl Forum header, not any of the comment threads.

3. To sign in, click “Sign in” in the upper right corner.

4. If you already have a Google account, use your email and password to sign in, then skip to number 6, below. Otherwise, click “Create an Account” on the right side of the page.

5. You can use any valid email address to create a Google account. Fill in all the information and press “Accept” at the bottom of the page. Google will send you an email - you MUST click on the link in the email to activate your account. You will then be re-directed back to the Forum.

6. Next, click Apply for group membership on the right side of the page. You will be asked for a nickname that will identify you to other forum members, and for preference on communications with the Forum - how often you should get updates. This option can be changed anytime after you are in the group.

7. You will get an email once the Forum’s administrator approves your request to join the group. From then on, you can simply go to the Forum and sign in. http://groups.google.com/group/jewish-przemysl-forum?hl=en


Using the Forum

1. Posts are organized as “Discussions” or topics. Your personal settings for notifications can be changed by clicking “Edit my Membership” on the right side of the page.

2. You may post to the site in two ways. From the web, simply hit “New Post” and type. You can also post by sending an email to jewish-przemysl-forum@googlegroups.com Note: you must send this email from the same address that you joined the group from.

3. One of the first posts is called “Forum Files.” Clicking on this will bring up a post that has a link to the Forum’s collection of files. You can view and download them at will. Files can be almost anything - spreadsheets, documents, photos, etc.

4. For the time being, the admin will post all files. If you have something you’d like posted, email it to przemyslforum@gmail.com


IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR PROBLEMS WITH THESE DIRECTIONS, CONTACT ME BY EMAIL!

The power of the 'net

75+ people are now using the Przemysl Forum to discuss all topics Jewish Przemysl. New connections are formed, information gets exchanged, and discoveries are being made.

Go to The Forum

Given the interest, the Forum needs much work.  We are looking at enhancing the platform we have (Nabble - freeware) or switching to Google Groups. Comments on functionality and governance are always welcomed.

I want to thank Ellen Korpi for taking the lead on building the Forum.  While I've been off working on, gasp, work, she's been doing the heavy lifting of getting people to participate in the Forum.  Great job, Ellen!

Poland National Day of Judaism in Przemysl

Our friend Domicela shared videos from the Jewish cemetery.


OGOLNOPOLSKI DZIEN JUDAIZMU - PRZEMYSL

Part 2

Part 3

Announcing...The Jewish Przemysl Forum!

If you look to the right, you will see a link to a new feature - The Jewish Przemysl Forum.

The Forum is a place where anyone can post, respond and generally chat about all things Przemysl.  The main goal of the forum is to connect people looking for their family roots with one and other, to help make connections, to enhance the research process, and to find the missing.

I am using 3rd party freeware from Nabble for the Forum. Please let me know about any bugs or issues. Because I am using a very old version of Blogger for the Blog, I have to fool the system by using an old date for the Forum page - nothing I can do about that right now.  Someday, I'll upgrade the blog to the current version...

This Forum can only work if people participate, so please tell your Przemysl (and surrounding areas) friends, and please, please - POST!

A walk through the cemetery

Blog-friend Marla forwarded me this wonderful video.

One of these days I'm going to go back there with a camera and a tape measure and document all the surviving stone's locations...

Domicela's Przemysl

Blog-friend and Przemysl resident Domicela shared loads of interesting photos with me...

Here's a few:

Entry to the cemetery.  Looks to be in fine shape these days. 

Domicela's family

Memorial stone at Krasiczyn, near Przemysl.

From Wiki:

Lieberman was born into a Jewish family in Galicia, then part of Austro-Hungary. In 1907–14 and 1917–18, he was a member of parliament in Vienna.

He was a Legionnnaire in World War I, and a leader of the Polish Socialist Party (PPS). In January 1919 he became a member of the Polish Sejm (parliament). After the May 1926 Coup d'État, he became an opponent of Józef Piłsudski. In the aftermath of his prosecution in the 1931–32 Brest trials, he emigrated to France.

During World War II, he cooperated with Władysław Sikorski. In September 3, 1941 – October 20, 1941, Lieberman was minister of justice in the Polish government-in-exile in London, England.

Mass graves from the '39 massacre.

Edward Metzger - my great uncle.

Rozia Felner.  Read Dr. Hartman's obit here.

The stone my family erected in honor of my mother's Przemysl families: Metzger and Silberman

Parts of the cemetery still need a lot of work...

Rebuilding Jewish Przemysl?

Blog-friend Philip alerted me to this fascinating project. It's worth clicking through - even if, like me, you can't read Polish. There are many interesting photos and diagrams.

Recently an engineering student unveiled plans to rebuild from scratch the entire Jewish quarter of Przemysl, including (rather excitingly) the old synagogue. There are some computer generated images and details here:

I do hope this project is realised as it'd be wonderful to regain so much of the city's history.

Yours
Philip

Here is one of many computer-generated views of the reconstructed Jewish quarter. The dark brick structure is the Tempel.

This is the Alte Synagogue to the right (I think!) with a glass wall added.  Artistic license for the rebuilders?

A new novel: 11th of Av

I've written and published a novel about the Jewish experience in Przemysl during World War I.   

It is available now on Amazon.

 

From the back cover:

The 11th of Av is a story of love, death and dreams set in the often-besieged Galician town of Przemysl, a fortress on the frontier of the socially dynamic, multicultural border of pre-World War I Austria-Hungary. It is the story of a tough, passionate, and optimistic generation - the ultimate flowering of eight centuries of Jewish life in the East - who believed, despite overwhelming odds, they could build a better world. But it is also the story of the beginning of the end of Eastern Jewry, as the brutal conflict sets in motion their heartbreaking transition from subjects of The Empire to a fractured, stateless people struggling to carve out new lives in an unfamiliar and increasingly dangerous world.

100% of the net proceeds from the sale of this novel will be donated to charities involved in the restoration and upkeep of Jewish sites in Przemyśl.


(I apologize for the shameless self-promotion!)

Family Segal of Przemysl

Via email come Family Segal of Przemysl...

Hello,

In memory of my great-grandparents who lived in Przemysl, I would appreciate if you post these photos in your blog.

Chaim Segal (son of Mechel) and Hinda (daughter of Naftali and Drezla Zins) had 9 sons and 5 daughters. Six of their children left Przemysl before WW2 and lost contact with those who stayed.

Thank You

Nili Goldman
Israel

 Chaim and Hinda

 Pinkas and Genya Segal (my grand parents) with 2 children before leaving Przemysl to Portugal.(1925)

 Chaim and Hinda in front of their home with family (1939)

(If Hinda was also known as Mina, then I believe that the home was at Dworskiego 6 which is listed as owned by Mina Zins (Zinsowa)-- David)

The 5 Segal Girls (born between 1887 and 1908)

The Story of Mann

As we have become accustomed to, Lukasz in Warsaw comes through with the answers regarding Family of Mann:

Hello David,

I owe you some stories on Przemysl. The last question about Manns deserves an answer. Fasten your belt, I'll take you and Kenny on a ride.

"His sister's name was Clara, I believe.", writes Kenny. Klara died in 1941 and her tombstone is among not so many (ca. 750 out of thousands) that survived.

The sentence on the plaque of Klara's tomb reads: "To my mum who taught me to be eternally young. Son."

What's more, we have a story about her funeral, written by her granddaughter. This is a piece:

“I’m on Slowackiego Street. A little higher up is the Jewish cemetery, where my grandmother was buried during the winter. I think back to her wretched funeral: that little coffin on the rickety cart, Mother and I following behind. I go to the cemetery. […] It’s quiet and peaceful in the cemetery. Fat insects crawl over the grass. The old stone grave markers tell the histories of former families. The gold letters of the shining sepulchres call to those who have gone and assure them of the impeccably good taste of those who have remained. My grandmother’s grave is off to the side. In the beaten clay a black marker has been stuck. ‘Klara Mann, born… died 12 XII 1941’... a beginning and an end. I stand by my grandmother’s grave but I do not cry. I am not thinking any more of her lonely death. She loved me so much. In my thoughts I beg her to help me rescue my parents and my brother.”

Sounds familiar? Yes, this is a part of memoirs I uploaded at ARC website years ago.

Aleksandra Mandel was the daughter of Salomea Mandel (born Mann), Klara's daughter, and Aleksander Mandel. She was the only survivor. She later changed her first name to Cecylia. Diminutive of Cecylia is Cesia (pron. Tsesha) and it must be "someone known as Aunt Tseckia", as Kenny writes. Kenny may not remember that Cesia visited them in Africa, sometime in 60's. This visit was foreseen in prophetical conversation in Przemysl ghetto, moments before it's liquidation started:

"‘To turn my Mother’s sad thoughts to other things – my Mother, who is so bravely bearing the burden of our poverty – I hug and kiss her, and talk to her about my uncle, who from far, from Africa, writes to us through Switzerland and who will certainly help us as soon as the war finishes.

“And you, Mama, will be the first great lady of Africa, and Tata and Jozio will eat bananas for breakfast and pineapples for dinner.”

Mama looks around at our shabby little room, at the lamentably empty cupboard, at the unlit stove, and says: “Child, you might see it, but my grave will be growing grass by then…”

And next passage:

“The Gestapo bang on our window.

“We’re coming,” says Tata, “Here you are, my watch, it will stay with you.” He puts the old watch that was his father’s down on the buffet.

“Think that you were with us on a ship during a wreck, and we went down, while a life buoy brought you to shore...”

“Uncle will ask you to Africa after the war,” Mother adds.

Here is the most disinterested, sublime love in the world. Even now my parents don’t think of themselves.”

After the war Aleksandra/Cesia lived in one of Galician towns and worked as a journalist, like her father. She wrote an article about her african trip which is remembered there.

She and her husband founded an obelisk at Przemysl cemetery commemorating her parents and her brother.

The rest is also true - her son Oles and a grandson Maciek are well known photographers indeed, now in Krakow.

Aleksandra deposited her memories in 1946 at Jewish Historical Commission in Krakow. They are kept at Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw now.

I wish you, all your family, and Kenny too, sweet and peaceful New Year.
And Gmar Hatima Tova.

Lukasz

Family Mann

Over the transom comes yet another amazing Przemysl diaspora tale.  Does anyone out there have any information on family Mann?

I have just been reading your website with interest. My father was born in Przemysl and lived there until 1939 when he walked out barefoot as Hitler invaded. He ended up in Bucharest where he met my mother and they married. they had to escape yet again and ended up in Kenya, where they settled and where I was born and raised.

I am making a film about their extraordinary story - there were very few Jews in Kenya - and while I have a lot of material on my mother, I have virtually nothing about my father and his family. He was born in 1907. His name was Igor Mann in later life, but I believe his real first name was Izidore. He trained as a veterinarian at the University of Prague and he had a sister who died of TB before the war. I believe his father died when he was 13 and his mother died in 1942.

Is there any way in which I might be able to find more information about him or his family? He was 32 when he left, so there must be some records - or maybe not, since the Jewish population was so thoroughly wiped out. Anyway - if you can make any suggestions for me as to further research, I would really appreciate it.

Many thanks!
Kenny Mann

Some additional information on her family:

Yes - you may post my note to the blog. Some of the people contributing were about the same age as my father - perhaps they knew the family. His father was a bricklayer. My father became an orphan at age 13 and made money by de-backing and selling stamps and mending tennis racquets. His sister's name was Clara, I believe. There is someone known as Aunt Tseckia (I don't know how to spell this) who has a son called Olesh who apparently became quite a well-known photographer - they now live in Krakow, I believe.

A Catholic Woman Remembers Przemysl

I've had a fascinating back-and-forth with Renata - a Catholic woman born in Przemysl. She found me while doing research on her tree; it seems we have an intersection. The Jerzy she mentions, below, was the step son of my great uncle, Izaac (Edward) Metzger. His story, and how he came to adopt Jerzy, is outlined here.

My mother was from Przemysl, so I enjoyed reading a bit of its' history, and Anna Wojtowicz, Jerzy's wife, is a distant cousin of mine. We've both been working on our mutual family tree and her husband, Jerzy, hoped that we would find out what became of his father. While that question has not been answered, at least your article sheds some light on the subject. Thank you! I appreciate the time, effort and work that went into returning to Poland for answers and writing this.

Isaac + Family

After I responded, we talked about our connection - In 1939, Izaac Metzger went off to join the Red Army fighting the Nazis, just like his Catholic neighbor. Both men left wives and children behind in Przemysl. Isaac survived to return to Przemysl; his neighbor did not. His wife and children were gone, murdered. He ended up marrying this neighbor's widow - Aneila, adopted her young son Jerzy, and started calling himself Edward.

More from Renata:

Edward/Isaac

I think people's lives are so interesting, that in many cases it IS almost like reading an intense piece of fiction. Your uncle, Isaac/Edward is a prime example. It was emotionally moving to see a picture of him with his wife and four little children, looking happy and fulfilled, and to imagine how he must've felt when he returned home from war to learn that his whole family had been eradicated. I'm amazed that he had the resiliency to start life over again with someone else, that he didn't just curl up into a bitter ball of hate and despair, as many did. Aniela was still relatively young when they married and I'm surprised they didn't have any children of their own, but nevertheless, both of them seemed to make the most of their own, horrible situations and obviously must've found comfort in sharing their mutual burdens. It sounds as though he liked his stepson, Jerzy who obviously needed a father figure. Still, a Polish/Jewish connection must've been a difficult way for both him and Aniela to live. My understanding from my mother's stories, from the era in which she lived in Poland (1919-1949) was that Jews were not generally liked in Przemysl. There was a lot of prejudice against them and probably envy as well. Some were persecuted, especially the orthodox ones that really stood out. My mother was born in Brooklyn and moved back to Poland with her parents when she was 8. She used to tell me about how tough it was to get accepted by her classmates when her parents uprooted her and took her back to the old country. Her new classmates didn't like her because she was a well-to-do American girl (in their eyes) and it was the Jewish girls, who understood ostracism, who welcomed her into their circle and helped her get up to speed in her new school and maintained warm friendships with her until everyone scattered to go to college, so she developed good relationships with Jewish people in Przemysl, but I think that was the exception.

Maybe after the war, anything went. People were just trying to survive and move forward, but prior to the war, Aniela would've had a hard time living in Przemysl, being openly married to a Jewish man, although he tried to become integrated; had a "street name," had a last name that could've just passed for German, and didn't look strikingly Jewish.

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Bernice's Cemetery Photos

I posted recently about Bernice's Trip to Poland. Here are some photos from her visit to the Przemysl cemetery:

Postcards from Przemysl

Posted below are post cards sent from Przemysl to relations in Basel. One of the things that makes these so interesting are the dates - 1943 - right in the midst of the holocaust. The Nazi cancellations and Hitler stamps are disturbing reminders of the awful backdrop of that year.

Original email from Charles:

My grandmother Lifsia Intrator was born In Przemysl and a great part of her family lived there. She had 9 brothers and sisters and several of them died in the Shoa. I had the opportunity to see a number of old postcards written to my late grand-aunt Cescha who lived in Basel by one of their sisters Hadassa Eisenberg Intrator and some friends.

I found several, to me unknown names: Frieda Blech ( maybe also Frieda Rubenfeld) Pola Ungar,. There is also a postcard in Polish that I do not understand but where

Charles Mahler Antwerp Belgium.

Chick to see Charles' family history: "Israel Intrator in Przemysl."

Anyone care to take a stab at a translation?