In samewerking met ons “Vennote in Omgee” program befonds deur die UJA-Federasie van New York, die Y sal onderhoude met ses plaaslike oorlewendes bevat om die verhaal van elke individu beter te verstaan. Hierdie onderhoude sal in die Hebreeuse Tabernakel -galery ten toon gestel word “Ervaar 'n tyd van oorlog en verder: Portrette van geesdriftige Holocaust -oorlewendes”. Die galery word op Vrydag 8 November oopgemaak.
Pearl Rosenzveig has been a member of the Y since 1998.
Pearl Rosenzveig (Photograph by Yael Ben-Zion: www.yaelbenzion.com)
Pearl (Friedman) Rosenzveig was born in Simleu Silvania, Romania on February 22, 1919. The Friedman’s were the only Jewish family in Simleu Silvania. Her father owned a liquor, tobacco, and grocery store. She has a sister, Esther, who was born on January 21, 1921. Her mother’s side of the family resided in a town about 3 hours away by train. Pearl remembers her mother as a loving person, who was also a business woman. She described her mother as a conservative Jew.
In Simleu Silvania, there was only one school for all the children to attend, however there was no high school. Pearl recalls attending that school until her 7th year. She was a gifted gymnast and states that gymnastics was her favorite subject in school. When asked if Pearl experienced any anti-Semitism as a child, she remembered a story from her time in school. Pearl and her sister were in a play about Romania and all of the states within the country. Each child was given a state to play, while Esther was given the part of Romania. When the class performed the play for the Prime Minister, the Prime Minister asked the teacher why a Jew was playing the part of Romania.
Even though the Friedman’s were the only Jewish family in Simleu Silvania, they still practiced Judaism. They celebrated every Jewish holiday and they kept kosher. On Friday, Pearl’s father would travel to a nearby Hungarian town where there were more Jews and would attend Shabbat services. On high holy days, Pearl and her mother would travel to a town called Silvaniei to go to synagogue.
When Pearl was 15, the Prime Minister of Romania put restrictions on Jewish owned businesses. The Friedman’s lost their business and was forced to move to Simleu Silvaniei. Pearl attended community college in Simleu Silvaniei, but was told that she failed her classes because she was a Jew. This did not make any sense to Pearl because when the gym teacher was absent, Pearl was called to replace her because she was such a talented gymnast. Even though Pearl tried to fight her way to stay in school, she did not win. By age 17, Pearl left the school. When she realized she had limited opportunities in such a small town, in her early twenties Pearl moved to Budapest where one of her uncles lived. She needed to learn a skill in order to survive so Pearl learned to sew. Pearl wanted to maximize her opportunities to make a living, which is why she decided to move to Budapest. She took great interest in sewing, but wanted to improve so she took a class in pattern making. Pearl remembers that later on that she began sewing yellow stars onto clothing. She recalls, “When we were in the ghetto, we needed yellow stars on each item.” Pearl had been told many times that she did not look like a Jew. When Jews were unable to shop at stores, Pearl made the courageous decision to take off her yellow star and go shopping. One time she was stopped by a Hungarian police officer who asked her why sometimes he sees her with a yellow star and other times without the star. He told her, “You’re not Jewish. Take that star off forever.”
While in Budapest, Pearl was able to correspond with her parents by sending letters. However, she lost touch with her parents in the early 1940’s and Pearl knew that she had lost her parents forever. When reflecting on her feelings about the war, Pearl believes that the Hungarian government is responsible for the deaths of the Jews in Hungary.
After being in the ghetto for about two and half years, Pearl and the rest of the Jews were rounded up. She prepared by packing up her belongings. Pearl was sure to pack her mother’s jewelry and all the valuables that she had. In addition, she bought as much nonperishable food as she could so that she would not go hungry. One morning, the police came to the door and told her that she had five minutes to gather her belongings and leave. The police gathered a few thousand Jews in a lot. Pearl recalls that the police were extremely unorganized and eventually had to send all of the Jews home because they did not know what to do with all of them. She hoped that this would be the end, but it was not. In October 1943, she heard the knock on her door and once again she left the house. This time, it was for good. She remembers walking for what felt like forever. There were several thousand Jews that were forced to march day after day. When they would stop at night, Pearl remembers that they were given very little to eat. They served liquids only and she remembers the food being disgusting. She had no choice but to eat it. The Hungarian police orchestrated the march. Pearl felt disappointed, sad, and weak. She found the strength to carry on each day throughout the march. On the march, Pearl saw a woman coming out of her house. Pearl ran over to the woman and offered to give her the sweater she was wearing in exchange for any food. Pearl did not care that winter was coming. She was so hungry; all she could think about was getting food. The woman went into her house and came out with a lot of food for Pearl and she took the sweater.
Pearl recalls the march lasting from October to December. The weather got so cold, Pearl is glad that she did not lose her fingers on the march. She knew that she was walking to Germany, but she did not realize that she was walking to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. She reached Bergen-Belsen in January 1944. When she got to the concentration camp, all of Pearl’s jewelry including her earrings and watch were confiscated. She was stripped of everything; including her clothes. She was given clothing that was full of lice. On the days that it would snow, Pearl would strip herself down to nothing and wash herself with soap in the snow. When she was done, she had to put her dirty clothes back on and go back to the barracks. When more people would come to the camp, Pearl would do what she could to make room for people in the barracks. This would leave her without a place to sleep. She stayed in the cold corridor and became very ill.
When the camp was liberated, Pearl saw British soldiers coming to the camp. She recalls them intimidating the German soldiers. After a week, Pearl was moved from Bergen-Belsen to a better facility in Germany. She remembers being fed a little better. Everyone was still very sick from the filth of the camp. A nurse came to help the refugees including Pearl who had come down with shingles. Eventually the Swedish came and opened their borders to the refugees and offered assistance to them. In 1945, Pearl decided that she wanted to go to Sweden. She was taken there along with other refugees. The refugees were taken care of by doctors and admitted to hospitals if they needed extra medical attention.
The refugees were put into Swedish summer homes outside of Stockholm. She recalls being placed with Czech, Hungarian, and Romanian refugees. She stayed there for two years. Pearl was very happy when she was there. She was given new clothes every season so she could be comfortable. After several years in Sweden, Pearl wrote to an uncle she found in New York. Her uncle immediately sent her $100. She used this money to buy herself a watch and to get her teeth fixed since they had been damaged from the war. Once she got herself fixed up, Pearl asked her uncle to help her come to America. Even though Pearl loved her life in Sweden, she wanted to be in New York with her family. She thought she would have to wait years to get to America because the Romanian quota was so small, but she and her uncle were able to work out a way to get Pearl to America as quickly as possible. The first affidavit that her uncle was able to get for her was not enough to get her into the country so her uncle asked a friend of his for help. This friend helped get Pearl an adequate affidavit to come to America.
On June 14, 1948, Pearl arrived in New York City. Her aunt was at the harbor waiting for her. She recognized Pearl by the pictures she had sent. She then lived with her aunt and uncle, and worked as a seamstress.
Pearl never imagined that she would marry an American man. She recalls that she met her husband when she was visiting a friend. She married Max Rosenzveig and they had 2 daughters. Pearl has six grandchildren.
This interview was transcribed (from a previoulsy recorded interview) by Halley Goldberg of the Y’s Partners in Caring initiative and belongs to the YM&YWHA van Washington Heights en Inwood. Die gebruik van hierdie materiaal sonder skriftelike toestemming van beide die Y en die ondervraagde is streng verbode. Lees hier meer oor die Partners in Caring -program: http://ywashhts.org/partners-caring-0
Hebreeuse tabernakel Armin en Estelle Gold Wing Galleryin trotse vennootskap metdie YM&YWHA van Washington Heights en Inwoodnooi u uit na onsNovember / Desember, 2013 Uitstalling“Ervaar 'n tyd van oorlog en verder: Portrette van geesdriftige Holocaust -oorlewendes” met foto's en beeldhouwerk deur: YAEL BEN-ZION, PETER BULOW en ROJ RODRIGUEZ. In samewerking met 'n spesiale diens ter herinneringvan die75die herdenking van Kristallnacht -die nag van gebroke glasDienste en onthaalontvangs vir kunstenaars, Vrydag, 8 November, 2013 7:30 nm.
'N Verklaring van die Y : ” Vir dekades was die Washington Heights/Inwood Y, en bly steeds, 'n toevlugsoord vir diegene wat skuiling soek, respek en begrip. Baie wat by ons ingaan en aan ons programme deelneem, het beproewinge beleef wat ons nie eers kan voorstel nie. Vir sommige, wat deel sal wees van hierdie uitstalling, so 'n gruwel het die wêreld bloot bekend geword as 'The Holocaust' – die stelselmatige moord op ses miljoen Jode van Europa.
Ons by die Y onthou die verlede, eer diegene wat gedurende daardie tyd gelewe en gesterf het, en die waarheid vir toekomstige geslagte beskerm. Ter wille van onsself en ons kinders, ons moet die verhale deurgee van diegene wat die euwels van oorlog beleef het. Daar is lesse te leer vir die toekoms. Die onderhoude word deur Halley Goldberg gedokumenteer, 'n programbegeleier van 'Partners in Caring'. Hierdie belangrike program is moontlik gemaak deur 'n ruim toekenning van die UJA-Federasie van New York, ontwerp om verhoudings met sinagoges in Washington Heights en Inwood te verbeter. “
Ons gesamentlike kunsuitstalling bevat portrette en onderhoude met oorlewendes van die Holocaust, Hannah Eisner, Charlie en Lilli Friedman, Pearl Rosenzveig, Fredy Seidel en Ruth Wertheimer, almal lede van die The Hebrew Tabernacle, 'n Joodse gemeente dat baie Duitse Jode van die Nazi's gevlug het en gelukkig was om na Amerika te kom, het in die laat 1930's aangesluit. Boonop vereer ons ook die oorlewende van die Holocaust, Gizelle Schwartz Bulow- ma van ons kunstenaar Peter Bulow en die oorlewende van die Tweede Wêreldoorlog Yan Neznanskiy - pa van die Y's Chief Program Officer, Victoria Neznansky.
'N Spesiale Sabbatsdiens, met sprekers, ter nagedagtenis aan die 75ste herdenking van Kristallnacht (die nag van gebroke glas) voorafgaan aan die opening van die Gold Gallery/Y -uitstalling:Dienste begin stiptelik om 7:30 pm. Almal word uitgenooi om dit by te woon.
Vir die openingstye van die galery of vir meer inligting, bel die sinagoge by212-568-8304 of sienhttp://www.hebrewtabernacle.orgKunstenaarsverklaring: Yael Ben-Zionwww.yaelbenzion.comYael Ben-Zion is in Minneapolis gebore, MN en grootgemaak in Israel. Sy is 'n gegradueerde van die International Center of Photography se algemene studieprogram. Ben-Zion ontvang verskeie toekennings en toekennings, mees onlangs van die Puffin Foundation en van NoMAA, en haar werk is in die Verenigde State en in Europa uitgestal. Sy het twee monografieë van haar werk gepubliseer. Sy woon saam met haar man in Washington Heights, en hul tweelingseuns.
Kunstenaarsverklaring: Peter Bulow: www.peterbulow.com
My ma as kind, was tydens die Holocaust weggekruip. Oor die jare, haar ervaring, of wat ek my voorgestel het dat dit haar ervaring was, het 'n groot invloed op my gehad. Hierdie invloed word weerspieël in my persoonlike sowel as in my artistieke lewe. Ek is in Indië gebore, woon as 'n jong kind in Berlyn en emigreer op ouderdom saam met my ouers na die VSA 8. Ek het 'n meestersgraad in beeldende kunste in beeldhoukuns. Ek ontvang ook 'n toelae wat my in staat sal stel om 'n beperkte aantal bronsborste van Holocaust -oorlewendes te maak. Laat weet my asseblief as u deel wil wees van hierdie projek.
Kunstenaarsverklaring :Roj Rodriguez: www.rojrodriguez.com
My werk weerspieël my reis van Houston, TX - waar ek gebore en getoë is - na New York - waar, blootgestel aan sy etniese, kulturele en sosio -ekonomiese diversiteit en sy unieke siening oor immigrante– Ek het 'n hernieude respek vir almal se kultuur gevind. Ek het geleer by gevestigde fotograwe, het die wêreld omvattend gereis en saamgewerk met baie professionele persone op die gebied. Sedert Januarie, 2006, my loopbaan as onafhanklike fotograaf het 'n proses geword van die neem van persoonlike fotoprojekte wat voortspruit uit my eie begrip van die manier waarop ons die wêreld deel en ons kreatiwiteit as geheel uitoefen.
