En collaboration avec notre “Partenaires d'entraide” programme financé par l'UJA-Federation of New York, le Y présentera des entrevues avec six survivants locaux pour mieux comprendre l'histoire de chacun. Ces entretiens seront présentés à la galerie Hebrew Tabernacle “Vivre un temps de guerre et au-delà: Portraits de survivants fougueux de l'Holocauste”. La galerie ouvrira le vendredi 8 novembre.
Pearl Rosenzveig has been a member of the Y since 1998.
Perle 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 de Washington Heights et Inwood. L'utilisation de ce matériel sans le consentement écrit du Y et de la personne interrogée est strictement interdite. En savoir plus sur le programme Partners in Caring ici: http://ywashhts.org/partners-caring-0
Tabernacle hébreu Galerie Armin et Estelle Gold Wingen fier partenariat avecle MJ&YWHA de Washington Heights et Inwoodvous invite à notreNovembre Décembre, 2013 Exposition“Vivre un temps de guerre et au-delà: Portraits de survivants fougueux de l'Holocauste” avec photographies et sculptures de: YAEL BEN-ZION, PETER BULOW et ROJ RODRIGUEZ. En conjonction avec un Service spécial en mémoirede la75e anniversaire de Kristallnacht - la nuit du verre briséPrestations et vernissage des artistes, Vendredi, 8 novembre, 2013 7:30 après-midi.
Une déclaration du Y : ” Pendant des décennies, le Washington Heights/Inwood Y a été, et continue d'être, un refuge pour ceux qui cherchent refuge, respect et compréhension. Beaucoup de ceux qui franchissent nos portes et participent à nos programmes ont vécu des épreuves et des tribulations que nous ne pouvons même pas imaginer. Pour certains, qui fera partie de cette exposition, une de ces horreurs est devenue connue dans le monde simplement sous le nom de "L'Holocauste" – l'assassinat systématique de six millions de Juifs d'Europe.
Nous, au Y, nous souvenons du passé, honorer ceux qui ont vécu et sont morts pendant cette période, et sauvegarder la vérité pour les générations futures. Pour nous et nos enfants, nous devons transmettre les histoires de ceux qui ont connu les maux de la guerre. Il y a des leçons à tirer pour l'avenir. Les entretiens sont documentés par Halley Goldberg, un superviseur du programme « Partners in Caring ». Ce programme vital a été rendu possible grâce à une généreuse subvention de la UJA-Federation of New York, conçu pour améliorer les relations avec les synagogues de Washington Heights et Inwood. “
Notre exposition d'art conjointe présente des portraits et des interviews de survivants de l'Holocauste, Hannah Eisner, Charlie et Lilli Friedman, Perle Rosenzveig, Fredy Seidel et Ruth Wertheimer, qui sont tous membres du The Hebrew Tabernacle, une congrégation juive que de nombreux Juifs allemands fuyant les nazis et assez chanceux pour venir en Amérique, rejoint à la fin des années 1930. De plus, nous honorerons également la survivante de l'Holocauste Gizelle Schwartz Bulow- mère de notre artiste Peter Bulow et du survivant de la Seconde Guerre mondiale Yan Neznanskiy – père du directeur des programmes du Y, Victoria Neznanski.
Un service de sabbat spécial, avec haut-parleurs, en mémoire du 75e anniversaire de la nuit de cristal (la nuit du verre brisé) précède l'ouverture de l'exposition Gold Gallery/Y:Les services commencent à 7h précises:30 pm. Tous sont invités à y assister.
Pour les heures d'ouverture de la galerie ou pour plus d'informations, veuillez appeler la synagogue au212-568-8304 ou voirhttp://www.hebrewtabernacle.orgDéclaration de l'artiste: Yaël Ben Zionwww.yaelbenzion.comYael Ben-Zion est née à Minneapolis, MN et élevé en Israël. Elle est diplômée du programme d'études générales du Centre international de la photographie. Ben-Zion est le récipiendaire de diverses subventions et récompenses, plus récemment de la Puffin Foundation et de NoMAA, et son travail a été exposé aux États-Unis et en Europe. Elle a publié deux monographies de son travail. Elle vit à Washington Heights avec son mari, et leurs jumeaux.
Déclaration de l'artiste: Pierre Bulow: www.peterbulow.com
Ma mère enfant, s'était caché pendant l'Holocauste. Au cours des années, son expérience, ou ce que j'imaginais avoir été son expérience, a eu une grande influence sur moi. Cette influence se reflète tant dans ma vie personnelle que dans ma vie artistique. Je suis né en Inde, j'ai vécu comme un jeune enfant à Berlin et j'ai émigré aux États-Unis avec mes parents à l'âge 8. J'ai une maîtrise en beaux-arts en sculpture. Je suis également récipiendaire d'une bourse qui me permettra de réaliser un nombre limité de bustes en bronze de survivants de la Shoah. Veuillez me faire savoir si vous êtes intéressé à faire partie de ce projet.
Déclaration de l'artiste :Roj Rodríguez: www.rojrodriguez.com
Mon travail reflète mon voyage depuis Houston, TX - où je suis né et j'ai grandi - à New York - où, exposé à son ethnie, diversité culturelle et socioéconomique et son regard unique sur les immigrants– J'ai trouvé un respect renouvelé pour la culture de chacun. J'ai fait mon apprentissage avec des photographes bien établis, parcouru le monde et collaboré avec de nombreux professionnels de haut niveau dans le domaine. Depuis janvier, 2006, ma carrière de photographe indépendant est devenue un processus de réalisation de projets photographiques personnels qui émergent de ma propre compréhension de la façon dont nous partageons le monde et exerçons notre créativité dans son ensemble.
