Ka kopanelo le rona “Bo-mphato ba Tlhokomelo” lenaneo le tšehelitsoeng ka lichelete ke UJA-Federation of New York, ea Y e tla ba le lipuisano tse tsoang ho baphonyohi ba sebaka ba tšeletseng ho utloisisa pale ea motho ka mong hamolemo. Lipuisano tsena li tla bontšoa setsing sa litšoantšo sa Tabernacle ea Seheberu “Ho ba le Nako ea Ntoa le ho Feta: Litšoantšo tsa Baphonyohi ba Polao e Sehlōhō ea Moea”. Sebaka sa pokello ea litšoantšo se tla buloa ka Labohlano la la 8 Pulungoana.
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 ea Washington Heights le Inwood. Tšebeliso ea thepa ena ntle le tumello e ngotsoeng ho tsoa ho Y le mohlahlobuoa e thibetsoe ka thata. Fumana lintlha tse ling mabapi le lenaneo la Partner in Caring mona: http://ywashhts.org/partners-caring-0
Tabernakele ea Seheberu Armin le Estelle Gold Wing Galleryka kopanelo e motlotlo leRe ne re thabetse ho ba le sehlopha se fapaneng se tsoang sechabeng ho kenyelletsa le malapa a tsoang Sekolong sa Y Nursery&YWHA ea Washington Heights le Inwoode u memela ho ronaNovember/December, 2013 Hlahisa“Ho ba le Nako ea Ntoa le ho Feta: Litšoantšo tsa Baphonyohi ba Polao e Sehlōhō ea Moea” ka linepe le setsoantso ka: YAEL BEN-ZION, PETER BULOW le ROJ RODRIGUEZ. Hammoho le Tšebeletso e khethehileng mohopolongtsa75Anivesari ya Kristallnacht -The Night of Broken GlassLitšebeletso le Kamohelo ea ho Bula ea Artist, Labohlano, La 8 November, 2013 7:30 thapama.
Polelo e tsoang ho Y : ” Ka lilemo tse mashome Washington Heights/Inwood Y e bile teng, me e tsoela pele ho ba, setshabelo ho ba batlang setshabelo, tlhompho le kutlwisiso. Ba bangata ba kenang menyakong ea rona le ho nka karolo mananeong a rona ba phetse litekong le matšoenyeho ao re ke keng ra a nahana.. Bakeng sa ba bang, bao e tla ba karolo ea pontšo ena, le leng la tšabo e joalo le se le tsebahala lefatšeng ka bophara e le “Polao e Sehlōhō” – polao e hlophisitsoeng ea Bajode ba limilione tse tšeletseng ba Europe.
Rona ba Y re hopola tse fetileng, tlotla ba ba neng ba tshela le go swa ka nako eo, le ho sireletsa ’nete bakeng sa meloko e tlang. Molemong oa rona le bana ba rona, re tlameha ho fetisa lipale tsa ba kileng ba hlaheloa ke bokhopo ba ntoa. Ho na le lithuto tse lokelang ho ithutoa nakong e tlang. Lipuisano li ngotsoe ke Halley Goldberg, molebeli oa lenaneo la "Partners in Caring".. Lenaneo lena la bohlokoa le ile la khoneha ka thuso ea seatla se bulehileng e tsoang ho UJA-Federation of New York, e etselitsoe ho ntlafatsa likamano le lisynagoge tsa Washington Heights le Inwood. “
Pontšo ea rona e kopanetsoeng ea bonono e na le litšoantšo le lipuisano tsa baphonyohi ba Polao e Sehlōhō, Hannah Eisner, Charlie le Lilli Friedman, Pearl Rosenzveig, Fredy Seidel le Ruth Wertheimer, kaofela ha bona e le litho tsa Tabernakele ea Seheberu, phutheho ea Sejuda eo Bajuda ba bangata ba Majeremane ba balehang Manazi le lehlohonolo la ho tla Amerika, e ile ea kopanela bofelong ba lilemo tsa bo-1930. Ho feta moo, re tla hlompha le mophonyohi oa Polao e Sehlōhō Gizelle Schwartz Bulow- mme oa sebini sa rona Peter Bulow le mophonyohi oa WWII Yan Neznanskiy - ntate oa Ofisiri e ka Sehloohong ea Lenaneo la Y., ka ho keteka Letsatsi la Boipuso.
Tshebeletso e ikgethang ya Sabatha, ka dibui, sehopotsong sa Sehopotso sa bo75 sa Kristallnacht (Bosiu ba Khalase e Senyehileng) e etella pele ho buloa ha Gold Gallery/Y pontšo:Litšebeletso li qala hang ka 7:30 thapama. Bohle ba memeloa ho ba teng.
Bakeng sa lihora tse bulehileng tsa gallery kapa bakeng sa tlhaiso-leseling e batsi ka kopo letsetsa synagoge ho212-568-8304 kapa bonahttp://www.hebrewtabernacle.orgPolelo ea Moetsi: Yael Ben-Zionwww.yaelbenzion.comYael Ben-Zion o hlahetse Minneapolis, MN mme o holetse Iseraele. Ke seithuti sa Setsi sa Machaba sa Lithuto tsa Kakaretso tsa Setsi sa Litšoantšo. Ben-Zion ke moamoheli oa lithuso le likhau tse fapaneng, haufinyane tjena ho tsoa ho Puffin Foundation le ho tsoa ho NoMAA, ’me mosebetsi oa hae o ’nile oa bontšoa United States le Europe. O hatisitse monograph tse peli tsa mosebetsi oa hae. O lula Washington Heights le monna oa hae, le mafahla a bona a bashanyana.
Polelo ea Moetsi: Peter Bulow: www.peterbulow.com
'Mè ha ke sa le ngoana, ba ne ba ipatile nakong ea Polao e Sehlōhō. Ho theosa le lilemo, phihlelo ea hae, kapa seo ke neng ke nahana hore e bile phihlelo ea hae, e bile le tšusumetso e kholo ho 'na. Tšusumetso ena e bonahala bophelong ba ka ba botho le ba bonono. Ke hlahetse India, o ne a lula Berlin ke sa le ngoana 'me a fallela US le batsoali ba ka ha a le lilemong 8. Ke na le Masters in Fine Arts ho betliloeng. Hape ke moamoheli oa thuso e tla ntumella ho etsa palo e lekanyelitsoeng ea baphonyohi ba Polao e Sehlōhō.. Ke kopa u ntsebise haeba u thahasella ho ba karolo ea morero ona.
Polelo ea Moetsi :Roj Rodriguez: www.rojrodriguez.com
Mosebetsi oa ka o bontša leeto la ka ho tloha Houston, TX - moo ke hlahetseng le ho holela teng - ho ea New York - moo, e pepesehetseng morabe wa yona, mefuta-futa ea setso le moruo oa sechaba le pono ea eona e ikhethang ho bajaki– Ke ile ka fumana tlhompho e nchafalitsoeng bakeng sa setso sa motho e mong le e mong. Ke ithutile le baetsi ba lifoto ba hloahloa, o ile a tsamaea lefatšeng ka bophara 'me a sebelisana le litsebi tse ngata tse phahameng tšimong. Ho tloha ka Pherekhong, 2006, mosebetsi oa ka oa ho ba ralitšoantšo ea ikemetseng e se e le mokhoa oa ho nka merero ea ho nka lifoto ea botho e hlahang kutloisisong ea ka ea tsela eo re arolelanang lefatše ka eona le ho sebelisa boqapi ba rona ka kakaretso.
