I have not gone to the Yad Veshem website in years. I already had all the information about my great grandparents. But in writing about a mystery cousin, several people suggested I go see if he was listed at Yad VeShem. He is not. So I will assume he survived, (optimistic I know) and look elsewhere. (See blog below.)
However, the website looked so different, I decided to look at my great grandparents again. I knew that there was an entry for both of them. But when I first saw it, I could not read much of it. Now it is all translated into English. More important, it was put up by a survivor, a cousin, someone I met in Israel in 1976 with my grandmother: Shalom Hollander.
I had not seen his name in 42 years. When we met, in Haifa or Tel Aviv, Grandma and Shalom only spoke in Yiddish. And at the time, although I did understand some of what they said, I did not really pay attention. I heard so many holocaust stories when I was with grandma that month, and I was just 20. (See link blog below.)
It has been many years since I last looked at the listing in Yad VeShem. Besides their updated website, I have been on a mission to record what has happened to my family.
Recently I listened to an audio tape made by my grandfather in 1981. I had it made into a cd earlier this year. (See link below.) In it he talks about the village where he grew up. We always thought it was in Mielec. Which it was to a degree, but it was actually in a small village near Mielec called Trzciana.
We knew that my great grandmother, Chava, was killed near her home. That she had been hidden and did not go to the concentration camps. The Yad VeShem records confirm that she was murdered in Mielec/Trzciana.
I did not know which concentration camp my family had perished. I only knew that they had all died. However the testimony provided by Shalom Hollander is clear. They were murdered in Belzec. I am not so sure I am happy about that. But I now know that is where Gimple Feuer, my great grandfather died.
In Belzec approximately 500,000 Jews were murdered. Nazis were killing people at Belzec for nine and a half months. Thus, I now also know that my family was murdered between March 17 to December 1942. But at Belzec the Nazis not only murdered and buried my family, when the war was near the end, the Nazis secretly dug up their bodies and burned them. Most depressing is that of all the Jews who were sent to Belzec only seven survived according to Wikipedia.
In the past I have also tried to find any reference to my grandfather’s siblings. My biggest problem is that I do not know his sisters’ married names. However, the most amazing aspect of going to the Yad Veshem datebase this time is that I found one of my Grandpa’s siblings: Shimon. Born in 1910. Single. A merchant. Murdered in Belzec. I knew all my grandfather’s siblings died. But I never saw it in writing before: Murdered in Belzec.
Shalom also did the records for his own parents. Mordechai Amsterdam, a cousin of my great grandma; and Tova (Tauba) Holander Amsterdam. His parents were probably cousins as well, as we were all related: Amsterdam, Feuer, Hollander, Brenner.
But there it is. Murdered in Belzec. No one is named for Shimon. I do not think Shalom Hollander had a family. Or at least I did not meet them in Israel. I guess my next job is to search for any of Shalom’s descendants.
I am still stuck on those three words. Murdered in Belzec.
Thanks to Tracing the Tribe members for their suggestions, especially Amy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Be%C5%82%C5%BCec_extermination_camp
https://zicharonot.com/2018/06/04/the-mystery-of-abraham-prantki/
https://zicharonot.com/2018/05/15/my-grandpas-voice-can-still-be-heard/
https://zicharonot.com/2018/05/01/zysel-ziesel-feuer-survivor/
https://zicharonot.com/2014/04/28/speaking-yiddish-always-brings-me-holocaust-memories/
zicharonot 
So heartbreaking. Whenever I see the name of some relative—no matter how distant—listed at Yad Vashem, it takes my breath away. I am glad my suggestion was helpful, even if not about Abraham. Did you search by surname only to see if perhaps your grandfather’s sisters showed up by their birth names? Either by birth place or by Belzec? I have found many married women listed both with their birth and married names.
I will try that. I wondered if there was a way to search by the name of the person who submitted the testimony? Shalom did all five I found. I wonder if he did the others?
There may be—I am not sure. I’ve never done it that way. Perhaps TTT can help?
I am going to check with yad vshem