Would it be horrible to say that I am disappointed to find that my grandfather’s two sisters were not the victims of Josef Mengele? It sounds horrible even to me. But I have been searching to find out what happened to them for over a decade. And I thought I finally found a glimmer of hope. I remembered that they were twins. Perhaps they made it to the right concentration camp and were separated out. I could at least have some closure.
But no. Another dead end, I write without a pun. I had already searched through Yad V Shem, where I found my grandfather’s parents and one brother. I have found my great grandparents, Gimple/Mordechai who died in Auschwitz and Chava who died in the town. My great uncle, Shimon died in Belzec. All three testimonies were put in Yad VShem by a cousin, Shalom Hollander. Although he entered many other testimonies, there are none for the other three siblings.
I have searched through the Jewish Gen files. I have found many, many, well hundreds of family members who perished in the Shoah. But I cannot find my grandfather’s two sisters and their families and his other brother. It is what I have been searching for since I started my genealogy searches.
I tried the place that usually helps, Tracing the Tribe Facebook Group. From one member, I found out about the the Arolsen Archives, International Center on Nazi Persecution, in Bad Arolsen in Germany. And I had great hope. I filled out three forms with all the information I had on my great aunts, Tova and Tzelia, and great uncle Nachum. I admit it was not much. Just their names and town of birth, parents and approximate date of birth.
I was sure to add that Tova and Tzelia were twins. I have a photo of Tova. I knew she was married. She probably had children. But by the time I spoke to my grandfather about her and his other siblings in the 1970s, he had forgotten the names of her husband and children. So my search was based on somewhat limited information.
Unfortunately, the Arolsen Archives could not help. For each of my requests, I received the same message. “We can inform you today that we – based on the data you provided – have made an extensive check of the documentation available to us.
To our regret, it has not proved possible for us to ascertain any information.”
Another dead end. But I was not totally surprised. I know that Mielec and Grandpa’s home town of Trzciana, were among the first cities that the Nazis chose to kill all the Jews. Only 100 Jewish residents from the area survived the war. Some were killed at the Denbica/Dembitz Murder site. Others went to the Lodz Ghetto and then Belzec Some died in Auschwitz. But some died in their community, like my great grandmother. Some were burned in the synagogue. Some were burned in the mikve. Some were shot.
I have discovered many people with similar names, but not these three.
I assume they died nameless, not a number in the Nazi machine.
So perhaps not finding them is a good thing. Perhaps they died quickly. They did not have to suffer the indignity of being a victim of Mengele. They did not make it to the Concentration Camps. But what is so sad is that no family member was able to write their testimonies. No one could enter their names in to Yad VShem data base. And I cannot either, because I do not know what happened.
Perhaps my quest to find out the names of their children will never be achieved. I will never find out what happened. Each time I have found out what happened to a family member. I have had another little stab in my heart. Perhaps it is time to let this search end.
zicharonot 