My grandmother, Fruma Dushnitzer, did not intend to become a US immigrant when she came to visit in July of 1939. She and her 3 year old daughter Fagie, came on a ship, “The New Amsterdam”, to visit her parents in Chicago, as they had never met their granddaughter. They had emigrated from Lithuania to Chicago in the late 1920’s. ... Read More »
Tag Archives: Nazis
Guitarist (Germany)
Otto grew up in Germany and at a young age was enrolled with the Nazi youth. After leaving he joined the German Navy and fought in World War Two. He was captured by the British and put in a British camp until the end of the war. He got to go home after the war and got a job playing ... Read More »
Journey to Safety and Freedom
Evelyn Loeb Beilenson immigrated to the United States in 1941 during World War II. She came on a ship from Lisbon, Portugal as a three-year-old to New York City, but her family was originally from Mutterstadt, a small agricultural town in the Rhineland-Palatinate region in Southwest Germany. ... Read More »
Jacob Tucker
He eventually became a very successful attorney and even argued a case against GM in the Supreme Court for workers’ rights. Many years ago, a young boy named Jacob lived in a small Russian town with his family. He lived happily without a care in the world until one day his father left to escape from being drafted into the ... Read More »
Escape from Nazis; A Career as Tailor and Men’s Clothier
In 1938, a small humble family of Jews in Vienna, Austria, enjoyed their supper, but in a matter of seconds, their lives changed forever. A neighbor called them and told them to turn on their radio. They all listened closely to the static sound of the radio. Austrian President Wilhelm Miklas, announced that Hitler of Germany had given him an ... Read More »
Math Professor’s Family Leaves Germany as Hitler Rises
Click Here to Listen to the Audio Version As Read by Veronica Tincher, the Daughter of the Szegos, and a Resident of Palo Alto. Veronica Tincher’s parents, Gabor and Ann Szego were Hungarian Jews. Her mother was born in Budapest and her father came from a smaller town, Kunhegyes. Gabor Szego, her father was a bright mathematician and professor in Hungary. ... Read More »
Kindertransport from Austria: Helga’s Story
Helga Newman recalls the day in March, 1938 when her family’s life changed forever. She lived with her parents and grandmother in Vienna, Austria and that day she watched through the window as the Nazi army marched into her city. Her father warned her to stay away from the window for her safety. When Hitler, arrived he began creating restrictions ... Read More »
Fuchs Family – Grateful Survivors
Recently, my brother Henry Fuchs received a prestigious professional award* and I had the pleasure of attending the ceremony. As I watched him being honored and celebrated by colleagues and students from around the world, I couldn’t help but think, he and I are members of a generation that wasn’t supposed to have been born. How many millions who were ... Read More »
The Miracle of Life
Morrie’s early years were gruesome and filled with fear, but they shaped a man who taught his son to stand down for nothing and stand up for everything. It wasn’t something you see often. Nazi soldiers flooding the streets as Polish residents were called out, manhandled, and forced to their knees. The air was thick with crackling tension, only broken ... Read More »
Alfred Kuhn
Scroll down for the video story told by Alfred in front of an audience. The women and children were released. When they got home they witnessed a fire in the street in front of their home where locals had piled all the contents from the nearby synagogue and set them aflame. Alfred Kuhn was only four years old when his ... Read More »