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An innovative mix of history and psychological research, this book tells the story of one family of Holocaust survivors and reveals how each generation has passed on memories of the War and the Shoah to the next.
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Th e Fat e of Hol o c aus t M e mor i e s This page intentionally left blank Th e Fat e of Holoc aust M e mor i e s Tr a nsm i s sion a n d Fa m i ly D i a l o g u e s Ch aya H. Ro t h with the voices of Hannah Diller and Gitta Fajerstein-Walchirk THE FATE OF HOLOCAUST MEMORIES Copyright © Chaya H. Roth, 2008. All rights reserved. First published in 2008 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN® in the US—a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world, this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN-13: 978–0–230–60607–4 ISBN-10: 0–230–60607–5 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Roth, Chaya H. The fate of Holocaust memories : transmission and family dialogues / Chaya H. Roth. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0–230–60607–5 1. Diller, Hannah Kantorowicz Horowitz, 1908—Interviews. 2. Jews—Germany—Berlin—Biography. 3. Jews, Polish—Germany— Berlin—Biography. 4. Holocaust, Jewish (1939–1945)—Personal narratives. 5. Holocaust survivors—Biography. 6. Berlin (Germany)— Biography. 7. Roth, Chaya H. I. Title. DS134.42.D55R68 2008 940.53918092—dc22 2008004036 A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library. Design by Newgen Imaging Systems (P) Ltd., Chennai, India. First edition: September 2008 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in the United States of America. Dedicated to the Memory of Aaron Jakob Horowitz and Hannah Kantorowicz Horowitz Diller. May their names be remembered for a blessing, courage, and love. This page intentionally left blank Con t e n t s List of Photos ix Acknowledgments xi Map: “Escape Across Europe: 1939–1945” xvi Significant Figures xvii Introduction 1 Part I Hannah and Her Family One Hannah’s Memoir 13 Two Hannah’s Family 25 Three Hannah and Her Children, 1940–1942 41 Four The Italian Occupation, 1942–1943 61 Five Eretz-Israel, 1945–1946 79 Part II Transmission Summer of 1982 Six The Summer of 1982—Revisiting the Past 95 Part III Family Dialogues Seven The Family Interviews, 2000 139 Eight After the Interviews, 2003–2004 165 In Memory: Fishel Horowitz, 1912–1992 173 Notes 191 Bibliography 201 Index 205 This page intentionally left blank P ho to s 1.1 1.2 1.3 2.1 2.2 2.3 3.1 3.2 3.3 5.1 5.2 8.1 8.2 8.3 The Appellplatz (reconstruction) at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, Oranienburg, Germany, 1996 Rav Aaron Jakob Horowitz’s grave (killed September 1939), Adas Yisrael Orthodox Jewish Cemetery, Berlin, 1996 Rav Abraham Kupferstock’s grave (Rav Itsche died March 1940), Adas Yisrael Orthodox Jewish Cemetery, Berlin, 1996 Hannah’s passport photo (date unknown) Hannah and Jakob’s wedding, May 29, 1928 Gitta, Hannah, and Chaya, in 1934s Tante Roizele, Antwerp, 1930s Gitta, Hannah, Luz