Object numberM2019/031:007
DescriptionPhotograph of Lifsz Roth taken in roughly 1910 in Lublin, Poland. She is the grandmother of the donor, Liz Sapir and the mother of Rosalie Gostin. She died suddenly at the age of 35 in 1920. Rosalie recalled that ‘She was sick on Wednesday night and on Sunday was the funeral’. According to a professor at Warsaw, she had died from an infection likely caused by the fact that the gynaecologist who examined her did not wash his hands properly.
This object is a part of a larger collection donated by Liz Sapir (formally Elizabeth/ Elzbieta) (nee Gostynski/Gostin), born 3 July 1937 in Poland. Her mother, Rosalie (Rosalia/ Rozalja) Zuinta Gostin (formally Gostynski) (nee Roth), was born 5 July 1911 in Lublin. Her father Henryk (Henry/ Hillee) Gostin (formally Gostynski), was born 15 July 1908 in Tomazow Mazowiecki, Poland. Rosalie and Henry met in Lublin following their individual studies and were married in 1934. In 1937 they had their only child, Elizabeth. In 1939, with the invasion of Poland by German forces and the outbreak of the Second World War, the family accompanied by Rosalie’s brother, Henry Roth (also known as Hirsz), fled Poland. The family travelled to the Romanian border, however bad weather and heavy security prevented them from crossing. They attempted to return to Poland with Russian troops but were only able to make it as far as Lvov where they remained from September 1939 to January 1940. From Lvov, the group travelled separately to Wilna, Lithuania. In Wilna they secured visas to Japan from the Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara. From Wilna, they went by train via the Trans-Siberian Railway, before boarding a boat to Japan, landing in Tsuruga in 1941. On 3 July 1941, they left Kobe and immigrated to Australia, arriving in Sydney 9 August 1941. Once in Australia and for the duration of the war, Henry secured a job as an Australian correspondent for two polish newspapers, ‘Nowy Swiat’ or ‘New World’ published in New York and ‘Dziennik Polski’ published in London. The family settled in Bellevue Hill in Sydney, where they remained until their death.
This object is a part of a larger collection donated by Liz Sapir (formally Elizabeth/ Elzbieta) (nee Gostynski/Gostin), born 3 July 1937 in Poland. Her mother, Rosalie (Rosalia/ Rozalja) Zuinta Gostin (formally Gostynski) (nee Roth), was born 5 July 1911 in Lublin. Her father Henryk (Henry/ Hillee) Gostin (formally Gostynski), was born 15 July 1908 in Tomazow Mazowiecki, Poland. Rosalie and Henry met in Lublin following their individual studies and were married in 1934. In 1937 they had their only child, Elizabeth. In 1939, with the invasion of Poland by German forces and the outbreak of the Second World War, the family accompanied by Rosalie’s brother, Henry Roth (also known as Hirsz), fled Poland. The family travelled to the Romanian border, however bad weather and heavy security prevented them from crossing. They attempted to return to Poland with Russian troops but were only able to make it as far as Lvov where they remained from September 1939 to January 1940. From Lvov, the group travelled separately to Wilna, Lithuania. In Wilna they secured visas to Japan from the Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara. From Wilna, they went by train via the Trans-Siberian Railway, before boarding a boat to Japan, landing in Tsuruga in 1941. On 3 July 1941, they left Kobe and immigrated to Australia, arriving in Sydney 9 August 1941. Once in Australia and for the duration of the war, Henry secured a job as an Australian correspondent for two polish newspapers, ‘Nowy Swiat’ or ‘New World’ published in New York and ‘Dziennik Polski’ published in London. The family settled in Bellevue Hill in Sydney, where they remained until their death.
Production placeLublin, Poland
Production date 1910 - 1910
Subjectphotographs, Pre-war life
Object namephotographs
Materialphotographic emulsion, paper, paper
Dimensions
- width: 112.00 mm
height: 130.00 mm
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Liz Sapir