Номер объектаM2003/002:002
ОписаниеPhotograph (copy) of a family featuring the donor, Halina Robinson, as a young girl, front row, Poland, circa 1930s.
Halina (Lina) Robinson (nee Zandberg) was born in Kalisz, Poland in 1928 to Dr Marek (Mosiek) Zandberg (Ciapy) and Emily Zandberg (neé Hartman). In 1939, her father married a second time, to Jadwiga (Yaga) Zandberg (neé Sander). In 1942, aged 44, he was murdered. During the war Halina survived using three false names:
Halina Maria Gorska
Helena Grabowiecka
Halina Emilia Gralewska [name she retained post-war].
Halina’s mother was a distant presence in her young life. Her father was a successful ENT specialist. She sensed problems between her parents that as a young girl she could not understand that led to her mother mysteriously disappearing from her life, living with her father and later with her father and step-mother Yaga. Lina’s mother’s erratic behaviour forced her father to place her in a sanatorium. Lina attended a Zionist-leaning school which educated its students in Polish as well as in Hebrew and Yiddish.
She recalls incidents of antisemitism which touched her life as a child, such as a banner with the words “We want Kalisz without Jews”. On 1 September 1939, they heard the voice of the President of Poland announce on the radio that, “Our historical enemy has invaded our territories ….” On 18 January 1940 Lina opened the door to find two Wehrmacht soldiers looking for her father; he was taken away as a hostage in the ‘Ludwig Kot Affair’ and she never saw him again. In 1940 Lina, her stepmother Yaga, step-aunt Sylvia and step-grandmother Mrs Sander moved into the Warsaw Ghetto. She was 12 and a half years old when the gates of the ghetto closed behind her. She recalls corpses covered with pieces of cardboard—stripped of any clothing that could be worn or sold. On 22 July 1942 deportations started. Block after block of apartment buildings were emptied by German soldiers. People were loaded onto trucks and taken to the Umschlagplatz from which there was no return.
Yaga and Sylvia obtained papers exempting them from deportation. For Mrs Sander an intricate hiding place was prepared. Halina was told that at the first sign of a roundup to put Mrs Sander in the hiding place, disguise it well and “make herself scarce.” Everyday Yaga and Sylvia returned from their 12-hour shift in the “shop” with two bowls of watery soup and four thick slices of bread to share. In late September 1942 Pani Loda— a family friend—helped 15-year old Lina to escape from the ghetto. She went into hiding, taking on the persona of a Polish non-Jewish girl. Living under several pseudonyms and using false documents Lina found herself living in a Catholic boarding school in Waver (where she converted to Catholicism), and in the houses of courageous Polish families. Each time her hideout was compromised she moved on to a new one. She experienced the Warsaw Uprising from within the city.
Finally, in January 1945, liberation came to Warsaw and she chose to remain in post-war Poland. Life under the Polish People’s Republic afforded her opportunities, including furthering her education. She completed a vocational degree in hospitality management. She was able to secure management positions in State-run organisations. She met her prospective husband Edek Czerwinski. They married and had two children—Joanna and Vitek. Edek became disillusioned and began to pressure Lina to leave. They decided to go to Israel. The family travelled by train to Genoa and embarked on a cruiser the Theodore Herzl for Israel. In 1961 the family arrived in Australia, where her husband had a sister.
Halina (Lina) Robinson (nee Zandberg) was born in Kalisz, Poland in 1928 to Dr Marek (Mosiek) Zandberg (Ciapy) and Emily Zandberg (neé Hartman). In 1939, her father married a second time, to Jadwiga (Yaga) Zandberg (neé Sander). In 1942, aged 44, he was murdered. During the war Halina survived using three false names:
Halina Maria Gorska
Helena Grabowiecka
Halina Emilia Gralewska [name she retained post-war].
Halina’s mother was a distant presence in her young life. Her father was a successful ENT specialist. She sensed problems between her parents that as a young girl she could not understand that led to her mother mysteriously disappearing from her life, living with her father and later with her father and step-mother Yaga. Lina’s mother’s erratic behaviour forced her father to place her in a sanatorium. Lina attended a Zionist-leaning school which educated its students in Polish as well as in Hebrew and Yiddish.
She recalls incidents of antisemitism which touched her life as a child, such as a banner with the words “We want Kalisz without Jews”. On 1 September 1939, they heard the voice of the President of Poland announce on the radio that, “Our historical enemy has invaded our territories ….” On 18 January 1940 Lina opened the door to find two Wehrmacht soldiers looking for her father; he was taken away as a hostage in the ‘Ludwig Kot Affair’ and she never saw him again. In 1940 Lina, her stepmother Yaga, step-aunt Sylvia and step-grandmother Mrs Sander moved into the Warsaw Ghetto. She was 12 and a half years old when the gates of the ghetto closed behind her. She recalls corpses covered with pieces of cardboard—stripped of any clothing that could be worn or sold. On 22 July 1942 deportations started. Block after block of apartment buildings were emptied by German soldiers. People were loaded onto trucks and taken to the Umschlagplatz from which there was no return.
Yaga and Sylvia obtained papers exempting them from deportation. For Mrs Sander an intricate hiding place was prepared. Halina was told that at the first sign of a roundup to put Mrs Sander in the hiding place, disguise it well and “make herself scarce.” Everyday Yaga and Sylvia returned from their 12-hour shift in the “shop” with two bowls of watery soup and four thick slices of bread to share. In late September 1942 Pani Loda— a family friend—helped 15-year old Lina to escape from the ghetto. She went into hiding, taking on the persona of a Polish non-Jewish girl. Living under several pseudonyms and using false documents Lina found herself living in a Catholic boarding school in Waver (where she converted to Catholicism), and in the houses of courageous Polish families. Each time her hideout was compromised she moved on to a new one. She experienced the Warsaw Uprising from within the city.
Finally, in January 1945, liberation came to Warsaw and she chose to remain in post-war Poland. Life under the Polish People’s Republic afforded her opportunities, including furthering her education. She completed a vocational degree in hospitality management. She was able to secure management positions in State-run organisations. She met her prospective husband Edek Czerwinski. They married and had two children—Joanna and Vitek. Edek became disillusioned and began to pressure Lina to leave. They decided to go to Israel. The family travelled by train to Genoa and embarked on a cruiser the Theodore Herzl for Israel. In 1961 the family arrived in Australia, where her husband had a sister.
Наименованиеphotographs
Материалphotographic emulsion, paper, paper
Размерность
- whole length: 180.00 mm
height: 130.00 mm
Кредитная линияSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Halina Robinson