Hebron's Stories
If a story is important, then it must be told. We can portray dreams of what the future may hold, or allow introspection on what has occurred in the past. A story is a narrative that can relay lessons and warnings. A story can teach us about hope and remind us how important and meaningful our lives are. We are unearthing stories about those buried at Mount Hebron Cemetery.
Herta Munk Zauberman lost her entire family in World War 2. She was sent to several Concentration camps where she saw her friends and fellow Jews
tortured and murdered. Herta herself was starved and beaten.
When she was on a Death March, Herta made a split-second decision that would save her life. She usually was not one to take chances and usually followed orders. But this time, Herta had had enough. She did not follow her instincts, took a gamble, and ultimately won.
Blog by Renee Meyers
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Semyon's life, filled with resilience and perseverance, is a testament to the undefeatable human spirit amid history's darkest chapters. His story, a potent reminder of the Holocaust's horrors, emphasizes the importance of preserving such narratives to ensure that future generations never forget the atrocities committed against the Jews. While Semyon died in 2009, his memory will forever be in our hearts.
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The life of Max Kaufmann is not one like the many others who have gone through the Holocaust; however, it is one of a man who persevered to accomplish his dream and escape the horrors that was the Holocaust. Max was born in Kippenheim, Germany, a town not good for the Jews during the rise of Hitler. He knew it was time to leave when he was beaten up on his way to the movies one night. It was this turn of events that led Max to begin his journey to Frankenthal, where he worked at his father's business selling flowers. He was then again met with antisemitism when his customers refused to buy from him because of his Jewish identity. He began a year of traveling through South America to reach his goal of getting to the United States.
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From riches to the confined gates of the concentration camps, Rose Unger had been through a lot during her time in the Holocaust. Rose was born in the town of Staszow. Born into a family of 7, Rose was no stranger to a packed house. Upon hearing about what was going on in Germany and how Hitler was trying to kill all the Jews, no one could believe it. The Germans were seen as very nice people, so it was hard to fathom such people could be so hateful and mean all of a sudden. Everything changed when the Germans invaded Poland and occupied it; they took many of the Jews's possessions, and they did not allow Jews to do business anymore. One thing Rose remembers about her first encounter with the Nazis was how they sounded when they marched, "When they marched, you thought the ceiling was falling,"she recalls.
From this point forward, life became a nightmare, starting with Rose and her sister going to the concentration camps. From the moment Rose stepped foot into the camps, she was told about the horrors that went on there. What stands out to her the most is one Yom Kippur they had in the camps when all the girls did not eat anything. The SS officers came, took half of the girls, and killed them. It was the worst Yom Kippur Rose had ever experienced. To try and make things more manageable and bearable, they would sing songs and tell stories to one another.
Although life was far from a life worth living, Rose had begun creating a romantic relationship with Henry. He had told her not to go out with anyone else because they would be together one day. Rose thought he was crazy because she did not believe anyone would be alive. She couldn't fathom that anyone would make it out to tell the story. In the end, both Rose and Henry survived the concentration camps, and they got married in 1945.
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Joseph Goldberg had been through a lot, from the comfort of his home to the barbed wire walls of the concentration camps. Joseph was a lone wolf, fighting to survive all the harsh conditions he constantly faced throughout his time in the Holocaust. He started going to work on behalf of his father and ended up being separated from his entire family. The childhood of Joseph is one unlike any person could ever even fathom. The horrors of his story began in Szyszki and continued until Theresienstadt, where he was ultimately liberated. In the concentration camps, there was no thought of what life would look like in the future, but how could a person survive the day? Jospeh's one goal throughout his time in the Holocaust was: "I must make it to tomorrow," An eerie thought that no person should ever have to endure.
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From being brought into a great family surrounded by friendly people to being forced into the ghettos, Ilona Gluck is no stranger to the world's harshness. Ilona was taken from the comfort of her home and cast into the concentration camps, where she would call her home for months. No one could have imagined the horrors that awaited them at Auschwitz.
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October 22, 1941, was the day that would change Ignac's life forever, although he did not know that at the time. This day would mark the transition from home to the labor camps. No one would have imagined this would be the start of 48 months of intense labor and harsh conditions that no human should ever endure. He recalls the yellow bands the Jews had to wear to show they were Jewish.
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Despite all the evil and hatred she faced, Frances Irwin never lost her faith in humanity. In fact, she chose to focus on the good that she could find in her others. Additionally, she heeded her father’s advice and was a good, caring person. Her extraordinary life, as a survivor, educator, and philanthropist and is one that everyone can be inspired by.
- Published: Friday, July 29, 2022
- Category: Survivors
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Mount Hebron Cemetery, in Flushing, NY is the final resting place for a quarter million extraordinary individuals. The Cemetery is home to over 1,200 societies. Many of these societies were born from emmigration from Eastern Europe to America after World War II. We have several Holocaust Memorial monuments on these grounds that pay tribute and honor to those who lost their lives.
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Victor Huppert was born in Austria and became a Prisoner of War during the Russian Revolution and was released. During the rise of Anti-Semitism in he attended Medical school with the help of a Catholic Priest. He went on to become a doctor in a Russian work camp rather than be sent to Germany and travelled the world to survive the Holocaust.
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Eather Haneman was born in Belchotow, Poland. Her harrowing tale of survival at Auschwitz Concentration Camp during World War II and liberation is a tribute to the triumphant human spirit.
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