Bashert: A Granddaughter's Holocaust Quest

307 Pages·2002·1.551 MB·English

by  Andrea Simon

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Andrea Simon
University Press of Mississippi / Jackson
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A Granddaughter’s Holocaust Quest
Willie Morris Books in Memoir and Biography
www.upress.state.ms.us
Photograph on page iii of Ester Midler, courtesy of Ray Brooks
Copyright © 2002 by Andrea Simon
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Simon, Andrea, 1945–
Bashert : a granddaugher’s Holocaust quest / Andrea Simon.
p. ; cm. — (Willie Morris books in memoir and biography)
Includes bibilographical references and index.
ISBN 1–57806–481–3 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Jews—Persecutions—Belarus—Volchin. 2. Holocaust, Jewish
(1939–1945)—Belarus—Volchin. 3.Volchin (Belarus)—Ethnic rela-
tions. I. Title. II. Series.
DS135.B38 S57 2002
940.53'18'09478—dc21 2002019708
British Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data available
Dedicated to the memory of Isar Midler, Bashka Midler,
Ida Midler, Sara Midler, and Ester Midler;
Masha Midler Lew Miller Hiro;
and Norma Lew Simon, who would have been so proud.
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Acknowledgments ix s
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A Note about the Text xi n
Prologue xv e
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1. Bashert 1
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2. Protest 44
3. Connection 60
4. Disappearance 81
5. Longing 103
6. Collaboration 119
7. Isolation 152
8. Annihilation 186
9. Response 199
10. Atonement 216
11. Survival 231
Epilogue 263
Notes 267
Bibliography 273
Index 279
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This book, and indeed my search itself, could not have s
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been possible without the loving support of many people n
from all over the world. To help me thank them, I have e
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divided these “assistants” into categories.
For research assistance, thanks to the YIVO Institute g
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for Jewish Research and the late Dina Abramowicz, ref-
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erence librarian; and to Sarah Ogilvie, United States l
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Holocaust Memorial Museum.
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For translation assistance, thanks to: Dov Bar
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(Hebrew); Lisa Degtyar (Russian); Shmuel Englender
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(Russian to Hebrew); Miriam R. Goldberg (Hebrew);
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Katia Ioannides (German); Ilanit Kamin (Hebrew); A
Shoshana Lew (Hebrew); Michael Livshits (Belarusian,
Russian); Miriam Osman (Polish); Naomi Rappaport
(Yiddish); Eytan and Marcia Rubinstien, EDUFAX
Translation Services (Hebrew); Julian Tokarev, Web
Ideas International Company (Russian); and Daniel
Vogel (German).
For editorial advice and encouragement, thanks to
my writing group: Patricia McMahon Barry, Jane
Gardner, Pam Leggett, and Sanna Stanley. For extra
help on the manuscript in a speedy and compassionate
manner, thanks again to Pam and to my daughter,
Alexis. As usual, Pat applied her unique poetic sensibil-
ity and scrupulous grammatical skill, and Jane provided
her professional and sensitive input. Other “readers”
included: Clare Palmieri, who volunteered her knowl-
edgeable eyes; and Joan Katz and Karen Puritz, who each
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