Beatrice Sonders
"Never Again"
Name at birth
Basia Gadzuk
Date of birth
11/27/1924
Where were you born?
Where did you grow up?
David-Grudek, Poland
Name of father, occupation
Beryl Gadzuk,
Owned a grocery store
Maiden name of mother, occupation
Drizl Zietz Gadzuk,
Co-owner of the grocery store
Immediate family (names, birth order)
One brother, Sholom Gadzuk, 18 months younger
How many in entire extended family?
26
Who survived the Holocaust?
Just me, Basia Gadzuk Perlstein Sonders
The Germans came to David-Grudek and rounded up the men and boys in the town square, but my father and brother didn’t go. The next day they came to our house and my mother and I witnessed them shoot and kill my father and brother. Then they made the women walk to the ghetto in Sarni.
A year later, they called the women to the town square in Sarni. My mother was working about 20 minutes from where I was and I wanted to go to her, but my cousin knew the danger and he pushed me into a cellar. We stayed in that cellar for two weeks with several other people.
Name of Ghetto(s)
Where were you in hiding?
On farms with Polish people. I looked like a Gentile having blond hair and blue eyes
What DP Camp were you after the war?
Yes, in Germany, for three years
Where did you go after being liberated?
I went back to Sarni to see if any family was still alive. I found my third cousin, Harold Perlstein. We were married after 10 days.
When did you come to the United States?
We came to the US in May of 1949
Where did you settle?
Detroit, Michigan
How is it that you came to Michigan?
My husband had a cousin here, Harold Sher, who sponsored us. He had a bar and my husband worked for him as a janitor.
Occupation after the war
Homemaker, then owned/ran a bar when my youngest child was 6
When and where were you married?
Married Harold Perlstein in Sarni, 1945. Married Beno Sonders in Hallandale, FL, 1983
Spouse
Harold Perlstein; Beno Sonders ,
Janitor, bar owner, administrator; electronics store owner
Children
Debra Feldman, Rita Salama, Bonnie Levin
Grandchildren
Ten grandchildren: Lisa Feldman Horowitz, Barry Feldman, Jay Feldman, Eric Feldman, David Salama, Evan Salama, Jill Salama, Julie Levin, Dana Levin Saltzman, Lauren Levin Eight great grandchildren.
What do you think helped you to survive?
G-d, good luck, and determination
What message would you like to leave for future generations?
Never Again
Interviewer:
Charles Silow
Interview date:
02/16/2011
To learn more about this survivor, please visit:
The Zekelman Holocaust Center Oral History Collection
https://www.holocaustcenter.org/visit/library-archive/oral-history-department/gadzuk-sonders-beatrice/
https://www.holocaustcenter.org/visit/library-archive/oral-history-department/gadzuk-sonders-beatrice/
Experiences
Survivor's map
