Jack Weisman
"Jack would probably have said, treat everyone the same, be kind, and be a good person. Jack was a real Mensch (a very good person). "
Name at birth
Yankel (Jacob) Weisman
Date of birth
02/06/1940
Where were you born?
Name of father, occupation
David Weisman,
Tailor
Maiden name of mother, occupation
Lena Lebelson,
Had one brother who survived, lived in Israel. She worked at a coat factory in Detroit.
Immediate family (names, birth order)
Unknown
How many in entire extended family?
His mother’s family were all killed in Poland except for one brother who moved to Israel.
Who survived the Holocaust?
Jack and his parents
Everyone in Jack’s family had left for the United States. Jack’s mother and father, David and Lena Weisman, stayed behind to take care of David’s parents. When the Germans started to advance to where they lived, Jack and his parents fled eastward into Russia. They would stop at farms to trade food and lodging in exchange for making and repairing clothing. They continued eastward, as they learned that the Germans were advancing. They ended up being close to Siberia.
After the war
After the war
Apparently, Jewish partisans were looking for Jewish survivors to help them get to Israel. They took them to the American Zone in Germany. They were living at a Displaced Persons Camp in Heidenheim, Germany.
The children in the DP camp all went to school there. One day, Jack and some friends saw a cave; they went inside and found that the cave was filled with German tanks and military equipment. He went home told his parents who contacted the proper authorities.
One night while in the DP camp, Jack’s father David woke up in the middle of the night and it occurred to him that he had a relative living in the United States, also named Jack Weisman. He woke up his son, Jack, to write down the name so as not to forget. The next day David went to the authorities at the DP camp to see if they could help locate his relative. Apparently, in Detroit, the Weisman family had an emergency meeting to discuss the situation. They agreed to provide the funds to sponsor them to come to America. The family was planning to go to Israel however when they learned that the family in America would sponsor them, they decided to come to the United States.
Jack was eight years old when he came with his parents to the United States. They came on a US military carrier. Jack remembered sleeping in a hammock; his father would tie him in every night.
When they arrived at New York at night, they saw light spots moving back and forth, they didn’t know what it was. In the morning, they realized that they were cars traveling on the bridge. His father told him that he would see a statue of a woman, which was the Statue of Liberty.
The family met them in New York, and they drove to Detroit. They lived with their relative, Jack Weisman when they first arrived to Detroit.
Where were you in hiding?
Near Siberia
What DP Camp were you after the war?
Heidenheim, Germany for three years
When did you come to the United States?
1948, he was eight years old
Where did you settle?
Detroit, Michigan
How is it that you came to Michigan?
Sponsored by the Weisman family in Detroit. He always looked at his life, saying that he was very lucky.
Occupation after the war
Jack owned a chain of dry-cleaning stores. He had a chain of dry-cleaning stores in Detroit.
When and where were you married?
First wife, Barbara Weisman; Second wife, Adela Weisman married 1988.
Spouse
Adela Weisman
Children
Jay Weisman, graduated from NYU Film School, now works for NBC. Lisa Weisman, graduated from NY School of Visual Arts, master’s in public health, worked for Jewish health system in New York as a managing editor. Later moved to Portland, working with women from Ethiopia.
Grandchildren
Lisa adopted a baby from Ethiopia, named Davy (after Jack’s father).
What do you think helped you to survive?
Being with his parents during the war. Jack was a happy man. He was a very positive person, he always tried to find the good in people and he appreciated everything that he had. Adela’s entire family loved him, and he was accepted into her family. She related that her brother was like the brother he never had. He was close with Adela’s grandchildren.
What message would you like to leave for future generations?
Jack would probably have said, treat everyone the same, be kind, and be a good person. Jack was a real Mensch (a very good person).
Interviewer:
Biography given by Adela Weisman, Jack's wife
