Jack Wildstrom
"My father’s message to the future probably would have been, “Never let it happen again, stand up for yourself.”"
Name at birth
Yaakov Wildstrom
Date of birth
11/29/1908
Where did you grow up?
Cologne, Germany
Name of father, occupation
Samuel,
Tailor and retail shop owner
Maiden name of mother, occupation
Sabina Broder,
Homemaker
Immediate family (names, birth order)
Parents and seven children: Elsa, Moritz, Jack, Helene, Minna, Solomon, Heinrich
How many in entire extended family?
Mother had one brother and three sisters; Father had one sister
Who survived the Holocaust?
Moritz, Jack, Minna, Solomon, Heinrich, and Helene's son Egon
Jack’s parents, his two sisters, Helene, Elsa and Elsa’s two children, were killed at Auschwitz
Where were you in hiding?
He was not in hiding; His nephew Egon, his sister Helene’s son, was handed over the border to a family in Switzerland
When did you come to the United States?
Jack was able to get a visa to leave Germany for America in 1936
Where did you settle?
Brooklyn, New York Jack enlisted in the U.S. Army as a German interpreter during World War II
How is it that you came to Michigan?
Had a job at Neisner’s 5 and 10
Occupation after the war
Department store manager
When and where were you married?
1945, Atlanta, Georgia Jack was stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia. He met his future wife, Marianne Spiegel, at a Shabbos (Sabbath) meal spent with her family
Spouse
Marianne Spiegel,
Helped survivors with reparation applications at JFS
Children
Stephen Wildstrom, Susan Wildstrom Goldman
Grandchildren
Alana Goldman, Jared Goldman, Jonathan Wildstrom and David Wildstrom and Great Grandchildren Nevin Wildstrom, Truman Wildstrom
What do you think helped you to survive?
He was able to obtain a visa to come to America in 1936. He was a good, good nice man. He was a quiet man who worked hard to support his family.
What message would you like to leave for future generations?
My father’s message to the future probably would have been, “Never let it happen again, stand up for yourself.”
Interviewer:
Biography given by daughter, Susan Wildstrom Goldman
Interview date:
07/01/2013
Experiences
Survivor's map
