Lillian Fenster
"There should never be anymore wars in the world and no person should be hungry or homeless. Hate is a terrible thing and religious and racial tolerance should exist amongst all of G-d’s people. I am eternally grateful that G-d allowed me to survive and create a new family in America. "
Name at birth
Luba Skorka
Date of birth
04/20/1926
Where did you grow up?
Warsaw, Poland
Name of father, occupation
Chaim,
Shoe Cobbler
Maiden name of mother, occupation
Shondel,
Homemaker
Immediate family (names, birth order)
Parents, grandmother Ruchu, myself and four sisters- Leigh, Risha, Tzviah and Masha
How many in entire extended family?
25
Who survived the Holocaust?
Myself and one cousin
I left my family in the spring of 1942 from the Warsaw ghetto. I passed myself off as a Polish Catholic due to my blonde hair and blue eyes.
Name of Ghetto(s)
Where were you in hiding?
Polish farms and hospitals who didn’t know I was Jewish.
What DP Camp were you after the war?
Yes, Benzheim, Germany 1946-1949
Where did you go after being liberated?
Stayed in Lodz and Lukov, Poland till 1946, then to Germany from 1946-1951
When did you come to the United States?
February 14, 1951
Where did you settle?
Detroit, MI
Occupation after the war
Homemaker
When and where were you married?
February 17, 1945 in Lodz, Poland
Spouse
David Fenster,
Meat packing owner
Children
Sonya Rosenwald Kurzweil, PhD, child psychologist; Bernard Fenster, warehouse manager; Rick Fenster (of blessed memory.)
Grandchildren
Six: Ethan Kurzweil, Bryan Fenster, Daniel Fenster, Amy Kurzweil,Matthew Fenster, and Dana Fenster
What do you think helped you to survive?
The inspiration from my father who told me to leave the Warsaw ghetto in the spring of 1942. He told me that I would be the one to survive and tell the rest of the world what the Nazi’s did to the Jews.
What message would you like to leave for future generations?
There should never be anymore wars in the world and no person should be hungry or homeless. Hate is a terrible thing and religious and racial tolerance should exist amongst all of G-d’s people. I am eternally grateful that G-d allowed me to survive and create a new family in America.
Interviewer:
Charles Silow
Interview date:
08/05/2011
To learn more about this survivor, please visit:
The Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive, University of Michigan
http://holocaust.umd.umich.edu/fenster/
http://holocaust.umd.umich.edu/fenster/
Experiences
Survivor's map
