Paula Last
"Stay close together, love each other."
Name at birth
Pasia Grober
Date of birth
02/25/1925
Name of father, occupation
Jacov,
Horse delivery business (died when I was 3 years old)
Maiden name of mother, occupation
Dina Grober (remarried)
Immediate family (names, birth order)
Parents and five daughters - Annie, Esther, Gitel, Rina and Paula
How many in entire extended family?
15
Who survived the Holocaust?
Three: Enia, Rina and me
- Paula was born February 25, 1925 to Dina and Yakov Grober. Her father died when Paula was three years old. Her mother hired a handyman to help with the horses and on the farm and she ended up marrying him. Russians occupied Poland and life was fine under the Russian occupation. In 1942 the Germans came in and there was a mass killing in the ghetto where Paula and her family lived. Paula and her sister were not there that day so they survived and her stepfather and another sister were hiding and were spared. After that someone told them about the Partisans and they went into the forest and stayed with the Partisans for about a month. They were given food and it was like a small city that the Partisans had made. After a month they split from the Partisans and were hiding out in a bunker in the forest for two years. One winter Paula spent with a family knitting sweaters for the family. The rest of the time they were hiding in the bunker, foraging for food and stealing from farms when they had to. They had no clothes or blankets, just the clothes they were wearing. Lice was everywhere. In late 1944, Russians came and told them war was over and they were free. They went back to Berezno but her stepfather was taken by the Russian army to fight against the Germans. Paula's sisters worked and were able to buy them food. Groups formed that wanted to go to Israel. By this time, Paula and her sisters went to Linz, Austria. One sister was already married and Paula stayed with her. Paula went to a dance one night and met her future husband, Marcus. They were married six months later. He wanted to go to Australia but in the meantime Paula's aunt started corresponding with Paula and her sisters and sent them affidavits to come to the United States. They arrived in New York on December 24, 1948. They stayed a couple days in New York and ended up coming to Detroit and lived with an aunt and uncle in Detroit. Her husband found a job and supported them. Their oldest daughter was born in Linz and their other two children were born in Detroit.
Name of Ghetto(s)
Where were you in hiding?
In the woods outside Berezno, three of us girls and our stepfather. Our mother and other sister were killed
What DP Camp were you after the war?
In Linz, Austria
Where did you go after being liberated?
Back to Berezno
When did you come to the United States?
December 24, 1948
Where did you settle?
Detroit, Michigan
How is it that you came to Michigan?
I had an aunt and uncle in Detroit
When and where were you married?
Married in Linz, Austria in May 1946
Spouse
Marcus,
Scrap metal business
Children
Joel Last; Lora (David) Miller; Carol (Simon) Wellner
Grandchildren
Eight - Sarah Last, Ben Last, Margaret Last, Jodi Wellner, Michael (Cara) Wellner, Shaye (Matt) Nielson, Yale Miller, and the late Lisa Wellner
What do you think helped you to survive?
Luck and love. I love my family. That’s what makes me live. I’m a cancer survivor too.
What message would you like to leave for future generations?
Stay close together, love each other.
Interviewer:
Charles Silow
Interview date:
04/04/2011
