Samuel Small
"My father did not speak about his years in the Holocaust very often. He used to say “It’s better that you don’t know, honey.”"
Name at birth
Shmiel Szmelewicz
Date of birth
06/22/1912
Where were you born?
Where did you grow up?
Dzialoszyn and Warsaw, Poland
Name of father, occupation
Yossel Szmelewicz,
Dry goods
Maiden name of mother, occupation
Dina (surname unknown),
Homemaker
Immediate family (names, birth order)
Parents and ten children: Shmiel, Avrum, Srulek, Shimon, Manuel, Yitalah, and four other that I don't know
How many in entire extended family?
60
Who survived the Holocaust?
Four: my father and three of his brothers: Avrum, Shimon and Manuel.
Because my father never spoke of his experiences directly to me, I learned from my mother that he lost his first wife and infant daughter while in the Warsaw Ghetto.
Name of Ghetto(s)
Name of Concentration / Labor Camp(s)
Where were you in hiding?
My father was not in hiding. He did serve with the Polish Army and then went AWOL to join the Partisans.
What DP Camp were you after the war?
Yes, Herzog Lager, Hessish Lichtenau
Where did you go after being liberated?
Waldenberg, Germany
When did you come to the United States?
1949
Where did you settle?
Detroit, after stopping in Akron, Ohio for a year.
Occupation after the war
Tailor
When and where were you married?
1947, Waldenberg, Germany
Spouse
Brandla Small,
Seamstress
Children
Rose Handleman, small business owner, Joe Small
Grandchildren
Two: Justin and Michael Feldman
What do you think helped you to survive?
Determination and luck.
What message would you like to leave for future generations?
My father did not speak about his years in the Holocaust very often. He used to say “It’s better that you don’t know, honey.”
Interviewer:
Biography given by Rose Handleman, daughter of Samuel and Brandla Small
Interview date:
03/16/2011
Experiences
Survivor's map
