Chaya Getter (nee Silberman)

My aunt Chaya Silberman was married to Muni Getter, who survived Auschwitz. Chaya was murdered at Auschwitz soon after she arrived. Both were French citizens living in Paris when they were [...]]]> By: Dorothy Silberman Semmel 11/2001

Chaya Getter (nee Silberman)

My aunt Chaya Silberman was married to Muni Getter, who survived Auschwitz. Chaya was murdered at Auschwitz soon after she arrived. Both were French citizens living in Paris when they were rounded up. Their only child, my cousin Florine, was hidden in a convent in Grenoble at age12 and immigrated to the US after the war at age 18 and lived with us for about two years.My mothers brother, Isaac Metzger, who remained in Przemysl- also survived the war. He had a wife and two or three children whose names I do not know, but they were Shoah victims. My uncle returned to Przemysl after the war & died there sometime in the late 60’s or early 70’s.

My grandmother Chana Metzger did not immigrate to the US until after the First WW. My mother told many stories of survival during the various sieges of Prsemsyl- which changed hands between Austro-Hungary & the Russians several times. I estimate that family members immigrated at different times, from about 1918-19 to 1923.

]]> Donated by the Semmel Family, In Memory of the Silberman and Metzger Families

]]> http://semmel.com/mem/memorials/przemysl-memorial-stone/feed/ 0 http://semmel.com/stories/mendel-silberman-the-entes-and-batista/ http://semmel.com/stories/mendel-silberman-the-entes-and-batista/#comments Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:57:24 +0000 David http://98.130.5.225/wordpress/?p=19

Yes, the factory was in Prezmsl. It was a furniture factory. Mendel is the 5th from the left in the middle row of the group. I was told that the photo is of the workers in his fathers shop. I would guess that it was taken after the war some time between [...]]]>

Yes, the factory was in Prezmsl. It was a furniture factory. Mendel is the 5th from the left in the middle row of the group. I was told that the photo is of the workers in his fathers shop. I would guess that it was taken after the war some time between 1918 and 1921.

Mendel was an active member of the Jewish Workers Bund ( a socialist, non-communist union movement) and at one time, led the workers out in a strike. I do not know if it was a strike against his fathers factory or whether (as I think more likely), it was part of general strike.

This  photo is of Mendel & some friends in Cuba. The 2nd man from the left is Harry Ente, Mendel is 3rd from left. I don’t know who the others are. Harry Ente & his family lived in the coops during the 40s &. They were not relatives, Harry was either a “landsman” (meaning from the same town) or a friend from Cuban days. The Ente’s had relatives in Sea Gate as we did (Aunt Mollie & Uncle Harry Metzger). Sea Gate was a gated community of large single family homes at the edge of Coney Island. I don’t know about Che & Fidel, but Mendel joined the party in Cuba and the once & future dictator, Fulgencio Batista ( the one Fidel overthrew), was a member of party at the time, probably in the same cell.

Note from David: The two other men in the photo are Dick Wilhelm, left, and Bernard Wolman.