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Media Essay

Aron and Lisa Derman: Family Photographs

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United States life after the Holocaust

With the end of World War II and collapse of the Nazi regime, survivors of the Holocaust faced the daunting task of rebuilding their lives. With little in the way of financial resources and few, if any, surviving family members, most eventually emigrated from Europe to start their lives again.

Aron and Lisa's journey brought them to the United States.

Synagogue in Slonim on river Szczana. Slonim, Poland, 1943. [LCID: 07086] — View of a street in Slonim leading up to the main synagogue. 1943.

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Aron Derman while he was with Polish partisans in 1944. [LCID: derm10] — Aron Derman while he was with Polish partisans in 1944. In this photograph, Aron wears a fur hat that he made and boots that he finished himself (he found them in the ghetto, unfinished, and sewed them up). Lisa Nussbaum was also a member of the partisans. Aron recounted that for a short while, Lisa was in charge of 200 women. Photograph taken in 1944, in a partisan base in the Naroch forest.
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Aron in Budapest, 1945, while en route from Poland to Italy with Brihah, moving to Palestine. [LCID: derm1] — Aron in Budapest, 1945, while en route from Poland to Italy with Brihah, moving to Palestine. In Aron's words: "We got connected with the Brihah in Poland, got directions to go to Bratislava and on to Budapest. On our trip, we didn't know where we going from city to city, only our final destination." July 5, 1945, Budapest, Hungary.
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Portrait of Aron's family on his mother's side, taken when Aron's cousin moved to Israel in 1933-1934. [LCID: derm4] — Portrait of Aron's family on his mother's side, taken when Aron's cousin moved to Israel in 1933-1934. Aron is seated second from left, bottom row. His mother, Miriam, is in the center row, second from right. Aron's father is behind her and to her right. Aron himself was 8 or 9 years old when this picture was taken in either May or June. At the time, Aron recalled, "I was thinking about going to summer camp." Slonim, Poland, 1933-1934.
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Aron and Lisa in Florence, Italy, 1945. [LCID: derm6] — Aron and Lisa in Florence, Italy, 1945.
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Lisa and her family. From left to right: Pola (sister), Herschel (father), Borushek (brother) Gittel (mother), and Lisa (about 13 ... [LCID: derm2] — Lisa Nussbaum and her family. From left to right: Pola (sister), Herschel (father), Borushek (brother) Gittel (mother), and Lisa (about 13 years old in this photograph). Lisa's father exported geese to Germany for a living. Photograph taken in Raczki, Poland, ca. 1939.

With the end of World War II and collapse of the Nazi regime, survivors of the Holocaust faced the daunting task of rebuilding their lives. With little in the way of financial resources and few, if any, surviving family members, most eventually emigrated from Europe to start their lives again. Between 1945 and 1952, more than 80,000 Holocaust survivors immigrated to the United States. [ ] was one of them.
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Tadek Soroka (right), a Pole who helped Aron and Lisa escape from Poland. [LCID: derm5] — Tadek Soroka (right), a Pole who helped Aron and Lisa escape from Poland. This photograph was sent to the Dermans after the war. Date and place unknown.
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Lisa and Aron in Italy, before they were married. [LCID: derm7] — Lisa and Aron in Italy, before they were married. Ostia, Italy, 1945.
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Aron and Lisa when they came to America. Probably Chicago, Illinois, 1947. [LCID: derm20] — Aron and Lisa when they came to America. Photograph probably taken in Chicago, Illinois, 1947.
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Lisa wearing the first suit she bought in America (Aron recollected that it was taupe). [LCID: derm8] — Lisa wearing the first suit she bought in America (Aron recollected that it was taupe). Lisa's aunt, Faye Abrams, gave her the money to buy this suit. Photograph taken in 1947 in Chicago, Illinois, at the Illinois Central station, 75th street (Lisa was either coming or going from downtown).
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Lisa and Aron at Lake Michigan, ca. 1947-1949. [LCID: derm12] — Lisa and Aron at Lake Michigan, ca. 1947-1949.
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Aron and Lisa's firstborn child, Howard. Chicago, Illinois, 1949. [LCID: derm9] — Aron and Lisa's firstborn child, Howard. Chicago, Illinois, 1949.
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Aron and Lisa's three sons (Howard, Gordon, and Daniel) at the middle son's graduation from the University of Wisconsin. [LCID: derm18] — Aron and Lisa's three sons (Howard, Gordon, and Daniel) at the middle son's graduation from the University of Wisconsin. Madison, Wisconsin, ca. 1972.
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Aron standing in Howard's men's clothing store (named for his eldest son) at 9125 Commercial Avenue in Chicago. [LCID: derm30] — Aron standing in Howard's men's clothing store (named for his eldest son) at 9125 Commercial Avenue in Chicago. He opened the store in 1949 and owned it for 30 years. Chicago, Illinois, early 1970s.
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Aron standing in Howard's men's clothing store (named for his eldest son) at 9125 Commercial Avenue in Chicago. [LCID: derm31] — Aron standing in Howard's men's clothing store (named for his eldest son) at 9125 Commercial Avenue in Chicago. He opened the store in 1949 and owned it for 30 years. Chicago, Illinois, early 1970s.
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Aron in Teaneck, New Jersey, in the early 1970s. This photograph was taken by Hyman Alpert, known as "Trigger." [LCID: derm33] — Aron in Teaneck, New Jersey, in the early 1970s. This photograph was taken by Hyman Alpert, known as "Trigger." Alpert, a cousin of Aron's, was a musician with the Glenn Miller Orchestra. Alpert went on to become a photographer in Teaneck.
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Aron and Lisa with Tadek Soroka, the Pole who helped them escape, on the occasion of Soroka's recognition as a "Righteous among the ... [LCID: derm27] — Aron and Lisa with Tadek Soroka, the Pole who helped them escape, on the occasion of Soroka's recognition as a "Righteous among the nations" by Yad Vashem. Jerusalem, Israel, 1983.
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Lisa and Aron (center) with their three sons, Gordon, Howard, and Daniel. [LCID: derm38] — Lisa and Aron (center) with their three sons, Gordon, Howard, and Daniel. Photograph probably taken in Chicago, Illinois, in 1990.
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1991 photograph of Aron and Lisa's granddaughters, Courtney and Lindsay. [LCID: derm37] — 1991 photograph of Aron and Lisa's granddaughters, Courtney and Lindsay. The eldest, Courtney, graduated from Harvard Business School in 2004.
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The extended Derman family. Top row, left to right: Aron, Lisa, Howard, Miriam, Daniel, Ari, Gordon, and Barbara (Howie's wife). [LCID: derm17] — The extended Derman family. Top row, left to right: Aron, Lisa, Howard, Miriam, Daniel, Ari, Gordon, and Barbara (Howie's wife). Front row, left to right: Rachel, Yali, Evan, Gabe, Courtney, Ben, and Lindsay.
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Aron and Lisa in Poland, ca. 1994, while accompanying high school students as part of a "Shoreshim" group. [LCID: derm25] — Aron and Lisa in Poland, ca. 1994, while accompanying high school students as part of a "Shoreshim" group.
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Lisa and Aron with Chicago Mayor Richard Daley on Holocaust Remembrance Day. [LCID: derm24] — Lisa and Aron with Chicago Mayor Richard Daley on Holocaust Remembrance Day. Chicago, Illinois, 1994 or 1995.
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Aron and Lisa with the Emmy they won for their 1997 documentary, A Journey of Remembrance. [LCID: derm22] — Aron and Lisa with the Emmy they won for their 1997 documentary, A Journey of Remembrance. Photograph taken in Northbrook, Illinois, 1998.
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Lisa and Aron on vacation, probably in the 1990s. [LCID: derm36] — Lisa and Aron on vacation, probably in the 1990s.
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Cover of a memorial booklet for Lisa (Lisa Derman: An Extraordinary Woman, An Extraordinary Life, published by Louis Weber Publications ... [LCID: derm45] — Cover of a memorial booklet for Lisa Derman (Lisa Derman: An Extraordinary Woman, An Extraordinary Life, published by Louis Weber Publications International, Ltd.).
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Aron Derman and Neenah Ellis look at one of Aron's photographs. [LCID: athad142] — Aron Derman and Neenah Ellis look at one of Aron's family photographs. 2004.
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Aron Derman, 2004. [LCID: athad287] — 2004 portrait of Aron Derman.
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2005 portrait of Aron Derman. [LCID: athad212] — Aron was born to a middle-class Jewish family in Slonim, a part of Poland between the two world wars. His parents owned a clothing store. After studying in a technical school, Aron worked as a motion-picture projectionist in a small town near Slonim. The Soviet army took over Slonim in September 1939. War broke out between Germany and the Soviet Union in June 1941. Aron returned to Slonim. The Germans soon occupied Slonim, and later forced the Jews into a ghetto.
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