The Germans invaded Poland in September 1939. When Makow was occupied, Sam fled to Soviet territory. He returned to Makow for provisions, but was forced to remain in the ghetto. In 1942, he was deported to Auschwitz. As the Soviet army advanced in 1944, Sam and other prisoners were sent to camps in Germany. The inmates were put on a death march early in 1945. American forces liberated Sam after he escaped during a bombing raid.
Item ViewAbraham Bomba (1913–2000) was a barber in the city of Częstochowa when Nazi Germany invaded Poland in September 1939. In 1941, Abraham was imprisoned in the Częstochowa ghetto. There, he married his first wife, Reizl, who gave birth to a baby boy. In September 1942, the family was sent to the Treblinka killing center along with thousands of others. Upon arrival, Abraham's wife and son were murdered in the gas chambers. However, Abraham was one of the few people selected for forced labor. At Treblinka, he had to pick up and sort clothing that the Nazis had stolen from the murdered Jews. He was also forced to cut women's hair before they were killed in the gas chambers. In January 1943, Abraham escaped from Treblinka and made his way back to the Częstochowa ghetto. There, he tried to warn the remaining Jews about the murders happening at the Treblinka killing center. During this time, he also met and married his second wife, Regina. Regina's first husband had been killed at Treblinka. Abraham worked in a labor camp from June 1943 until his liberation by Soviet troops in 1945. He and Regina immigrated to the United States in 1951.
Item ViewAbraham Bomba (1913–2000) was a barber in the city of Częstochowa when Nazi Germany invaded Poland in September 1939. In 1941, Abraham was imprisoned in the Częstochowa ghetto. There, he married his first wife, Reizl, who gave birth to a baby boy. In September 1942, the family was sent to the Treblinka killing center along with thousands of others. Upon arrival, Abraham's wife and son were murdered in the gas chambers. However, Abraham was one of the few people selected for forced labor. At Treblinka, he had to pick up and sort clothing that the Nazis had stolen from the murdered Jews. He was also forced to cut women's hair before they were killed in the gas chambers. In January 1943, Abraham escaped from Treblinka and made his way back to the Częstochowa ghetto. There, he tried to warn the remaining Jews about the murders happening at the Treblinka killing center. During this time, he also met and married his second wife, Regina. Regina's first husband had been killed at Treblinka. Abraham worked in a labor camp from June 1943 until his liberation by Soviet troops in 1945. He and Regina immigrated to the United States in 1951.
Item ViewAbraham Bomba (1913–2000) was a barber in the city of Częstochowa when Nazi Germany invaded Poland in September 1939. In 1941, Abraham was imprisoned in the Częstochowa ghetto. There, he married his first wife, Reizl, who gave birth to a baby boy. In September 1942, the family was sent to the Treblinka killing center along with thousands of others. Upon arrival, Abraham's wife and son were murdered in the gas chambers. However, Abraham was one of the few people selected for forced labor. At Treblinka, he had to pick up and sort clothing that the Nazis had stolen from the murdered Jews. He was also forced to cut women's hair before they were killed in the gas chambers. In January 1943, Abraham escaped from Treblinka and made his way back to the Częstochowa ghetto. There, he tried to warn the remaining Jews about the murders happening at the Treblinka killing center. During this time, he also met and married his second wife, Regina. Regina's first husband had been killed at Treblinka. Abraham worked in a labor camp from June 1943 until his liberation by Soviet troops in 1945. He and Regina immigrated to the United States in 1951.
Item ViewRuth was four years old when the Germans invaded Poland and occupied Ostrowiec. Her family was forced into a ghetto. Germans took over her father's photography business, although he was allowed to continue working outside the ghetto. Before the ghetto was liquidated, Ruth's parents sent her sister into hiding, and managed to get work at a labor camp outside the ghetto. Ruth also went into hiding, either in nearby woods or within the camp itself. When the camp was liquidated, Ruth's parents were split up. Ruth was sent to several concentration camps before eventually being deported to Auschwitz. When Ruth became sick, she was sent to the camp infirmary, managing to escape just before a selection. After the war, Ruth lived in an orphanage in Krakow until she was reunited with her mother.
Item ViewTomasz was born to a Jewish family in Izbica. After the war began in September 1939, the Germans established a ghetto in Izbica. Tomasz's work in a garage initially protected him from roundups in the ghetto. In 1942 he tried to escape to Hungary, using false papers. He was caught but managed to return to Izbica. In April 1943 he and his family were deported to Sobibor. Tomasz escaped during the Sobibor uprising. He went into hiding and worked as a courier in the Polish underground.
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