Miriam Kabacznik Shulman

Miriam grew up in Eyshishok, a small Jewish shtetl, or town, in Poland. Her father, Joseph, passed away when she was a young child. Miriam’s mother, Sara, ran the family’s successful tannery and raised Miriam and her four siblings, who helped her with the business. 

1933-39: In her teenage years, Miriam formed a close circle of friendship with 12 other young women in the shtetl. Miriam loved to host parties in her home. In September 1939, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union invaded Poland. Eyshishok became part of Lithuania.

1940-45: In June 1941, Nazi Germany invaded Lithuania as part of its attack on the Soviet Union. German troops occupied Eyshishok. In September, a German killing squad and its Lithuanian helpers massacred the Jews of Eyshishok, including all of Miriam’s 12 friends. Miriam and her family managed to escape the massacre by hiding with Polish friends. For the next three years, Miriam and her family moved from place to place, trying to stay safe. They hid with non-Jewish neighbors. Miriam’s mother used every resource at her disposal to aid her own family and other Jewish families. Miriam, her mother, and her two brothers survived. Her sister, Golde, and her children were killed. In July 1944, the Soviets drove the German forces out of the area and liberated Miriam and her family.

After the war, Miriam and her family did not feel safe in Eyshishok. They left and eventually made their way to a displaced persons camp in Italy. In August 1945, Miriam married Norman Shulman, a Holocaust survivor whose wife and children had been killed. Miriam and Norman immigrated to the United States in 1948. They had two children.