By William Leibner Edited by Phyllis Oster and Tammy Forstater Hard Cover, 11” by 8.5”, 270 pages with all illustrations.
About This Book
This is not only a Yizkor Book in the traditional sense; it tells the story of a Jewish orphanage that, after the Holocaust, successfully gave Jewish children back their heritage.
With the liberation of Poland, Jewish authorities in Palestine and Poland were besieged with pleas to help locate Polish Jewish children who had survived the war hidden with Christian families—many of whom did not want to relinquish them. Many had no living relatives, and there was no legal way to return them to the Jewish community. The answer lay in the old Jewish tradition of Pidyon Shvuyim, or redemption of Jewish prisoners by paying ransom: the children must be redeemed in order to be restored to their families and the Jewish community. It would require huge sums of money, and a team of dedicated negotiators, organizers and educators, led by Captain Yeshayahu Drucker, called “Pan Kapitan.”
Most of the redeemed children had been raised as practicing Catholics, both a protection and a way for them to fit in. In a loving atmosphere, the orphanage staff at Zabrze slowly returned the children to their Jewish roots, giving them the confidence to embrace their religion. Most eventually came to Israel, settled, and raised families. This is that amazing story of survival of the Jewish people.
Place Details
Zabrze, Poland is located at 50°19' North Longitude, 18°47' East Latitude
Alternate names for the town are: Zabrze [Pol], Hindenburg [Ger, 1915- 1945], Zobrze [Silesian], Zabzhe [Yid], Zaborze, Hindenburg in Oberschlesien, Hindenburg O.S.
Nearby Jewish Communities:
Bobrek 4 miles ENE
Gliwice 6 miles WSW
Świętochłowice 6 miles ESE
Chorzów 8 miles E
Bytom 8 miles ENE
Tarnowskie Góry 10 miles NNE
Katowice 11 miles ESE
Siemianowice Śląskie 11 miles E
Mikołów 12 miles SSE
CzeladŸ 14 miles E
Grodziec 14 miles E
Toszek 15 miles NW
Będzin 16 miles E