Never Forget
Margit Kornstien
Lazlo Kornstien
Marion Meyer
Marion was born in Berlin, Germany after the first World War. Her parents were very wealthy, however, after the war they lost most of their money and the German invasion took the rest. When Marion was five she wrote rhymes based on what she saw around her such as beggars on the street. Her teacher soon noticed and brought her to the local radio station of Berlin. She spoke once a week on the children's hour. She also featured in a film. In 1933, Her father had a false claim charged to him on a debt of a car, which was really the debt of a friend who had work done on his car. Two SS guards came to the house and told him that he needed to pay the debt or else. Marion's mother wasn't up for such games. So she made them move out of their house and into Marion's grandmother's home. Finally, her family decided to move to France. France was experiencing the Depression so it. was letting everyone in but they were not giving out work papers. As a result, many people worked illegally, including Marion's father, although his only marketable skills were as an entrepreneur. They lost their residency and were told to leave. They never got deported and their stay extended.
Marion considered herself French. She went to school in France and would speak to her parents in French, however, her parents spoke to her in German. In 1940, her father was arrested for being German. In Germany they were perceived as Jews, but in France they were German, the enemies. Marion's sister who was 18. was also arrested. Marion was not arrested because she was only 14. Instead, she was evacuated so she lived with her mother. This action was put in place so families would be separated.
By 1940, Marion had been placed in a Jewish home in an area in Alsace, France known as the Free Zone. All of the women were put to work as farmers which is what Marion did too. Her father had joined the French army fighting against the Germans. He found his way to Alsace and rejoined his family. Times were hard and the food was rationed. Marion was attending French school. One evening, two French policemen came to Marion's house in the night and told her family they were going to arrest them. They threatened to take her mother, and father. They told them to prepare and they'd be back in the morning, which gave them time to run and hide. The French police were resisting the orders from the French government officials who were collaborating with the Germans.
In 1942, Marion's family found various places to hide after they left their previous home. Since her mother had previously been ill, she was assisted by her surgeon and hid in the hospital and informed anyone who wished to harm her that she was too ill so she would not be interrogated. Marion's sister hid in an institution which had public showers. Marion was staying at a leadership camp but was soon approached by members of the Resistance who informed the girls they had to leave but they would be supplied with food. Soon her mother joined her to stay out of harm; her sister was in a camp but was freed.
Germany took over France. Marion and her sister were hired by a farmer, but they had to be quiet during the day so the other workers would not know they were hiding there.. They were only allowed to come out at night when all the workers were gone. Marion worked in the kitchen and working in the kitchen meant food. While there, she befriended a sheep dog who belonged to the farmer. This dog became very important to her because she was lonely and so was the dog. They bonded and became good friends. Unfortunately, everyone who was in hiding had to leave after three days. They were given supplies and a map by the farmer and told her not to leave the designated area or else they would not be able to bring them food and supplies.
The dog followed her, while Marion and her friends were walking on the shoulder of the road trying to be quiet, but the dog was barking at another dog at the end of the road. They dog refused to leave when they would command it to go so the only option was to kill the dog. Marion had to hold onto him while they cut off the head, however, they didn't kill him but injured him so he would be scared and run off. He ran away, but came back in the morning., Finally, Marion picked up a stone and threw it at him shouting, "go home, go home." The dog was sad and confused but with his tail between his legs, left and returned home.
The group headed for a new hiding spot with a Countess where they were able to do some laundry. Unfortunately, in the middle of the night they were told they have to leave because it was no longer safe to stay there. There were SS guards were looking for them. They kept looking for a different hiding spots. they had to run 20 kilometers, running non stop. They found a loft with no water and found someone who would help them obtain identification papers.
Marion soon met up with her sister and cousins and went to Switzerland. She stayed there for five years with a commander of an old camp. She finally returned to Paris to see her parents and study, earning a scholarship, but lost it because she was stateless. She received an offer to live with her rich cousins in the United States and took the offer. She stayed with them for six months with no schooling. Eventually, Marion moved to New Jersey, went to school, earned another scholarship, met her husband, and a year later got married (50 years together) and moved to Canada. She found that Canada was welcoming and friendly. She has lived in Kingston for 40 to 45 years and is an active member of the Jewish community. Her son had a Bar Mitzvah that was open to everyone. . She was hired by Queen's worked there for 20 years in the department of Sociology. Marion and her husband are retired now and volunteer in developing countries.
Istvan Anhalt
Born in Budapest, Hungary, Istvan Anhalt knew at a very early age that music was going to be his life. But his life as a music student and member of a vibrant group of young artists and intellectuals was cut short by the war.
In 1942 he was drafted into the forced labour service of the Hungarian Army, an experience which remained with him for the rest of his life, in particular because his dearest friend, Laszlo Gyopar, was killed by one of the guards of the camp on a march, when he could no longer walk. Three other fellow students of his close circle also did not survive.
In 1944 Istvan finally managed to escape on a march through the Carpathian Mountains. He was sheltered in a Silesian Monastery by the superior Pater Antal, and subsequently by his friends in Budapest, the cellist Jeno DeKerpeley and his wife Teresa. In the 1990s, through Istvan's efforts, both the DeKerpeleys and Pater Antal were recognized by Yad Vashem as Righteous among the Nations.
After the war, Istvan worked briefly at the Budapest Opera but when an opportunity persented itself to leave Hungary, he made his way to Paris where he resumed his studies in composition with the renowned Nadia Boulanger.
After three years in Paris he was granted a Lady Davis Fellowship, mandated to bring 30 stateless intellectuals from Europe to Canada. This brought him in 1949 to Montreal and the Faculty of Music at McGill University, where he taught analysis and composition, eventually becoming full professor. He was also instrumental in the early 1960s in establishing McGill's Electronic Music Studio.
It was in Montreal that he met his future wife, Beate Frankenberg, whom he married in 1952.
In 1971 he and his family moved to Kingston, Ontario where he took up the position of Head of the Music Department at Queen's University. Many of his major compositions- four operas, seven symphanies and numerous other works were written during the Kingston years notably the four symphonic works inspired by commissions from Glenn Fast, the conductor of the KSO, whose confidence in him brought about the creation of some of his most beautiful works.
Istvan received Honorary Doctorates from McGill University and Queen's University, and in 2003 was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.
Istvan Anhalt was a man of great, creative energy as well as a man of great intellect. Widely read in many fields, as well as an informed traveler, he was also a mentor to many of his students, a number of whom have kept in touch with him to this day. But most of all, he was a loving family man.
On Februrary 24, 2012 Istvan Anhalt passed away at St Mary's of the Lake Hospital in Kingston, Ontario.
Irene Bessette
September 1st, 1979, the war had started and bombs were being thrown over Irene Bessette's city of Warsaw, Poland. Irene and her sister were moved around from place to place in worry that the German Nazi's would find them. Soon later, the extermination began. Being in great danger as a young Jewish children, a generous family member offered to keep the two children in his village. Living there, someone had mentioned that there were two Christian men in Warsaw who would help the Jewish people. Alone, Irene set off to Warsaw and stayed with the men for a period of time.
Later on, she decided to go to Germany to become a slave labourer on a farm. While she was there, the war ended and she was liberated by American troops. She and her sister were taken and put into southern France, and later hid in a house. Eventually, she was able to return to Poland. When she returned to Poland, she found her parents. However, she moved back to France to discover language and law. She later arrived in the United States. She attened Columbia University and got her Master's degree in English, and then Library Science. After her achievements in the United States, she moved to Canada and moved to Kingston, where she became a librarian at Queen's University. That is where she met her husband. Finally, she had someone that made her feel "complete" and "normal" since the Holocaust. Unfortunately, he later passed away due to health problems.
Irene Bessette currently resides in Kingston. She lives on to share her story and educate whoever she can about her tragic story of the Holocaust and survival.
Leon Kiwak
In 1939, the Nazis attacked Poland. They bombed cities including his city of Lodz. Nazis came after seven days to the city and life changed drastically. The Nazis would hang people which he saw with his own eyes. They confiscated everything from people's homes to their businesses. Jews couldn’t go out after seven o’clock at night or they would be shot or arrested. Sometimes the Nazis would block either end of a street and take Jews who were often never seen again. The people’s families were to afraid to go to the authorities to find out where they were taken. Poland became divided. The east was controlled by the Russians and the rest by the Nazis. Kiwak and his family lived in the Nazi occupied parts. One day Leon told his mother that he was going to go live on the Russian side. His mother would not allow him to leave. He can still hear his mother crying at night. A short while later an older cousin decided he was going to the Russian side. Leon was permitted to go with him.
In 1941, the Nazis attacked Russia and trouble ensued. Thousands of people were driven out to help build trenches. They did this for awhile but the Nazis were quickly advancing towards Soviet Russia. In the area where Mr. Kiwak was working, everyone was told to go to a square in the town. Thousands of people ended up going there. They were told they were going to be taken deeper into Russia. Mr. Kiwak had a funny feeling this wasn’t the case. He went to the train station to find out what was going on. A colonel (or so he believes that was his rank) told him that 10km out of town there was a train evacuating the families of pilots and that they would be leaving at eight o’clock that night, and he should go there. Mr. Kiwak boarded the train and at eight and left town. At around eleven that night, Leon heard over the radio that the Nazis had captured the city. The people in the square were all dead.
After some time, he found work on farms and was liked wherever he went. Every week he would receive a letter from his mother begging him to come home. However, she didn’t know it was impossible for him to go back- he had joined the Russian army. While there, he built a railroad that he worked on day and night to complete. He was then sent to Stalingrad where he learned to use weapons. Shortly after, he became sick with malaria so the Russians released him from the army temporarily so he could recover. In a couple of months he was well again and able to rejoin the army. The Russians built a Polish division of its army and after a few months of training they went to battle against the Nazis and pushed them out of Soviet Russia.
When Berlin had been taken and the war was over, Mr. Kiwak went back to Poland. He had no idea they were going to find death camps; in particular Majdanek, which was similar to the camp Auschwitz. There they found burnt bodies, and piles of bones. Leon and his friends said that had they known what was going on earlier, not one Nazi would be alive. At this time, Poland was run by a Polish committee who knew all along that the Germans were organizing pogroms.
Once Leon had been in the army for a year, he wanted out. He was not allowed to leave because the Russians were building moral with the soldiers. He soon found a way out of the army. Since he had one weak eye (his left) he asked to see a specialist in the city. The specialist said his sight in his left eye was less than 20% which is not strong enough for him to be kept in the army. Hence, he was able to leave.
Leon Kiwak soon found out that just months prior to the end of the war, his family was stilling living at home. They were able to last this long at home by doing little jobs for the Germans. In 1944, four months before the war ended, his mother and three sisters were taken to, he believes Auschwitz. His father had gotten sick and had passed away in 1943 at home.
After all this, he remained in Poland for several months. In Poland they had taken everything from the Jews’ homes. When he returned to his home all that was left in his home was a picture of his mother. The Jews were not welcome to stay in Poland. He found a place in Germany and moved. There were Jewish organizations as well as other organizations that helped take people out through the mountains and into Bulgaria. There Leon stayed for two years. Many wanted to go into Palestine but since it was occupied by the British they weren’t allowed in. Some left illegally on boats. Those caught were put into internment camps in Cyprus or sent back to Germany.
Leon was in contact with relatives in Argentina at this time. They had a brother in Canada who lived in Windsor, Ontario. His Canadian family members contacted him and prepared papers for Leon to come to Canada as a farmer (that’s what they allowed in). He lived in Windsor for many years and then he moved to Kingston. He would often talk to veterans of this war and realized survivors and veterans were dealing with the same problems emotionally and mentally after the war.
"You had to be strong mentally to not break down." -Leon Kiwak
Esther Lightstone
Esther Lightstone was born in Poland, near the Russian border in 1925. She lived with her parents and her brother. Even before the war there was a lot of anti-semitism. By 1938, Jews had special taxes for no reason other than because they were Jewish.
Esther was visiting in aunt in the country when the war started. She could not get back home because the train tracks had been bombed so she ran with her aunt, uncle, and cousins to a small town. It was there that she hid with her relatives in the cellar of her friends home. When the Russians arrived to that town, she was in hiding. Luckily they did not find Esther or her relatives but one hundred other Jews were brought to the forest and killed.
The trains soon began to run again, and at just fourteen years old, Esther's aunt and uncle left her alone to find her parents. They continued West without her. Esther stayed at the train station for five days before a train heading East back to her home town arrived. But the train stopped a couple of hours away and was going no further. It was there that she met a man she would never forget. A Russian Soldier seeing that Esther was hungry, gave her a box of crackers, the first food she had in days. At the train station, a friend of her father's saw her and gave her a ride home. Esther was reunited with her parents and her brother. From that day life was bearable until 1941.
When the bombings started in her home town, Esther's family, along with twenty-two other Jewish families ran away, sleeping in the forest, en route to Russia. Only three of the families, including Esther's, survived the journey to Moscow. Once there, Esther's family traded their horses for tickets to Uzbekistan. When they arrived there, they stayed in the train station for three weeks until her father found a job and got a house with only one bedroom, a kitchen, and a pantry. Soon enough, Esther's father lost his job and to keep from staving they had to eat out of near-by garage cans. Esther then got malaria, and since there were no doctors, it lasted for six years.
Soon Esther's family seemed to have gained some luck. A Russian General who was an old friend of her father's gave them food and oil, and even though they had to bathe in the river, her father found another job. Unfortunately, the Russians broke into her house at night and took her father. It wasn't until a few months later that he sent his family a letter telling them that he was in Siberia. Esther became the head of the household and got a job picking cotton for an oil factory. One night, due to a malaria attack, Esther gave her night shift to another young woman, that woman was killed at work that night. Esther will never forget that that woman could have been her.
When Esther was seventeen and living in Uzbekistan she went to university to study Medicine. Not long after she started her mom got sick from a dog bite and Esther had to drop out and completely take care of her family by herself. Esther found another job as a teacher in an orphanage and moved her family into a stable near her job. Esther had no shoes. She told her mother that when the war was over, she would never go barefoot again. Today, Esther has no less the twenty-five pairs of shoes. When the principal of the orphanage retired and a new principal began, Esther got fired for not going to bed with him. She sent her brother away to another orphanage so that even if she could not eat, he could. When Esther told a friend why she had lost her job, they worked together to get the principal fired and Esther got her job back.
At the end of the war, Esther found out that her father was a soldier in Russia. In 1946, he found his family in Uzbekistan. Together once again, Esther and her family travelled for months to reach Poland. On the way, their most valuable suitcase was stolen. However, they made it home safely.
For two months, Esther and her family were in a DP Camp, until once again her father found work. They soon got an apartment, Esther finished high-school in Poland and went to university to study Commerce . It was there that Esther found out that all of her relatives, except two cousins, were killed in the war. One of the cousins who had survived died soon after. He was shot by a Polish man while he was visiting his parents' old house. He had asked the Polish man, who then owned the house, if he could have his mother's candles. The Polish man said of course and went to the kitchen, the man then shot Esther's cousin with a revolver. A couple months later, there was a pogrom in her home town. Realizing it was not safe in 1948, Esther and her family came to live with Esther's mother's sister in Toronto.
- Danyelle Hartwick.
Jochebed Katan
Karl Kramil
