Zelig Lewin’s family

This is Zelig Lewin’s family. Zelig was my maternal grandfather Marceli Lewin’s brother. I don’t know who took this picture. I think it was taken in the 1900s, probably somewhere in Poland.

My grandparents were traditional. My mother said that even though her parents were traditional, her father ate ham, but never at home. At home I don't think they kept kosher, but nevertheless it wouldn't have been acceptable to eat ham. On the photograph you can see that my grandparents aren't wearing traditional costume, but entirely secular clothes. My grandfather didn't belong to any organization. I don't think he had any political sympathies. In any case nothing has stuck in my mind, or survived in the family history.

My mother's eldest brother, Eliasz, died at the beginning of the war. That was a tragic death. The Germans came for him at his apartment, to arrest him and two others - including Grandfather Lewin's brother Zelig, and Eliasz's cousin. Zelig went with the Germans, but Eliasz shouted, 'I'm not going with them!' and jumped out of the window. He died a few hours later. The others didn't come back; they were taken for good and murdered somewhere. That was very early on, very little was happening then. Eliasz was one of the first of that type of victim of war.