Zosia Laks and Jadwiga Mendelson in their prewar home

This is a picture of my two sisters: Zosia and Jadzia (Jadwiga). They were born in 1928 and 1933, respectively, so this picture was probably taken around 1935, in our prewar home in Katowice.

Zosia was very close to Natan, our brother. She adored him and he was nice to her, good and kind. Not like I was to her. I remember that I once took her hand and put it on a hot light bulb. Zosia annoyed me, because I had to take her everywhere with me.

When I went to the Organization [Mrs. Wygodzka used to belong to the Zionist Youth Organization Akiba], I had to drag her with me. I think she was later a member of this organization as well, but this was already during the war, in Sosnowiec.

Zosia also managed to go to the Berek Joselewicz school for some time. When she was ten years old, the war broke out.

Jadzia was the youngest of all the siblings. She was born in 1933. I loved Jadzia. She was so sweet and pretty. I called her 'Jadziulka.'

Before the war Jadzia didn't manage to start school, so she had no schooling. My little sister was six years old when the war broke out.

The Centropa Collection at USHMM

The Centropa archive has been acquired by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC. USHMM will soon offer a Special Collections page for Centropa.

Academics please note: USHMM can provide you with original language word-for-word transcripts and high resolution photographs. All publications should be credited: "From the Centropa Collection at the United States Memorial Museum in Washington, DC". 

Please contact collection [at] centropa.org (collection[at]centropa[dot]org).