This is a photo of my dearest aunt’s family. Second from left is standing auntie Chana Perec and the third is uncle Aron, her husband. A little girl first from left is their daughter and my best friend Zoska, Zofia Perec and a boy sitting in the center is her brother Mietek, Mieczyslaw. First from right is standing my older sister Zlatka Rosset. I don’t know where this photo was taken, I suppose it could be in Dubienka, a town near Skryhiczyn, where we spent our holidays.
My Mom had two sisters. The aunt I loved most was called Chana. There were these legends about her, that as a young girl she dared walk around Dubienka [a small town near Skryhiczyn] barefoot, it was unacceptable, how come the granddaughter of the Motel Rottenberg walked barefoot?! She took part in the demonstrations in Dubienka, and she ended up in the Bund. It was there she met her [future] husband, Aron Perec, who was a dentist from Zamosc. They moved to Czestochowa. They had two children, Zosia and Mietek, whom we always used to spend the summer holidays in Skryhiczyn with. You might say we were raised together, we were like brothers and sisters. I remember my sister Zlatka playing four hands [piano duet] with Mietek, they were both very musically gifted. When my mom built a house in Skryhiczyn, Aunt Hanka came to visit us and she liked the place, and added one more room with a balcony and a large kitchen.
In 1939 Aunt Chana and Uncle Aron left all their belongings in Czestochowa and fled to Volodymir-Volyns'kyy. They later enrolled for going to up-country Russia. Zoska finished school there, she became an English teacher.
Aunt, Uncle Aron and Mietek with his wife came back to Poland after the war. Zosia stayed in Russia, because she got married there. They returned as repatriates. The repatriates from Russia were brought to the western parts of the country, where there were houses. They let me know in Katowice they were coming soon. It was a great joy to meet them. They later settled in Gliwice. Uncle was a dentist, he was given an apartment, he ran a dentist's office. Mietek, who was an engineer, got a job in a foundry. We kept in touch.
Aunt died in 1950 and Uncle in 1957. Mietek left Poland during the 1968 campaign of hate. He lived in Germany and died in 1980. Zosia emigrated to United States. She died a few weeks ago.
