Tosca Kempler photographs

Tosca Kempler (born Taube Sussman) is the daughter of Jacob Sussman (b. Lublin, Poland) and Sima (nee Fluss) Sussman (b. Pysznica, Poland). Tosca was born in Berlin on February 18, 1924. She had two siblings Aron (b. January 15, 1922) and Sonia (b. November 2, 1933). Jacob immigrated to Germany in 1923 from Poland where he ran a textile business. His wife joined him in 1924. The family was very Orthodox. Tosca's brother Aron was a brilliant student and artist, but was denied access to higher education by Nazi regulations. In 1939, Tosca was sent for training for four weeks in Vorbereitungs lager, Rudnitz, before being sent on a Kindertransport to England. Only half of the group was selected to go on the transport since there were not enough certificates for everybody. Upon arrival in Harwich she was sent to Great Engham Farm for two weeks and then to Gwrych castle where she lived and worked for two years as a hair dresser. From there she went to Sealand and then to Manchester to a "Mercaz Limoud" to study Hebrew and then to Buckingham. After the war, Tosca went to Windermere to help care for Jewish orphans before immigrating to the United States. She departed from Liverpool on the Britanic ship and arrived in New York on October 16, 1948.

Though Tosca survived, her immediate family was killed. Her brother Aron and father were sent to Oranienburg concentration camp. Tosca's mother was able to buy them out in 1941, but they were told that they had to leave Berlin in 24 hours, which was not feasible. Her father was sent to Sokolow in Poland where he was killed, and Aron was sent to Stalowa Wolla, a labor camp in Poland. In 1944 he tried to escape and was shot. Her mother and sister were deported to Auschwitz, where they were gassed.

On December 12, 1948 Tosca married her brother's best friend Ignaz Kempler, who she knew from home. He survived Westerbork, Auschwitz, Dora, Mauthausen, Buchenwald, a death march and Theresienstadt. They had one son, David Kempler.