Leather clutch owned by a Polish Jewish woman

Runia Korman (later Maizels, 1918-1985) was born in Kraśnik, Poland, to Kiwa and Noma (nee Goldener) Korman. She had three sisters: Alta (1914–1942), Estera (1916–1942), and Hanna (later Kucheik, 1920–1942); and a brother, Abraham (1922-1942). Kiwa died prior to the beginning of the war in 1939.

In September 1939, in accordance with the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, Germany invaded western Poland while the Soviet army annexed eastern Poland. German forces occupied Kraśnik on September 15. In December, a 12-member Jewish council was established in Krasnik, and over 1,000 Jewish refugees joined the 5,000 Jews who were living in the city. Runia married Szlama Majzels (1916-1958), a furrier who was also born in Krasnik, on August 26, 1940.

In 1941, Germany began preparing for an invasion of the Soviet Union, concentrating troops in Kraśnik and expelling a portion of the Jewish population. Runia was forcibly transported from Krasnik to the city of Lublin on February 9, 1941. By the end of April, authorities had forced around 30,000 Jews into an open ghetto. After Majdanek concentration camp was constructed in the suburbs of Lublin in the fall of 1941, Runia was transferred there, assigned the number 20250, housed in Block 18, and worked as a forced laborer. Majdanek was used as a forced-labor camp and served as a killing site, after its gas chambers were completed in October 1942. Less than four miles from Kraśnik, German authorities established a military-industrial center that utilized Jewish forced labor at Budzyń, a subcamp of Majdanek. Several members of Runia and Szlama’s families were imprisoned there and died around November 1942, including: Abraham Korman, Kiwa Korman, Hanna Korman Kucheik, and Ezril Majzels.

Majdanek continued operations until spring 1944, when the camp was evacuated ahead of the arrival of Soviet troops in July. Runia was moved to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany, where housing was overcrowded, food rations were meagre, and poor sanitary conditions led to the outbreak of numerous diseases. Bergen-Belsen was liberated by British forces on April 15, and contained 60,000 prisoners at the time. Emergency hospital facilities were set up at the camp, and Runia was released on May 15, 1945.

After the war, Runia reunited with her husband, Szlama, who was imprisoned for a time in Gross Rosen concentration camp, before being transferred to the Brünnlitz subcamp to work at Oskar Schindler’s arms factory in German-occupied Czechoslovakia. The couple relocated to Hamburg, where their daughter, Noma, was born on March 8, 1947. On December 9, 1950, they left the Wentorf emigration camp and sailed for the United States on December 17. They settled in Baltimore, Maryland, where they changed their last name to Maizels and had another daughter, Frances. Szlama, who changed his name to Samuel, died in February 1958. Runia’s second husband, Alex Jacobs (born Alkun Jakubowicz, 1912-1996), was also a Holocaust survivor. Alkun was born in Kalisz, Poland, and imprisoned in the Lodz Ghetto in 1940. He escaped the ghetto and returned to Kalisz, where he remained in hiding until the city was liberated.

Szlama Maizels (later Samuel, 1916-1958) was born in Krasnik, Poland, to Ezril and Fajga (nee Halpern) Majzels. In September 1939, in accordance with the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, Germany invaded western Poland while the Soviet army annexed eastern Poland. German forces occupied Kraśnik on September 15. In December, a 12-member Jewish council was established in Krasnik, and over 1,000 Jewish refugees joined the 5,000 Jews already living in the city. On August 26, 1940, Szlama married Runia Korman (1918-1985), who was also born in Krasnik.

In 1941, Germany began preparing for an invasion of the Soviet Union, concentrating troops in Kraśnik and expelling a portion of the Jewish population. Runia was forcibly transported from Krasnik to the city of Lublin on February 9, 1941. She was then transferred to Majdanek concentration camp after it was constructed in the suburbs of Lublin that fall. She was assigned the number 20250 and worked as a forced laborer in the camp. Less than four miles from Kraśnik, German authorities established a military-industrial center at Budzyń, utilizing Jewish forced labor. Several members of Runia and Szlama’s families were imprisoned there and died around November 1942.

During the war, Szlama was imprisoned for a time in Gross Rosen concentration camp, where he was assigned prisoner number 69257. Although he was a furrier by trade, he was assigned to work as a journeyman butcher. On October 21, 1944, Szlama was one of 700 men transferred to the Brünnlitz subcamp to work at Oskar Schindler’s arms factory in German-occupied Czechoslovakia. Schindler was a German businessman who ran an enamelware and armament factory. He utilized about 900 Jewish forced laborers, protecting them from deportation. Schindler kept German camp personnel out of the camp and did his best to feed the inmates. After arriving at Brünnlitz, the prisoners had to install machinery in the ammunitions factory so production could begin in early 1945. Although food rations and living conditions were still poor, prisoners did not suffer from the same level of brutality and terror prisoners were subjected to at other camps. Additionally, the local population supplied the prisoners with some extra food rations when they could.

Schindler left the camp on May 7, 1945, the day Germany surrendered. On his way out, the prisoners gave Schindler a travel affidavit, attesting to his goodwill towards them. Soviet troops entered the camp on May 10.

After the war, Szlama reunited with his wife, Runia, who had been liberated at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany. The couple relocated to Hamburg, where their daughter, Noma, was born on March 8, 1947. On December 9, 1950, they left the Wentorf emigration camp and sailed for the United States on December 17. They settled in Baltimore, Maryland, where they changed their last name to Maizels, Szlama changed his name to Samuel, and had another daughter, Frances.