Biography
Blanche Krakowski is the daughter of Israel (Jacques) Krakowski and Frajda nee Fajerman. Her parents were born and raised in Lodz, Poland and immigrated separately to France. In the early 1930s Frajda came to Paris to study fashion design. She was told to get in touch with a first cousin whom she had never met. Upon arrival, Frajda contacted Jacques, and they ended up marrying in 1935. Blanche was born the following year on August 5, 1936. During the invasion of France, the Krakowski family fled to the south with intention of going to Spain. However, after the fall of France and the cessation of hostilities, they decided to return to Paris. Shortly after their return, the French police began arresting Jewish men. In May, 1941, Jacques and his brother, Albert, were rounded up and sent to Beaune-la-Rolande. From there they later were deported to Drancy and then to Auschwitz. Jacques perished there on August 12, 1942. After Jacques' arrest, Frajda remained in Paris with Blanche, and they survived by moving from house to house. On two occasions, the French police came to their house, but Frajda bribed them and persuaded them to leave them alone. As the situation continued to deteriorate, Frajda decided to find a hiding place for Blanche on a farm in the countryside. Throughout the rest of the war, Blanche hid on a number of different farms. Her mother was able to visit her periodically. Blanche was able to go to school and use her real name. She attended church with the other children and learned some prayers. After France's liberation, Frajda picked up Blanche, and they returned to their apartment in Paris. A few years later, Frajda met Noah Lipski, a survivor from Poland. His wife had perished in a concentration camp, and he came to France to await a visa to America. Frajda married him in 1948 and gave birth to another daughter, Renee Eva Lipski in 1949. The family came to America in 1953.
