Portrait of Chaya Markman (right), her sister Genia Markman (left), and their cousin Dora (center), Parafianov, Poland (now Belarus), circa 1940-1941.
Overview
- Caption
- Portrait of Chaya Markman (right), her sister Genia Markman (left), and their cousin Dora (center), Parafianov, Poland (now Belarus), circa 1940-1941.
- Date
-
Circa 1940 - 1941
- Locale
- Parafianov, [Dokshytsy] Poland
- Photo Credit
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of Elchanan Peres.
Rights & Restrictions
- Photo Source
-
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Copyright: United States Holocaust Memorial MuseumProvenance: Elchanan Peres
Keywords & Subjects
- Keyword
- JEWS (POLISH) STUDIO PORTRAITS WOMEN
Administrative Notes
- Biography
- Abraham Pressaizen (later Peres) (1914-1993) was born in Kalisz, Poland, the son of Laibush the Cohen and Pearl Sifra Pressaizen. He had five brothers: Zigmund (b. 1907), Joseph, Sasha, Chaim Hersh ("Harry," b. 1915), and Jonas (b. 1922), all born in Kalisz, Poland as well. The family had some Prussian or German background. They settled in Turek, Poland, a small city in the Lodz district, located west of Warsaw.
Turek was one of the first communities invaded by the Germans early in WWII. By January 1940, most of the Jewish properties had been confiscated, the synagogue had been set on fire, and the Jews who remained in the area were moved into the Turek Ghetto. As a result, the Pressaizen family faced the difficult decision of whether to remain in Turek or attempt to escape. Although the brothers planned their escape with a couple of relatives early on, their parents were reluctant to leave. Ultimately, Abraham and two of his brothers escaped to the Russian territory, only to be sent to labor camps in Siberia. Abraham barely survived the experience. He related that at one point during his time there, he was buried in snow but saved by local peasants at the last moment. His parents and two of his brothers, Joseph and Sasha, were murdered by the Nazis at the Bochnia concentration camp, near Krakow. The brothers Zigmund, Jonas, and Chaim were sent to a total of five concentration camps, including Auschwitz, where they underwent numerous hardships. In one harrowing incident, the brothers recall that a drunken German officer cut Jonas’ throat from ear to ear and left him for dead. Zigmund was able to revive him, and hid him for three months until they were liberated by American forces.
After the war, Zigmund and Jonas immigrated to Israel. Upon his arrival, Zigmund married Shoshana, a refugee from Hungary, and they settled in Tel Aviv, Israel. Chaim Hersh immigrated to the U.S. As a result of the torture, abuse, and the medical experiments conducted on the brothers while they were in the concentration camps, they were unable to bring children into the world. Jonas passed away at an early age, but left a detailed chronicle of his experiences, which was later published in the Turek Memorial book of 1982.
Abraham made his way to a displaced persons camp in Wetzlar, Germany, where he met Chaya Markman. Their son Elchanan (named for his maternal grandfather), was born on November 7, 1947. Their daughter Pnina (named for her paternal grandmother, Pearl Sifra) was born on March 14, 1952. In 1948, the family immigrated to Israel and settled in a small and developing town called Kakur. Karkur, located east Caesarea, was one of the immigrant and refugee absorption camps established by the state of Israel. Chaya was employed as a bookkeeper by the local collective supermarket while Abraham worked in Kibbutz Ein Shemer, a kibbutz which had been co-founded by Chaya’s brother Moshe in the early 1930s. The family moved to Ramat Gan, a suburb of Tel Aviv later on in the 1950s. Abraham passed away in 1993 at the age of 79, and Chaya passed away on February 5, 2005.
Both Abraham and Chaya were very reluctant to share their past experiences until very late in their lives. Their son Elchanan was able to gather additional details about the family and the Jewish community in Parafianov through a visit to Parafainovand surrounding villages. During this visit a ceremony was held at the Parfianov burial site, attended by local Belarussian officials as well as the local media.
Chaya Markman (later Presseizan, Peres) was born in 1920 to parents Elchanan and Malkah (née Plawnik) Markman. She had four siblings: Moshe, Genia, Nachum, and Zlatah. They lived in the small town called Krynica, Poland, where their family had been established for some time. The relationship between Jews and the local population fluctuated over the years, and there was a small group of antisemitic locals who threatened the lives of the Markman family a number of times. Their home was robbed, essentially confiscated, and they were driven out of town.
As a result, the family searched for a new home and ended up in a relatively small village called Parafianov, in the Dokshytsy (Dokshitz) District (now in Belarus). The 130 Jewish families living there had a relatively good relationship with the local population, and Elchanan Ben David established himself as the local cantor, circumciser, and officiant. He also served as a kosher butcher in the nearby rural areas. In time, the family built an extension to their home, which became the Jewish Community Library and Cultural Center.
As they reached adulthood, the siblings pursued various avenues toward further education and careers. Moshe was sent to study in Vilna. After he returned to the village he became one of the local leaders involved in pioneer movements, such as "Hashomer Hazair." As a result of this interest he immigrated to Palestine in the early 1930s, where he was one of the founders of Kibbutz Ein Shemer. Chaya, who was seeking bookkeeping work, left Parafianov periodically. In September 1941 she was forced into the Vilna ghetto. She was confined there until October 1943, when she fled and hid in various villages in Russia.
On May 31, 1942 in the early morning hours the Germans surrounded the area, assisted by local police and their dogs. The Jewish population was led to a large pit and forced to undress, then beaten and shot. Of the Markman family, only Chaya and Moshe escaped this fate.
At the end of the war, Chaya returned from Russia, and visited the site of the mass killing. After a long and arduous journey, she and her cousin Dora ended up in Wetzlar, a remote town in Germany where a displaced persons camp had been set up by the American army. There, she met her future husband, Abraham Peres. Their son Elchanan (named for his maternal grandfather), was born on November 7, 1947. Their daughter Pnina (named for her paternal grandmother, Pearl Sifra) was born March 14, 1952. In 1948, the family immigrated to Israel and settled in a small and developing town called Kakur. Karkur, located east Caesarea, was one of the immigrant and refugee absorption camps established by the state of Israel. Chaya was employed as a bookkeeper by the local collective supermarket while Abraham worked in Kibbutz Ein Shemer, a kibbutz which had been co-founded by Chaya’s brother Moshe in the early 1930s. The family moved to Ramat Gan, a suburb of Tel Aviv later on in the 1950s. Abraham passed away in 1993 at the age of 79, and Chaya passed away on February 5, 2005.
Both Abraham and Chaya were very reluctant to share their past experiences until very late in their lives. Their son Elchanan was able to gather additional details about the family and the Jewish community in Parafianov through a visit to Parafainov and surrounding villages. During this visit a ceremony was held at the Parfianov burial site, attended by local Belarussian officials as well as the local media.
- Record last modified:
- 2024-04-05 00:00:00
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/pa1185197
