Born in June 1930 as Ester Weiss , to Salomea ( Sala) and Jacob her parents. Had an older brother, Josef.
Her childhood was relatively good. In 1941 Ester was sent to a summer camp in Zaleszczyki , close to the Rumanian border, which became part of the Ukraine as did Levov which originally was Poland. She didn’t manage to stay there much as the war between Russia and Germany begun in June 1941. She was 11 and far away from her family. The children were put on a cattle train heading deep into the Ukraine and finally they arrived to Siberia to Omsk . All children were staying now in an orphanage and attended a Russian school. In the summer the children were constricted to work in the Kolchoze, gathering potatoes, corn , cabbage and other vegetables. The counselors were treating them with harsh expressions.
Three years later on May 1945 one of the teachers came into the classroom and announced that the war was over. It was a joyful day as they thought they will be going back home to their families. She like others wrote letters to the family but heard back only from a cousin. She then left with other kids that got answers to her home town. It was a long and difficult journey back to Levov. Once arriving and already at the train station she heard about the war and indeed no one of her family was found.
Shortly after Ester and other orphaned children were transferred to Beilsko in Poland. From Beilsko to Bratislava and from there to Austria and to Italy by foot they crossed the snow covered Alps. At the Italian border they were met by soldiers of the Jewish Brigade who took them to the train station – to Milano. From there with another train to Bergamo, and to Selvino with lories.
Here and for the next year and a half Ester started a new important chapter in her life .
For the first time she was able to suppress her sorrow pain and agony. She found a new
” family” and new purpose , new friends for life. New education and culture and a new solid view for the future in Israel.
Then came the time to leave and embark on a ship that will take them to Israel. However the ship they boarded was “Chaim Arlozorov” with 1800 illegal passengers on it. Unfortunately the ship was intercepted by the British war ships and planes, and once again they were forced into the detention camps in Cyprus. In Cyprus all the youth from Selvino was gathered in camp 66. There they continued to study Hebrew, history, bible studies and self defense.
After 6 months in Famagusta the S
elvino children received Affidavid to go to Israel, and on September 1947 they sailed to Haifa. They arrived to Atlit, and a week later they were driven to Kfar Rupin were Ester finally felt that she was doing something important for her country. An uncle of her who left to go to Palestine before the war, met her there after he heard from Aliyat HaNoar about her survival. He invited her to Jerusalem there she met few other survivors of her family. She was ecstatic!
While at the Kibbutz Kfar Ruppin, they witnessed the declaration of the State of Israel, and following that the war of Independence erupted.
They all joined the army and arrived to Ze’elim! It was difficult living but no one complained. In the army Ester was trained to be a radio woman, and worked at the kibbutz communication station. After two years of service she left and moved to Jerusalem to be close to her family. In 1953 she married her sweetheart Eliezer and started a new family. Her daughter Sara was born in 1954 and their son Arnan in 1959.
it was very moving for her to get the Honor to lay the wreath (flowers) on the Memorial grounds of Yad Va’Shem in memory of her birth city Levov and all those who perished in that bloody horrible war!
Arnan her son and granddaughter Roni accompanied her in this moving event!
