Michael Feldman
"Enjoy life, do everything that you love. "
Name at birth
Yitzchak Michael Feldman
Date of birth
12/03/1943
Where did you grow up?
He was born in the forest while the family was in hiding, lived in DP camp for 3 years after liberation before coming to Detroit
Name of father, occupation
Pinchus Dovid Feldman,
Farmer, bought odds and ends to sell
Maiden name of mother, occupation
Chava Oleshansky ,
Homemaker
Immediate family (names, birth order)
Parents Pinchus and Chava, older brother Eugene (half brother, his mother died), Michael and sister Bella
How many in entire extended family?
At least 50 people
Who survived the Holocaust?
Parents, Eugene, Michael and Bella
Pinchus and Rivka had four children, Eugene and three daughters. Rivka died and left Pinchus with four children. Pinchus eventually remarried Chava Oleshansky. During the war, the Ukranians raided the town of Pinsk and killed most of the Jews. Chava and Eugene were hiding in the attic and Pinchus was hiding in a hole they dug which was just big enough for him. The three sisters were presumably taken by the Ukranians and killed along with the other townspeople. Pinchus, Chava and Eugene went into the forest to hide and met up with the Partisans. Michael was born while they were hiding in the forest. The baby would not stop crying and the head of the Partisans said to Pinchus either you do something about the crying baby or I will. That is when they split with the Partisans and hid with other people in the forest. A Gentile farmer risked his life to bring them some food but food was very scarce. Chava would steal potatoes from farms nearby and they would bake them over a fire. The family was in the forest for two years. Because Michael was born while they were in hiding, there was no mohel to perform a bris so after the war when Michael was three years old, they performed his bris. After the war, the family went to Munich and was in Friemann DP camp. They lived in the DP camp until 1949. Bella was born while they lived there. They were trying to decide whether to go to Israel or come to the United States and when a cousin agreed to sponsor them, they decided to come to the United States settling in Detroit.
Where were you in hiding?
Born in the forests around Pinsk and they lived in the forest for the first two years of Michael's life.
What DP Camp were you after the war?
Friemann DP camp near Munich
Where did you go after being liberated?
To the DP camp
When did you come to the United States?
1949
Where did you settle?
Detroit, Michigan
How is it that you came to Michigan?
Had cousins in Detroit who sponsored them
Occupation after the war
Owned a party store with his brother, Eugene, then owned Dexter Davison Meats with his brother, then owned Hamilton Nursing Home with his brother
When and where were you married?
Detroit, 1964
Spouse
Deborah Pearlstein,
Homemaker
Children
Four children - Lisa, Jay, Barry and Eric
Grandchildren
Nine grandchildren
What do you think helped you to survive?
You just do it, whatever it takes
What message would you like to leave for future generations?
Enjoy life, do everything that you love.
Interviewer:
Dr. Charles Silow
Interview date:
02/24/2026
