Rella Wizenberg

"Don't forget, remember us."

Name at birth

Rella Tenenbaum

Date of birth

05/18/1920

Where were you born?

Radom, Poland

Where did you grow up?

Radom, Poland

Name of father, occupation

Tovi Tenenbaum, Manufacturer

Maiden name of mother, occupation

Shaindel Kasztan, Homemaker

Immediate family (names, birth order)

Parents, my sister Manya (Salinger), my brother Jacob and me

Who survived the Holocaust?

Manya and Rella

We were in the Radom ghetto. I was married. My husband and father were separated from us. I found out after the war, that they were both killed.

One time in the middle of the night, there was a Selection in the Ghetto. My mother and 14 year old brother Jacob were sent to one side; my sister Manya and I to the other. Just my sister and I survived. We were later taken to Pionki concentration camp, there we were separated. We were reunited after the war. After Pionki, I was sent to Auschwitz and was there for four weeks. I was at Bergen-Belsen and Elsing. I went through hell.

Name of Ghetto(s)

Radom

Name of Concentration / Labor Camp(s)

Auschwitz Birkenau Bergen Belsen Elsing Pionki

When did you come to the United States?

1948

When and where were you married?

1946 in Stuttgart

Spouse

Leon Wizenberg

Children

Carol Hiller and Theodore Wizenberg

Grandchildren

Eric, Janna, Joseph, Benjamin

What do you think helped you to survive?

The will to live. It’s built into you, the will to survive. It’s surprising how a human being can go through so many obstacles in order to survive. What pushed me to live was to see my father, my mother, my sister, my brother. I was hoping to see them again. After the war, in Bad Noheim, Germany, a few girls and I decided to find a place to live. At one point, our door opened and two girls walked in. I was so happy to see a girl that I knew from home. Then it struck me, the other girl was my sister, Manya! I didn’t recognize her. Manya said to me later, how come you hugged the other girl first? I didn’t recognize her; we had been separated from each other for such a long time.

What message would you like to leave for future generations?

Don't forget, remember us.