Sam Seltzer

"Watch out for something like this to happen again."

Name at birth

Smil Seltzer

Date of birth

08/21/1925

Where were you born?

Sosnowiec, Poland

Where did you grow up?

Sosnowiec, Poland

Name of father, occupation

Abraham, Owned a restaurant

Maiden name of mother, occupation

Ciryl Stybel, A cook in the restaurant my father owned

Immediate family (names, birth order)

Five children from oldest to youngest – sister Tonia, sister Bronia, brother Mordchai, myself, sister Lola

How many in entire extended family?

48-50

Who survived the Holocaust?

My brother Mordchai and myself

My father had five brothers: Herman, Harry, Aron, William, and David, and two sisters: Lea and Rachel.

Herman had a son and daughter – Heniek and Harry.

Harry and William left Poland in 1912 and 1919 respectively and moved to the U.S.

Aron had nine children: five daughters: Faiga, Helena, Dora, Marisa, and Sara, and four sons: Max, Sam, Maurice, and Abraham. Only Max and Sam survived. Max died in 1980 in California.

Helena had 3 children, Dora had one son, Marisa had one daughter, Sara had one daughter, and Maurice had two boys. The other children were not married.

David never married.

Rachel left Poland with her family for Palestine in 1936.

Lea and her eight children lived in a new section of Sosnowiec. Six of them survived long with one granddaughter.

My mother had four sisters and one brother.

Mary left Poland with her husband and 2 sons around 1910 and went to New York.

One sister and her husband died before the war, leaving three daughters and one son.

The daughters Edzia and Esther left Poland around 1915-1920 and went to their Aunt Mary in New York. The other daughter, Haia, and son Harry lived with us until they were married.

The third sister, Bluma was living in Krakau. She had one daughter, Hana, who was married and living in Olkush with three boys and 2 girls.

The fourth sister, Dora was living in Zawiercie. She had one daughter and a son, Bernie.

Dora’s daughter Rivcia had 3 children.

Brother Israel was single and left Poland for Russia in 1940 never to be heard from again.

Eta’s family consisted of her parents, three brothers, and four sisters. They lived in Vad, Romania. They were farmers and owned their own land, some cows, and chickens.

Eta’s parents are deceased.

One sister, Fayga, left Romania for Belgium before the ar. She spent the war there with her husband on a farm with another family. She put her two children in a Catholic convent. They all survived.

Her brother Meir left for Palestine in 1943

An older sister, Rachel, was married and living in Yassy, Romania, or Old Romania. They moved to Israel around 1950 with their daughter, who still lives there with her family.

Her sister Laica spent the war years with Eta. Laica left Romaini with her husband for Israel in the 1950s. She died giving birth to twin girls.

Eta’s brother Smil Juda also left Romania in the 1950s for Israel. He and his wife had four children and he died in 1993.

Another brother Slomo was working for the Hungarian Army as a prisoner. At the war's end, they set fire to the barrack, with all the inmates inside. All were Jews and all perished.

Name of Ghetto(s)

Sosnowiec

Name of Concentration / Labor Camp(s)

Auschwitz Birkenau / Dachau / Labor Camp Near Oberlazisk / Landsberg

What DP Camp were you after the war?

Yes, various throughout Germany

Where did you go after being liberated?

Immediately upon liberation, we were sent to Bad am Telz. The camp was in bad condition so some friends and I decided to travel back to Landsberg am Lech to try to find the women prisoners that we had gotten to know there. We found our girlfriends and then moved to a large camp near Munich. And then back to Landsberg am Lech.

When did you come to the United States?

June 19th or 20, 1949 we finally left for the United States.

Where did you settle?

We were told that someone from my family would be in New York and that we would stay with them for one week before continuing on to Detroit.

How is it that you came to Michigan?

We arrived in Detroit on July 28, 1949, and we were met by my uncles Willi and Harry who took us in and assisted my family with our new lives in Michigan.

Occupation after the war

My first job was driving a furniture delivery truck. I then found a job in a bakery that paid more money. I then met a plumber who offered me more money to help him. That was to be my profession for the rest of my life – a plumber.

When and where were you married?

I was married to Eta in Erfting in May 1946 in a civil service conducted by the mayor of the village. We finally had a Jewish wedding on December 25, 1947.

Spouse

Eta, Homemaker

Children

One Daughter – Tzerl – was born on December 23, 1948, jewelry designer

Grandchildren

One grandson, Aron

What do you think helped you to survive?

Plain luck. I always came across someone that could help me.

What message would you like to leave for future generations?

Watch out for something like this to happen again.