Hadassah Sprung-Levkowitz was born in Sanok Galicia. She came to Bialystok in 1936 to teach at the Hebrew Gymnasium (secondary school). During the war she was the personal secretary to Brash the head of the Bialystok Ghetto Judenrat. She was eventually deported to Auschwitz. Then, due to her background in Biology she was sent to a laboratory where mostly French scientist/prisoners were working on making rubber from plants. Toward the end of the war she was among those sent on a "Death March" to Germany, but was soon hidden by Poles. In 1948 she emigrated to Israel where she became a High School teacher in Tel-Aviv. Bellow is her testimony regarding the 'Bialystok Children'.
"Before the final action , the authorities demanded that we supply one thousand two hundred children. I collected children from orphanages and other places, and we traveled together with them, fifteen nurses and myself. One Jew entrusted me with his daughter, a four-year-old girl. We received sacks of bread from the Judenrat as provisions for the journey. I said to the children: If the train travels northwards, jump off and try to run away. If it travels westwards, stay. The train traveled to the west. During the journey, I gave the German guards money and valuables in exchange for hot water. The train arrived at Teresienstadt and the children entered the camp, but the Germans refused to accept the small child and she remained with me. We adults were sent back to the train, and it was then that the conductor said to me: you are going to Auschwitz. An argument broke out amongst my traveling companions: Should I be allowed to take the child with me? The guard overheard this argument and also noticed that the little girl called me ‘Ma’am’ and not mummy". He took her from me.
In Auschwitz, I worked in the camp office and was able to see the list of names of persons who were arriving. One day, a transport arrived with "our children". They were all led to the crematoria".
Honor Her Memory!
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