Miracle Journey
With the
photograph of her
parents tucked
inside her shoes,
Bertha and Jacob
Weinschenk
boarded the
transport that
would take them to
Theresienstadt.
Elsie new dresses.
The Buehlers made their
home at 1651 Gladstone.
They attended services at
Gemiluth Chassodim, a
German-Jewish congrega-
tion.
Jacob Buehler continued
his work at Davidson
Brothers. Hanna's job was
trying to get her parents out
of Nazi Germany. She wrote
desperate letters to all her
relatives, some of whom
made extremely generous
financial donations toward
the cause (one family raised
$2,000).
None of it made a differ-
ence. In September 1942,
the Weinschenks were told
to prepare to leave. With
the photographs of her par-
ents tucked inside her
shoes, Bertha and Jacob
Weinschenkboarded the
transport that would take
them to Theresienstadt.
ertha Weinschenk
was skeptical.
Feb. 5, 1945; 2
p.m.: The Nazis told
1,200 Jews in the ghetto
they would be going to
Switzerland. She wrote: "We
were very leery."
Bertha had spent three
years in Theresienstadt, to
which the Nazis deported
more than 150,000 Jews.
It was an eerie place.
Theresienstadt was plan-
B
ned to be the "model settle-
ment" which Nazis would
present to anyone question-
ing the fate of Jewish citi-
zens. In late 1943, a tour
was arranged for the benefit
of an investigation commit-
tee of the International Red
Cross.
In preparation for the
visit, and later for a propa-
ganda film, the SS (which
oversaw the ghetto) quickly
established a makeshift
bank, cafe, shops and
schools at Theresienstadt.
To deal with overcrowding,
they simply shipped hun-
dreds off to Auschwitz.
Apparently the Red Cross
was satisfied, though repre-
Jacob Weinschenk, top left, and wife
Bertha, right, before the war. At bottom
left: their children, the Buehlers, on their
honeymoon. Above, Ernest and Elsie
Buehler.
sentatives did continue to
make queries about the
ghetto from time to time in
1945, then took it over until
its liberation in May of that
year by the Soviet army. It
was during the last months
of the SS's control of
Theresienstadt that Bertha
received word she would be
going to Switzerland.
Feb. 5, 1945: The trans-
port had passed through
Nuremberg, after which
everyone was allowed to
remove his yellow star.
Feb. 7, 1945: The Swiss
took over, temporarily plac-
ing the refugees in a school-
house where, Bertha
records, "we received won-
derful care by the Red
Cross." There were baths
and doctors' exams and
everyone was given a wool
blanket.
Feb. 13, 1945: The
refugees are put up in Hotel
Haldimand in Lausanne.
Bertha writes that a
minyan meets daily in the
dining room and kosher food
is available. "There's no
meat, but more than
enough."
May 15, 1945: A memorial
service is held at the syna-
gogue.
May 17, 1945: Bertha
receives a letter from
Hanna with a picture of
Elsie and Ernest. Also, she