juisiness
olocaust survivor Belle Selman
has learned to set aside her night-
mares of Auschwitz and put her
energies into her Southfield
waste prevention company. Ms.
Selman, 63, is the president of
Waste Advantage Inc.
"I still remember those awful
days at Auschwitz, but I've tried
to put them behind me and live
my life," said Ms. Selman, who
was born in Oredea, Romania,
and came to Detroit on Sept. 17,
1949.
Ms. Selman founded Waste
Advantage, an engineering firm
specializing in industrial haz-
of dollars.
"Two years ago, we saved a
Livonia plant $500,000," she said.
"More recently, we were able to
save a transmission plant $1.8
million."
One thing Waste Prevention
does not do, Ms. Selman stress-
es, is handle waste disposal.
'We do not do that, or trans-
portation or regulatory consult-
ing, because of the inherent
conflict of interest," she said.
A widow, Ms. Selman said she
was lucky to learn about chemi-
cals from her late husband,
Isadore Selman, a chemist who
lot, but I also went to Wayne
State University, where I took
courses in chemicals.
"When I was a child, I was al-
ways interested in learning new
things. By the time I was 7, I
knew how to speak seven lan-
guages."
The couple was married for
only eight years. They had three
children before Mr. Selman died
of cancer in 1960.
Ms. Selman has vivid recollec-
tions of Auschwitz.
"I remember coming home
from school for Easter break in
Romania and the Nazis were in
our house," she said. "They told
us to pack a few things because
we were going on a journey."
The so-called journey led Ms.
Selman and her family to
Auschwitz. She was 11 when she
went in and 13 when she escaped.
"I still remember my number,"
she said. "It was 71694. This is
something you never, never for-
get. I lost both my parents and
two siblings. I watched my par-
ents being carted off to the gas
chambers."
Ms. Selman was_able to,esca
from her captors t'oa'fdifInh se
in Czechoslovakia, w`
cared for by a genti101f"
"I remember the firsgaiine she
saw me," Ms. Selman said. "She
asked me about my hair. It was
short because it had been cut at
the camp. I told her I had lice and
it had to be shaved.
"Then I told her I was Jewish
and I pleaded with her not to turn
me in."
Ms. Selman said the woman
kept her secret and tried to feed
her a home-cooked meal.
"It had been so long since I
had anything besides stale
bread and water," sh& said.
"When the woman put the home-
made meal down in front of me
and I started to eat it, I passed
out. I think my stomach had
shrunk so much, it just couldn't
take the rich food."
Ms. Selman said she was
rushed to a nearby hospital,
where she remained for several
weeks until her strength re-
turned.
After the war ended, an Amer-
Ms. Selman still has two numb
toes which constantly remind her
of her days in the German death
camp.
"This is my souvenir," she said.
"It was awful. I remember hav-
ing to sleep on dead bodies and
I got tired of having no food and
wearing wooden shoes. I got the
frozen toes in April of 1945 when
the Germans led a thousand of
us girls on a journey when they
heard the Allies were on their
way."
ican Jewish officer who spoke
German conversed with her at
the hospital and helped her come
to America.
"He was able to help me track
down some relatives in America,"
Ms. Selman said. "I had a cousin
in Detroit, so this is where I
came."
"My cousin knew exactly
who I was," she said. "I got out
of the train with this old Euro-
pean leather suitcase and he
WASTE page 45
Holocaust survivor
Belle Selman says her
company can help
industry save money.
DEBBIE SKLAR
THE DETRO IT J EWISH NEWS
PHOTO BY GLEN N TRIEST
SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
38
Belle Selman: President of Waste Advantage Inc.
ardous and solid waste/pollution also was from Romania.
prevention, in 1987.
"I met my husband through a
"We tell companies how much cousin after I came to Detroit,"
they waste and how they can cut Ms. Selman said. "We went to a
their waste and save money," Ms. jazz bar and had a wonderful
Selman said. "By just cutting a time. Two weeks later, we were
small percentage, they can save engaged."
money. We teach how not to
After a three-month engage-
make waste."
ment, the couple was married
Since her company's inception, and Ms. Selman started working
Ms. Selman said, it has helped for her husband at his plant.
industry prevent more than 200
"He had a chemical plant and
million pounds of hazardous and he owned Duro Chemical Prod-
solid waste while saving millions ucts," she said. "He taught me a