Mina Sessler (born 15.02.1924) about her family before war and herself during and after war
An English resume of an interview in Hebrew that took place in Israel, as a part of the Polish Roots in Israel Project. Interviewee name: Mina Sessler
Home and family:
Mina Sessler was born as Mina Foierstein on 15.2.24 in Wadowice (a town in southern Poland, 50 km from Kraków). Her father, Osjasz (Yehoshua) was one of 12 children. He worked as a clerk in the local Jewish community. Mina's mother, Zisla, was born in Wadowice and lived there with all her family.
Mina had 3 sisters: Sabina was the eldest, Ella and Stella, and one brother, Efrayim. They spoke Yiddish and Polish, and used to attend the local synagogue.
Mina studied at a Polish school, and in the afternoons she learned Hebrew at "Beit Yaakov" (a movement founded by Sarah Schenirer in 1917 in Kraków, designed to provide religious education for Jewish girls). After School, Mina studied sewing with a dressmaker.
War and refuge:
In 1943, after the Jews were concentrated in the Wadowice Ghetto, Mina, along with 50 other girls, was transferred to the Sudetenland. There she worked for two years in a sewing factory that manufactured uniforms for German soldiers.
After the war:
In 1945 Mina returned to Wadowice. There, she met Yoel Sessler (born 1914, Kraków). They were married in 1946 in Bielsko. Just a few Jewish friends and neighbors attended their wedding, which was held in their home. Mina's eldest child, Yehoshua, was born in Poland in 1948.
Israel:
Mina and Yoel came to Israel via Italy in 1950 on the ship "Galila". They arrived at an Olim (new immigrant) camp in Atlit and stayed there for three months. In 1950 they settled on the lands of Beshit (an abandoned Arab village), which was designated to become a city founded by Jews from Poland and Germany. After several years the settlement was divided into a number of Moshavim (agricultural settlements). Mina settled on Moshav Meishar. The family had a dairy-farm and chicken-coop.
Mina today:
Mina and her husband live on Meishar. They have two children: Yehoshua and Shemuel (born 1954). They have six grandchildren. Mina spends her time in the local senior house.
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