Esther Kolin (Zborowski) (born 15.06.1922) about her family and live before war, about her fate during and after war
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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: Esther Kolin
Esther Kolin’s father, Jonas Gabriel was born in 1899 in Czestochowa. He was very religious and always wanted a male son to say “Kaddish” (a mourning prayer) for him after he died. Unfortunately for him, he had four daughters: Esther, Tzivia, Ruchale and Sarah Taube Klara. Esther Kolin’s mother, Haya Okladek was born in 1898 in Czestochowa as well. She became pregnant for the last time at a very advanced age. She was ashamed of her pregnancy and her husband was extremely disappointed when again a daughter was born instead of the son he longed for.
Esther Kolin’s father Jonas Gabriel Kolin, had three sisters and one brother. They were all married and had children. The entire family perished in the Holocaust.
Esther Kolin’s mother Haya Okladek had one sister and two brothers. Her sister Devora Pelz was married and had three children - they all perished during the Holocaust. Her two brothers were married as well, one in Michalow and the other in Czestochowa.
Esther Kolin’s father, Jonas Gabriel was a sales merchant, he used to take orders from various businesses and stores in Czestochowa and deliver the goods from the factories in Lodz. Many Polish businesses used his services and co-operated with him. Since he was always dressed in traditional Jewish dress, his wife, Haya would occasionally take off her wig (a traditional head covering) and deal with the non- Jewish customers. This was also done because her Polish language skills were far better than his.
Once a Polish shopkeeper by the name Kazimierz, urgently needed some supplies so he came over to the Kolin’s home and cracked an anti-Semitic joke. He told Esther’s father that “there were two stupid Kazimierzs – the first one was Kazimierz Wielki who allowed the Jews to settle in Poland in the 15th century. The second stupid Kazimierz is me, because I buy from a Jew”. It was possible for a Polish Christian to act in such an offensive way in the home of a Jewish family. The Jews did not retaliate since they were a minority group and were dependant on non-Jews for business. This form of anti-Semitism was very common at the time. The Jews were really offended, but could not put up a fight, being a minority in society.
On the other hand, another business colleague of Jonas Gabriel Kolin, Mrs. Panc, came to him at the outbreak of the World War Two and offered her help to take care of his youngest child, Sarah Taube Klara, until the war was over. Unfortunately, Esther Kolin’s father thanked her but did not agree to give up his daughter at that point. After the war, Esther Kolin, visited Mrs. Panc and asked her for a loan of 500 Zloty, so she could take bread to Lodz and sell it there. Mrs. Panc gave her the money and that is how Esther Kolin was able to make some money at that very difficult time.
Esther Kolin also remembers the prohibition to buy from Jews. In front of an upscale Jewish shoe store, Polish Christians would shout not to buy from Jews; they said that whoever bought from Jews was robbing himself.
The ties between Esther Kolin’s father and the Polish non-Jews were merely professional; there was no friendship involved.
There was also a Polish Christian housekeeper at the entrance to their building who had a son that complained about the burning of the “Hametz” on “Pessach” eve (a tradition to burn all food that was not Kosher for Passover). Esther Kolin’s father fought back and did not let him say anything bad about this custom.
A Polish Christian woman, who worked as a maid in the Kolin residency, got a cake to take back to her family on her Christmas vacations. Esther’s mother would bake the cake herself.
At home only Polish was used. Esther did not know any Yiddish, except for what she learnt with her private teacher. Esther’s father was fluent in German.
Esther Kolin did not attend the Jewish Gymnasium in Czestochowa, since it was co-ed and she was prohibited from meeting and mixing with boys. She was therefore later on sent to a girls school called Beit Ya’acov. Initially in the mornings, she attended the Polish public school for girls and in the afternoon a “Melamed” (teacher of Jewish studies) would come over to the house and give Esther private lessons in Yiddish and tradition.
Esther was also forbidden to meet boys after school, but she secretly met up with Abraham Zborowski (whom she ended up marrying) on the non-Jewish streets of Czestochowa. Once, they even got into a street fight with some Polish Christian children. Abraham tried to protect Esther and was beaten with a stick. The Jews normally avoided walking on the non-Jewish streets in the city.
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