Ester Ofir (nee Rubel, born 14.11.1924) about her parents and herself before war, Czestochowa before war, Ester’s fate during war, live in Poland after war and immigration to Israel
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An English resume of an interview in Hebrew that took placei n Israel as a part of the Polish Roots in Israel Project. Interviewee name: Esther Ofir
Esther’s parents Hirsh Frajman of Koniecpol and Rivka Rubel of Piotrkow met each other in a unique way. Both of them were active members in the “Bund” Jewish socialist party in Częstochowa. Part of the “Bund” activities was practicing the use of a weapon. In 1905, during one of these practices, a member of the “Bund” as a joke pointed a gun at Esther’s father Hirsh. Her mother, Rivka quickly ran over to warn the man about using a gun in such an unsafe manner. Ironically the gun went off and she was shot. She could not even be taken to the hospital for treatment since the “Bund” activities were illegal. Esther’s father took care of her mother in a hiding place in an attic. The “Bund” in Częstochowa was initially established as a result of pogroms against Jews. Groups of youngsters would go out for training at the cement mines in the Częstochowa vicinity.
Esther had received an unconventional education within the traditional Jewish community. The ideals of equality and human rights were deeply rooted in her family.
Esther had only one brother, Shmuel Frajman, who was seven years older than her. He attended the “Zukunft” youth movement that belonged to the “Bund” party. Esther remembers the ceremony in which he received the special pin and tie of the movement. However, she herself was not affiliated with any youth movement.
Every summer until 1939 the family traveled to Chrząszcz near Koniecpol and stayed with the farmers. Esther’s father always found conversation topics with the farmers. Esther would play with the farmers' children and also helped them with the field work (such as picking potatoes or harvesting the produce). Esther’s parents visited the village for twenty-seven years together, since the time they got engaged. It was beautiful countryside within the forests and near the city where Esther’s paternal grandparents came from.
In Częstochowa, Esther attended the co-educational private Jewish school run by Dr. Philip Akser. The spirit of the school was democratic and was not affiliated with any Zionist party. Hebrew was offered as a free-choice class and was not compulsory. Bible was taught in an historical approach. There were ethical discussions within the frame of religion class. Esther’s brother also attended the same school. The matriculation exams and study level were supervised by the Polish Ministry of education and were compatible with the general Polish school system. The principal of the school was anti-communist and opposed the Soviet régime. Unfortunately, in 1937 or 1938, with an anti-Semitic Polish government in control, a few students at the school were accused of illegal communist activities and were tried. The 12th grade was closed as a result. The school principal, Dr. Akser gathered all the students and gave them a lecture about the danger approaching from the east. He told the students that by 1940 there would be nothing left of the French republic.
In Częstochowa, Esther was not acquainted with any Poles. There were no social ties between Jews and Poles. When a Jewish girl went out with a Christian boy she was condemned. There was a case of a Jewish girl who was seeing a Christian, a known anti-Semite by the name of Lolek Adamusz who was a member of the O.N.R (affiliated with the N.D. party). The Jews were unhappy about this friendship. Esther also remembers the pogrom in 1936 that broke out because a Jew had stabbed a Pole to death as a result of a business dispute between them. Jews were unable to leave their houses in the city center for days in a row and the children could not go to school either. During those days, Esther’s father went out and was attacked by Poles. Luckily he was able to escape into a house.
Esther’s father was a roof-repairs man. He sometimes hired two or three workers to help him out. Esther’s mother was a seamstress; she probably studied the craft before she got married. All of Esther’s aunts and uncles had studied a craft. There was a general switch from the traditional Jewish “Yeshiva” learning into a more practical search for a trade.
On May 1st, 1935 on the street where Esther lived, Aleje Wolności, a workers parade took place. There were policemen on horses to secure the area. The house across the street belonged to the right-wing O.N.R party. It was impossible to go out. Esther and her family wore red ribbons and stood in front of their house entrance. There was no violence from the demonstrators’ side; they just marched down the road calling out various slogans.
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