We Remember the Jewish Soldiers!

My Only Brother Heniek Cukier z"l

In Memoriam!

by Lili Susser

The tombstone of Hersz/Herman (Heniek) Cukier in the cemetery of Trojanow, Poland with the marker Lili added to his "unknown" grave.

When World War II broke out, my only brother, at age 22, was serving in the Polish army. He was killed about September 16, 1939 in the defense of Warsaw within days of having completed his military duty. He died in Sochaczew, 31.7 miles west of Warsaw in one of the fiercest battles of the war -- the battle of the Bzura River. His name was Hersz/Herman Cukier, affectionally called Heniek.

Heniek was born in Plock, Poland May 8, 1917 and I, 10 years later in Lodz, Poland. Our father, Mosiek/ Maurycy, born in Wloclawek, was a bookkeeper and our mother, Chaja Malka/Mary Rubinsztein, born in Plock, was a housewife. I do not remember much of my early years, but I remember well my brother as my protector, my hero, and my Idol.

The picture of Lili's mother: Chaja Malka Rubinsztajn, born in Plock in1891. The photograph was taken about the year 1910 -1912. She is with her brother Theodor (Tevie). This is the onl;y picture Lili has of her family... All lost in the Holocaust.

Heniek was well built, loved sports like long distance bicycling, kayaking and ice skating. I remember going ice skating and sledding with him in the winter. Before entering the army he purchased a pair of hockey skates in preparation of taking up the sport upon his return. The skates were never used.

My brother had a great sense of humor and loved to sing. He used to take me with him to see his friends and at times to a restaurant -- a big hit with me. Often he would bring me little gifts or favorite pastries.

After finishing school he worked first in a blanket factory called Purlana, then before enlisting, at a bank. In 1938, at age 21, he volunteered for military service for several reasons: Had he been drafted, he would have been required to serve for 2 years. By enlisting he only had to serve 18 months and was also given a choice of place and branch of service. Because of his physique, he feared he may be drafted into the cavalry and this did not appeal to him. Furthermore he was planning on getting married and did not want the draft to interfere with his plans.

Heniek chose the infantry in Skierniewice, a town situated between Lodz and Warsaw (41 miles WSW of Warsaw) and was assigned to the 18th regiment. This would offer him the opportunity to visit home often and he took every advantage of it. Shortly after he entered the service he was chosen to serve in the office of the infirmary where he enjoyed many privileges. In August of 1939 he invited me to spend a Sunday with him.

The wealthy parents of a friend of his had a car and they made regular Sunday visits to him. They offered my brother the opportunity to bring me on one of those visits and my brother gladly accepted. I was picked up in a chauffeur-driven limousine. Once there, my brother took me to meet all his friends. When time came to go home one of his friends suggested I stay till the next Sunday. She suggested I could spend day times with him and evenings at her house. My brother was happy to accept.

I had a great time with my brother and his soldier buddies. I felt important as I stood in line for chow with them and ate with them out of the mess kits. I loved it! I came home elated by the experience ready to share the details of it with my schoolmates. I was not aware at the time that rumors of war were already circulating. My mother, in turn, inquired about the rumors in her letters to Heniek, but in what was his last letter home, written shortly after my visit with him, he assured us “The military is positively predisposed and most likely there won’t be any war.”

On Sept 1, 1939 the world witnessed the beginning of the WWII. Soon after, we received a postcard from the Red Cross with the following statement: “We wish to inform you that your son, Hersz Cukier, was killed Sept. 16, 1939 in a battle in Sochaczew, and is buried in a mass grave on the estate Czerwonka.” These few lines are permanently etched in my memory.

Next came the Ghetto, concentration camps, and eventually liberation at Bergen-Belsen. I am the only survivor of my family. My father was snatched from the street earlier during a Ghetto raid and until recently I had no idea what had happened to him. It was only a few months ago I was informed he died in Dachau just a few short months before liberation.

The entry for Father in JewishGen Holocaust database: (Dachau Dachau Concentration Camp Records):

ref 941/Fa	Name: CUKIER, Moses		Date of birth June 6 1889	Town of birth and residence Wloclawek, Litzmannstadt		Former address Piotrkowska 116
prisoner number 110290		Former prisoner of Auschwitz Sch. P. J. v. 16 Sep 1944 Auschw.			Date of death in Dachau Concentration Camp: gest. 24 Nov 1944

The Death Record of Father from Arolsen Archives:

My mother, who arrived with me in Auschwitz, was murdered there immediately upon arrival. After being liberated I married and my husband and I immigrated to the USA.

Lili & Julius Susser in their wedding 1946

Since my brother was the only one whose location of burial I knew, it was my deepest wish to find his resting place. During the Communist occupation of Poland, this was impossible without governmental supervision. Visitors were only allowed on state sponsored tours to tourist attractions.

Around 1974, the government of Poland relaxed those rules. We took a trip to Europe and decided to make a short stop to Lodz, my hometown, and Krakow, my husband’s. We were reluctant and mistrustful at first, because of the negative rumors and TV portrayals of the Communist regime. Our imagination was filled with spies, searches, planting of misinformation, arrests, etc.

Once we arrived in Warsaw we experienced what we thought was one such incident. As my husband was in the process of exchanging money at the airport, a man walked up to me and offered his taxi service to take us to our destination. His price seemed high so we opted to take the airport shuttle instead. Since we speak the language we felt we could manage public transport. In the last moment, just as we were boarding the shuttle, the man approached and told us he accepted our offer. I told him our luggage was already on the shuttle bus. The man said it did not matter, he had already spoken to the shuttle driver who knew the taxi driver would follow the shuttle “into the blocks” (the residential area) where we would then switch vehicles.

This was enough to make us feel very uneasy but we accepted anyhow. We decided to make Lodz our first destination because it was closer. In the “blocks” the shuttle stopped and the cab driver removed our luggage and put it in his cab, but as soon as we got into the cab, the driver removed the Taxi sign, which made us uneasy again. (Later he explained his Taxi permit allowed him to drive within city limits only). We were going through a forest when the driver handed my husband a folded newspaper and instructed him to place the payment there. I imagined the worst. Next, the driver offered to exchange our money at three times the official rate. I worried. What if he is a KGB agent trying to trick us into doing something illegal or some criminal with ill intent? What would stop him from disposing of us and taking what we have? I later learned that the natives could spot an American tourist by their luggage and everyone knows tourists carry money so that would explain his interest in exchanging our money. I was excited but tense. This was a return to my home after 35 years. A lot had taken place during my absence, and my emotions were mixed.

After a short drive, I asked the driver if he was a “local” because I hoped he could give me some information about the battle of Warsaw in which my brother took part. He wanted to know why I was interested in that particular battle, so I explained. He asked for the name of the town. I could not think. My mind was completely blank, unresponsive. He offered me a map. The only name on the map I could see in the vicinity of Warsaw was Sochaczew and I replied, “This rings a bell,” although it did not sound familiar at all. He said, “Let’s take a look, we are in Sochaczew now.”

The taxi driver inquired from a local driver about the whereabouts of the estate, Czerwonka, and we found it nearby. The place was fenced and looked big, overgrown with weeds waist high, but no buildings or graves. Finally, our “guide” spotted a building in the distance and walked toward it. It rained. A man came out and our driver asked about the mass graves. The man who was the groundkeeper told us there were graves there but about 2 years earlier the Communist authorities had exhumed the bodies and placed them in the general Catholic cemetery that was nearby. There we saw a few rows of military graves, perhaps as many as 30, with stone crosses on each and a metal sign describing name rank and number of bodies it contained. Where there was no apparent identification, the sign only read: X amount of soldiers and the initials W P (Polish Armies) killed in September of 1939.

Trojanow cemetery: the military section

We went to the flower shop next to the cemetery and I purchased some red and white carnations, the national Polish colors, and placed one on each grave hoping my brother’s grave was among them. I felt some relief. We repeated the procedure a few more times on some consecutive trips until one time, in 1992, as we were placing the flowers, a lady and a man walked up to us and asked, curiously, if we were looking for someone. I said, “No, I believe I found what I was looking for.” She said, “What do you mean, ‘you think’? Have you not visited the museum? There I should be able to get all the information on the graves.”

I was amazed no one had mentioned this before. The museum was nearby so we walked over. We were met by a friendly man by the name Maciej Wojewoda who, we learned from the staff, was responsible for opening the museum and worked tirelessly to collect the data and all the artifacts on display. He knew right away that the person I was looking for was on the casualty list. This surprised me. He explained that a couple weeks earlier a delegation from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum had been there asking for the list of Jewish casualties and he remembered seeing my brother’s name.

This curator produced a large book with names of the fallen. My brother’s name was, in fact, on the list. He gave us a tour of the museum, which I found very interesting. It also brought back memories. He gave me two Xeroxed copies of the lists -- one of mixed religions -- the other of Jewish casualties. My brother’s name was on both lists. I was also given a Xeroxed diagram of the cemetery with a marking of my brother’s grave -- #36. Heniek rests with 3 others, I believe Jews.

The map of the miltary section in Trojanow Catholic cemetery Hersz Cukier is in grave no. 36!
Click to enlarge plot.

Mr. Wojewoda also gave me some brochures describing the battle and told us my brother was not buried in the general cemetery, as I had believed, but in the military cemetery in Trojanow, the outskirts of Sochaczew. We walked there accompanied by Mr. Wojewoda. These graves were also marked with stone crosses. The inscription on my brother’s grave read, “Four unknown soldiers killed in September of 1939.” Since I was able to identify my brother’s grave I felt he was no longer “unknown” and it should have a marker with his name on it. I paid to have this marker made to specifications and returned a couple of days later to see it affixed. This time I was able to put some flowers on the grave I knew contained the remains of my brother.

About 3 years later I visited the cemetery again and was shocked and disappointed to find the marker I had made no longer on the grave. Apparently no effort had been made to identify this “known” soldier, my brother. No one could explain what had happened to the marker…

Lili Susser near the grave of her brother Heniek Cukier in Trojanow, Poland. He was killed fighting for free Poland on the defense of Warsaw, in the Bzura River battle, September 16^th, 1939.

The Museum of The Sochaczew Region and The Battle of The Bzura River

"ECHO POWIATU" # 6 March 02, 2004

The article in Polish – click to enlarge

Whom Did Lili Susser Search for in Sochaczew? Translated by Lili Susser

Information about Trojanow

(Sochaczew)

Polish:

Cmentarz wojskowy

Znajduje się obok cmentarza parafialnego w Trojanowie i jest największym cmentarzem żołnierzy poległych w Bitwie nad Bzurą we wrześniu 1939 r.

Trojanów to przede wszystkim... cmentarze. Są tutaj aż cztery. Dwa komunalne, z których jeden znajduje się na wschodnich krańcach miasta, zwanym Wypaleniskiem, drugi zaś, starszy usytuowany przy ulicy 600-lecia. Tuż obok niego można napotkać kolejny - wojskowy. Jest to największy cmentarz żołnierzy poległych w Bitwie nad Bzurą we wrześniu 1939. Spoczywa na nim około 4 tysięcy oficerów, podoficerów i szeregowych z armii "Poznań" oraz "Pomorze".

English:

Military Cemetery

The military cemetery is found next to the parish cemetery in Trojanow and is the largest cemetery  of soldiers killed in the battle on the Bzura river in September of 1939.

Trojanow is mainly cemeteries of which there are four. Two communal, of which one is located at the eastern fringe of town named Wypalenisko, the second older located at 600-lecia st. Next to it is the military cemetery, the largest cemetery of soldiers killed in the battle on the Bzura river in Sept, 1939.  4000 officers and privates of the armies "Poznań" and "Pomorze" are buried there.

The Museum of The Sochaczew Region and The Battle of The Bzura River 

Benjamin Meirtchak: Jewish Military Casualties in the PolishArmies in World War II - Jewish Military casualties in September 1939 Campaign; Jewish Military Casualties in the Polish Armed Forces in Exile, Volume II, Tel Aviv 1995 (c)

Author's Introduction to Volume II

This book is the second volume of the series of studies Jewish Military Casualties in the Polish Armies in World War II *

The book is dedicated to the memory of the Jewish warriors in the Polish Armed Forces, killed in action, died of wounds and in service, when fighting the Nazi Germany and includes:

- List of Jewish military casualties in the September 1939 campaign - defending Poland before German invasion.

- List of Jewish military casualties in the Polish Armed Forces in Exile.

It required much effort and time to collect the reliable information from many different sources.

By courtesy of Centralne Archiwum Wojskowe in Warsaw, Sikorski Institute in London, Jewish Historical Museum in Warsaw, Dr. Rabbi Rosengarten, and others, we were able to study the relevant archival documents. We collect and verify information in order to establish the link of the soldiers killed to the Jewish nation. We visited in Poland military cemeteries and other burial sites. The city Councils of Narvik in Norway and Edinburgh in Scotland provided us with lists, photos and other information concerning polish soldiers buried in military cemeteries in their areas.

We collect evidences and testimonies of comrades in arms, friends and families.

Despite our efforts the records are incomplete and in very few cases in-accurate, for the following reasons:

a) The incomplete records of the Polish military authorities, specially in relation to the September 1939 campaign on Polish soil and lack of records of casualties in the 1940 battles in France.

b) Part of Jewish origin soldiers, and officers, special in the Anders Army in Soviet Union and in Polish Army East, and in Polish formations in United Kingdom, due to the anti-Semitism in the Army, and not to be rejected by the Polish Recruiting Commissions did not admit to their origin, declare of being Polish nationality, and adopted names with Slavic-polish sound.

However those obstacles did not deter us from publishing this second volume as a Roll of Honor to those Jewish soldiers and officers whose names and other data were so far identified.

The lists include the following identification details (if known), in the following order:

· family and first name, father's name

· date and place of birth

· military rank and unit

· date and place of death (circumstances)

· burial site.

The lists are arranged according to Polish alphabetical order and spelling.

The third part of the book is a Concise Historical Review "Jews in the Polish Armed Forces in World War II 1939-1945."

Bibliography list and list of abbreviations are attached.

Maps of burial sites, and other relevant maps are included in the book.

Notes

* The first volume "Jewish soldiers and officers of the Polish People's Army killed and missing in action 1943-1945" was published in Tel Aviv in 1994 (in Polish and English editions).

** Prof. dr. hab. Edward Pawlowski affirm that up to now one half of the buried polish soldiers in Polish territory, and majority of buried in Eastern Poland (now Ukraine and Belarus) are not identified. On Cemeteries and other burial sites in Poland are buried 70.520 soldiers and officers killed in September 1939 battles. Only 32.138 are identified by family names (45 %), and of those 29.885 (42 %) the burial site is evident.

*** See "Wykaz", Instytut Historyczny im. Gen. Slkorskilego, London 1952.

Jewish Soldiers Buried in Trojanow - Sochaczew, Poland
(Sochaczew: 51.1 kilometers W of Warsaw51.1 kilometers W of Warsaw, 52°14' ; 20°15')
Source: Jewish Military Casualties in the Polish Armies in World War II by Benjamin Meirtchak

Volume II: "Jewish Military Casualties in September 1939 Campaign", Tel Aviv 1995

ABBREVIATIONS: Pte.: Private ; Inf.: Infantry ; g.: grave ; 2/lieut: Second Lieutenant

Foreword (Volume II) By Sir Martin Gilbert

1	ALMOSLECHNER	Rudolf	b. 1899	Pte. 61 inf. reg.	killed in action 17.9.1939 Brochow; buried Sochaczew Trojanow 600-lecia Str. Mil. Cem. g. 38.
2	AMDRUSZYN	Eliasz	b. 1917	Pte, 68 inf. reg.	killed in action 16.9.1939 Karwowo; buried Sochaczew Trojanow 600-lecia Str. Mil. Cem. g. 38.
3	BIDERMAN	Mojzesz	b. 1913	Pte 35 inf.reg.	buried Sochaczew, Trojanow 600-lecia St. mil. Cem. g. 38
4	CHIMEL	Jozef Nusen	b. 9.1.1916	Pte. 29 inf. reg.	killed in action 16.9.1939 Zukowka; buried Sochaczew, Trojanow 600-lecia St. mil. Cem. g. 38
5	CIRKEL	Jankiel	b. 1915	Pte. 61 inf. reg.	killed in action 17.9.1939 Brochow; buried Sochaczew, Trojanow 600-lecia St. mil. Cem. g. 38
6	CUKIER	Hersz	b. 1917	Pte. 18 inf. reg.	killed in action 14.9.1939 Czerwone; buried Sochaczew, Trojanow 600-lecia St. mil. Cem. g. 38
7	ERDMAN	Hersz Joseph	b. 1894	-	killed in action 15.9.1939 Sochaczew; buried Sochaczew, Trojanow 600-lecia St. mil. Cem. g. 38
8	ERLICH	Jankiel	b. 1915	Pte. 24 inf. reg.	killed in action 17.9.1939 Zwierzyniec; buried Sochaczew, Trojanow 600-lecia St. mil. Cem. g. 38
9	FRYDMAN	Baruch	b. 1916	sapper	killed in action September 1939 Sochaczew; buried Sochaczew Traugutt St. mil.sec. 38
10	GERSZOM	Perec	b. 1914	Pte. 18 inf. reg.	killed in action 14.9.1939 Czerwonka; buried Sochaczew, Trojanow 600-lecia St. mil. Cem. g. 38
11	GUTNER	Aron	-	Pte. 10 inf. reg. 26 inf.div.	killed in action 28.9.1939 Sochaczew; buried Sochaczew Traugutt St. mil.sec. 38
12	KELLER	Bernard	b. 1916	Pte. 60 inf. reg.	killed in action 17.9.1939 Tulowice; buried Sochaczew, Trojanow 600-lecia St. mil. Cem. g. 38
13	KRAJNER	Berko	b. 1908	Pte. 28 inf. reg. 10 inf. div.	killed in action 25.9.1939 Chodakow; buried Sochaczew, Trojanow 600-lecia St. mil. Cem. g. 38
14	KROMBERG	Pinkus	b. 1915	Pte. 18 inf. reg. 26 inf. div.	killed in action 14.9.1939 Czerwonka; buried Sochaczew, common grave 38
15	KURZ	Abram	-	2/lieut. 18 inf. reg.	killed in action 13.9.1939 Sochaczew; buried Sochaczew Traugutt St. mil.sec. 38
16	KUTNER	Aron	-	Pte. 18 inf. reg.	killed in action 15.9.1939 Sochaczew; buried Sochaczew Traugutt St. mil.sec. 38
17	LANDA	Uszer	-	gunner 26 i.art.reg	killed in action 13.9.1939 Sochaczew; buried Sochaczew Traugutt St. mil.sec. 38
19	LECZYCKI	Chaim	-	Pte. 24 inf. reg..	killed in action 118.9.1939 Tulowice; buried Sochaczew, 600-lecia St. mil. Cem. g. 38
18	LEWIN	Szyia	b. 17.11.1907	Pte.	killed in action 15.9.1939 Sochaczew; buried Sochaczew Traugutt St. mil.sec. 38
20	MAKS	Mojzesz	-	Pte.	killed in action 18.9.1939 Janow; buried Sochaczew, 600-lecia St. mil. Cem. g. 38
21	NICINSKI	Pessach	-	Pte. 29 inf. reg.	killed in action 16.9.1939 Zukowka; buried Sochaczew, Trojanow 600-lecia St. mil. Cem. g. 38
22	REICHNER	Izrael	-	Pte. 37 inf. reg.	killed in action 10.10.1939 Sochaczew; buried Sochaczew Traugutt St. mil.sec. 38
23	ROZENBAUM	Abram	-	Pte. 61 inf. reg.	killed in action 18.9.1939 Gnatowice; buried Sochaczew, Trojanow 600-lecia St. mil. Cem. g. 38
24	ROZENCWAJG	Moszek	-	Pte. 18 inf. reg.	killed in action 15.9.1939 Sochaczew; buried Sochaczew, Trojanow 600-lecia St. mil. Cem. g. 38
25	ROZENTAL	Icek	-	Pte. 61 inf. reg.	killed in action 18.9.1939 Gnatowice; buried Sochaczew, Trojanow 600-lecia St. mil. Cem. g. 38
26	SZULIM	Auster	b. 1916	Pte. 24 inf. reg.	killed in action 19.9.1939 Sladow; buried Sochaczew, Trojanow 600-lecia St. mil. Cem. g. 38
27	WITZER	Mojzesz	b. 1917	Pte.	killed in action 22.9.1939 Sochaczew buried Sochaczew Traugutt St. mil.sec. 38
28	ZALEWSKI	Abram	b. 1914	Pte. 29 inf. reg.	killed in action 16.9.1939 Zukowka; buried Sochaczew, Trojanow 600-lecia St. mil. Cem. g. 38

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Lili Susser Testimony: Life in Ghetto Lodz and Deportations

The Museum of The Sochaczew Region and The Battle of The Bzura River 

Last updated December 3^rd, 2003

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