Student Profile: Zofia Kolczycka

Unfortunately, I have to mark this entry as "invalid." Overall, your research is quite good. However, you have entered the day in the month field and the month in the day field of the birth date. In addition, the Lodz Ghetto Inhabitants database only lists "1928" as the birth date. The birth date 4 January 1928 which you have entered here is from the Bergen-Belsen Gedenkbuch which you should enter in Stage 4 of your research rather than here. Otherwise, I think you have found an accurate match. Please correct the data and re-enter it. This is a valuable discovery!

Thank you for adding the additional spelling of her name and placing the addresses in the address fields.

Possible Grandmother - Fajga Kolczycka aka Fajga Kolczycka born in 1867 - shows same ghetto address of HOHENS 15
registered 17.11.42

Also believe that Mirjam Kolczycka is her mother - born 1906 same address HOHENS 1521 with change of address to SRODMIEWSKA 58

You are almost certainly correct about Mirjam being Zofia's mother. But I'm not sure there's quite enough evidence to be sure about Fajga.

Arrested in 1939
Incarcerated in Auschwitz
Wounded in Auschwitz

The data you've entered is consistent with that found in the Bergen-Belsen Gedenkbuch. You should enter the rest of the data from that record as well, including:
NAMES
Given Name: Zofia Kolczycka

PLACES
Birthplace: Lodz
Deported from: Ghetto/Lodz
Deported to: Auschwitz
Deported from: Auschwitz
Deported to: Buchenwald/Elsnig
Place of Liberation: Beelitz

DATES
Date of Birth: 04.01.28 [January 4, 1928]
Date of Arrest: 00.00.39 [(Month unknown) (Day unknown), 1939]
Date of Deportation: 19.10.44 [October 19, 1944]
Date of Liberation: 00.05.45 [May (Day unknown), 1945]

According to the secondary sources, "In October 1944, the SS transferred more than 250 Lodz ghetto Jews to Buchenwald-Elsnig, where they were forced to work in an explosives factory. Despite starvation rations, 12-hour work shifts, and brutal treatment by guards, some prisoners reported conditions as being better than at Auschwitz. In April 1945, the SS evacuated the camp in a train carrying explosives and bound for Berlin. Near Potsdam, Allied planes bombed the transport, killing many of the prisoners. The Germans hunted down and murdered most of those who managed to escape the inferno. Few prisoners survived."

Zofia must have been one of the few survivors since the Bergen Belsen gedenkbuch lists her as liberated in Beelitz in May 1945.

Thank you for your thorough research and for entering all of the information out of this record. The only date I don't see in the source you cite is the "arrived at camp" date--the record I'm looking at in your source only says "1944." Would you mind checking on that again?

Zofia was wounded during an American bombing of Elsing, a sub-camp of Buchenwald and then liberated by the Soviet Army in May 1945. She returned to Lodz-helenowek, a children's home, where she reamined until 1948. In June 1951, she was married to Jerry Flajszman, also a holocaust survivor. In 1969 the couple immigrated from Poland to Sweden where they currently reside. I have reason to believe that Zofia is still alive.

Yad Vashem is erroneously reporting that Zofia was killed in the concentration camp.
http://www.yadvashem.org/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_FL/.cmd/acd/.ar/sa.portlet.VictimDetailsSubmitAction/.c/6_0_9D/.ce/7_0_V9/.p/5_0_P1/.d/0?victim_details_id=4577184&victim_details_name=Kolczycka+Zofja&q1=3uMoPXBh%2FcY%3D&q2=zrwi2w88jH19b7LmsDYWK%2FORuFlC0Zh7fnUPYN%2FuZHA%3D&q3=lukG2kh7WS8%3D&q4=lukG2kh7WS8%3D&q5=cFrm%2B1XeZ%2BA%3D&q6=BSXFTxew61Q%3D&q7=gGmkJpXtr2kYmFeRnzMA9uYtmiAUBs%2Fm&frm1_npage=1#7_0_V9

Also found this Hebrew document which appears to have testimony of Zofia right after liberation.

ארכיון E 49 M 3001 - 3500 - GRINBERG CHANA-3001=*נערה מספרת על ...

3078 – KOLCZYCKA ZOFIA - העדה היא נערה צעירה מ – LODZ שמוסרת דו"ח מקיף בשני
תחומים : התארגנות נוער שמאלי בבתי המלאכה השונים בגטו ופעילות השכלתית בגטו – היא
...
www.magen.org.il/eduiot/3001_3500.doc - - Similar pages


3078 – KOLCZYCKA ZOFIA - העדה היא נערה צעירה מ – LODZ שמוסרת דו"ח מקיף בשני תחומים : התארגנות נוער שמאלי בבתי המלאכה השונים בגטו ופעילות השכלתית בגטו – היא מספרת על מחנה ELSNIK ליד BUCHENWALD – עם התקרבות החזית פינו את הנשים – הרכבת הופצצה ורוב הנשים נהרגו - הרוסים כבשו את המקום ודאגו לאסירות ששרדו- גרמנים כבשו מחדש את SEDIN מצאו את הבנות ששרדו ורצחו אותן – העדה נפצעה ונשארה נכה – היא בת 18 בעת מתן העדות

Computerized translation is:
3078 - KOLCZYCKA ZOFIA - the community is a young girl from - LODZ שמוסרת comprehensive report in the two areas of life : orientation leftist youth in various task in השכלתית and activities in - she says the ELSNIK camp near BUCHENWALD - with incoming front evacuated the women - Train boat women were killed and a majority - the Russians conquered the place concern לאסירות who survived of German re-conquered the SEDIN found the girls who survived murdered them - witness was wounded and disabled - is age 18 while giving testimony

The name of the "Elsnik" camp is very similar to "Elsing" mentioned in the document found at top of this page in the google search. States witness is wounded and disabled which fits in with other evidence found in search. It says has "orientation leftist youth" which may tie in with her being arrested.

According to the collections records of the USHMM, you are correct. If you review the secondary source materials in this site, you will also see how the general history of Buchenwald-Elsing compares with the Hebrew testimony which you translated. Here's what the basic secondary source summary says: "In October 1944, the SS transferred more than 250 Lodz ghetto Jews to Buchenwald-Elsnig, where they were forced to work in an explosives factory. Despite starvation rations, 12-hour work shifts, and brutal treatment by guards, some prisoners reported conditions as being better than at Auschwitz. In April 1945, the SS evacuated the camp in a train carrying explosives and bound for Berlin. Near Potsdam, Allied planes bombed the transport, killing many of the prisoners. The Germans hunted down and murdered most of those who managed to escape the inferno. Few prisoners survived." Good job! P.S. - I forgot to mention in my initial feedback that a Google search reinforces your hunch that Zofia might still be alive. There appear to be tax records for her in Sweden from around 2008.

I agree this information is correct based on the source you cite. Great work! You can now submit a biography of Zofia based on all of the information we know about her. Thank you for your help completing her record.