Ruth Hendel / Tamar Hendel-Fishman (F / Croatia, 1935), Holocaust survivor

Ruth Hendel / Tamar Hendel-Fishman (F / Croatia, 1935), Holocaust survivor

David Hendel (M / Croatia, 1928), Holocaust survivor

• KEYWORDS : <Refugees> <Italy> <Fort Ontario> <United States>

Biography

• See David Hendel (M / Croatia, 1928), Holocaust survivor

USHMM

Tamar Hendel Fishman (born Rut Hendel) is the daughter of Eisik Hendel (1903-1992) and Hana Sarah Weissman Hendel (1908-1998). She was born on April 26, 1935 in Zagreb where her father worked as a textile merchant. Her older brother, David, was born on September 11, 1928. By 1941, the family was forced into hiding in German-controlled Yugoslavia. They wanted to escape, but could not all leave at the same time for safety reasons. It was easier for women and children to flee the country, so Tamar and her mother left first. David and his father made several attempts to leave, the last of which was successful. They stayed in Iin Susak for a about a month and then went to Ljubljana, Slovenia for several months. Tamar's grandmother Yetta Weissman, and Hana's sister, Bertha Kremer, together with her two boys, Vilko and Herman, joined them in Ljublijana. They fled Zagreb after the Ustashi killed Bertha's husband, Aron, and David's grandfather, Mordechai Weissman. From there they eventually came to Italy proper and lived in the town on Rovigo until the German invasion of Italy in September 1943. They then left for Rome and lived under false papers. David, together with his cousin Herman Kremer, studied in the Coleggio San Leone Magno, a Catholic Vatican school. Following the American liberation of southern Italy, the Hendel family registered to join a refugee transport to the United States. After crossing the Atlantic on the naval vessel, the Henry Gibbins, David and his family were brought to the refugee camp, Fort Ontario in Oswego, New York. Bertha, Herman and Vilko also came to Oswego while Yetta stayed with her two other daughters, Hajka and Darika and eventually immigrated to Brazil. After arriving in Oswego, David and Tamar were able to go to school, learn English, interact with Americans, and participate in social activities. The majority of people in the camp spoke Italian; however, the Hendels learned English quickly. The Hendels lived in Fort Ontario for about a year and a half before receiving permission to move to New York City.