Barbara Schechter Cohen

By: Lindsey Diekemper

Me and my mother, Jean, Dürnholz, Germany 1943. I was 2 years old.Me my aunt

and my mother, 1946. I was 5 years old.

November 20, 1943

The war started in ‘39 so I was born about 2 years into the war in Bukaczowce, Bukaczowce

1946

We were forced to wear yellow stars on our clothing or armbands to make sure people knew we were Jewish. My mother and father didn’t wear them because they didn’t want to be sent to a ghetto.

Because father was a lawyer he could get forged papers that helped somewhat.

Labor workers, my mother worked as one while we were in Germany. And my father worked as one in Poland with his fake papers

Me and my mother ran away to Dresden towards the end of the war. There was a bombing. She was running the bombs were coming. And we thought that this was the end.

Newspapers from the bombing

Me and my mother were at a DP camp where my father had found us in Stuttgart.

It was in May of 1946. When we arrived in New York on a refugee ship, we were bombarded with newspaper people and movie people because we were the actual first ship. There were two ships...this was the Marine Fletcher.

A newspaper clipping from our ship arriving, me and my mother are marked with X’s

In New York, under 3rd avenue We lived in New York until I was about 11 until we moved to Detroit

This is the house we stayed in while we lived in Detroit with my dads side of the family

My mom worked as a manicurist while in Detroit and my dad worked in a tie store