POCAHONTAS, AR Oct. 26, 2019 – Black River Technical College, in cooperation with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, will host Holocaust survivor Esther Starobin (Rosenfeld)for three presentations October 29-30.
Starobin will be speaking at 9:30 a.m. both Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, and 7:00 p.m. Tuesday evening. All presentations will be held in the Randolph County Development Center auditorium on the BRTC Pocahontas campus.
According to the USHMM website, Starobin Esther was born a small town with only ten Jewish families. Her parents, Katie and Adolf Rosenfeld, had four other children: Bertl, Edith, Ruth and Herman. Adolf, who had lost a leg in World War I, and Katie sold feed, other cattle products, and arranged the sale of cattle. After the children were no longer allowed to attend the local school, Esther’s three older sisters went to live with relatives in Heilbronn then Aachen where they attended Jewish school.
In March 1939, Esther’s sisters went to England on the Kindertransport. In June 1939, Esther followed on the Kindertransport. She arrived in London and was escorted to Thorpe, Norwich. There, Esther lived with Dorothy and Harry Harrison and their son Alan from 1939 until November 1947. Harry worked in a Jewish-owned shoe factory. Upon arrival, Esther was quarantined because she had scarlet fever, but Alan played with her through the window. She was very much a part of the family, went to school, and had a happy childhood. Her sisters lived in England but visited when possible.
Esther’s parents and brother were deported during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot in October 1940 to the Gurs camp in France. Her brother was rescued in 1941 and came to the United States to live with an aunt and uncle. Esther’s parents were sent to Auschwitz and murdered in August 1942. In 1947, Esther’s sister Bertl arranged for herself, Ruth, and Esther to join Herman in the U.S. where Esther had trouble adapting. e four siblings were finally reunited. Esther attended the University of Illinois and was a teacher.
The presentations are free and open to the public. Sponsors of the event include SEAS Project of the BRTC Foundation; Mike and Barbara Dunn; First National Bank of Walnut Ridge, Hoxie, Pocahontas, and Bono; Integrity First Bank; and Brett and Karen Liebhaber.
For more information or to schedule a group contact Hannah at (870) 248-4189 or visit our website.