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Shaindel (Sheila) Schreiber was born in 1929 in Ciechanow, a town in central Poland. She lived there with her parents, an older brother, and a younger sister. Ciechanow was located near the border that would later separate the land captured by the Russian and German armies.
In September 1939, Germany invaded the town and imposed curfews on the Jewish population.
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One night, Shaindel’s father missed curfew while returning from shul. German soldiers followed him home, and fearing for his life, he hid in a closet. By some miracle, the soldiers did not find him, despite the fact that other Jewish neighbors had been shot for similar offenses.
About two weeks later, there was a border dispute, and the Germans left, allowing the Russians to take over.
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The Russians treated the Jews better, and the family felt a momentary sense of relief, believing that “Mashiach had come.” However, just a week or so later, they were informed that the Russians and Germans were adjusting the border again. Along with many others in the town, Shaindel's family moved to a nearby town on the Russian side of the border.
Life in the new town was difficult.
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People lived in cramped conditions—synagogues, schools, basements, and even churches. Shaindel's family stayed in a basement with many other people, sharing one bathroom and struggling to find food. Her father, longing to return to their home, insisted that they move back to Ciechanow on the German side when the Russians allowed it.
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However, the Russians made it clear that anyone who registered to return to German-occupied land would be considered a traitor.
As a result, all the Polish Jews who registered to return, including Shaindel's family, were sent on cattle trains to a Russian army training camp in Siberia. Conditions in Siberia were harsh, with little food, no doctors, and no stores.
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They lived in large barracks with straw beds, and Shaindel’s mother gave birth to a baby who tragically died from the lack of food and medicine.
When the war ended in 1945, Shaindel's family moved to Foehrenwald, one of the largest and last standing DP (displaced persons) camps in Germany, near Munich. It was there that Shaindel met and married her husband, who was also a Polish Jew whose family had survived the war in Siberia.
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Life in the DP camp was better. Shaindel referred to it as “the kibbutz in Germany,” as organizations like ORT provided food and taught them skills such as farming and sewing. They also had access to doctors and hospitals in nearby Munich.
In 1952, Shaindel gave birth to a son, who unfortunately contracted polio while they were still in the DP camp. Over time, different family members emigrated to Israel or the United States.
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One of her husband’s sisters settled in Munich, but eventually, Shaindel's family in New York sent papers for them to move there.
In late 1955, Shaindel and her family moved to the Lower East Side of New York City, settling on 4th Street between Avenues C and D. She gave birth to two more sons in New York, where she still lives today, working six mornings a week in a kosher bakery.
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Shaindel has three sons, eight grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.
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Shaindel Schreiber interview at Katz Hillel Day School of Boca Raton - 2023-2024
Katz Hillel Day School of Boca Raton
