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Ariela Rojek
Ariela Rojek
Ariela was born on September 21, 1933, in Przemysl, Poland, a midsize city. She was an only child and lived with her extended family in the same building that her family owned. Her immediate family lived in one unit, while her paternal grandparents lived in another. The family ran a tavern at street level, and the building also housed a few office spaces. Ariela’s father's side of the family was secular,
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while her mother’s side was more observant, but everyone lived close by, and they saw each other daily.
The war impacted Ariela’s life almost immediately. The Germans invaded in 1939, but after a few months, Przemysl was divided into two, and her family ended up on the Russian side, as the town was on the border with Ukraine. Up until 1939, Ariela had enjoyed a happy childhood, attending kindergarten for a short time. However, in 1941, the Germans
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took control again. In November of that year, her father, maternal grandfather, and one maternal uncle were arrested without explanation. They were taken to Montelupich prison in Krakow and held there until June or July 1942, when they were sent to Auschwitz, where they perished.
Soon after the Germans reoccupied the town, Ariela’s mother stopped sending her to school. The family, including Ariela, her mother, and about 20 extended family members,
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was moved to the Przemysl ghetto. In August 1941, or perhaps later, there was a round-up, and most of her family was deported to Belzec, where they were immediately gassed. Ariela was left in the ghetto with her aunt and uncle. She was supposed to be sent to a monastery with other girls from the neighborhood before the ghetto, but somehow, she got lost and never made it there. The other girls who went to the monastery survived.
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Ariela stayed with her aunt and uncle, and they were able to adopt her while living in the ghetto.
In July 1942, the Jewish population of Przemysl, including Ariela and 13 family members, was transferred to the ghetto. During a round-up in late July or early August, most of the family was taken to Belzec and killed. Ariela, her aunt, and uncle were part of a 12-person group taken to a prison in Krakow. They were unsure of their fate
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but were eventually transported to Bergen-Belsen. They were classified as prisoners of war and placed in barracks. Bergen-Belsen was not a death camp, but life was still difficult. Her uncle passed away, but her aunt and mother survived.
Ariela was on "a train near Magdeburg," one of several trains carrying prisoners that was liberated by the American army in 1945 while en route to Theresienstadt. After liberation, Ariela and her aunt
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moved from place to place until they found a rabbi who helped them reach a Displaced Persons (DP) camp at Bergen-Belsen. Ariela was 12 at the time, and they stayed there for two years.
In 1947, Ariela and her aunt moved to Israel. Her mother’s brother, who lived in Israel, took them in for a short time. To ensure Ariela could stay at a kibbutz for orphans, her aunt changed her story, claiming she was an orphan. Ariela joined
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the Ayanot kibbutz near Tel Aviv, while her aunt struggled to find work and was psychologically unwell. A year later, Ariela met her future husband, and they married when she was 19 years old.
Ariela’s aunt passed away in 1966. Ariela had two daughters born in Israel, but after the Six-Day War in 1967, the family decided to move to Canada. Today, Ariela has four granddaughters and eight great-grandchildren.
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She recently celebrated her 90th birthday. Her husband passed away tragically in 2008. Ariela’s family is proud of their Jewish heritage, with all her grandchildren and great-grandchildren attending Jewish day schools.
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The End
Ariela Rojek interview at The Leo Baeck Day School - 2023-2024
The Leo Baeck Day School
