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Chaim was born on August 15, 1942, in the Krakow Ghetto in Poland. His father never had the chance to meet him, and his mother was deported sometime in 1943, either to Auschwitz or Treblinka. During a brief period of relative safety, Chaim was cared for by his aunt, his mother’s sister. However, as rumors of liquidation began to circulate, Chaim was entrusted to Avraham Schnapp for smuggling out of the ghetto.
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They hid in a pharmacy cellar during the liquidation in March 1943, enduring the unbearable stench of sewage for survival. Afterwards, they sought refuge in a bunker but were soon captured by Jewish police. With bribery and forged papers, they escaped the ghetto and lived in Krakow. Using a split paper method, they were smuggled into Slovakia. On October 28, 1943, they arrived in Bistritz near the Slovakian border.
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During their stay, Chaim turned blue on a Friday night, and Mr. Schnapp built a fire to revive him. They traveled through the night into Slovakia.
Once in Slovakia, they lived with Slovakian Jews temporarily, but their ultimate goal was Hungary, which was not yet under Nazi control. In early November, they were smuggled into Hungary, near the city of Kosice.
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A peasant guided them to a synagogue, but the local Jews in Kosice were too frightened to help them.
They were eventually assisted by Jews who paid for their bus to Miskolc and then a train to Budapest, where a group helping Polish refugees managed to secure their stay by pretending they were non-Jews.
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Despite initial resistance from Chaim’s mother, Mr. Schnapp was convinced to give the malnourished baby over to the Schonbrun family, who adopted him. The Schonbruns, who were hidden from the Nazis, managed to survive the war. After the war, the Schonbrun family moved to Belgium and later to Montreal, where Chaim attended yeshiva. He continued his studies at Nitra Yeshiva in Mount Kisco, NY.
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In 1963, Chaim married Gitty (née Markowitz) and settled in Brooklyn. They had four children: Miriam (Wielgus), Aaron Hersh, Shimmy, and Motti. For many years, Chaim had no contact with Mr. Schnapp. However, Gitty’s aunt eventually connected them when she matched a photograph Mr. Schnapp had carried with him.
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Chaim brought his family to Israel in 1980, where his wife’s aunt introduced him to Mr. Schnapp, who was living in Haifa. Mr. Schnapp gifted Chaim a box of gold that had been given to him by Chaim’s aunt when she handed Chaim over to him. Although Mr. Schnapp had used the gold for bribes, he “didn’t want to get any schar (reward) for this mitzvah in this world” so he saved up to buy the same amount of gold back.
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Since then, the families have remained close. Chaim worked in jewelry and lived in Boro Park before moving to Flatbush. Though retired, he continues to give shiurim at a yeshiva near his apartment.
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Chaim Schonbrun interview at Naaleh High School For Girls - 2023-2024
Naaleh High School For Girls
