5.1 - 'A Fortunate Life, Despite Profound Loss' with Rachel Goldberg
Hello, my name is Matthew Sortino and welcome to Their Stories Unbroken.
Today, I am speaking to Rachel Goldberg. Rachel was born in Fergana, Uzbekistan - which was then a part of the USSR - in 1943 to Polish Jewish parents, Eva and Nathan Rynderman.
To frame some of the history of this conversation, I want to begin with a key part of the war that is often left out of history class. Many forget that the USSR or Soviet Union started as an enemy to the Allies. In 1939, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was signed between Nazi Germany and the USSR which publicly declared a 10-year non-aggression treaty between the regimes, but secretly planned to divide Poland with their eventual invasions of the country.
With the Nazi invasion of Poland in September 1939, Eva and Nathan fled Nazi occupied Western Poland and went to Bialystok which was in Soviet occupied Eastern Poland. The two were subsequently captured as Polish, not Jewish, prisoners and sent to separate work camps in Uzbekistan.
Believe it or not, Hitler was not a man of his word and he invaded the Soviet Union with Operation Barbarossa in June 1941. With the Nazi’s now an enemy of the Soviets, the USSR quickly changed sides to be a member of the Allied powers. This meant peace with Poland and the release of Polish prisoners in their territory including Eva and Nathan. Eva believed that Nathan would still be alive and that he would be trying to join General Anders' army - the Polish Armed Forces formed in the Soviet Union - which had a meeting point in Tashkent. Eva found her way onto a troop train to Tashkent and whether by luck or determination, Eva and Nathan were reunited at Tashkent Station and survived the rest of the war working in factories around Fergana, Uzbekistan - the birthplace of my guest today, Rachel Goldberg. After Allied victory in May 1945, the family made their way to Poland, then France before coming to Australia in 1948.
Although it is an incredible opportunity to have these conversations, with both my guest and I often feeling quite positive afterwards, it must be recognised that these stories are profoundly tragic. Rachel’s mother Eva lost her entire family while Rachel’s father, Nathan, lost everyone except his sister, Lena. This was the reality for many European Jews. Not only were two-thirds of European Jewry killed, only one-third of survivors had another member of their family survive. Today’s story which in many ways is one of triumph, is actually a tragedy of the highest order. I cannot imagine what it would feel like to celebrate the end of the worst war of all time only to realise you are the only surviving member of your family due to a genocide. The fact that so many survivors were able to not only move on but thrive is a testament to the strength of the Jewish people. Rachel captures the duality of this reality and I am so thankful for her openness and vulnerability when sharing her story.
In Part 1 of today's podcast, Rachel shares the story of her parents and her early life growing up the child of survivors.
In Part 2, Rachel discusses her life, career, family and contribution.
This episode is the first of a three part mini series where I speak to Caitlin Faiman, Rachel's daughter and Nathan Faiman, Rachel's Grandson. To weave together a tapestry of a family story with three generations was such a privilege and I am so lucky to be able to bring these episodes to you.
Before I get to the episode, I would like to ask you to please do a few things for me. Firstly, follow the podcast so you can be alerted to when a new episode comes out. Secondly, please give this podcast a review wherever you are currently listening to it. A 5 star written review goes a long way towards getting the podcast out there. Thirdly, tell friends, family and your social media networks about the podcast - I do not have social media so I am relying on you to be my messengers. Finally, please do get in touch if you have any ideas, potential guests, feedback or even opportunities to work together!
Episode Timestamps
Introduction – 0:00 - 4:55
Part 1 – 4:56 - 37:58
Part 2 – 37:59 - 59:29
Outro – 59:30 - 61:22
Special thanks to:
Bialik College - https://www.bialik.vic.edu.au/ [https://www.bialik.vic.edu.au/]
Bialik College Parents Association - https://www.bialik.vic.edu.au/community/parents-association [https://www.bialik.vic.edu.au/community/parents-association]
Bialik College Foundation - https://foundation.bialik.vic.edu.au/ [https://foundation.bialik.vic.edu.au/]
Yad Vashem - https://www.yadvashem.org/ [https://www.yadvashem.org/]
Gandel Foundation - https://gandelfoundation.org.au/ [https://gandelfoundation.org.au/]
Adam Starr - https://www.starrmusic.com.au/ [https://www.starrmusic.com.au/]
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Podcast by Matthew Sortino
Music by Adam Starr
