Nathan Rosenberg is a survivor of the Second World War and the Shoah. While so many Jews were caught up in that terrible period of history, Nathan and his family were fortunate to escape, and what makes their story different is that they escaped to the east, into the heart of the USSR. When their ghetto was being liquidated, the family was able to hide between two buildings, later coming out and walking in the direction of Russia. Eventually they were put on trains by Soviet forces, and sent into the heart of Siberia, where the family toiled away under difficult conditions. Once Operation Barbarossa took place, Polish Jews in the USSR were given a choice of where they wanted to go, and Nathan’s family made their way to Uzbekistan, hoping eventually to make it to Palestine. But the family’s choice proved challenging, and sadly much of Nathan’s family died against the backdrop of the Soviet hinterland. The survivors initially went to Poland as the war ended, and then to a DP camp in Austria, with later stops in Italy and France. While two siblings headed for Israel, Nathan made his way to Canada, where he built a life and career for himself, beginning in Timmins and later in Toronto.
Nathan was referred to us by author Alvin Abram, and he visited us in May 2018, when he was interviewed by Mr. Masters’ History 12 class.