Rachel Shtibel, nee Milbauer, a vivacious and outgoing music lover, lay hidden and silent in an underground bunker in Nazi-occupied Poland for nearly two years.  A young child, she managed to survive the war, through her determination and good fortune.  After the war, a recovered violin, case and photos hidden away by Rachel’s beloved Uncle Velvel became cherished symbols of survival and continuity. With the darkest days behind her, Rachel met Adam Shtibel and fell in love, and they both set about building a new life together. Half a century later, Rachel decided to explore her memories and author her memoirs.

Rachel and her husband Adam shared their memories with us in September 2014, at Baycrest’s Cafe Europa.  Rachel was interviewed by Crestwood students Danielle Gionnas, Izabella Osme and Viki Tao.  We would like to thank Baycrest and the Azrieli Foundation for their  ongoing support of Crestwood’s Oral History Project.  In January 2017, Rachel visited Crestwood and spoke to Mr. DeFranco’s English 8 class, where she was interviewed by Arielle Meyer, Jadaia Reid, Selina Zhao and Jerry Chen.