Leah Burman tells the story her father, of Ziggy Landschaft.
Ziggy was born in 1925 in Chorzow, Poland.
Chorzow is about an hour’s drive away from Cracow and near the border with Germany.
Ziggy had a younger brother, Mayer, and parents, Chaim and Liba. They lived a traditional orthodox Jewish life in a well-established Jewish community. Chaim, owned a food shop which supplied Jews and non-Jews in the town.
Life was turned upside down following the start of the Second World War. There wasn't time to escape from Poland and in 1940 they were transported to the Cracow ghetto. Ziggy was 15. After the ghetto Ziggy survived 3 concentration camps and a Death March. He was the only survivor from his nuclear family.
Ziggy spent some years working out what to do in his life and where to live. The Jewish community had been wiped out in Chorzow. He travelled to a few countries, eventually meeting and marrying Renia, another Holocaust survivor, settling in London, and in their retirement, in Israel. They had 3 daughters, 5 grandchildren, and 9 great grandchildren.
Ziggy was always been positive and looked forward. His motto has been Le Chaim, a Jewish toast meaning “To Life”.
This, then, is the miraculous story of Ziggy’s survival. Had it not been for his own resilience throughout the war, the support of Czech prisoners and a brave escape from a concentration camp, he would surely have died.
This presentation is suitable for Y9 students+ and adults. It is suitable for Year 7 upwards with preparation.
