Grodno, Belarus

From Ruth Marcus

Israel

28 December 2016

I would be grateful if you help me to search for Tania (Prenski) Kaplan and her daughter Anna in the various sources in Australia, such as: Facebook groups in Australia, Australian Jewish News and others. Unfortunately I don't have more information about Tania Kaplan and/or her daughter.

There is a well known story about Tania's sister- Lena Prenski, who remained in Grodno and was killed in the Ghetto. I think that it wouldn't help in the searches for Tania and Anna. However, let me tell you in brief the story of Lena Prenski.

Lena Prenski (Tania's sister) was born in 1913. Under the German occupation, during the Ghetto period, Lena Prenski was caught by the Germans trying to escape from the Ghetto. Lena Prenski and other two Jewish men were hung on iron beams of a house in the main street of the Ghetto. The German commander of the Ghetto, Kurt Wiese, carried out the hanging. He approached Lena who was standing erect on a stool on the platform, neither trembling nor pleading. She spat into his face. Lena and the other two Jewish men were killed. 

Eli, let me tell you that whenever I visit Grodno I always stop by the house at 33 Perez Street where the hanging was carried out.

Best regards,

Ruth

PS This terrible event was described by Chasia Bornstein-Bielicka in the book: "One of the Few".  The book was published in Hebrew and translated into English and Russian. (In the Hebrew book this event is described in pages 122-123. In the English book in pages 141-142).

Link to the book (in English): http://hufind.huji.ac.il/Record/HUJ001492092

Attached are two photos:

Photo 965 (photo taken in my visit in 2010): The back side of the house at Bolshoi Troitskaya (formerly Peretz) 33.

Photo 1247 (photo taken in my visit in 2011): The front side of the house at Bolshoi Troitskaya (formerly Peretz) 33.

Hanging at 33 Perez Street