Leon Steinman
Leon Steinman

Leon Sztajman

Leon (Yehuda) Sztajman (born Sep 10, 1929 or Apr 10, 1930/1931) was born in Ostrowiec, son of Yitzchak and Rivka(Halpern).

His grandfather was Henrich Halpern and was a merchant/ importer of linen and therefore relatively wealthy as he had private tutors.

His siblings were:
Yocheved (Cella) Sztajman -  She was younger than him.

Elijah Sztajman – 3 year old brother.

His grandfather Halpern was shot at the dinner table.  I believe his father was killed in the town.

His mother refused separation from the 3 year old  son and were probably sent to Treblinka with the rest of the town in Oct 1942.

His sister and aunt tried to pose as Christian Poles but they were turned in and probably died in Treblinka.

He had a first cousin, known as Dov Halpern.  He was 1 year old when he was  taken in by a Polish physician and raised by him.  He had an aunt from his mother's side who was in Israel, and he was brought there after the war and lived there.

Leon was separated from his family somehow and according to the holocaust museum records , he was in Starachowice, Auschwitz, Birkenau, Buchenwald, and was on death March from Buchenwald to Theresienstadt .  He was liberated by the Soviets on May 7/8 1942 .  From Theresienstadt, he went to Prague and was in the first group of boys sent to Windermere in England .  He was about 15 years old in Windermere, and I came to the US at around age 19 when he found his uncles (Sztajman side)  Joe ( Staiman),  Harry (stein), Freddie (Stone) and Sam ( stone) who had come to US before the war.

There is a picture here of Leon's grandfather, Szmul Sztajman from 1928. Szmul's  wife was thought to be  Miriam Devora Greenberg.

His uncle   Joe staiman did live in Ostrowiec with Leon's family, he was studying to be a dentist.

In the USA, Leon worked in the garment district in NYC. He was a master bridge player. He was a very quiet, passive person.   Unfortunately he got Alzheimer’s at age 60 and died at age 70.

Leon is in a picture in the Ostrowiec yizkor book- he was on the New Yizkor Book Committee of the Ostrowiec "Landsleit" at a Special Meeting Convened for Fundraising Purposes during the 6-Day War in Israel . , There is a memorial page to the Halpern and Sztajman family.

Source: Victoria Staiman, daughter of Leon

Szmul Sztajman
Szmul Sztajman
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Ostrowiec 1971 Yizkor Book. Arrow points to Leon