Wurman Family
As told by Manny Bekier:
My maternal grandfather was Matys Wurman, a successful furrier in Ostrowiec.
He was born in Urzedow, Poland in 1890 to Abram and Chana (Lindenbaum) Wurman. Matys settled in Ostrowiec and married Ruchla Grynglas. They had four daughters and two sons:
- Miriam who married Shlomo Worcman. They had a son Lejzor (Loniek). They were all killed October 1942.
- Regina who married Kaminski. She died 1940.
- Channa (Ann) who had a marriage of convenience* with Marian Bajgelman in 1942 (killed 1944). Channa was deported to Auschwitz July 7, 1944 (A-17099). She survived the war and married Judka Bekierman in 1946. They emigrated with their son, Manuel, to the US. Channa married Morris Brikman in 1974.
- Chaya (Helen) who had a marriage of convenience* with Witold Kerbel in 1942 (killed 1944). She married Dr. Issac Mincberg and emigrated to the US.
- Moshe Chaim who married Blima Stecka. They were deported to Auschwitz in August 1944. Moshe (B-5348) was later sent to Sachsenhausen, followed by Flossenburg, where he died.
- Gerszon who married Eva Garfinkiel. They emigrated to Paris and later to the US.
*a marriage of convenience was a marriage, officially and only on paper, in the hope of avoiding the pending deportation.
Matys was arrested by the Gestapo and taken to Auschwitz (registered as Pole 26219J), where he was killed on September 3, 1942.
The fur factory continued to operate under the control of his two sons, Moshe and Gerszon until the Ostrowiec Large Ghetto was dissolved with a bloody “aktsia”.
More interesting Wurman Ostrowiec connections:
- Nachemia Wurman, the Partisan fighter, was Matys Wurman's nephew.
- A cousin of the family was Bajla Gertner.
- A good friend of Channa Wurman was Abram Kirshner.