BRIAN COLEMAN—FRIEND OF HOLOCAUST VICTIMS AND SURVIVORS

May the light of miracles
continue to shine
in your heart and home.

He appeared in my life as an angel from heaven.

If there are angels, he was one.

He was an angel sent from heaven to all who knew him, especially the holocaust survivors.

I didn't have the good fortune to meet Brian Kyle Coleman, but I do have the good fortune of knowing a number of people who  were profoundly touched by Brian, and who have agreed to help me tell his story to the world. Brian died at age nineteen, on January 29, 2008. He will be sorely missed, but never forgotten. In his short time on earth, he corresponded with, met and befriended a number of Holocaust survivors. They touched his heart, and he touched theirs. I will allow them to tell you Brian's story in their own words, and his.—Michael R. Burch, Editor, The HyperTexts

 

A Beacon Of Hope

by David Morris, Editor, The Florida Jewish News

After writing hundreds of letters, Indiana high school student meets Holocaust survivors in South Florida.

Once you meet him there’s little doubt left in your mind that had he been alive at the time, Brian Coleman—a high school senior from a small town near South Bend, IN—would have been among those non-Jews trying to save Jews during the Holocaust. At his own expense, this studious, articulate 18-year-old, accompanied by grandfather, Leroy Ross, recently visited South Florida to meet survivors to whom he’s written letters, along with others belonging to the Child Survivors of the Holocaust South Florida Group.

Coleman’s deep fascination with the Holocaust period began when in 7th grade. But Brian’s class project of nearly six years ago hasn’t stopped at all; rather, it has turned into something much larger than he might have ever imagined.

"We were told to read a book dealing with some aspect of the Holocaust and then tell our class about it," Coleman said. "I went to the public library and found a book called, ‘Tell Them We Remember’ that was produced by the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. I suddenly realized that my generation might be the very last one to ever meet a person who actually lived through those horrors."

After reading that first book, Coleman couldn’t stop learning about the Holocaust and especially sought out the works of Elie Wiesel. However, it was reading Richard Rashke’s "The Escape From Sobibor" (1987), and then seeing the movie that completely captured his imagination. It motivated him to find out if indeed there were any living survivors of Sobibor. Assuming there were, he decided he would write them letters because he had lots of questions.

"Through the Internet and a few other sources, I found out there were six Sobibor survivors living in the United States," Coleman said. "I wrote a letter to each of them and they all answered back. It was an amazing feeling and this all happened in the summer before I went into 10th grade."

Coleman’s very first letter received from a survivor was on June 17, 2004. He thought he would stop writing when summer ended and it was time to go back to school but as the responses kept coming in, he just kept finding more survivors and writing to them. Coleman says that so far he’s handwritten just over 600 letters and keeps them in shoeboxes. One of the responses he received was from Ann Shore, President of the Hidden Child Foundation of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

Brian had asked Shore, "Was the woman who hid you ever acknowledged by Yad Vashem?" Her response:

The woman who hid us was never nice to us except for the few months that we paid her. Afterward, she totally ignored us, as if we were not even there. Once I was so sick with fever that my mother thought I would die. My mother begged the woman for a cup of hot water, which she refused to give us. And she cursed us in anger as well. The only reason she did not physically kick us out was because she was afraid at that point to tell anyone she had hidden us, and for our part, we refused to go. Toward the end of the war, her brother returned to the farm from a German detention camp (he had been captured as a Polish soldier when Poland fought the German invasion). Together, they threatened us and forced us to leave. The last six months of the war we spent hiding with a hidden Jewish boy in a nearby barn. That farmer was indeed a good man [because] he hid the boy without any financial remuneration. The farmer never even knew we were there.  

Dena Axelrod, coordinator of the Child Survivors of the Holocaust and Eugenia Rosen, one of the group’s most active members, were instrumental in arranging Coleman’s itinerary while in the area. Over the course of four days he met nearly 60 survivors from Miami Beach, Boca Raton, Century Village in Pembroke Pines and at two different luncheons—one in Aventura and another in Hollywood. Axelrod says the teen learned about her personal story and that of 25 other child survivors living in South Florida when he discovered the book, "Children Who Survived the Final Solution." The anthology of stories was edited by Peter Tarjan and published in 2004.

"Meeting Brian and seeing the level of devotion he has to his letter writing project, reconfirms to me there are good people in this world who will make sure our stories live on," Rosen said. "I was one of those who was afraid to tell my children what happened to us but finally did before it was too late. This wonderful boy has brought sunshine to our lives and to all those survivors who have met him on his visit to Florida."

Upon his graduation from high school this spring, Coleman plans to attend Indiana’s Manchester College and study business.

Coleman proudly displayed "the autographs" he now has in his copy of "Children Who Survived the Final Solution." On page 120, Rose Kaplovitz (Zaks) whose name is now Rose Baigelman, inscribed: "Brian…Please keep our stories alive by speaking up when we are no longer here. Tell the future generations that you met survivors and heard their stories."

Prior to his Florida visit, Coleman made similar trips to Minneapolis and Chicago.

"A lot of people are telling me I should write a book myself and I guess I eventually will," Coleman said. "I’m now up to emailing about 100 survivors and exchanging written letters with about another 50 of them. Whenever I meet a survivor, I take two Polaroid pictures; one for me and one for them. They are always amazing to talk to and I feel I must keep meeting them and learning from them."



SOUTH BEND—INDIANA

                     In memory of Brian Coleman
                     by Yala Korwin

His first gift:
A white cup with printed red circle and
black letters: Studebaker,
and below that, South Bend Indiana

His second gift:
five rare two-dollar bills.
On the recto, image of Jefferson.
On the verso, distinguished gentlemen
in knickers and powdered wigs,
are about to declare
the independence
of the USA.

His Hanukkah card:
On the blue ground a golden menorah.
His Hanukkah wish:
May the light of miracles
continue to shine
in your heart and home.

His last letter:
Thank you for the letter.
It was nice to read
about Queens College.
Maybe someday I will go there.
It will never happen.

The cup, the five two-dollar bills,
the Hanukkah card,
his last letter
have become relics.





Brian Coleman's Happy Hanukkah card to Holocaust survivor Yala Korwin





A letter from Yala Korwin:

BRIAN COLEMAN—THE RIGHTEOUS GENTILE

I do not remember when I first heard about Brian. It is possible that I read about him in the Jewish Week or in Forward. “Brian Coleman welcomes letters from anyone interested in his project and would like to someday participate in the March of Living.”

I sent an e-mail to Brian: “Dear Brian Coleman, I am a Holocaust survivor and am interested in your project.”

Brian responded by e-mailing a series of photos taken in Florida when he was there visiting Holocaust survivors. He also mailed a copy of the Florida Jewish News containing a story about him, written by David Morris. Thus, I learned that he was a high school student in South Bend, Indiana. “Once you met him,” wrote Morris, “there’s little doubt left in your mind that had he been alive at that time, Brian Coleman would have been among those non-Jews trying to save Jews during the Holocaust.”

He appeared in my life as an angel sent from heaven. He won my heart even before I had a pleasure to meet him and having him in my house as a guest. By then, he graduated from high school and was about to enter college in South Bend.

When he arrived, I saw a tall and lean young man. He was a delightful companion with a great sense of humor. We went together to several meeting with the Holocaust survivors. We also went to the Museum of Modern Art, and he enjoyed it very much.

He fell in love with New York and told me that he would eventually transfer to Queens College. It will never happen. I miss him and I will never forget him.

Yala Korwin



A letter from Sylvia Feuer:

To the Parents and Family of Brian Coleman:

I was shocked and heartbroken to learn of the passing of Brian. I am the widow of a holocaust survivor. In August of 2005, Brian wrote a letter to my husband wondering whether he was a holocaust survivor. I informed Brian that indeed my husband was a holocaust survivor, but that he had died in April of 2001. I continued to correspond with Brian and shared with him many of my husband's experiences at Auschwitz and Dachau.

Brian was a remarkable young man and accomplished so much in his short life. He was an angel sent from heaven to all who knew him, especially the holocaust survivors. I personally thought of Brian as part of my family though I never met him. He sent me photos of places he visited and the people he met. He took some photos with a group of people during his trip to Long Island, New York and sent it to me. One of the women looked familiar and I asked Brian if her maiden name was Mendelovits. Indeed it was her and through Brian I was able to renew our friendship. I met this girl in Junior High School in 8th grade. She could not speak a word of English. The teacher asked if anyone spoke Yiddish and I raised my hand. I became her interpreter and we became good friends.This girl came from Belgium and was taken into a Convent by the Monsignor and Mother Superior. Hiding them as Christians into the Church, they saved their lives by preventing her mother and two sisters from going to the concentration camp. Brian was very interested in whether we were able to contact one another and was very happy when I informed him that we did get in touch.

Brian was a remarkable and amazing young man, so sensitive to human problems. I am writing this with tears in my eyes and my heartfelt sympathy to you and your entire family. I will miss Brian's emails, little tidbits and jokes that he sent to all the survivors. He is among the angels and will always be remembered by the many holocaust survivors and their families.

                                             With deepest condolences,

                                                       SYLVIA FEUER

                                       widow of Auschwitz and Dachau survivor,

                                                        ALEX FEUER



A letter from Johanna Willner:

We met Brian last year when he came to our house to meet my husband Eddie Willner, who is an Auschwitz survivor. We were deeply touched about his mission to keep the memory alive. He would have made a difference had he lived then, and he made a difference while he was alive by embracing the few Holocaust survivors that are left, and giving them hope that they will never be forgotten. He was like a star, coming to this earth briefly, made a big impact on many people's lives, and left us. He will never be forgotten by those whose lives he touched. If there are angels, he was one. We are still weeping for this loss to all of us.

Johanna Willner, wife of Auschwitz survivor Eddie Willner, Number A-5662



A letter from Judith Bihaly:

Brian, I will forever cherish the day I spent with you last summer, watching you fall in love with New York and promising yourself to someday move here.  So young!  So beautiful!  And so caring for the many Holocaust survivors whom you befriended.  We will always remember you.  

With many thanks,

Judith Bihaly



Handwritten notes from Brian Coleman to Judith Bihaly:

A letter from Audrey Friedman Marcus:

I didn’t know Brian Coleman. Yet—somehow—I felt that I did.

About a year ago, I heard of the letters Brian was writing to Holocaust survivors. I wrote to him immediately to tell him how significant I felt his efforts were in defeating the lies of Holocaust deniers and giving hope to survivors that their stories would live on. Because my late husband was a survivor, these matters are of vital interest to me. Brian and I became friends via the internet and wrote back and forth frequently.

I decided to bring Brian to Denver in March during his spring break. With the help of three friends, one a Holocaust survivor, one the widow of a Holocaust survivor, and one a board member of the Holocaust Awareness Institute at the University of Denver, we created an intensive and interesting five-day program for Brian that included one-on-one meetings with over a dozen survivors, a meeting with two Shoah Foundation interviewers, a visit to Denver’s Babi Yar Park, and two outstanding documentary films on the Holocaust. In addition, we planned to show him the sights of Denver and Colorado Springs.

Brian never got to take this trip. Nor did he see the schedule for his visit, which I emailed to him around the first of February, unaware of his death on January 29th. When I learned of this tragic occurrence, I had to read the letter three times before the message sank in. Brian was gone, his valuable work unfinished and promising life cut off. A pervasive sadness has stayed with me night and day ever since.

This 19-year-old boy influenced and changed many lives. Mine is one of those lives, even though we never met. Brian Coleman’s legacy will live on in the hearts of the many people whose lives he touched. And in my heart as well.

Audrey Friedman Marcus
Denver, Colorado



A letter from Gail Schwartz:

I first met Brian when he came to Washington, DC last year. I am a volunteer in the Oral History Department at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and Johanna and Eddie Willner, a survivor and his wife who had known Brian thought I would be interested in meeting him.  I began corresponding with him and when he came to Washington soon after, we spent the day together at the Museum. I'll always remember seeing him for the first time with his backpack filled to the brim with letters. We had a long talk over lunch where he spoke of how he got involved in his meaningful project as well as his future college plans. We talked about how each survivor's story is unique and needs to be told. I could tell how precious those letters were to him and how he treasured his personal relationships with survivors. I'm sure the feelings were mutual. Every staff member he met that day was fascinated by his letter project, and when the survivors who were in the building that day found their letters in his collection they were so touched.

We continued to correspond after that—he wrote about the courses he was taking at college, his hopes that the letters would be archived in a museum. I could tell by the wonderful smile on his face in numerous photographs how much he enjoyed visiting with survivors in their homes, sightseeing with them, and helping them to form new relationships among each other, which was truly a gift.

It is through Brian that I was able to get in contact again with Yala Korwin, a poet and artist, whom I had met some years before, a survivor who has also enriched my life. Brian and I frequently spoke of her.

Brian will be missed so very much, not only by his family, but so many others whose lives he had touched. He was such a warm, caring and sensitive young man, mature beyond his years. It was a privilege to know him and I will always be grateful for that.

May his memory always be for a blessing.

Gail Schwartz



A letter from Evelyn and Leonard Rubin:

Brian Coleman was one of the most unusual teenagers we have ever met. As we hosted him for a week, in our home in Long Island,  last June we got to love him as one of our own. He spoke at our synagogue, the Jericho Jewish Center, after Shabbat services and all our congregants too fell in love with him. His dedication, to tell the stories of Holocaust Survivors, will surely be recognized by all he came in touch with—Jews and non-Jews alike. This young man wanted to make a difference and, in his short life, he did. A true tsadik, a righteous person. What a loss to his family and to those of us who knew him. Rest in peace, Brian, we will never forget you and your charming smile.

Evelyn and Leonard Rubin



A photo and letter from Isaac Nehama:




I was shocked to learn of Brian's untimely death ... Brian first contacted me in January 2005. After the first exchange, we continued our correspondence over the years. We finally met at the Holocaust Museum in Washington during his visit there in August 2007. [The photo above.] I echo the sentiments of his many friends, mostly his openness and genuineness. I will miss him.

Best Regards,
Isaac Nehama

Isaac Nehama was born in Athens, Greece, in 1926. His father, Dario, and mother, Sarah (ne Kolonomos), were both born in Monastir (aka Bitola) in Ottoman Yugoslavian-controlled Macedonia, and emigrated to Greece after World War I. Isaac had two younger brothers, Samuel (b.1930) and Nehama (b. 1934). Parents conversed in Ladino, French and Greek with their children. The family went into hiding in September 1943. Father survived; Isaac joined the Greek partisans in Thessaly; in 1944, his mother and brothers were caught and deported to Auschwitz; brother Samuel survived. Isaac’s wife, Paulette (ne Mourtzoucos) was born in Volos, Greece, in 1933. Has a sister, Yola, who lives in Athens. Family went to Athens in early 1943, and went into hiding in September 1943. All survived.  In 1946, Isaac came to the United States and studied Electrical Engineering at the University of Illinois (MSEE 1952). Worked for Bell Telephone Laboratories, The Rand Corporation, and Bellcomm. Founded own software company; retired 1991. Starting in 2001, Isaac works as a volunteer with the Photo Archives and the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies (CAHS) of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.



A letter from Simon & Cecile Jeruchim:

My wife and I were shocked and terribly saddened to read the news that Brian Coleman had recently died.  

We are "Hidden Children", survivors of the Holocaust and Brian had contacted us a few years ago after reading our stories in a book titled "Hidden to Survive" by Maxine Rosenberg. Ever since we had been in contact with him and finally had the great pleasure of meeting Brian last summer when he came to New York. 

Brian was an extraordinary, one of a kind teenager, who would have been destined to achieve great things in his life.  Even though he died too soon, he had already  accomplished a great deal in his short life.  Beyond Brian's interest in the lives of Holocaust survivors, through our frequent emails with him, we discovered that Brian was unusually mature for his age, sensitive and also quite humorous.  For instance, he had a love and hate relationship with his old car, which kept breaking down, and Brian regaled us with funny stories about it that kept us in stitches.  He also enjoyed practicing writing in French to us, since French is our native language, and we appreciated the fact that he wanted to please us.  As an author myself, I recognized that Brian was already a gifted writer and I encouraged him to take advantage of his talent.   

My wife, Cecile and I will miss him very much.   

Sincerely, 
Simon & Cecile Jeruchim  


How it all started, in Brian Coleman's own words:

This is the school paper which explains how Brian's interest in the Holocaust started. As he says, "It all started in the 7th grade." The full essay appears below the image of Brian's untitled essay.

An Untitled Essay by Brian Coleman

     It all started in the 7^th grade. We were going to perform “The Diary of Anne Frank.” It wasn’t going to be anything spectacular, only in front of our class. My teacher was describing the events that led up to this teenage girl writing in her diary. I was curious. Of course, I had heard of WWII, but what exactly was the Holocaust? I remembered seeing the year before in my history book that the population of Israel increased after the Holocaust, but that is the only part I know. As my teacher was going on about the diary, I wanted to know more.

     “Mrs. Ulrich, is this girl Anne Frank still alive?” I had no idea. If only I had known the velocity of the war!

     “Well, Brian, I don’t exactly want to tell about the book.” But before she was done she was shaking her head, “No.” “No.” “No she is not.”

     They began assigning parts to the students. I was nervous…Would I get one? I don’t do well in front of classes, not even my class, who had gone to elementary school with me. I was given the part of Otto Frank. We started the play. Over the course of the next four weeks, we performed just in front of our 4^th hour English class. However, our class was taking too long, so after a few weeks and being nowhere close to the end, we skipped a few sections to the end. The play was over. What next? We were told to pick groups and each group was to do a posterboard presentation speech in front of the class.

            I already knew I wanted: “Holocaust Survivors.” However, when we got into groups, I was outvoted and the topic was the total opposite: “Nazi Leaders.” We made a few trips to the school library during our English class. During one of those visits, I found the book “Tell Him We Remember.” I was going through the book to see if it had the info I was seeking. I noticed it had stories of different people on the sides of the pages. I flipped from page to page reading about each person. Twenty in all. Some only a year or two older than me, some younger. I remember reading each story and thinking “I hope they all lived.” However, the reality of how bad this hell was sank in when I read “gassed in Auschwitz” or “Treblinka.” How could this happen sixty years ago? How! At that time my dad’s parents would have been 13 and 14!! Would they have survived? And my mom’s parents weren’t born until '42 and '43. They surely would have never come back.

     I wondered if the people in the book who had survived were still alive. Wouldn’t it be something to be able to speak to them? One was only a few months older than my grandma. Surely she would still be alive. But how would I find her now? I decided to look on Google. I searched Google, but the only thing that came up over and over again was about a woman who had won awards for books, who by chance was also born in Hungary. I felt like I would get nowhere; surely this young girl, who by now would be an old lady in her 70’s, would be married and I only had her maiden name. It had been worth a shot. Every once in awhile, I would Google the names of the people in my books. Usually nothing came up but a link to Amazon to buy books.

     I decided to give up. Besides, even if I found someone, would I really have the courage to contact them? Probably not. So I began to read more on the subject. “Night” was also among my favorites. However, “Tell Them We Remember” was my favorite as it had sparked my interest. I kept checking it out of the library. My aunt eventually said, “They should just give you the book after checking it out so many times.”

     So 7^th grade ended and 8^th grade started and ended and 9^th grade started and ended. Not much had gone on during those two years except me getting books on the Holocaust for birthday and Christmas gifts.

     During the summer after my freshman year of high school, I was at the store. I was looking through the movie sections and, by a mere chance, found “Escape from Sobibor.” What were the odds? I had known about the death camps, but was there really a successful escape from the Germans? I bought the movie for a dollar and watched it over and over and over again. This story was incredible. Not only did fifty people survive the war, but one was a Dutch woman who didn’t even speak Polish!!

     At the end of the movie there was a list of the survivors alive in 1987, when the movie was made. The movie was older than I. How many would be alive 17 years later? How old would they be by now? The youngest one must be 80 and the oldest one? 90? 95? How in the world would I be able to find one? Google. So I printed off the list of known survivors and began to Google. A lot of results came up for “Esther Terner-Raab.” How active she was! I finally saw something that may help. Vineland, NJ is where she lives. I knew there was a telephone directory on the internet, but let me tell you how naïve I was. I figured everyone will be in the phonebook and I never knew that at that time many people are only under the husband’s name or just the first initial. So when “Esther Terner-Raab came up with no results in Vineland, NJ, I was disappointed. However, I was determined. Maybe if I tried “Esther Terner.” Nothing. “Esther Raab.”—nothing! Okay I was giving up, but one more try, so I tried “Raab, Vineland, NJ.” One match found “I. Raab.”

     It must be her, I thought. Ok, so now I have an address for one. I knew if I wanted to ask questions, writing a letter would be the only way.

     What do I write in the letter? What if she doesn’t write me back? Or worse, what happens if I write the wrong person? How embarrassing!! But my mind came to reality. I knew at age 15, if I did not write the letter now, I would not have a chance in ten years. So I decided to write the letter. I will confess, it was not written very well.

     Dear Mrs. Raab, After watching the movie “Escape from Sobibor,” I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions.
     I mailed it June 17, 2004. A few days later, I mailed a second letter to Selma Engel—the Dutch woman who escaped Sobibor. I was anxious for the responses. I checked the mail every day—sometimes twice.

     In the meantime, I began to go through my books and look to see if I could write to anyone else. I found a few people in the books I had and began to write to them. I was really scared no one would write me back. I figured, “I will just go until school starts, then I will quit writing.” I was hoping for at least one response. It finally came: a letter from Selma Engel.

     I opened it carefully. I read it and thought something was strange. It said, “Thank you for your letter…Selma & Chaim.”

     I was confused. I knew her husband had passed away. How could they both have signed the letter?

     I realized the letter was copied and disappointment began to set in…However, I had a letter from a Holocaust survivor!! I was on cloud nine for a long time. I showed it to everyone. Well almost. Everyone in my family. No one else knew. Not long after, two more responses and a returned letter!? How could that be, weren’t the phone directories always accurate? Now how would I find this person?

            School started for my sophomore year. However, I was not wanting to give up the letter writing. I figured I would go on for a little longer. I used to sit in my math class and watch the clock anxiously waiting for the dismissal bell, every day after school wanting to go home as soon as possible to check the mail. I was always wondering, trying to guess who I would hear from. I knew not everyone would write back. I received another returned letter that had been mailed back in a manila envelope. I used that envelope to store all my responses in. Eventually they would no longer fit and I decided a shoe box would work. I had 19 responses, so a shoe box was more than big enough.

An essay by Brian Coleman on what he learned about the Holocaust:

Excerpts from a letter by Frank P. Moses:

Brian was truly a very wonderful person and now I am sorry that I did not keep more in touch with him. On his trip to South Florida, I had the pleasure in meeting his grandfather who came with him. He too was a great person.

Friendliest  regards.

Frank P. Moses

A letter from Debora Biron:

I can not begin to describe the sorrow and shock I felt when I learned about the untimely death of Brian. The first time I heard from Brian was in December 2006. Brian wrote me that he read the book "Hidden to Survive" by Maxine Rosenberg . My name is in the book. Brian wanted to come to New York and organize a lunch for as many people in the book that could attend. I was happy to help him do that.

Brian worked very hard to make it happen . The lunch on June 8th 2007 was a great success, very emotional as everyone there met for the first time and had their stories to tell. Brian was the STAR.

My husband and I spend another day with Brian in Manhattan; he loved New York.

Brian was amazing; his interest in the holocaust survivors was beyond belief. Brian was a young man with integrity, sensitivity, a sense of humor and a great big heart. Brian will certainly leave a great void in my life and in anyone that has ever met him. We will miss him.

With deep sadness,

Debora Biron

A series of letters between Brian Coleman and Henny M. Simon: