The Charlotte Jewish News - April 2014 - Page 14
Irving Bienstock: Holocaust Survivor and Educator
Irving Bienstock is well known
in the Charlotte Jewish commu
nity as a helpful and dependable
volunteer. But in recent years, he
has added a new role - Holocaust
educator. Several times a week, he
addresses children of all ages as
an integral part of the Butterfly
Project. His story of survival,
along with the testimony of Suly
Chenkin, puts a human face to an
unimaginable story in Jewish his
tory.
Irving was bom in Dortmund,
Germany, a town near Dusseldorf.
His childhood changed as soon as
Hitler came to power. At age six,
his friend told him he could no
longer speak to him simply be
cause he was Jewish. Thus began
a series of laws, mistreatment, and
indignities that would further alter
his life. It was no longer safe for
the family and his father escaped
from Germany to Belgium on
September 28, 1938 to avoid
being arrested by the Gestapo.
After Kristallnacht on November
9, 1938, Irving’s schooling came
to an end. Members of his ex
tended family were deported to
Poland. The danger for Jews in
creased and his mother had to
make some painful decisions.
Irving’s 10 year old sister,
Sylvia, had developed diabetes
and was denied medical care be
cause she was Jewish. She and
their mother boarded a train bound
for Holland, even though she did
not have the necessary papers.
This desperate mother searched
the train for someone who might
help her daughter and she eventu
ally found one woman. The
stranger luckily agreed to pose as
Sylvia’s mother. Leaving the train
before reaching Holland’s border,
Irving’s mother left her daughter
and hoped for the best.
It was now time to do the same
for Irving, who was only 12 years
Meg D. Goldstein
Attorney-At-Law
Estate Planning,
Estate and Trust Administration,
Pre-Marital Agreements,
Charitable Planning and Entities,
General Corporate and Tax Law,
Business Succession Planning
5960 Fairview Road, Suite 400
Charlotte, North Carolina 28210
Tel: 704.523.2202 ♦ Fax: 704.496.2716
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old. He, too, did not have the re
quired papers. On January 15,
1939, his mother searched the
train for someone to help her
child, but this time, found no one.
She left the train and hoped Irving
would arrive safely in Holland. He
was all alone with only 10 Ger
man marks, one suitcase, and a
plan to find a synagogue where
someone might help him.
When Irving crossed the bor
der, the Dutch police saw he had
no papers. He was asked, “Where
are you going?” His answer, al
though false, sounded sincere: he
was visiting an uncle in Amster
dam. Irving had to get off the train
and was told to wait. He waited
for hours on an outdoor bench at
the train station and assumed a re
turn to Germany was imminent.
This was in the winter, and it was
very cold. Later that day, the offi
cer brought him to a small hotel
where he ate, slept, and awaited
instructions. After the second
night, the same officer returned
with a man from the Jewish com
munity in Anheim. Irving spent a
night with this man’s family and
then boarded another train to Wijk
an Zee, a children’s home leased
by the Jewish community. Upon
arrival, he saw other refugees who
told him to get something to eat.
He entered the dining room and to
his surprise - there was his sister.
This was a miracle. They were
there for three months. When
spring arrived, the children were
sent to a summer camp site and
eventually to Burger Weeshuis,
the municipal orphanage of Ams
terdam. Part of the orphanage
housed Jewish children who had
arrived via the Kindertransport.
Irving would be there for 13
months. Due to her diabetes,
Sylvia was transferred to a hospi
tal for medical care.
Part II of Irving’s story will be
in next month’s Charlotte Jewish
News.
For more information about, to
schedule participation in, or to
volunteer at a Butterfly Project
workshop, please contact Dana
Kapustin, Butterfly Project Coor
dinator at butterflyproject@char-
lottte.or or 704-944-6833. ^
It’s Time to TRI Again
Levine JCC
On Sunday, June 1, the Sandra
and Leon Levine Jewish Commu
nity Center (LJCC) will host the
3rd Annual Kids Triathlon to ben
efit pediatric rehabilitative serv
ices at Levine Children’s Hospital
(LCH) and Adaptive Sports and
Adventures Program (ASAP).
This special event is about more
than just good, fun athletic com
petition - it is about giving back.
Children ages 5-14, of all athletic
abilities and cultural backgrounds,
including children from ASAP,
participate in swimming, biking
and running for a cause. Last
year’s event saw an increase in
fundraising and participants over
the inaugural event, raising
$39,000! This year’s fundraising
goal is $50,000.
We are pleased to announce
that this year’s Honorary Co-
Chairs for the event are Dr.
Leonard Feld, Chief Medical Of
ficer and Chairman of Pediatrics
at Levine Children’s Hospital, and
his wife, Barbara.
Monies raised at the event by
corporate sponsorships and partic
ipant fundraising are divided
equally between LCH and ASAP.
LCH provides inpatient rehabili
tation after a child suffers a signif
icant injury or illness to regain the
strength and functional skills nec
essary to return home or to school.
After release from the hospital,
LCH patients can participate in
ASAP, a part of Carolinas Reha
bilitation. This program is de
signed to challenge youth (and
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adults) with physical disabilities
to develop skills that will lead to
and enhance an active and produc
tive lifestyle - one without barri
ers.
Registration is open at
www.ljcckidstri.org. To sponsor
this event, contact Julie Rizzo, Di
rector of Development and Social
Action, at julie.rizzo@charlotte-
jcc.org or 704-944-6730.^
Jewish Family Services Family Reunion
(Continued from page 1)
career in communication and de
velopment. She decided to build a
website where teens could answer
questions and write to parents
called RadicalParenting.com. “I
couldn’t believe how quickly it
grew and how happy both teens
were to get their voices out and
parents were to have a new outlet
for connecting with their kids. We
now have over 120 teen writers
who give advice through paid in
ternships. I love being able to pro
vide a different perspective when
working with teens,” she says.
As a youthologist, Vanessa
studies, follows, and observes
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EVENT DETAILS
Decode Your Teen with
Vanessa Van Petten
10AM
Sam Lerner Cultural
Center
Free
Find Your Passion
Lunch and Learn
1 PM
Teen Meeting Room
$5 including lunch
Reservations required:
704-364-6594 or
info@jfscharlotte.org.
youth activity and issues. Not
only does she work with hun
dreds of youth every day, but
also with parents to share in
sight into their kids.
“Teenagers, when given a
neutral space love talking to
parents and often offer some
of the best insight because
they are going through it
themselves,” says Vanessa.
Vanessa has also written a
number of articles for Jewish
parents, such as “What To Do
When Your Son/Daughter is
Dating a Non-Jew.”
“I love speaking to Jewish
audiences because I can refer
back to my own childhood -1
was a bat mitzvah, went to
Hebrew school for 16 years,
and was a madricha. I am a
part of many different Jewish
groups, speak at synagogues,
bake challah, and go to Shab-
bat family dinners.
“I love personal stories,
teenager confessions, and an
ecdotes. It will be fast pace
and lively. Come with an
open mind and remember we
do not believe in perfect par
ents. We just like to bring in
teresting stories and research
to help make the teen years
smooth for everyone.”
The Family Reunion takes
place Sunday, April 6 beginning at
10 AM. The event is free. At 1
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Reservations- or
jCruridj i^rvins
Family Reun^n
April ^2014
PM, Vanessa will facilitate the
lunch and learn. $5 including
lunch. Reservations required:
info@jfscharlotte.org or 704-364-
6594.^