CHELMINSKY
Hersz Zelig [Enrique] Chelmnisky
I
Per entry on www.klodawa.org 3/25/06, Enrique Chelminsky (Mexico City): “My grandmother, on my father's side, who lived and/or was born in Klodawa, was Hannah Eidel Reshewski, who married Hillel Chelminsky, my grandfather.
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Email from Enrique Chelminsky 4/3/06: "I left Klodawa in 1933 at the age of 5 or 6. I do not know of any Klodawa survivor living in Mexico except my cousin Malkah Rabinowitz (née Stempa), who left Klodawa at a similar age 6 years later, and the brothers Zychlinsky. One of them I believe survives."
Email from Alex Chelminsky September 23, 2016: Hello Judy My name is Alex Chelminsky. I am a descendant of the Chelminski family mentioned in your Website. I do have material about our family that I’d love to share and be placed in your Website.
Email to Bachna Ganczyk from Alex Chelminsky: Hello Bachna, this is Alex Chelminski.
I regret not having met you when I was in Klodawa two weeks ago. I hope to return and meet you in the near future.
I saw the records of 1931 (see the attached document) where the Chelminski family is listed as living in Warszawska 39. I was told by my father that they used to live on Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski 92, the last house on that street.
I also saw a document listing my father's birth record. That would be very valuable to me. His name is Jersz Zelig, born in 1927 (see attached). The list also includes my grandfather Chaim David (born 1903) and great grandfather, Izrael Hillel, born 1870.
I have pictures of Klodawa and also of the family's first years in Mexico where they settled after leaving Klodawa. I will be happy to organize them and send them to you.
I was exchanging ideas with Judy and thought that we could order a scanner for you so you can scan the documents and send electronic copies to us. I have about 50 members of the Chelminsky family living in Mexico, USA and Israel and are curious about Klodawa and our family.
I would be a miracle to have these documents and send them to my family. I will do whatever I can to help you in that effort.
I also have accounts of Klodawa that I have collected from my family. Perhaps I can have them translated into Polish and sent to you.
Best wishes,
Alex Chelminski
Email Alex Chelminsky to Barbara Ganczyk October 4, 2016: Dear Barbara: Ever since we started corresponding, I have been collecting the email addresses of as many of the Chelminsky relatives as I could in order to share with them the treasured documents you have been kind enough to share with me.
I wanted you to "meet' then, even if this is only via electronic mail.
This list is only partial, with many of them being one recipient in a whole branch of the family. I am sure that if we included all the names we'd be close to one hundred people!
Since I started sharing the material, the Chelminsky's, now scattered in Mexico, the USA, Israel and the UK have contributed with photographs, exit visas from Poland, early pictures of life in Mexico in the 1930's and stories we heard from our parents and grandparents.
I wanted to share the list with you to let you know that the Chelminsky family is "real": While you only see old documents in Russian and census records in Polish, the people who lived in Warszawska 39 and Rynek 15 built new lives in Mexico, prospered, had children, grandchildren, and so on.
There are now 4 generations of Chelminsky's born after our forefathers left Klodawa in the 1930's! Just last year I got invited to the birth of a new member born in Mexico and this year we had weddings in Tel Aviv, California and Philadelphia!
Looking at the records of the 2,000 jews who lived in Klodawa and of those who died tragic deaths in Chelmno, I've come to realize that we are all the result of a miracle. The decision to leave Poland with enough time to build new lives and bring the rest of the family (some of whom left only 3 weeks before de invasion of Poland has allowed us to live useful, productive and meaningful lives in our respective countries.
A number of the descendants have come back to Klodawa to see the places we heard so much about. I hope this continues. If it does, I hope they have the privilege to meet you and see the work you're doing for the memory of those who once called Klodawa home.
I would like to gather as many of us together, take a picture and send it you. Hope we can make it happen soon.
God bless you, Barbara
Sincerely,
Alex Chelminsky
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BELOW PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY ALEX CHELMINSKY OCTOBER 7, 2016:
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My father’s [Enrique Chelminsky] bar mitzvah in Mexico City 1940
A picture of my father Hersz Zelig Chelminsky and his sister Fanny, shortly before they left for Mexico, 1939.
My grandparents David Chaim Chelminsky and Rascha Lamer (born in Babiak, just a few miles from Klodawa) The wedding took place in Babiak in 1926
BELOW PHOTOS TAKEN IN MEXICO CITY, MARCH 2017
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Israel Hillel Chelminski. Photo taken from Enrique Chelminski's home in Mexico City, Mexico. March, 2017.
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Talmud study book of Israel Hillel Chelminski. Stored on top of bookshelves in Israel Stempa Chelminski's office, Mexico City, Mexico
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Israel Hillel Chelminski's talmudic study books from the late 1800's stored in his grandson's (Israel Hillel Stempa)
office in Mexico City
Enrique Chelminski and Judy Muratore at Enrique's home in Mexico City. March 2017. [click on image to see interview done by his son Alex in 2005]
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Abraham Chelminski [click on image to read interview]
Anita Chelminski [click on image to read interview]
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Rebecca Pollack Chelminski
[click on image to read interview]
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Israel Hillel Stempa Chelminski
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