Be Brave, and in the End, Everything will be Good!
friday, september 9, 2022
Irving Bienstock was born in 1926 in Dortmund. He did all the things one would expect a young boy to do: school, family, friends, and stayed active playing sports. When Hitler came to power, life deteriorated quickly for Jewish families in Dortmund, as Irving’s family waited patiently for a visa with hopes of coming to America; but it took 6 years, and during that time, the Nuremberg laws greatly affected their movements and livelihoods, with restrictions and incarcerations. Unexpectedly, on September 28, 1938, Irving’s father escaped Germany to Belgium to avoid arrest and sent to concentration camps.
On November 9, 1938, also known as Kristallnacht, Jewish synagogues and businesses were targeted/destroyed and with that Irving’s schooling came to an end. Sadly, some of his extended family were deported to Auschwitz, of which only one would survive. Irving’s younger sister, Sylvia had developed diabetes and was denied medical care because she was Jewish. Irving’s mother applied for the children to be part of the Kindertransport, taking German Jewish children to England for safety, but was denied. As the danger for Jews increased, his mother had to make painful decisions. She decided to send the children alone (separate) to Holland where they were connected to the Jewish community, “Kindertransport network” and specifically, Truus Wijsmuller. Irving’s mother told him to “be brave and, in the end, everything will be good”.
In 1939, Irving’s father’s quota number came up and he arrived in the United States and began to work find a sponsor for the family. With the help of Mrs. Wijsmuller, Irving and Sylvia were reunited with their mother in Rotterdam, sailed to the United States and reunited with their father in 1940. Four weeks later, Germany invaded Holland. Life in the United States was difficult, but Irving was 13 and ready to live in freedom. He quickly learned English, finished school and worked in a munitions factory waiting until his 18th birthday to register for the Army. Irving was inducted in the Army on the anniversary of Kristallnacht. He sailed to Europe on the USS Wakefield exactly 5 years after leaving Rotterdam, to join the 10th Mountain Division in Italy. After leaving the Army in 1946, Irving returned to his family in New York where he attended the Pratt Institute and worked for the Singer Company as an engineer. In 1975, he and wife Lillian moved to Charlotte, NC where he still resides.
Upon retiring in the year 2000, Irving began to tell his story of survival to children in the area. He joined the Levine JCC’s Butterfly Project in 2010, telling his story to and answering questions from middle school students several times a week throughout the school year. As time goes on, Irving is happy to tell his story to anyone who wants to listen, and learn the importance of taking a stand. Irving attributes his survival to the incredible bravery and relentless determinedness of both his mother and Mrs. Truus Wijsmuller.