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By DAVID McLEMORE The Zelig sisters held a reunion in San Antonio Saturday. It was the first time they had been together in 20 years. It also marked the second time they were in one place at one time since they fled the Nazi invasion of their home in Czechoslovakia in 1939. The trail of their respective lives traced from Europe to Latin America to the United States, finally to con verge on San Antonio Jenny. Rosa, Regina and Ella Zelig lived the same normal existence most young girls led in their town of Bra tislava, Czechoslovakia, during the 1930s. The first rumors of Jewish perse cution by the Nazis and the threat of invasion by the Germans forced them to split up for the first time in their lives. Lucky to flee “We all got away by luck only,’ said Jenny. ‘‘That is all. We all left separately and took whatever passage we could find to wherever it would take us.”’ Emotions spanning nearly 38 years overcame the sisters when they spoke of those times. *‘We were very lucky. That we know,” said Ella. “There are not many Jewish fa milies who can say they all came through the holocaust of the Nazis.” Rosa left first, lucky enough to find passage to New York City. She and her husband, Imre Adler, lived there more than 30 years, until recent 7. They now call San Antonio home. “I moved here because of my son and because my sister, Ella, lived here. She told me so much about it, had to find out about this beautiful place.” Ella, and her husband, Joseph Rotman, have been San Antonians since 1950. ‘‘My husband spoke little English, but could speak Spanish. We decided to settle here.” The other sister, Regina, and her husband, William Weissfisch, es caped to Ecuador. Jenny gained pas sage to Chile, where she met and married Julio Schwartz. They now live in Honolulu, Hawaii Grateful “The best part of our lives is that we are all together,”’ Jenny said. “After that, we are so grateful for America.” “We've all been back to Bratislava at least once,” she continued, “Things are all so sad, it is so very different. We are all glad to return to America.” Regina paused for a moment, re flectively. *‘Not all our lives have been happy. It is very hard to leave your home and move to strange places with different customs. “But we had to adapt, sometimes several times, moving from country to country. But it made us self-suffi cient in our new lives. It helped us survive. Her sister Ella said, “Don’t forget our sense of humor. That helped us keep a positive attitude. “We have lived and traveled ar ound the world. We have enjoyed life and have been able to live,’ Jenny added. **That’s not so bad. The four sisters last got together briefly 20 years ago in New York Ci ty. **Let us hope we can do it sooner than that again,’’ said Rosa. ‘Maybe the next time we can come back to gether in five years,” Reunion party The sisters all laughed. For that brief moment, they were all young women in their home village again. Then guests began arriving, old friends of Ella and Joseph, and by extension, friends of the other sisters and their husbands. It was time for their reunion party. Characteristically, they couldn't keep the joy they felt to themselves. They had to share it with their friends. FOUR sisters, Jenny, Rosa, Ella and Regina, gather together for the first time in 20 years STAFF PHOTO BY H. M. DEAN JR Pa
Newspaper Details
San Antonio Express News
San Antonio, Texas, US
Sun, Jan 09, 1977
Page 11
Full Page
Clipped by
David S.
USA 13 Jul 2026
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