Nachman Norbert Gottdenker

Norbert Gottdenker had been a soldier in the Austrian army in the Great War, as it was called, and had been captured by the Russians. Helena was from the border town of Podwolochisk, and was among those who volunteered to be allowed to look after fellow Jews who were ill or injured; that is how they met.

Norbert brought her to Lwow, where he worked as a supervisor for a lumber company’s rail transport system, owned by his maternal grandfather, Moses Zarwantizer and his son, Judah. At some point, he brought the family to Bolechow, a city adjavent to Dolina. A family acquaintance, Jack Greene ( Grundschlag) knew them and told me:

“The Family Gottdenker lived in our neighbourhood.

First in an apartment of Marcin Bilinski in Dolinska street

and than up three doors up in a nice garden cottage.

All of them were brunets and good looking.

Irenes brother Karolcio attended comercial high school in

Stryj in the school year 1937-38. Mother was a pleasant good looking Lady. Irene was a tall beautiful young lass, very long pleats. “

His business travels often brought him to Vienna, Austria, where he often visited his relatives, the Weinbergs, who had settled during the war. On at least one trip, he brought the family along, and the ten year old Irene, met her older cousins, Benjamin and William, then in their early 30’s.Her first tragedy struck with the death of her father, Norbert, in 1935 or 36 from complications as a result of stomach surgery, apparently to treat cancer; he was just in his 40’s when she was just only 12