The Blonder family resided in a two room apartment in Jaslo. Faivel Blonder, Edward’s father, distributed welfare notes from the adjacent storefront kiosk (although most businesses were owned by Jews, many families were poor). When the Germans invaded Poland, Faivel Blonder in order to safeguard the Chevra Kadisha (men were afraid to attend religious services), decided to move his family into the Shul.
Conditions worsened. Jewish contributions of money and furs were enforced, and all Jews between ages the ages of 15 and 55 were to be “on call” to heed Gestapo orders. Jewish homes were invaded in search for hidden valuables. Torturous beatings, overall suffering and hunger comprised the status quo.
In spite of the fear and persecution, morning and evening prayer services were held daily, including on the Sabbath. Two Torah scrolls were kept in hiding.
In the winter of 1941, Jaslo’s Jewish population was confined to a 12- block ghetto. All tradesmen were ordered to register with the Gestapo.
Edward subsequently spent the majority of his time doing maintenance work at Gestapo headquarters, among other jobs. Any opportunity to pocket food while guards weren’t watching, was impossible. Edward lost 15% of his hearing from being beaten for no reason.
People were being killed at the slightest provocation. Edward and his father were responsible for digging Jewish graves; Abe, Edward’s brother, was ordered to bury 35 Jews, some of whom were still alive. Young men were sent to death camps, among them Edward’s brother Abe. People who weren’t born in Jaslo were evacuated to the forest and shot.
On August 22, 1942, of the approximate 2000 Jewish families in Jaslo, 150 able bodied people were sent home, while the remainder were shipped to the Belzec gas chambers. While Edward was one of the select 150, his grandmother Gittel, aunt Mala, younger brothers David, Zvi, Sol and Nathan, and sister, Ita, did not make the cut. Edward was unable to say goodbye as he marched by them for fear of being shot at.
The few remaining Jaslo Jews were shipped to the Przemysl ghetto, where Edward worked in a carpentry shop. Jaslors weren’t greeted warmly by the Jews there. In fact, they turned in the 150 Jaslo Jews to the Polish army, reporting poor work ethic. The Jaslo Jews were subsequently shipped away by train; Edward, who was on that train, jumped and escaped back to Przemysl.
By January 1943, the Przemysl ghetto’s Jewish population, once 25,000, was down to 500 individuals. Two hundred of these Jews were shipped to Plashow, a labour camp near Krakow.
In Plashow, Edward was able to use his carpentry skills and resourcefulness to stay “useful”. His long, laborious days included digging graves in which to bury people, whose murders he witnessed.
From Plashow, Edward and approximately 50 others were shipped to Aushwitz, where he was branded as #174017. There, they were given striped uniforms and wooden shoes, no underwear and no towels. The work was excruciating and Germans did all they could to starve Jews to death. Soup was served once daily to those who had their wooden bowls. The 5:00 P.M. “coffee” consisted of burnt toast mixed with water. Every day brought its own terror and unpredictability.
By November 1944, Germans started evacuating Aushwitz prisoners, as rumors spread that the Russians were nearing Krakow. Evacuees endured a long, torturous march in the cold to a concentration camp called Mathausen. From there they were transported to Melk, near Vienna, where more hard labor awaited them. There prisoners were not assigned their own beds, and were given a slice of bread once a week. Prisoner counts were no longer necessary as the Germans stopped reporting numbers to authorities.
From Melk, the prisoners were marched through the mountains to Ebense. Devoid of strength, food and water, of the 6,000 prisoners who had started out on the trek, only a few hundred survived the “death march”.
On May 7, 1945, Edward was freed by American soldiers. Edward had no idea where or how he would end up, but he ultimately settled in Landshut, Germany with a “brother” survivor. While there, he worked for an American convalescent home.
In 1946, he was contacted by relatives in America. He then boarded the “Edward Pile”, and set out toward a new life in New York. Once settled in the Bronx, Edward contacted the Jaslo Society and the Munich Jewish Committee in an attempt to locate and help any Jaslo survivors. Beyond that, discussing his past experiences was almost impossible; Edward wanted to get lost among American Jewry. Through a cousin, Edward met Selma Riesel, who became his wife in 1947. They had two daughters, Sari and Mindy. He said he was happier than he ever dreamed he could be.
In 1972, Edward returned to Arnsberg, Germany to testify in a war trial against 7 Gestapo men. At the end of his testimony, he stood up, asked the 7 men to look him in the eyes, and said “you did not kill me even though you wanted to. I do not know how I escaped your bloody hands, but I did, and I am here to tell you that the whole world is going to know and understand what happens to murderers like you”.
From there, Edward returned to Jaslo, as a free man. He first visited the graves which he and his fellow Jews had dug. He visited his home but was unable to go inside out of fear and memories. Ironically, posted on the front door, was a sign that read “cabinet shop”, the trade which enabled his survival throughout the war.
Edward’s daughter Sari wed Alan Jaffe. They have two children, David and Devra Gilat. Devra has two children, Zoe and Andrew. Mindy has one son, Ariel.
May Edward’s soul rest in peace. May his wish be granted that the persecution and hate he experienced never re-occur.. May we honor his legacy, that of the Jaslo Jewish community and of all those who perished at the hands of the Nazis by the rebuilding of the synagogue and teaching of the Torah to all generations.
