Bronia Lieblich and Abraham Hochner were the first Jews to be killed in Nowy Targ. The German gendarmerie arrested them on 29 December 1941, after furs were found in their possession during searches of Jewish homes. Bronia was brought to the Nowy Targ jail from Maków Podhalański, and Abraham from Rabka. Bronia’s cousin, Róża Holländer, lived in Nowy Targ: “For a week I was able to bring her food every day, and I got the dishes back. […] I came to the prison with food again, but the same guard told me that Bronia was no longer there and had been taken away. […] I learned from my brother Leib Zeiger that he had been brought there then to bury two bodies. He was to go to the synagogue next to the prison […] he went there and recognised Bronia’s body […], which lay next to the body of a Jew from Rabka. Both bodies lay in the snow in a pool of blood.” The list of meals eaten by prisoners shows that Bronia Lieblich and Abraham Hochner were killed in front of the Nowy Targ synagogue on 8 January 1942. Bronia’s husband Józef was murdered together with their six-year-old daughter Edyta a few months later. I have not been able to establish what happened to Abraham’s family. Leib Zeiger, a member of the Nowy Targ burial society, the Chevra Kadisha, was shot at the Jewish cemetery in Nowy Targ on 30 August 1942. His wife Breindel and his ten-year-old daughter Chaja were also murdered in the Holocaust.

The photograph shows the wires and part of the prison wall, and the synagogue in Nowy Targ.

Text: Karolina Panz.

Bronia Lieblich i Abraham Hochner byli pierwszymi Żydami, którzy zginęli na terenie Nowego Targu. Niemiecka żandarmeria aresztowała ich 29 grudnia 1941 r. po tym, gdy podczas akcji przeszukiwania mieszkań żydowskich znaleziono u nich futra. Bronię przywieziono do nowotarskiego aresztu z Makowa Podhalańskiego, a Abrahama z Rabki. Kuzynka Broni, Róża Holländer, mieszkała w Nowym Targu: „mogłam przez tydzień codziennie przynosić jej jedzenie i dostawałam z powrotem naczynia. […] znów przyszłam z jedzeniem do więzienia, ale ten sam strażnik powiedział mi, że Broni już tam nie ma i że ją wywieziono. […] dowiedziałam się od mojego brata Leiba Zeigera, że wtedy został sprowadzony, aby pochować dwa ciała. Miał się udać do synagogi przy więzieniu […] poszedł tam i rozpoznał ciało Broni […], które leżało obok ciała Żyda z Rabki. Obydwa ciała leżały w śniegu w kałuży krwi”. Z wykazu posiłków spożytych przez więźniów wynika, że Bronia Lieblich i Abraham Hochner zginęli przed nowotarską synagogą 8 stycznia 1942 r. Mąż Broni Józef zginął razem z ich 6-letnią córeczką Edytą kilka miesięcy później. Nie udało mi się ustalić losów rodziny Abrahama. Leiba Zeigera, członka nowotarskiego bractwa pogrzebowego Chewra Kadisza rozstrzelano na nowotarskim cmentarzu żydowskim 30 sierpnia 1942 r. W Zagładzie zginęła też jego żona Breindel i 10-letnia córeczka Chaja.

Na zdjęciu widać druty i fragment muru więzienia oraz synagogę w Nowym Targu.
Autor: Karolina Panz

Bronia Lieblich i Abraham Hochner

Bronia Lieblich and Abraham Hochner were the first Jews who died in Nowy Targ. The German military policemen arrested them on 25th December 1942 while searching through Jewish homes. They found some furs at their house. Bronia was transported to a prison in Nowy Targ from Maków Podhalański and Abraham was brought in from Rabka. Bronia’s cousin, Róża Holländer was living in Nowy Targ at that time: “ I was able to bring her food for a week and got the dishes back. […] One day I brought food and the same guard told me that Bronia is no longer there and that she was taken away. […] I found out from my brother Leib Zeiger was called to burry two bodies. He was supposed to go to the synagogue next to the prison [… ] He went there and recognized Bronia’s body […] which was lying next to the body of a Jew of Rabka. Both bodies were lying in the snow in a puddle of blood”. From the list of meals eaten by prisoners it would seem that both Bronia Lieblich and Abraham Hochner died in front of the synagogue in Nowy Targ on 8th January 1942. Bronia’s husband Józef died together with their 6-year old daughter a few months later. I did not manage to trace further fate of Abraham. Leib Zeiger, member of the Chevra Kadisha burial brotherhood. He was shot at the cemetery of Nowy Targ on 30th August 1942. His wife Breindel and their 10-year old daughter Chaja also died in the Holocaust.

In the picture you can see the wires and a piece of the wall of prison as well as the synagogue in Nowy Targ.

Written by: Karolina Pan
English translation: Magdalena Macińska