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1930's
Hitler and the Nazi party are telling the world that, "Jews are a diseased race." -
October 4, 1934
Lola was born. -
November, 9 1938
A German officer is killed in Paris by a Jew. This sets off a backlash known as the Night of Broken Glass -
summer 1939
Czortkow starts having rolling blackouts. All the streetlights are turned off, and Jews tape black paper over the windows so German bombers can not see them when flying over head. -
Europe 1939
Six million Jews died during WWII, 1 1/2 million Jewish children. Adults had a 33% chance of surviving, children only had a 10% chance. -
September 1, 1939
Hitler invades Poland where 3.3 million Jews live. -
September 1939
Lola is free to walk around the marketplace with her mother. -
September 17, 1939
The Russians take over the town. -
1941
Hitler comes up with a plan to execute all of Europe's Jews. Its called the Final Solution. -
Spring 1941
Lola is six and a half and is going to nursery school at her father's cousin's house.there are about a dozen other kids there too. -
July 6, 1941
It was a Sunday, the German's arrive to town marching with guns and tanks, wearing goggles, tall black boots, and leather jackets. -
October 15, 1941
The Germans made a law to whoever was hiding or taking care of Jews would be killed. -
December 7, 1941
World War 2 started for the Americans after Pearl Harbor is bombed by the Japanese, who were working with the Germans. -
April 1942
The Jews in Czortkoware confined to a Ghetto, a series of streets, and buildings where Jews must live. You must have proper papers to leave the ghetto. -
Summer 1942
Lola's father dies on a warm summer day at home. -
August 26-27 1942
the first 'action' comes. For Germans, it means a day set aside for rounding up huge numbers of Jews and sending them by train to concentration camps. Lola, her mother, and her grandmother hide in a narrow space between a storage area wall and another apartment building wall next door. -
March 21, 1943
Today is Purim, a Jewish holiday. Lola's mother, a cousin, and 2 other women were killed by a German soldier enacting revenge for another German soldier going into his territory and 'shooting his Jews.' -
May 1943
A few months after Lola's mother is killed, Babcia takes Lola aside right before bed, explaining she will be sneaking out of the ghetto that night. Babcia does not go with. -
Spring 1943
Lola is hiding with a Ukrainian woman, her daughter, and son and law. She is forced to hide and stay bored. -
June 1943
A final "action" happened "liquidating" Czortkow of all the Jews. The rest of the Jews were rounded up and killed, including Babcia. -
Summer 1943
A couple months after Lola got to the house, a man and woman come into the house where Lola was, the dog didn't bark. Lola pretends to be deaf-mute. The son in law says he will take Lola to the Gestapo. Tekla takes Lola to her sister who hides her in a hole with other Jews. -
New Year 1944
The Germans are losing the war and retreating. Soon Lola and the other Jews in the hole may escape. -
March 1944
The sound of Tanks rumbling and guns cracking sound above. To Lola, it is a wonderful sound. -
A Morning in March 1944
Before sunrise, Lola and the other Jews crawl out of the hole that they have been hiding in for 9 months. -
March 23, 1944
The Russians have control over the town which has been officially liberated. -
March 25-26, 1944
Germans come back to Czortkow trying to reclaim the territory. Lola had to leave Czortkow because Rose wouldn't take her back to the farmhouse. -
April 4th, 1944
Lola is 9 1/2 years old and was found passed out on the ground when walking from Czortkov. A man who knew her father picks her up and drops her off at a stranger's house and leaves her there. Russian soldiers come and take her to Dzymalow. -
April 10, 1944
Lola has to beg for food. A Russian soldier offers to take her to the orphanage in Keiv. -
April 12, 1944
The Russian soldier has to drop Lola off in a small town of Gritsev. He explains to the mayor that he was taking Lola to the orphanage in Keiv but his plans have been changed and he has to now go back from where they came. Sergei, a man who happened to be in city hall, offers to take Lola. -
Summer 1944
Germans completely disappear from Czortkow. -
D-Day June 6, 1944
American and British soldiers land on the beaches of Normandy, France, and begin to push the Germans westwards while the Russians are pushing them eastward. This is the day America thinks is the beginning of the end of WWII. -
October 4, 1944
Lola turns 10 years old while living with Sergei. She is sad and upset but will not let anyone know. She is dealing with big emotions over losing her family and being tossed from place to place. feelings of being unwanted. Sergei has been writing letters to Czortkov to try and find family of Lola's. -
September 1945
Lola is almost 11 years old. She gets on a train with a man named Romek who is taking her to Krakow, where she will find her uncle and live with him from now on. -
April 12, 1945
Sergei finally gets in contact with uncle George. He is living in Lwow now. He is one of Lola's mother's brothers. Uncle George goes to Keiv without papers to look for her and gets placed in jail where he gets really sick. -
April 30, 1945
Adolf Hitler commits suicide. -
V-E Day May 7, 1945
Germany surrendered. known as "Victory in Europe Day." -
Summer 1945
Poles and Ukrainians are still killing Jews even though the war is over. -
Early August 1945
America drops two atomic bombs on Japan. -
V-J Day August 14, 1945
Japan surrenders. Known as "Victory over Japan." -
September 1945
Lola gets onto a train with a man named Romek heading to Krakow to be reunited with her Uncle George. When she gets there she feels no emotions when reunited. She's numb even though she knows its an emotional moment. -
Late Summer 1946
Lola's Uncle Issac shows up at Uncle George's house. Lola likes Krakow. However, they don't stay long and end up leaving because the tension between the Poles and Jews has not gone away. -
Fall 1946
Lola, Uncle George, Uncle George's family and Uncle Itch are moving from country to country trying to escape from the prosecution of Jews. -
December 1946 - January 1947
Lola finds herself in Eschwege, Germany in a displaced person's camp run by the United Nations. She spends over a year there. Lola tries to go to Israel because she doesn't want to go to America. -
July 7, 1949
Lola finally gets clearance to go to America. Uncle George and his family received clearance the year prior but waited for Lola. -
September 1949
Lola starts high school but drops out to work full time because she takes care of herself not asking her aunt or uncle for anything. -
September 1950
Lola graduates at 16 with her comptometer operator certificate. She starts working at Saks 34th Street during the day and goes to high school at night but again drops out. -
October 1951
Lola goes to Brighton Beach where she meets her husband. He is 11 years older and from Poland too. -
April 1952
Lola and Walter get married. Lola goes back to school and gets her high school diploma. -
1955
Lola is 21 and worked until the birth of her first child, Deborah Renee. She was named after her mother Dworja and after Walter's mother Racheal. They live in a one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn. -
1958
Lola's second child is born, Micheal Jay. He is named after Walter's father and Lola's father. Walter has gone to school to design and create patterns for coats and suits. They move to the suburbs in Long Island. -
June 26, 1962
Lola is 28 years old and has been living in America for 13 years. She opens the New York Post and sees an article with the headline NAZI OFFICER GETS LIFE IN 9 MURDERS. Kurt Kollner was found guilty for killing Jews in Czortkow in the years 1942-1943. Her mother's murderer was held accountable in a German court for his wrongdoings. -
1966
Lola gives birth to her third child, Jeffery Scott. He is named after Lola's paternal grandfather and her oldest uncle. -
Memorial Day Weekend 1991
50 years of silence is broken when Jane Marks asks Lola for an interview for a book of hidden children. Jane unlocks not just Lola's words but her emotions too. -
1993
Jane Mark's book on hidden children during WWII is published. -
November 21, 1994
Anna Aksenczuk, the non-Jew who had hidden Lola in the hole, was officially recognized as one of the "righteous" at the "The Righteous Among The Nations" in Isreal. -
2001
Lola receives a letter from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. looking for artifacts that survived the war. Lola donates the dress she wore for 9 months. -
2002
Lola's dress travels to different states and cities. Lola travels with it and Sara Bloomfield where Sara gets Lola to publicly speak about the events of WWII and the dress.