Family genealogy
Goscia Leizerson-Kronental known as “Aunt Gutchè”
In his declaration to obtain his naturalization, my grandfather calls her Jeanne; in my family she is known as Gutchè.
On some records related to her deportation, she appears under the name of Génia, or Gucia, sometimes written Guczia, Gueza or Goutcha.
She was born on October 15, 1884 in Warsaw.
She is the sixth and second-to-last child of Szlama Lejzerson and Sura-Scheindle Chwast.
I know nothing about his life in Warsaw.
What I do know is that she married her sister-in-law Hava's brother: Itzack Kronental.
What I don't know is whether it was before or after the marriage of his brother Herschen Gedalia.
Their first child, Szlama (who would be called Charles in France) was born in 1910 in Warsaw.
The second Marie was born in 1919 in Warsaw.
I believe that Gutchè and her husband ran a hosiery business in Warsaw.
They were the last of the family to leave the Polish capital in 1925, to come and settle in Paris, with their two children and Moshé-Aron Kronental, Itzack's father.
They settled in the 12th arrondissement, at 14 rue Moreau, between the Place de la Bastille and the Gare de Lyon.
It was a bit far from the rest of the Parisian family.
Their son Szlama was 15 years old and his sister Marie was 6 years old.
I have little information about their life in Paris.
I don't know if they started their naturalization process, but they weren't naturalized at the time of the declaration of war.
Szlama was naturalized in July 1936 (he was 26 years old) and at the time of his sister's wedding in December 1938, he was a soldier in the 151st Infantry Regiment.
Top left, Gutchè and Itchè, young, in Poland.
On the right, at Marie's wedding in 1938.
Bottom left, Gutchè upon his arrival in Paris in 1925.
On the right, at Charles' wedding in 1941.
The time of deportation was dramatic.
His children were no longer in Paris.
Marie was in Cantal for her husband's work as an engineer. They did not return to Paris when war was declared.
Charles and his wife left Paris as soon as anti-Jewish measures multiplied, before the wearing of the yellow star: in 1942.
Helen, Charles' wife, wrote:
" My in-laws were wearing the yellow star. They had stayed in Paris.
My in-laws were unaware of the danger that awaited them by staying in their apartment and wearing the yellow star ."
The dramatic period was the time of deportation. His children were no longer in Paris; Marie was in the Cantal region working for her engineer husband. They never returned to Paris. Charles and his wife left Paris as soon as anti-Jewish measures multiplied, before the wearing of the yellow star became mandatory: in 1942.
Hélène, Charles' wife, wrote:
" My in-laws were wearing the yellow star. They had stayed in Paris. My in-laws were unaware of the danger that awaited them by staying in their apartment and wearing the yellow star ."
She writes that they were deported on the same day. But by examining the file in the Caen Archives, we know that Itzack was arrested during the Vel' d'Hiv roundup. Hélène specifies that "a French policeman was kind enough to give him an hour to hide or flee ."
Was it at this time that Gutchè left to take refuge in her son's apartment on rue de Turenne?
Nevertheless, she was arrested in the street in early December 1942.
She was transferred to Drancy on December 6 until February 9, 1943, the departure date of her convoy no. 46. She arrived at Auschwitz on February 14, 1943. There were about a thousand of them in this convoy.