Hanka Goldberg
(née Kozitza)
Holocaust survivor
Hanka Goldberg was born July 22, 1922 in Plonsk, a village near Warshaw, known for its active Zionist organisation and the birthplace of Ben Gurion. She passed away quietly without pain on Friday, December 31, 2021. Hanka is survived by her two sons Morris and Harvey, daughters-in-law, Mila and Jessie, 7 grandchildren, Lydia, Lena, Eva, David, Sabine, Daniel, Natalie, and 5 great-grandchildren, Akira, Eden, Ruby, Oliver, Mara Eve.
She was one of 5 daughters and one son of Moshe and Mindl Kozica; all but two of whom perished during the war.
Hanka was an exception for her time as she was proficient in Polish and finished high school. Hanka and her younger sister Bela were deported to Auschwitz in December 1942 and were liberated by the advancing Russian army in January 1945. Hanka owes her survival in the camps to the resiliency and courage of her sister.
She first met her husband-to-be, Jonas, in the camps (across the fence separating the men from the women) and they agreed that they would meet in Poland at war’s end.
They were married in Traunstein, Bavaria, located in the American Zone and where Hanka gave birth to Morris, on December 27, 1946. Jonas, a furrier, by trade, quickly found work refurbishing old fur coats and trading on the black market. They moved to Israel in May 1949 with many goods ranging from household items to a truck and even a dismantled brick factory; alas Jonas’ plans were stifled by the Histradut. In 1952 they decided to up roots and move to Montreal and on the way stopped in Paris to meet Jonas’ cousin who tried to convince them to stay. Hanka enjoyed visiting the sights, attending the opera, but in the end they decided they wanted to leave the Old World. Harvey was born the following year in Montreal and over time, they built a new life mostly surrounded by other survivors, raising their children and providing them with a Jewish education. Hanka’s sister Bela and her daughter Mina followed in their footsteps and lived with them for a while before marrying and moving to Boston.
Hanka was always very fashionably attired, and was greatly attentive of her clothing, her home, and enjoyed entertaining friends, and with more time on her hands she would volunteer for charities such as meals on wheels. Hanka delighted in feeding her grandchildren her specialties such as the walnut torte for birthdays and her potato kugel for all occasions. And then one year they discovered Florida and would eventually spend more and more of their winter in Miami Beach meeting their landsmen from Plonsk who survived and immigrated to the United States.
Jonas passed away in 1987 and Hanka continued wintering on her own in Surfside, aptly in the same building where Bashevitz Singer stayed for the next 24 years. Hanka was very sociable and would always strike up conversations with people; her most remarkable encounter was with the then President Clinton as he was coming out of the Bal Harbour hotel for his morning jog, protected by the Secret Service agents. As she approached, President Clinton seeing the tattoo on her arm came forward to greet and speak with Hanka.
With her health failing Hanka spent the last 11 years of her life in Beit Chai residence where she was cared for with much patience and kindness.
A private graveside service to take place. Shiva strictly private.
Contributions in Hanka’s memory may be made to the charity of your choice.
2021
Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Hanka Goldberg 2021..
Décès pour la Ville: Montreal, Province: Quebec