The primary source of information about the Helen’s family has been the inscriptions on the photos she inhertied from her mother Frida. In many cases, only first names are given, but there are a few names here and there on other photographs that have helped us along the way. The inscription on the photo of the four Bersztajn sisters reads:

 August 19, 1922

As evidence of our remembrance of our beloved sister: Becky Bernstein from her sisters in Warsaw.
From Frania, Ewa and Rózia of Warsaw and Iwy in London.

Note that Frania was the nickname for Frida, Helen’s mother. She is pictured second from right. We can also assume their sister Becky is not present in the photo, since she is the recipient of the card. So which of the other women was which sister? And are all of the sisters present in the image?

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Lola Rozi Birsztajn

Of the four sisters in the picture, Lola Rozi was the easiest to identify, aside from Helen’s mother Frida (third from left). Lola was the youngest of the group, born about 1905-10. She married Dr. Mietek Weintal and they had two children, Jan (b 1935) and Halina (b 1937). Lola appears in several photographic portraits, including the one below with Mietek, that is probably their engagement photo. Helen’s collection also includes an inviation to Mietek and Lola’s wedding in March 1934.

One other photograph of Lola Rozi from the collection can help with the comparison, indicating that Lola Rozi is probably on the left in the picture of the four sisters.

There are also photos of their two children, Jan and Halina.

It is not clear why Mietek Weital went to Scotland in 1939 after the German invasion of Poland, but most likely it was because he was a Jewish physician (an OBGYN) and perhaps an officer in the Polish military reserve. His life may have been in danger.

What is known is that Mietek Weintal was never able to return to Warsaw to be reunited with his wife and children. While he was in Scotland, he served with the Polish General Staff (Sztab Generalny) of the Polish Army in exile under the Commander-in-Chief (General Władysław Sikorski). This staff coordinated operations, training, intelligence, logistics, and planning for Polish forces fighting alongside the Allies.

On 19 Sep 1945, Lieutenant Mieczslaw Weintal remarried Catherine McGregor in Lochee, Scotland. He must have been aware of the fate of Lola Rozi; on his marriage record, he is listed as a widower.

He may still have had hope that his children were still alive. In 1950, Weintal wrote to the International Refugee Service, hoping for information about what happened to them. The answer from the Polish Red Cross was inevitable.

The only trace of what happened to the children is a note found on the website of the Instytut Pamieci Narodowej (Institute of National Remembrance). Jan i smentioned in the Polish Red Cross;’ children’s because of “deprivation of parental care”. We have contacted the IPN and the Polish Red Cross several times in search of this record, but it seems like it has been lost to history. We can only guess at the ultimate fate of the Weintal children.

To be continued.

Part I: Who Am I?  What is My Name? Pnina, Otwoc, and the Kaczmareks

Part II: Who Am I? What is My Name? Pnina, Wolfgang, and the Warsaw Ghetto

Part III: Who Am I? What is My Name? Gertrude and Sonia Spyra

Part IV – Who Am I, What is My Name? Wolfgang & Adele’s Eyewitness Account

Part V – Who Am I, What is My Name? Gertrude and Sonia’s Escape

Part VI – Who Am I, What is My Name? Our Search for Gertrude Spiro

Part VII – Who Am I? What is My Name? Gertrude’s Other Children?

Part VIII – Who Am I? What is My Name? Gertrud and Leo’s Trial

Part IX – Who Am I? What is My Name? Gertrude’s Sisters!

Part X:  Who Am I? What is My Name? Gertrude’s Marriage and Divorce

Part XI:  Who Am I? What is My Name? Berlin, Warsaw, and the German Soldier

Part XII – Who Am I? What is My Name? Taking Stock

Part XIII – Who Am I? What is My Name? A DNA Match

Part XIV – Who Am I? What is My Name? Helen’s Aunt Lola Rozi