Mosaic

by Diane Armstrong

  But her story shed a very different light on my cousin. When she was elected as the leader of the group, he objected on the grounds that being a girl, she wouldn’t be capable of carrying out the responsibilities of leader. Not surprisingly, she wasn’t very happy with him.

  When Mosaic was published in the United States, Amazon.com chose it as one of the top memoirs of the year. The Barnes & Noble bookstore chain selected it for their Discover Great New Writers program. During their promotion I received a phone call that made me wonder if someone was having me on. Speaking in a New York accent, the caller said, ‘I’m Daniel Baldinger.’

  In all the years I had spent researching, I hadn’t come across a single Baldinger, so to encounter someone with my grandfather’s name and surname was extraordinary. He was calling me because while Googling his own name, he had been astonished to read about another Daniel Baldinger in a memoir called Mosaic, written by an Australian author. As it happened, just at that time his daughter had an Australian visitor, and when Daniel mentioned my book, the visitor told him that he had not only read it, but actually knew me. It was none other than Rabbi Jeffery Kamins from the Emanuel Synagogue, where we are members.

  Intrigued by these coincidences, Dan had bought a copy of Mosaic. As he read about my grandfather and his large family, he started thinking about his own grandfather Louis who was born in Poland and migrated to the United States in 1893. ‘Do you think we could be related?’ he asked me.

  I remembered that when my cousin Wanda had arrived in New York in 1949, she came across some Baldingers. When I emailed her to check it out—what did genealogists do before the advent of the Internet?—she told me that her search had led her to our grandfather’s cousin, Louis Baldinger. ‘Not only that,’ she wrote, ‘but through him and his wife I met my future husband Max. He was their son’s best friend!’ So the other Daniel Baldinger was a distant cousin, and through him I came in contact with another relative, Stan Baldinger in Philadelphia.

  When I was invited to New York in 2001 for the US launch of Mosaic, I received an email from a woman I didn’t know. Margot Bester was writing to me from Maryland to say that while reading Mosaic she had discovered that we had a relative in common. Aunty Lunia’s husband Berus was her great-uncle.

  Although Margot had assumed I was in Sydney, I was actually in New York at the time, and what’s even more amazing, I was about to leave for Maryland the following day to visit my cousin Fred Ross. When Margot and I met, she told me that her mother, who was Berus’s great-niece, had always felt sorry for the hen-pecked Berus, and had jokingly referred to Lunia as ‘her highness’. Through Margot, I got to know more of my extended family, the delightful Medoffs, who also live in the United States. And who have now become our friends.

  Letters kept coming from all over the world. Baldingers and Spiras from France, South Africa, Argentina, Israel and the United States sent me their family trees and scraps of information about their antecedents, hoping to discover a common link.

  Some readers had strong connections, if not with me personally, then with certain aspects of my memoir. Clara Kramer, from the United States, for instance, told me that she had been deeply moved when she read about my visit to Zolkiew in Ukraine, as she and her cousin had been responsible for erecting the monument to the murdered Jews of Zolkiew which I described.

  This was the first time she had ever come across a reference to the monument in any book. My maternal grandfather, Berish Bratter, came from Zolkiew, and Mrs Kramer recalled going to school with one of his cousins.

  Piszczac, where my parents and I spent three years during the war, is a tiny village that no one I knew had ever heard of, so I was astonished to hear from people who had links with it. Dr Leon Piterman who lives in Melbourne, wrote to tell me that his father had been born in Piszczac and was the sole survivor of a family of over sixty people, who had included his nine siblings, both parents, his first wife and two sons. Dr Piterman was excited when he read that one of the villagers remembered Piterman the tailor who was Dr Piterman’s great-uncle. Reading Mosaic inspired him to make the painful journey to Poland for the first time.

  Another native of Piszczac was Mr Jerzy Milanowicz, a Catholic Pole who had migrated to Australia. He wrote to tell me that his father had been a close friend of Father Soszynski’s.

  Since Mosaic was published, I’ve been moved to tears by heartfelt letters from readers all over the world, telling me how profoundly they had been affected by my memoir. Many of them were the children of Holocaust survivors whose parents had never spoken about their home life or their experiences during the war. For them, Mosaic was a means of connecting with a past and a heritage they knew nothing about.

  But many readers who contacted me had no connection with Judaism or Europe. People like Jo-Ann Maguson, Director of Interfaith Relations of the Bridges for Peace movement in the United States. She and her daughter Jodi, evangelical Christians from Pennsylvania, wrote to tell me that while driving around Poland and Ukraine on their many trips, they listened to the audio book of Mosaic in the car. During one of their trips, they followed my itinerary in every detail, stopping at every place I had mentioned in my memoir. I was astonished to hear that while in Lviv, they even talked to Rabbi Bald whom I had met during my visit.

  My main reason for writing Mosaic was to record the story of my family and keep their memory alive, so I feel greatly rewarded when readers tell me that they feel as though they know my relatives. But the greatest reward of all is knowing that by telling our story, my relatives and I have become part of a large international family of well-wishers.

  The Voyage of Their Life: The Story of the SS Derna and its passengers

  DIANE ARMSTRONG

  In August 1948, 545 passengers boarded an overcrowded, clapped-out vessel in Marseilles to face an uncertain future in Australia and New Zealand.

  They came from displaced persons camps in Germany, death camps in Poland, labour camps in Hungary, gulags in Siberia and stony Aegean islands. There were those who had been hunted by the Nazis and those who had welcomed them; those who had followed the Communists and those who had fled from them.

  The epic voyage lasted almost three months and was marked by conflict and controversy until it seemed as though this hellship had absorbed the traumas of its passengers. As the conditions on board deteriorated, tension and violence simmered above and below decks. But romances and seductions also flourished, and lifelong bonds were formed.

  Diane Armstrong set sail on the Derna with her parents when she was nine years old. Like a detective searching for clues, she has located over a hundred of the passengers. Through their recollections and memorabilia, as well as archival documents, she has recreated the voyage and traced what became of their hopes and dreams. The result is the unique portrayal of a migrant ship and its passengers.

  ‘a moving vision of the grace and resilience of the human spirit and its capacity to survive’ Australian Book Review

  ‘This remarkable true story…brims with stories of generosity, of sacrifice, of parsimony and exploitation but, above all, of the determination of people who have lost everything to start again and to succeed’ Bookseller+Publisher

  Winter Journey

  DIANE ARMSTRONG

  A mother’s silence, a village with a terrible secret, and an Australian woman who travels to Poland to uncover the truth…

  When forensic dentist Halina Shore arrives in Nowa Kalwaria to take part in a war crimes investigation, she finds herself at the centre of a bitter struggle in a community that has been divided by a grim legacy. What she does not realise is that she has also embarked on a confronting personal journey.

  Inspired by a true incident that took place in Poland in 1941, Diane Armstrong’s powerful novel is part mystery, part forensic investigation, and a moving and confronting story of love, loss and sacrifice.

  ‘A deeply moving and inspiring novel’ Good Reading

  ‘A bold adventure of a novel…Here is a consummate writ
er at the top of her form. A fine fictional debut from a writer who’s already made her mark’ Canberra Times

  ‘Profoundly moving, compelling and superbly written’ Australian Women’s Weekly

  Nocturne

  DIANE ARMSTRONG

  She closed her eyes and listened to the forbidden Chopin nocturne…its magic hung in the air.

  It is Warsaw, 1939, and Elzunia is an indulged teenager who longs for a heroic life filled with romance. But the outbreak of war shatters all her dreams.

  As bombs fall, she meets Adam, a taciturn airman whose fate becomes entwined with hers. In despair over the occupation, Adam joins the Polish resistance, then flies bombers for the RAF.

  Forced into the Warsaw Ghetto, Elzunia learns that even children must create their own rules to survive. When the Ghetto defies the invaders, and later the entire city of Warsaw rises up, Elzunia finds strength in ways she never imagined.

  Nocturne is a powerful and inspiring testament to resilience and courage in the face of cruelty and betrayal.

  ‘an extraordinary, complex and compelling book…Diane Armstrong is one of the most important writers in Australia today’ Good Reading

  ‘A gallant, gut-wrenching story…dramatic and heart-breaking…superb reading’ Australian Book Review

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  Words can’t express my gratitude to my son Jonathan for his enthusiastic involvement in this book. His gentle but determined reminders spurred me on to keep writing at times when the going was tough and it would have been easier to put it off. My moment of truth came when he said, ‘Mum, if you don’t write this book I’ll be devastated.’ That’s when I understood how important this family history was to him, and realised that I had to put everything else aside and write it.

  My husband Michael has held my hand every step of this exciting journey, as he has throughout our married life. His boundless faith in me and in this project, together with his steady flow of humour and cappuccinos, have sustained me over the past few years. Mosaic has been greatly enriched by his impeccable literary taste and his reminders to concentrate on the story.

  My daughter Justine gave me the confidence to take the first vital step, and made my emotional pilgrimage to Poland and Ukraine more meaningful by sharing it. Thanks to her, I became more attuned to the roles of the women I was writing about.

  Susan Reid has given me her whole-hearted support every step of the way, and been unstinting in her help. Her reading of the manuscript was sensitive and meticulous, her comments were perceptive, and our frequent ‘cuppas’ together have been a joy.

  While collecting information for Mosaic, I’ve come to admire the strength, intelligence and resilience of my remarkable relatives without whose help this book could not have been written. Sadly, many of the aunts and uncles whose stories form such a large part of this book, have not lived to see it completed. Aunty Lunia, Aunty Andzia, and Hela and Jozek Kwasniewski in Israel, Uncle Izio in California, Uncle Marcel in Paris and Maryla Spyra in London have all died in the past few years, as has my cousin Adam in Philadelphia.

  I owe a huge debt to my cousin Wanda Matt whose humour, wisdom and insight have lightened my task. My cousin Krysia Ginzig and Aunty Slawa Szymanska have been extraordinarily patient and willing to answer endless questions, search for information and provide photographs. I’m very grateful to Jako Baldinger and Edith Baldinger, Aline Baldinger-Achour and Danielle Kertudo in Paris; Lee Zaks, Tamara Zahavi, Max Matt and Marian and Kristine Keren in the US, and to Fred and Phyllis Ross for their warmth and support. My thanks also to Shirley Hill and Gertrude Spira in England; Dov Spira, Rozia Johannes, Jozef Spira, Gabris Kling and Anne Bennett in Israel; Mario Szymanski and Lola Nowicka in Poland, and Michelle Blutman, Rywka Liberow, Anita Frydman and John Birner in Melbourne.

  The following people have helped me so much along the way: Leon Plager and Zygmunt Lainer in Ukraine, and Tadeusz Dziekonski and Anna Hriniewicz in Poland. And Father Roman Soszynski whom I can never thank enough.

  Writing a book is a long and solitary task but my wonderful friends kept my spirits up with their steadfast affection, support and understanding. I’m particularly grateful to Raymonde Raiz for her generous heart and readiness to help, Dasia Black Gutman for her encouragement and illuminating comments, and Carole Solomon for her empathy. Trevor Wise helped with the glossary, Betty Harding sent me encouraging notes and prayed for me, and Sarah Billington gave me ideas for the cover.

  I’m very fortunate in having Selwa Anthony as my agent. I appreciate her unbounded faith in Mosaic and value her enthusiasm, professionalism and dedication more than I can say.

  The support I’ve had from the team at Random House has been overwhelming. I’d like to thank Linda Funnell, Jane Palfreyman, Margaret Sullivan and Juliet Rogers. With her sensitive heart and gentle touch, Julia Stiles was an ideal editor. Thanks also to Helen Davis-Miller and Kim Swivel.

  I’m grateful to Dina Abramovich at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research in New York, and to Professor Anna Wierzbicka and Mary Besemeres of the Australian National University for translations of Adam Mickiewicz’s ‘The Song Survives’.

  Finally, my thanks go to the Literature Board of the Australia Council for the grant which gave me important moral as well financial support.

  About the Author

  Diane Armstrong was born in Poland and arrived in Australia with her parents on the SS Derna in 1948. After gaining a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Sydney, she became a freelance journalist. Over 3000 of her articles have been published in Australia and around the world, winning national and international awards, including the Pluma de Plata from the Mexican government, and the George Munster Award for Independent Journalism in Australia.

  In 1998, Diane’s internationally acclaimed memoir, Mosaic: A Chronicle of Five Generations, was published and was shortlisted for the National Biography Award and the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award. Her second bestselling book, The Voyage of Their Life: the Story of the SS Derna and its Passengers, was published in 2001 and was shortlisted for the New South Wales Premier’s Literary Award. It was followed in 2005 by her first novel, Winter Journey, which was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book, South-East Asia and South Pacific region. Winter Journey has been translated into Polish and is currently being translated into Hebrew. Diane’s second novel, Nocturne, was published in 2008.

  Diane lives in Sydney with her husband, Michael. They have a daughter and son, and three grand-daughters.

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  Praise for Mosaic

  ‘with a novelist’s sense of character and narrative structure, [Armstrong] introduces each of Daniel and Lieba’s eleven children. There are so many tension-filled, stirring and tragic stories…A profoundly moving reminder of how terrible and wonderful humans can be’ The Age

  ‘[a] vivid, heartwarming family memoir…the plot and her characters move along in a fast-paced, tightly woven narrative’ Publishers Weekly

  ‘A compelling, passionate story’ Bookshelf

  ‘The ultimate triumph of good over evil provides the soaring final chapter of an extraordinary family history’ Hobart Mercury

  ‘Extraordinary…A haunting Holocaust history that deserves to share shelf space alongside Primo Levi and Elie Wiesel…a monumental accomplishment, both accessible and powerful enough to linger in our consciences long after we have turned the last page’ Barnes & Noble review from the Discover Great New Writers program

  ‘You must read this book’ The Galizianer, New York

  ‘Her skilful blending of vibrant individual voices across the generations makes this memoir a touching tribute to the healing powers of storytelling as well as to the unquenchable human spirit’ Amazon.com

  ‘a vivid, powerful memoir…With the skills of an astute journalist and a master storyteller, Armstrong delivers these memories, and in so doing, gives voice to a past
that might otherwise have been lost’ BookPage

  ‘Armstrong has woven personal and political, psychological and spiritual together. Her achievement is extraordinary’ Canberra Times

  ‘one of the best accounts of the Holocaust. A great book’ Barnes & Noble

  ‘an homage to [Armstrong’s] family and a moving and poignant celebration of survival’ Booklist

  ‘A most remarkable book about one family’s experience…Just as A.B. Facey’s A Fortunate Life and Sally Morgan’s My Place have become part of the national literary heritage, so too has Mosaic earned its place in our social dialogue as part of our cultural tapestry’ Daily Telegraph

  Books by Diane Armstrong

  Mosaic: A Chronicle of Five Generations

  The Voyage of Their Life: The Story of the SS Derna and its passengers

  Winter Journey

  Nocturne

  Copyright