Jesaia Lewin (1918 - 2016)

Born 8 Nov 1918 in Lubelski, Lubelskie, Polska

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Simon Lewin emigrated to escape the Holocaust, then joined the United States Army and returned as a Ritchie Boy to fight the Nazis Join: Holocaust Project Discuss: holocaust

Biography

Jesaia was born November 8, 1918 in Lublin, Poland. He was the middle child of three sons born to his parents, Samuel Lewin and Suzanne (Minkus) Lewin.^[1]

Jesaia was still an infant when his family moved to Berlin, Germany in 1920 to escape Jewish persecution in Poland. After Adolf Hitler came to power, conditions for Jews deteriorated in Germany and in 1933, against their parents' objections, Jesaia and his older brother Isaah left for France to prepare for immigration to Palestine.^[2] In the meantime, their mother and youngest brother Jeremias received visas to travel to the United States January 21, 1935 in Berlin and persuaded Jesaia to come with them. Jesaia's visa was finally issued January 21, 1935 in Berlin. Jesaia, Jeremias, and their mother sailed February 13, 1935 from Cherbourg, France aboard the SS Olympic and arrived February 21, 1935 at Ellis Island in Manhattan, New York, New York, United States. It seems strange that Jesaia's father was not shown as the family's nearest relative in Europe, but instead Shajer Lewin, his paternal grandfather, living at Sziroka UL 54 in Lublin, Poland is shown on his immigration record. Their contact in the United States was his mother's brother, Morris Minkus, living at 1740 Amsterdam Avenue in the Bronx, Bronx, New York. Sixteen year old Jesaia was 4' 11" tall and had brown hair and gray eyes.^[3] From then on, he used the name Simon Lewen and was known to friends as Si. He enrolled in art school and resumed his career as an artist.^[2]

In 1940, the family's last name was incorrectly shown as Lewan. 21 year old Simon lived at 514/516 West 143^rd Street in Manhattan, New York, New York, United States with his mother Suzanne (shown as Susan, age 45) and brothers Isaac (age 24) and Jeremias (shown as Jerry, age 17). A lady, Ray Smolensky (age 35), lived with the family as a lodger. Isaac was a clerk in a novelty shop, Simon worked at a display company as an artist, and Ray was a dressmaker.^[4]

Simon was already a United States citizen when he enlisted in the United States Army Reserve as a Private September 4, 1942 in Albany, New York. He had completed four years of high school and was initially classified as a semiskilled mechanic or repairman, assigned to the Signal Corps.^[5]Following special training at Camp Ritchie, Simon arrived in France shortly after the invasion and assigned to a special task. In a car with a loudspeaker, he drove at the frontlines, trying to talk German soldiers into surrendering.^[2] After fighting in France and Germany, Simon "helped liberate the Buchenwald concentration camp - facing there the grim reality of what would likely have been his fate had he stayed in Germany."^[6]

Si Lewen was one of the first American soldiers to enter Buchenwald. When he marched inside, “Color literally disappeared,” he recalled. “It literally disappeared.”

Si thought he might find old friends in there. “But the people that I met, they hardly looked human,” he sighed. “In order to heal, I had to paint.”

Attacking canvas, Si Lewen finally figured out why his wartime efforts had been so successful. “For 46 years, I couldn't tell anyone what happened,” he said softly.

Before he enlisted, Si was robbed in New York City's Central Park — by a policeman. “He kept hitting me and I started screaming, ‘Help, help!’ ” Si sobbed. “It was a lovely day. Sunday. People were in their boats. They made a quick retreat.”

Sources

^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]}

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} The National Archives at Philadelphia; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; NAI Title: Declarations of Intention for Citizenship, 1/19/1842 - 10/29/1959; NAI Number: 4713410; Record Group Title: Records of District Courts of the United States, 1685-2009; Record Group Number: 21, includes:

   Name: Simon Jesaia Lewin [Jesaia Lewin ]

   Gender: Male

   Declaration Age: 18

   Record Type: Declaration

   Birth Date: 8 Nov 1918

   Birth Place: Lublin, Poland

   Arrival Date: 21 Feb 1935

   Arrival Place: New York, New York, USA

   Declaration Date: 16 Feb 1937

   Declaration Place: New York

   Court: U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

   Declaration Number: 392420

   Box Number: 258

2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} The Ritchie Boys, Biography of Si Lewen.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} New York, New York Passenger and Crew Lists, 1909, 1925-1957, database with images, FamilySearch (12 March 2018), Jesaic Lewin, 1935; citing Immigration, New York, New York, United States, NARA microfilm publication T715 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), Image, includes:

   Name: Jesaic Lewin

   Event Type: Immigration

   Event Date: February 21, 1935

   Event Place: New York, New York, United States

   Gender: Male

   Age: 16

   Birth Year (Estimated): 1919

   Birthplace: Lublin, Poland

   Ship Name: Olympic

   Departure Date: February 13, 1935

   Departure Place: Cherbourg

   Visa: January 21, 1935, Berlin

   Departure Contact: grandfather, Shajer Lewin, Sziroka UL 54, Lublin

   Arrival Contact: maternal uncle, Morris Minkus, 1740 Amsterdam Avenue, Bronx, NY

   Description: 4' 11", brown hair, gray eyes

   traveled with: Elka Lewin, age 40, born Putawi, visa December 11, 1934, Berlin, 4' 11", brown hair, gray eyes

   Jeremias Lewin, age 12, born Berlin, visa December 11, 1934, Berlin, brown hair, gray eyes

4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} United States Census, 1940, database with images, FamilySearch (14 March 2018), Simon Lewan in household of Susan Lewan, Assembly District 21, Manhattan, New York City, New York, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 31-1821, sheet 6A, line 40, family 108, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 2668, Image, includes:

   Name: Simon Lewan

   Event Type: Census

   Event Date: 1940

   Event Place: Assembly District 21, Manhattan, New York City, New York, New York, United States

   Gender: Male

   Age: 21

   Marital Status: Single

   Race: White

   Race: White

   Relationship to Head of Household: Son

   Relationship to Head of Household: Son

   Birthplace: Russia

   Birth Year (Estimated): 1919

   Last Place of Residence: Same Place

   Address 514/516 West 143^rd Street

   Household Role Sex Age Birthplace

   Susan Lewan Head Female 45 Russia

   Isaac Lewan Son Male 24 Russia clerk, novelty shop

   Simon Lewan Son Male 21 Russia artist, display company

   Jerry Lewan Son Male 17 Germany

   Ray Smolensky Lodger Female 35 Russia

5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} United States World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946, database, FamilySearch (5 December 2014), Simon J Lewin, enlisted 04 Sep 1942, Albany, New York, United States; citing "Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938-1946," database, The National Archives: Access to Archival Databases (AAD) (http://aad.archives.gov : National Archives and Records Administration, 2002); NARA NAID 1263923, National Archives at College Park, Maryland, includes:

   Name: Simon J Lewin

   Name: LEWIN SIMON J

   Event Type: Military Service

   Event Date: 04 Sep 1942

   Event Place: Albany, New York, United States

   Race: White

   Citizenship Status: citizen

   Birth Year: 1918

   Birthplace: POLAND

   Education Level: 4 years of high school

   Civilian Occupation: Semiskilled mechanics and repairmen, n.e.c.

   Marital Status: Single, without dependents

   Military Rank: Private

   Army Branch: Signal Corps

   Army Component: Reserves - exclusive of Regular Army Reserve and Officers of the Officers Reserve Corps on active duty under the Thomason Act (Officers and Enlisted Men -- O.R.C. and E.R.C., and Nurses-Reserve Status)

   Source Reference: Civil Life

   Serial Number: 12138008

   Affiliate ARC Identifier: 1263923

   Box Film Number: 00941.87

6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} [ https://www.bnaibrith.org/digital-exclusives/si-lewen-modern-artist B'nai B'rith International], Si Lewen, Modern Artist, March 12, 2015.

• https://www.pbs.org/video/history-detectives-web-extra-interview-with-si-lewen/

• https://www.silewen.com/