October 26, 2005
The Holocaust: A Hidden Child's Remembrances
Charles Rojer
Retired Physician, Community Service Volunteer, and
Former Old Guard Member
Minutes of the Seventh Meeting of the 64th Year
President Bill Haynes called the 92 members present to order for the seventh meeting of the Old Guard in their 64th year at precisely 10: 15 AM and John Marks led the invocation.
Mosey Gates read the minutes of the October 19 meeting in which Wm. Dietal, former President of the Rockefeller Foundation, gave an interesting talk on the histories of the Rockefeller family and their various philanthropic projects.
There was one guest, Susan Artandi Gilman, who was introduced by Bill Selden. Mrs. Gilman received her Ph.D. at Rutgers University and was a Professor at Rutgers as well.
There were a number of visitors - Marsha Rojer, who was introduced by her husband and our speaker, Charles; George McLoughlin, introduced by James Ferry; Ann Fries Erdman, introduced by George Ford; Sheila Berkelhammer, introduced by her husband, Gerry; and Robbie Fourland, introduced by her husband, Bob.
Don Dickason, Chairman of the Admissions Committee, moved the election of seven new members - Ben Colbert, sponsored by Jim Dineen; Claire Jacobus, sponsored by Rosemary O'Brien; Lyn Livingston by Bob Thompson; Gordon Mack by J.B. Smith; Perry Morgan by Jim Harford; Betty Sanford by Tom Hartman; and George Willis by Melick Belshaw. The move was seconded and the new members were elected by acclamation.
Dick Hanson introduced our speaker, Charles Rojer. He told us of Mr. Rojer's distinguished 35-year medical career and his many contributions to his community, serving, among other things, as President of the Center of the Arts, and as a member of the Board of the Friends of the Public Library. He also told us, of course, that he was a survivor of the Holocaust.
Mr. Rojer, or Charles, was born in Belgium in 1934. His parents were of Russian and Polish descent. He had two older sisters. His father was a successful leather goods maker and they lived a very comfortable life until 1940, when the Germans invaded and occupied Belgium. Knowing how Jews were treated in Germany, the Rojer family made a very unsuccessful and nearly fatal attempt to flee to what was then Free France. The train they were on was stopped just over the border and surrounded by German troops who shot anyone who tried to run way. Most of the passengers were rounded up and detained for several weeks with very little food, but the Rojers managed to escape and return to Brussels where they lived. They hoped to resume their former life and they did, for a year or so, until their lives changed dramatically when the government issued regulations saying that Jews could not attend public schools, use public transportation, teach in most professions, or conduct most businesses. They were made to register and wear the yellow star at all times. When they began rounding up Jews and sending them off to "labor camps," the Rojers, like most Jewish families, looked for ways to hide their children. By falsifying his chest x-rays they were able to get Charles into a tuberculosis sanitarium. This worked until the Germans searched the sanitariums for Jews and Charles bare1y escaped by hiding in an empty desk. The underground then got Charles into an orphanage of about 12 Jewish children run by two remarkable young women, age 20 and age 18, who volunteered for this job at extreme risk of their lives.
Charles survived in this orphanage for 2-1/2 years. This was a terribly difficult period since they had very little food and kept themselves alive largely from occasional jobs working in nearby farms, from a modest amount of poaching, and from downright begging, all while hiding from German occupiers searching for Jews.
It was with enormous relief that they welcomed the American soldiers coming from the East In 1944. For a short time they enjoyed the K-rations of the GI’s and the protection of the American Army. But the war was not over. Indeed, the Germans launched a counterattack and reoccupied Belgium, so there was another period of searching for food and constantly moving to avoid German patrols. Finally, the Germans surrendered in 1945 and Charles and his friends were free at last. He was still only eleven years old!
It was at this time that Charles learned that both his parents, his grandfather, two uncles, one aunt, and several cousins had been rounded up by the Germans and sent to Auschwitz for the gas chambers. But he also learned that his two sisters had avoided the German sweep and been sent by the underground to a convent outside of Brussels. Through pure luck Charles located his two sisters. We were all moved by Mr. Rojer's poignant description of their reunion. Charles had a family again!
Some time later Charles and his two sisters migrated to the United States where they joined an uncle in Philadelphia. Charles graduated from the public schools and went on to graduate from Temple University and Hahnemann Medical College. He married, and in his own words, had three beautiful children.
Time limits forbid me from discussing in detail the fascinating Q&A session which followed on the effect of the Holocaust on survivors, on anti-Semitism, and forgiveness.
Mr. Rojer closed with profound thanks to the American Army and particularly for our soldiers in the European Theater for saving him and so many others. Various members responded with our own thanks for sharing his story with us, and our respect and admiration for his courage and perseverance, for his medical career, and for his contributions to his community.
Respectfully submitted
Stuart Carothers
Mosey Gates read the minutes of the October 19 meeting in which Wm. Dietal, former President of the Rockefeller Foundation, gave an interesting talk on the histories of the Rockefeller family and their various philanthropic projects.
There was one guest, Susan Artandi Gilman, who was introduced by Bill Selden. Mrs. Gilman received her Ph.D. at Rutgers University and was a Professor at Rutgers as well.
There were a number of visitors - Marsha Rojer, who was introduced by her husband and our speaker, Charles; George McLoughlin, introduced by James Ferry; Ann Fries Erdman, introduced by George Ford; Sheila Berkelhammer, introduced by her husband, Gerry; and Robbie Fourland, introduced by her husband, Bob.
Don Dickason, Chairman of the Admissions Committee, moved the election of seven new members - Ben Colbert, sponsored by Jim Dineen; Claire Jacobus, sponsored by Rosemary O'Brien; Lyn Livingston by Bob Thompson; Gordon Mack by J.B. Smith; Perry Morgan by Jim Harford; Betty Sanford by Tom Hartman; and George Willis by Melick Belshaw. The move was seconded and the new members were elected by acclamation.
Dick Hanson introduced our speaker, Charles Rojer. He told us of Mr. Rojer's distinguished 35-year medical career and his many contributions to his community, serving, among other things, as President of the Center of the Arts, and as a member of the Board of the Friends of the Public Library. He also told us, of course, that he was a survivor of the Holocaust.
Mr. Rojer, or Charles, was born in Belgium in 1934. His parents were of Russian and Polish descent. He had two older sisters. His father was a successful leather goods maker and they lived a very comfortable life until 1940, when the Germans invaded and occupied Belgium. Knowing how Jews were treated in Germany, the Rojer family made a very unsuccessful and nearly fatal attempt to flee to what was then Free France. The train they were on was stopped just over the border and surrounded by German troops who shot anyone who tried to run way. Most of the passengers were rounded up and detained for several weeks with very little food, but the Rojers managed to escape and return to Brussels where they lived. They hoped to resume their former life and they did, for a year or so, until their lives changed dramatically when the government issued regulations saying that Jews could not attend public schools, use public transportation, teach in most professions, or conduct most businesses. They were made to register and wear the yellow star at all times. When they began rounding up Jews and sending them off to "labor camps," the Rojers, like most Jewish families, looked for ways to hide their children. By falsifying his chest x-rays they were able to get Charles into a tuberculosis sanitarium. This worked until the Germans searched the sanitariums for Jews and Charles bare1y escaped by hiding in an empty desk. The underground then got Charles into an orphanage of about 12 Jewish children run by two remarkable young women, age 20 and age 18, who volunteered for this job at extreme risk of their lives.
Charles survived in this orphanage for 2-1/2 years. This was a terribly difficult period since they had very little food and kept themselves alive largely from occasional jobs working in nearby farms, from a modest amount of poaching, and from downright begging, all while hiding from German occupiers searching for Jews.
It was with enormous relief that they welcomed the American soldiers coming from the East In 1944. For a short time they enjoyed the K-rations of the GI’s and the protection of the American Army. But the war was not over. Indeed, the Germans launched a counterattack and reoccupied Belgium, so there was another period of searching for food and constantly moving to avoid German patrols. Finally, the Germans surrendered in 1945 and Charles and his friends were free at last. He was still only eleven years old!
It was at this time that Charles learned that both his parents, his grandfather, two uncles, one aunt, and several cousins had been rounded up by the Germans and sent to Auschwitz for the gas chambers. But he also learned that his two sisters had avoided the German sweep and been sent by the underground to a convent outside of Brussels. Through pure luck Charles located his two sisters. We were all moved by Mr. Rojer's poignant description of their reunion. Charles had a family again!
Some time later Charles and his two sisters migrated to the United States where they joined an uncle in Philadelphia. Charles graduated from the public schools and went on to graduate from Temple University and Hahnemann Medical College. He married, and in his own words, had three beautiful children.
Time limits forbid me from discussing in detail the fascinating Q&A session which followed on the effect of the Holocaust on survivors, on anti-Semitism, and forgiveness.
Mr. Rojer closed with profound thanks to the American Army and particularly for our soldiers in the European Theater for saving him and so many others. Various members responded with our own thanks for sharing his story with us, and our respect and admiration for his courage and perseverance, for his medical career, and for his contributions to his community.
Respectfully submitted
Stuart Carothers