Written by Rose Marks based on Interviews with Miriam Tyrk in 2022

Rose Marks, April 27, 2022: “For the past 8 months, I have been going to Miriam Tyrk's house to listen to her share with me her memories of the time she spent hiding for 2 years and 10 days in the attic of a righteous man's house in Poland with her cousin Goldie. She told me her story of how she survived not just the holocaust, but pre and post-war anti-sematic Poland until she came to the United States. I learned in-depth about what happened to Miriam during those years. I also learned about Miriam as a person, her will to live, her her inner strength, mental fortitude, and her ability to live her life and to love after the horrific stories of her survival.

Talking to Miriam allowed me to compare her story to so many other things I learned and to see these events through her eyes. In current day events in Ukraine, I try to understand how Miriam feels watching the news and the emotions of seeing such tragedy happen again and again in her lifetime.  

The time I spent with Miriam will stay with me for the rest of my life. Getting to know Miriam, and forming a friendship with her, is such an honor for me. It is a privilege to know Miriam and I hope that I can help to pass her story along for many decades to come. “

Miriam Tyrk, 95 at the time of the telling of the story, survived the Holocaust in Poland. After the end of the War, Miriam went to high school in Poland and years later, in 1952, Miriam got married to Herschel. Sadly, he passed away in 1979 and in 1983 Miriam immigrated to New York City; she has lived in Park Slope, Brooklyn since.

Before the War

Before the War started, Miriam would go to school every day possible and she was never late. She took her bike there but, before she got to school, Miriam would stop at the bakery for some bagels. At school all the Jewish kids sat together and other people, kids and teachers, would call them names. Every Shabbos Miriam's mother would cook dinner which consisted of chicken soup and challah.

One warm day Miriam went out to get groceries. When she returned home, she found her family was missing. A lady told her that people had taken them away. When she went into her house, she saw her boots but thought she wouldn't need them when she went out again. Of course, she assumed she would come back. This was a mistake that she later regretted.

The War

On September 17, 1942 Miriam went into hiding for 2 years and 10 days - no sun, no shower, only an attic. Miriam was with her cousin, Goldie, in the attic. Goldie was 11 years old and had trouble eating different foods. They were hidden by a Christian family with 4 kids. When the mother of the family was on her death bed she confessed to the priest about hiding Jews. He told her that it was a righteous act. The family was very poor. Their small house had a living room, kitchen, storage room and a cow. Miriam and Goldie got fed scraps from the leftovers of dinner and some bread, but that was all. Mornings and evenings were the only times they got food. In summer they were hot and in winter cold; on winter nights Miriam would sleep next to the family's cow for warmth. A strong memory for Miriam is that Goldie would not eat and she had to push her to eat the little food which was available. Miriam’s father and his sister and Goldie's mother were in an attic in another house nearby. They couldn't leave or they would risk getting caught by the Nazis.

In Hiding

Those 2 years and 10 days were very long but then in 1944 the Russians approached and they came out of hiding. Although the War had not yet ended, Miriam, her father and Aunt Pearl went to the woods and were there for 6 months. They slept on the ground some nights, but often they could find some warmth and sleep in the many abandoned houses in the area.. They would have tomatoes and potatoes for most meals.. Miriam didn’t have shoes; her feet hurt and were red from the many cuts and injuries she got. It would be at these times that she would remember the boots she left behind in her apartment over two years ago.

Later, the family stayed in a Russian bunker that was abandoned when the Nazis searched the area.

The other people in her family weren’t as lucky as Miriam.

Yeshayahu, Miriam’s eldest brother, was 21 years old. He was skinny and had curly hair. He applied to immigrate to the United States before the War, but was rejected. He was murdered in June 1942 at the Pustkow, Concentration Camp.