Leona Trachtenberg

Born: Leona Zagraniczna
Warsaw, Poland
November 23, 1917

Died: August 12, 2002

Leona Trachtenberg was born in Warsaw, Poland, the oldest of three daughters. Trachtenberg’s father, Jacob, was a cantor (or prayer leader) and her mother supported the family as a music teacher. In 1928 Trachtenberg’s father left for the United States in search of economic opportunities for his family. Aware of the impending war, Jacob sought to bring the rest of his family to the U.S. as well. Jacob’s cousin, Morris Singer, managed to secure an affidavit that allowed this eldest daughter to immigrate to the United States. Leona arrived in New York City on June 7, 1938, from there moving to Oklahoma where she enrolled in high school to better learn English. The family expected that Trachtenberg’s mother and sisters would soon follow them to America. Tragically, Leona’s mother and two sisters were never able to receive the necessary visas. They survived for a short time in the Warsaw ghetto, but ultimately were killed in the Holocaust. The last letter Leona received from her mother was dated November 11, 1941. Leona would not learn of her family’s fate until the 1960s when she traveled to Israel to visit relatives and friends.

Leona married her husband Morris, a Russian émigré, on December 24, 1939 in Oklahoma. Together they raised three children.

Parents:
Jacob Zagraniczny, survived
Leona Zagraniczna, d. in Holocaust

Siblings:
Tamara Zagraniczna, d. in Holocaust
Sarenka Zagraniczna, d. in Holocaust