Holocaust Refugees Reunited by Chicago Eighth-Graders

Gerda “Gertie” Katz Frumkin and Edith Schumer Westerfield became close friends at age 12, while escaping Nazi Germany together. Now, they've been reunited by a group of eighth-graders.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on May 16 2011

In 1938, 12-year-olds Gerda “Gertie” Katz Frumkin and Edith Schumer Westerfield spent 10 days together on board a ship from Europe to America, and then another three days enjoying the pleasures of New York City, taking in a Rockettes show and a performance of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves” at Radio City Music Hall.

They became fast friends, but the trip wasn’t all fun and games: The two Jewish girls were being shipped out of Germany to escape being sent to concentration camps. When they left the country, they knew that they would likely never see their families again. Those difficult circumstances created a close instant bond between the two girls—but sadly, they were forced to go their separate ways after those two weeks together. Westerfield went to Chicago, and Frumkin traveled to Seattle to stay with relatives there.

For 73 years, Westerfield has clung to a photo of her young friend, never expecting to see her again. But an enterprising class of Chicago area eight-graders changed all that.

After Westerfield’s daughter, Fern Schumer Chapman, spoke to Naperville’s Madison Junior High School’s eight-grade class about a book she’d written about her mother’s experiences, the students were moved by the story, and became determined to help Westerfield find her old friend.

They started on Facebook and Google, but when nothing turned up, they began searching old news clippings. Eventually, they found an old marriage announcement and a 60th anniversary announcement in a Seattle paper, and were able to track down the couple’s phone number. Before long, the two old friends were in touch via email, and are now planning to reunite in Seattle this July. The students who worked to bring the friends together won’t miss out: They’ll broadcast their reconnection through Skype.

Chapman and her mother are both overwhelmed by how the students have helped. “I was utterly shocked,” Chapman told the Chicago Tribune. “I think it is much more meaningful to both of us because students who were largely the age of Gertie and Edith when this all happened cared enough and identified enough to really change their lives.”

Filed under: Heroes, History,

Liked this? You'll love these, too:

Schools Say Goodbye to “Pink Slime” Ground Beef Byproduct

The USDA has just announced that school districts can opt out of purchasing “lean finely textured beef,” an ammonia-treated meat byproduct, after thousands of parents signed a petition. Read More
Four Tips for Parents On Learning to Keep their Anger Under Control

When your child misbehaves, it can be tough to avoid the temptation to lash out or yell. Peder Hill shares four strategies to help parents keep their calm. Read More
25 Rules for Mothers of Boys

Tabitha Studer shares some parenting advice for women raising young boys. Read More
How Cypress Ranch High School Beat Bullying with a Lip-Dub Video

Students at Cypress Ranch High School in Cypress, Texas filmed a video lip-dub set to a student's anti-bullying song to promote the message of acceptance. Read More
A Fallen Soldier’s Last Gift: Bruce Hays and the Apache Project

After soldier Bruce Hays died in Afghanistan, his Wisconsin neighbors worked to restore an old truck that he'd promised to his wife Terry. Read More