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Document ID: 131939998
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Document Collection: 7-14-1 Documentation of the CLI
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His obituary, he died in Boerne/Texas in 2020: " William Samelson, Ph.D., passed away in the early hours of the morning on November 8th, 2020, at his home in Boerne, Texas. Dr. Samelson was 92 years old, born in Sosnowiec, Poland on September 21, 1928. A survivor of the Holocaust, Dr. Samelson was imprisoned and enslaved by the Nazis at Buchenwald and other concentration camps at the age of 11 in 1939, after first being concentrated in an urban ghetto with his family immediately after the Nazi invasion of Poland. With his father and brother, he emigrated to the United States after being liberated by General Patton’s 3rd U.S. Army Division of the United States Armed Forces in 1945. Many members of his family perished during the Holocaust, including his mother and sister. After arriving in America, he pursued a graduate education in literature and linguistics, receiving his B.A. from Case Western Reserve, M.A. in Literature from Kent State University and a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature and Linguistics from the University of Texas at Austin. Between degrees, he served in the U.S. Army, applying his knowledge of several languages to supporting the military’s intelligence efforts during the Korean War. At the conclusion of his military service, he completed his graduate education, and accepted his first teaching position at San Antonio College, going on to teach at several colleges, including Trinity University and UTSA. While teaching, Dr. Samelson published his first series of textbooks on English as A Second Language, and his first novel, All Lie In Wait, which memorialized his experiences during the Holocaust.
Dr. Samelson lectured about the Holocaust widely in public and followed his first novel with many works of fiction, non-fiction and poetry, mainly focused on documenting his experiences during the war. His work explores themes of trauma, anger and loss and collectively tracking a journey to find joy and a sense of redeeming purpose in life. Among other things, he found solace in his work, in observing the natural beauty of the Texas Hill-Country outside his study window, long-distance running, and a weekly game of tennis with a regular set of old friends. Dr. Samelson is survived by his children.
Rest in peace, sir."- William Samelson (1928-2020) - Find a Grave Memorial
USC Shoah Foundation Institute testimony of William Samelson - Collections Search - United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Night of Living History:Dr. William Samelson, Holocaust Survivor
CIBOLOCREEK | A Night Of Living History With Bill Samelson | A Night Of Living History with Bill Samelson
This should be his mother: „Bela Samelson was born in Piotrkow, Poland in 1908 to Israel and Luba. Prior to WWII she lived in Sosnowiec, Poland. During the war she was in Piotrkow, Poland. Bela was murdered in the Shoah (according to this source)“ - https://yvng.yadvashem.org/nameDetails.html?language=en&itemId=1416674&ind=1
his sister Tzipora Fela, born 1930: „Fela Samelson was born in Sosnowiec, Poland in 1930 to Hersh and Bela. Prior to WWII she lived in Sosnowiec, Poland. During the war she was in Piotrkow, Poland. Fela was murdered in the Shoah (according to this source).“ - https://yvng.yadvashem.org/nameDetails.html?language=en&itemId=560872&ind=1
https://yvng.yadvashem.org/nameDetails.html?language=en&itemId=8897581&ind=1
This should be his brother Rubin, mentioned on the CLI-card:
" The oldest of three children, Rubin Samelson grew up in Chorzów, Poland where his father owned a ladies’ dress shop. Rubin has fond memories of Jewish holidays spent with relatives and of time spent with friends, both Jewish and non-Jewish. The German invasion in September 1939 shattered Rubin’s peaceful existence. Shortly after Germany occupied Poland, Rubin’s mother and his younger sister Felicia were deported. Rubin never learned when or where they perished. Rubin’s father Henry was also sent to a camp, but he escaped. Captured by the Soviets, who accused him of being a German spy, he was exiled to Siberia.
Meanwhile, Rubin and his brother William, three years his junior, were herded into the Chorzów ghetto where they toiled in a glass factory. They worked in hot and grueling 12-hour shifts during which their only sustenance was watery ersatz coffee. When he was not at work, Rubin sometimes managed to sneak over the ghetto wall and smuggle back food to share with his brother.
In 1942, Rubin and William were sent to Częstochowa to work in a steel mill. As Russian troops approached, the slave laborers were loaded into windowless boxcars bound for Buchenwald. Many died en route. When they arrived at Buchenwald, Rubin and William were issued wooden shoes and striped uniforms. “We used to sleep 15 people to a bunk like sardines,” said Rubin. “As a matter of fact, if you got up in the middle of the night, you couldn’t get back in because your place was already taken.” He and William endured the horrific conditions in Buchenwald for about a year and were then sent to labor in a munitions factory in Colditz, Germany. One day the prisoners learned that they were to be evacuated. Rather than join the forced march, Rubin and William, along with about 20 other men, decided to hide. But their captors discovered them, forced them out into the yard and opened fire. At that moment, American troops arrived and the German guards scattered. Shocked at what they found, many of the American GIs broke down in tears. But the platoon leader had the presence of mind to take the ten surviving men—including Rubin and William—to a hospital in nearby Borna. Rubin later learned that these ten men were the only survivors of Colditz. The other 1,100 inmates had been murdered on the death march.
After recuperating, Rubin lived in Wiesbaden, Germany where he was reunited with his father. Rubin, William and Henry sailed for America in January 1948. Only four months after arriving in New York, Rubin enlisted with the U.S. Army. He was stationed in Germany, working with Army Intelligence as an interpreter, translator and interrogator. In 1958, Rubin moved to Houston. Rubin married Yaffa Benezra on February 24, 1960 and he worked as a hair stylist. Rubin and Yaffa had two sons, Harry and Aaron. Still active in retirement, Rubin volunteered at Holocaust Museum Houston and at Seven Acres Geriatric Center. He was a past commander of the Houston chapter of the Jewish War Veterans. A master glass blower, Rubin enjoyed photography and stained glass design.
Parents
Henry Samelson, survived
Balbina (Bella) Stebel Samelson, d. in Holocaust
Siblings
William, survived
Felicia, d. in Holocaust"
http://www.colditz24.de/colditz-holocaust-gedenktag-2020/
Out of Rubin’s obituary, he died in 2013: „Rubin is well known for his glass butterflies – dedicated to the memory of the children who perished during the Holocaust. He taught many art classes and has donated hundreds of pieces of his artwork to benefit the Holocaust Museum, where he served as a volunteer for many years. His original glass designs are exhibited all over the world, including many commissioned works, and many are in Holocaust Museum Houston, Houston Baptist University, various synagogues and a church.“ - RUBIN SAMELSON
On this page a foto of the two brothers is to be found shortly after their liberation: Schwarz auf Weiß
In Black and White