These pages document the histories of hidden Jewish children Manfred Wildmann and Sylvia Birnbaum Wildmann and their families in Germany, France, and Belgium during World War II. Sylvia translated the wartime letters exchanged by Manfred’s family members as they attempted to survive in France. Later, she published her own memoirs about her childhood in Germany, escape to Belgium, and life as a hidden child.

Weiser Family

Weiser Family History


The Story of Our Family Sieradzki – Sheldon – Zuckermann and Beyond

Max Sheldon Visit

GI Max Sheldon with Golde and Isaac Birnbaum in Brussels in 1945.

Visit in London

The widow of Morris Sieradski (he never changed his name), her two daughters, Isaac and Golde Birnbaum, the widow’s sister, in London in June, 1949. The Birnbaums were on their way to Southampton and the Queen Mary. All of us went to lunch but I didn’t really speak English and the girls did not speak German. – Sylvia

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