Leah Willner at the age of 4 years (1938) Photo: Leah and Daniel Cohen	Eva Willner aged almost 2 years old 9. May 1938 Photo: Leah and Daniel Cohen	Else Willner née. Oppenheimer From a family photograph dated 9. May 1938. Emigrated in September 1938 to the USA New York (Queens) Photo: Leah and Daniel Cohen	Ludwig Willner 1930 worked as salesman in the family business. Emigrated 1937 to the USA New York (Queens) Photo: Leah Cohen, Daniel Cohen

The Oppenheimer family owned and ran a fabrics & haberdashery store located at Voss-Strasse 42 (on the current site of the Müller dept. store). Their store was however run as a "Cohen" business. In 1933 Else Oppenheimer married Ludwig Willner. He worked as a salesman in the family business too. After the store had to close in 1937, due to increasing Nazi repressions, Ludwig Willner managed to emigrate to the United States. There he lived with Else's brother, Fritz Oppenheimer, until Else and the children were able to follow him in 1938.

Prior to the many Nazi boycotts, the family had led a good life in Goch. They owned a successful business and were thus relatively wealthy. After having arrived in the United States, life was at first very difficult. Initially Ludwig Willner was only able to find employment as a labourer in the textile industry. He earned $ 7.00 a week. Later on he became self-employed, working as a travelling salesman providing equipment and supplies for his clients; tailors, laundries and dry-cleaners throughout NY and Conneticut,

Else Willner took in piece-work - so contributing to the family's income. She sew aprons and during the Second World War she embroidered cloth insignia (stars etc.) for military uniforms. She was also responsible for the coal-fired heating of the appartment block in which they lived. Carrying coal and disposing of ashes - caused her severe back pain from which she suffered for the rest of her life.

Post-war, when the family were able to claim and receive reparations from German, for the suffering which (Nazi) Germany had caused them, life became somewhat easier.

Ludwig Willner had learned English as a child at school in Germany. Very soon he was able to speak English fluently and also mastered the written language. His wife had more difficulties getting used to the language. In the course of time however, her knowledge of English improved. To her daughters, Else always spoke in German; they however would respond in English. The two sisters - as do young children - were soon able to master the new language. During the war the girls did not want their mother to speak German in public. As the United States was at war with Germany, people would assume that someone speaking German was possibly a spy and in any case an enemy. Few if any would conclude that the speaker was a German Jew who had been forced to leave Germany in peril of their life , and so would hardly be likely to support Hitler's regime. So it was that German Jews experienced being driven out of their old country, only to be subjected (as Germans) to different animosities in their new country

All of Ludwig Willner's German family perished during the Holocaust. For this reason he was reluctant to discuss those times with his children. In contrast Else Willner often talked to her children about her own girlhood and about the other Jewish families in Goch as well as the emigration to the USA. Her opinion of Hitler was justly severe!

Shortly after the war - a photograph appeared in a N.Y. newspaper showing survivors from a concentration camp. Else was sure she recognized her sister Betty among them. Further research however established that she had been mistaken - which made her very sad. Else Willner never returned to Germany. She did make visits to Switzerland, to meet with her sister from Israel.

Leah Willner - the elder daughter of Ludwig and Else, later went to college and qualified as a teacher. At that time she lived with her parents and took part-time jobs to help with fees. At college she met her husband-to-be Howard Cohen. He was a gynecologist. After marriage the couple moved to Poughkeepsie, New York. From 1962-64 they lived in New Jersey whilst Howard Cohen undertook further professional training. Aftr this they returned to Poughkeepsie. Their daughter Deborah was born on 1965, with son Daniel following on 1967. Howard Cohen died at the early age of 48 in 1982. Leah Cohen then studied law, which she practised for the next 20 years. Late 2006 she moved to live with her daughter Deborah Peckham, in Canton MA , near Boston. Daniel Cohen currently resides in NYC - in the Bronx.

Leah Cohen's intention to practise law further was sadly not to be realised. In 2007 Leah was diagnozed as having cancer. She fought the illness with characteristic braveness, passing away on 21 December 2007. Shalom Leah!

Leah Cohen and her sister Eva visited Goch in 1984.

Family tree of Ludwig and Else Willner of Goch

Documents relevant to enforced emigration

WILLNER
née. Oppenheimer

Else

Voss-Str. 42
New York (Queens, Poughkeepsie)

Ludwig Willner
marriage. 13.2.33

• Eva 30.9.1936 Goch
• Leah 3.4.1934 Goch

Emigrated with her children to the USA in 1938. Else Willner & her children were still listed as members of Goch's Jewish congregation in 1938. Her husband Ludwig left Goch in January/February 1937 when Nazi repressions made running the family store impossible. He went to live with his brother-in-law Fritz at Queens (NY). Else lived in Queens until 1977 when she moved to Poughkeepsie

e

WILLNER

Eva

30.9.1936 Goch

Voss-Str. 42
New York (Queens),
New Jersey

• Susan Weiner Gross
• Lisa Weiner Gross

Emigrated to the USA in 1938 with parent(s). Subsequently lived in NJ

e

WILLNER

Ludwig

28.1.1904

Voss-Str. 42
New York (Queens)

Else Willner

• Eva 30.9.1936 Goch
• Leah 3.4.1934 Kleve

Salesman - worked in the Oppenheimer store, on its closure he emigrated - to New York in 1937. Lived at first with brother-in-law Fritz Oppenheimer. Followed to the USA in 1938 by his wife Else and their daughters

e

WILLNER

Leah

3.4.1934
Goch

21.12.2007
Conton M.A. .20072

Voßstr. 42
New York (Queens, Poughkeepsie) New Jersey, Canton MA

• Daniel Cohen
• Deborah Peckham

Emigrated to USA in 1938 with parent(s) Lived in Queens, then New Jersey and finally with her daughter near Boston.

Qualified as a teacher and later as a lawyer

e

COHEN

Daniel

1967 New York

New York, (Bronx)

WEINER GROSS

Lisa

?

New Jersey

• Samuel, 8.11.1993
• Emily, 17.10.1996
  

Susan and Lisa are married to siblings

WEINER GROSS

Susan

New Jersey

Ian Gross

• Alison, 1.9.1997
• Benjamin, 19.6.2000

- ditto -