Dan’s mother, Bertha Schwarz (Nee Teitelbaum) was born in Antwerp Belgium on January 10th, 1933. She was the eldest of her parents Asher and Dora’s three daughters and lived with her grandparents. Bertha grew up in a Hasidic household and recalled going to synagogue with her father who was the Cantor. She recalled her mother commenting on the radio about news what was happening to the Jews in Germany. When the Nazis invaded Belgium in May of 1940, Bertha and her family fled Antwerp by train. After several days of the train being bombed by German war planes, Bertha and her family arrived in the small village of Villemur in Southern France. They were met by the Red Cross who provided them with an apartment. Bertha and her family remained hidden until September of 1940. The family were arrested by the French police and taken to the Brens Internment Camp in Southern France.
Upon their arrival, Bertha’s Grandparents were sent to a different camp, Saint Sulpice, and eventually to Auschwitz in 1942. Bertha’s father Asher was able to obtain false papers in the camp and Bertha’s family escaped the camp. They eventually found their way to the village of Orguiel. Bertha’s father was arrested and taken to the Drancy Camp in northern France and he was transported to Auschwitz where he was murdered. With the assistance of Rabbi Zalman Schneerson, Bertha’s mother sent her, and Bertha’s sisters to a home in Marseille, France. It was there that she remained until November of 1942. As the Nazis expanded their invasion into Southern France Bertha, her sisters, and her mother were smuggled into Switzerland in September of 1943. Bertha was separated from her mother and youngest sister, while she and her sister were sent to Institute Ascher in Switzerland, where they remained until the end of the war in 1945.
After the war, Bertha and her family moved to Palestine. In 1950, Bertha joined and served in the IDF for 2 years. In 1955 she married Michael Schwarz and in 1957 they emigrated to the United States, settling in Boston. They had 3 children and later Bertha moved to Baltimore. Bertha continued to share her story with students for the last ten years of her life and was a speaker with the Baltimore Jewish Council. Dan continues to share his mother’s story as a speaker with HAMEC.
Dan Schwarz has a Ph.D. from Temple University in Counseling Psychology. He has been a licensed Psychologist in Pennsylvania for over 35 years. Dan is fluent in Spanish and has worked with HAMEC and the We Are Here Foundation to coordinate international programs to address Holocaust Education in schools throughout the United States, Australia, South Africa, Europe and Israel.
Dan and his wife have two sons and two grand dogs.
