Pre-Hearing Summary Prepared by the International Refugee Organization (IRO) Headquarters IRO Children's Village Bad Aibling for Germany Regarding Michal Pupa an Unaccompanied Displaced Child
9/01/1951
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Michael Pupa’s family was one of millions destroyed in the Holocaust. Born in Manyevitz, Poland (now Ukraine), in 1938, Pupa, his parents, and sister lived there until 1942. While his refugee case file states that his parents were “taken to ghetto,” Michael recalls that he, his parents, and sister lived in Manyevitz until 1942, when his mother and sister were killed there by the Nazis. Pupa, his father, and his uncle Lieb Kaplan escaped. His father was later captured and killed, and Michael and Kaplan spent the next two years hiding from the Nazis in the Polish forests. At the end of World War II, he was smuggled into Germany, where he lived in four different displaced persons’ camps. In 1950, his uncle asked that the International Refugee Organization help Michael and his cousin, Broja Meniuk emigrate to the United States. On May 4, 1951, the two cousins flew to New York City, where they lived for six months in a United Nations home for refugee children. Thirteen-year-old Michael then decided to move to Cleveland, Ohio, where he hoped his uncle could join him and find work. In Cleveland, he was placed with foster parents Edward and Bernice Rosenthal, who raised him, along with their children, Cheryl and Allyne, as a part of their family. In 1957, he became a U.S. citizen. Michael graduated from John Carroll University with a degree in Eastern European history and business. He went into sales and finance and later became the owner of a successful home mortgage company. In 1964, he married Anita Kendis. The couple had two children, Jill and Marc. Today, he and Anita make their home near Cleveland.
This primary source comes from the Records of the U.S. High Commissioner for Germany.
National Archives Identifier: 6409646
Full Citation: Pre-Hearing Summary Prepared by the International Refugee Organization (IRO) Headquarters IRO Children's Village Bad Aibling for Germany Regarding Michal Pupa an Unaccompanied Displaced Child; 9/01/1951; Records of the U.S. High Commissioner for Germany. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/prehearing-summary-prepared-by-the-international-refugee-organization-iro-headquarters-iro-childrens-village-bad-aibling-for-germany-regarding-michal-pupa-an-unaccompanied-displaced-child, April 26, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.