According to Kempler, her immediate and extended circle was, for the most part, unaware of the “Final Solution” and the atrocities that had been taking place elsewhere in Europe.
Swift deportations began during the spring of 1944 after Hitler discovered that Hungary was secretly negotiating with the United States and United Kingdom; Germany formally occupied the country. Hundreds of thousands of Hungarian Jews and thousands of Roma (gypsies) were deported in a short time to Auschwitz-Birkenau where the majority were murdered.
As recalled by Kempler, Jews were routed from their homes and were first removed to a ghetto created in the forest of Bungar where she remembered hiking in happier times. In six weeks time, train tracks were constructed right into the ghetto area and deportations began. She spent the remainder of the war years in Auschwitz Birkenau.
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Author’s Note:
Since Chanele was niftar on the 18th of Elul 5754 (August 25, 1994) I have purchased some 127 paintings of hers. When my family and I were planning to make aliyah last August I had the collection appraised in New York.
The appraiser had a difficult time assessing the value since as far as she knows there has never been an instance where a Holocaust survivor artist had so many pieces of work that had never seen the light of day. For shipping purposes she valued the collection at $270,000, but said that if the paintings would be displayed in museums the value would be many times that figure.
Last month someone visiting my home in Yerushalayim noticed some of the paintings on my wall. He went to meet with representatives of Yad Vashem to show them some photos of the collection and asked if they could meet with me during the coming weeks to authenticate the collection and its value.
He also brought over a screenwriter and director to discuss making a documentary about Chanele and her collection. They too were fascinated, commenting that they would be willing to drop their usual fee considerably, in order to work on the project. The many hours of videotaped interviews with her discussing her life and work make this a compelling story.
I would love to connect with someone more familiar with the art world to help me in this next step. I can be reached at [email protected].