In 1940 both of Shimon’s sons, Icek-Josef and Symcha, and his sons-in-law, Salomon Friedheim, Nissan Frenkel and Froïm-Ephraim Korman joined the French Foreign Legion. The men were released later the same year, following the occupation of France. On the 14th of May 1941 Shimon’s three sons-in-law were arrested in a wave of arrests targeting Jews without French citizenship; they were sent to concentration and transit camps in France. Symcha and Salomon were sent to the Pithiviers detention and transit camp, the others were sent to Beaune-la-Rolande transit camp.

A letter from Shimon Horonczyk, written in his Paris home, to his son-in-law Nissan Frenkel, Esther’s husband, detained at the time in Beaune-la-Rolande. It was posted together with a letter from Esther, dated 31 May 1942.

My dearest Nissan,
You are at present extremely restricted in sending and receiving letters, and I myself have no opportunity to write, except when I am in Paris.

What shall I tell you regarding your wife’s state of mind? I think she is holding up well, but I do not know how she is when I am not here. The house is always full, as usual, and this helps her forget reality a little. It is hardest for her, I think, during the nights. I would write a detailed analysis of the situation, but I do not want to pry too much into the life of a married woman who is far from her loved one, and suffering from loneliness.

The continuation of the letter by Shimon Horonczyk to his son-in-law Nissan Frenkel, Esther’s husband, detained in Beaune-la-Rolande.

Regarding Richard, I cannot elaborate very much, because you will not understand. He is a card-carrying rascal. During the first two days of my visit he was fine, and then he began to drive me crazy, something which he does to everyone. The guilty party is his grandfather, who encourages him to make fun of everyone. He understands his grandfather so well that one wink from him suffices for Richard to begin running wild.
Although I see him only once a month, he is clearly making progress. How can I describe him to you, when I myself have barely seen him? Perhaps one example will suffice: when he knows he deserves to be punished he bends over and is embarrassed. When his mother draws near, he flees into the other room and asks for forgiveness with a small yelp, his eyes tightly shut, because he is expecting to be punished. His great delight is when I lay him down to sleep, tickle him and make him laugh. Every night he waits expectantly for me to make him laugh again.
I say again: come back quickly, old man, and you will have the same joy I do (and even more).
You will see that I have not lied to you, and that in fact I have only told you one single percent of the full truth. I must close for now, because it is already late.

Kisses,
Simon (Shimon)

A few weeks after writing this letter, on the 28th of June 1942, Shimon’s son, Icek-Josef Horonczyk, and his sons-in-law, Nissan Frenkel and Froïm Korman, were deported from Beaune-la-Rolande to Auschwitz. In the weeks that followed, his daughter, Esther Frenkel, was apprehended together with her young son, Richard, during the mass-arrests known as the Vel' d'Hiv (named for the winter stadium, the Vélodrome d'Hiver, where those arrested were initially detained). Esther and Richard were sent to Pithiviers. Fanny Korman, Shimon’s granddaughter, who in 1942 was six years old, gave testimony on the deportation of Esther and Richard. When the two were arrested by the French Police, Shimon went down to the courtyard and begged the police to take him instead of Richard; “Don’t worry,” they replied, “we’ll be coming back for you soon enough.”

Shimon Horonczyk was the last of his family members to be deported and murdered. On the 12th of February 1943 Shimon was arrested and led to the concentration camp of Drancy. On the 25th of March he was deported in transport 53 to Sobibor. The night before his deportation, Shimon wrote a postcard to Mr. Shlomovitz, the family’s contact in Paris.

Shimon Horonczyk was the last of his family members to be deported and murdered. On the 12th of February 1943 Shimon was arrested and led to the concentration camp of Drancy. On the 25th of March he was deported in transport 53 to Sobibor. The night before his deportation, Shimon wrote a postcard to Mr. Shlomovitz, the family’s contact in Paris.

24 March 1943

Dear Mr. Shlomovitz,
At present I can only write you a few lines, to let you know that tomorrow I am leaving for an undisclosed destination.

I hope you received the sum of 3,000 Francs from Mr. Greenspan. I have received the first package you sent me, and if by chance you have not yet sent the second package, do not bother to do so anymore.

Have you received the 600 Francs from Mr. Gitler? Now there is no more need to worry about me. I am leaving bravely and in high spirits, hoping to be reunited with the children. I end this postcard with a warm hug, hoping that we will see each other again in the near future.

Horonczyk

Shimon Horonczyk (the fifth line from above), is number 420 on the list of Jews deported from the concentration camp of Drancy to the death camp of Sobibor in the Lublin district, on 25 March 1943. Alongside his personal details – name, date, place of birth, and place of residence in Paris – the list states that he has no profession.

Courtesy of Archives du CDJC – Mémorial de la Shoah

The ITS (International Tracing Service, Bad Arolsen Archive) card lists Shimon’s personal details, as well as the date when he was deported from Drancy on the 25th of March, 1943. The card states that he was deported to Majdanek but records show that he was in fact sent to Sobibor.

The RSHA transport number 53 (Reichssicherheitshauptamt, the Central Office for the Security of the Reich), containing some 1,000 Jews, left Drancy on the 25th of March 1943 for Sobibor. 580 of the deportees were Jews who held French citizenship. 25 people escaped after tearing up the floorboards of one of the wagons. Only 3 of them ultimately eluded capture, the rest were caught.

Page of Testimony submitted in memory of Shimon Horonczyk by his daughter Chaja-Dwojra Korman