Julieta Schor was born in 1921 in Piatra Neamt, Romania, to Elka née Juster and Baruch Schor. Her brother David was born three years later. Another sister died in infancy. Baruch was a well-established shoe trader. In 1932, Baruch died, and Elka continued to run the store with the help of relatives. Business faltered, and Elka was forced to sell up and move to Bucharest with her children, where she eked out a meagre living selling cigarettes and stamps at a stall.
In November 1941, Julieta married Harry Herskovic, and the couple decided to immigrate to Eretz Israel (Mandatory Palestine) with Harry's family. Elka made the decision to join them. She sold part of her property and an expensive coat in order to finance the travel tickets. Many members of the Herskovic family bought tickets for the Struma voyage: Harry, his father Marcel, his mother Sally, his brother Moshe, his sister Edith, his grandparents, and Elka and David Schor. Elka and David were removed from the passenger list due to overbooking. Elka managed to get her money and her coat back, and stayed in Bucharest with her son.
Harry and Julieta were amongst the Ma'apilim (illegal immigrants) who boarded the Struma at Constanța port in December 1941. On 24 February 1942, the ship was torpedoed by a Soviet submarine and all the crew and passengers except for one drowned. Julieta, Harry and his family were among the victims.
In late 1941, David was taken to a labor camp in Romania. In 1944, he escaped from the camp and returned to Bucharest. The same year, he immigrated to Eretz Israel and enlisted in the British Army. His mother Elka immigrated in 1951.
In 1954, Elka Juster (Schor) submitted a Page of Testimony to Yad Vashem in memory of her daughter Julieta.
Reserve your Visit
Online Store
Support Us
