In Cellars, Pits and Attics
Robert and Johanna Seduls
Roberts Seduls, a former seaman and boxer, worked as the janitor of a building in Liepaja, Latvia. Following the German occupation he promised David Zivcon, a Jewish resident of the building with whom he was friendly, to help him in a time of need. Little did Seduls know that he would eventually become the rescuer of 11 Jews.
In October 1943, Zivcon decided that the situation had become too dangerous and that it was time to go into hiding. He fled from the ghetto with his wife and another couple. Robert Seduls welcomed his friend and the unannounced guests, and arranged shelter for them behind a concealed partition in the building's cellar. They were to remain there, without seeing the light of day, until liberation, 500 days later. Several months after they arrived, they were joined by another three men. Another three Jews arrived in April 1944, and a week later Rivka, David Zivcon’s sister-in-law arrived with her three-year-old child, Ada. Fearing that the child would reveal their hiding place, Seduls arranged shelter for Ada with Otilija Schimelpfening, a widow of German origin. In total, 11 Jewish people were now taking shelter in the cellar.
Providing food for so many people during wartime was a great challenge. Since some of the refugees were expert workmen, they took on a range of repair works, which enabled Seduls to earn additional money and pay for their food. One of the Jews, Kalman Linkimer, kept a diary, in which he described life in the small, crowded hiding place, under constant stress and the fear of being detected. The terrible tension left its mark, and sometimes strained the relations between the Jews in hiding. They also watched their benefactor with trepidation, fearing that his resolve to rescue them would weaken. "Robert is terribly nervous," Linkimer wrote in December 1944. "The whole business is dragging on too long. If he had known, he would have considered it very carefully…."
A special light was set up by Seduls in the cellar, so that he could warn the hiding Jews in a case of danger. One time, the light flashed as Germans approached the building. For one long hour the Jews stood in the cellar with drawn pistols, prepared to fight the intruders if their hideout was discovered.
Seduls took care not only of the physical well-being of his wards, but also made sure to keep their spirits high. He brought them books and news from the outside. In order to alleviate Rivka’s worry about her daughter and the pain of separation from her, he would visit the child, make sure that she was well taken care of, and take photos of her, which he would bring to her mother.
Seduls did not live to see the day of liberation. On 10 March 1945, he was killed by a Russian shell. His wife, Johanna, continued to care for the Jewish fugitives until the end of the war. After liberation, they emerged from the cellar, free at last.
Only 30 out of 7,000 Jews who had lived in Liepaja before the German occupation survived the Holocaust. Eleven of them were saved by Robert and Johanna Seduls.
On December 2, 1981, Yad Vashem recognized Robert and Johanna Seduls as Righteous Among the Nations.
Twenty-five years later, and only after her mother died, Ada Zivcon-Israeli applied to have her rescuer, Otilija Schimelpfening, honored.
From the Diary of Kalman Linkimer:
Everything was provided for. Shovels and axes lay ready, in case the cave was buried during a bombing. Also a pantry of food to last for an extended time, in case an emergency prevented Seduls from getting it for us. There is also a water reservoir, electricity, a home-made radio, and a few improvised beds for the women. For the six men, room has been left on the ground to sleep. A small lavatory for women had been installed in an underground passageway. The men relieve themselves in a shovel and throw it into the furnace. The chairs have rubber fastened under them so that they do not make noise. Speaking must be in whispers because upstairs is a bakery, and we must be very careful not to be heard. In short, if no mishap occurs, we can hope to make it out of here. A signal-lamp had also been wired from Seduls’s room to the cellar: one long signal means turn on the motor, a second long signal – turn it off. Two short ones mean that Seduls is being called upstairs. Three short ones – everyone must disappear from the front room because someone is coming into the cellar. Five means that Seduls is coming downstairs. And many signals in succession means – alarm. Then everyone must take out his pistol and stand in readiness. On the walls hang several maps where the position of the [Eastern] front is sketched every day. I saw all this on my first day in the cellar.
Wednesday, 28 June 1944
Robert comes in agitated. The baker from whom he buys bread has confided to Dr.
[Emilija] Cena that Robert is probably feeding pagrīdnieki [underground people, fugitives] because he is buying so much bread every day. He decides not to buy from him anymore, and will be very careful overall when shopping for food. He will share his ration cards with us.
Thursday, 6 July
An appeal by England [is heard on the radio] to the people of Hungary, Czechoslovakia and eastern Germany... Everyone who helps the Jews will be recognized as an ally in the battle against Hitler’s regime.
I tell Robert about the appeal on the radio. He replies:
"I took you on without being asked. I did not wait for you to come to me; I went to find you. I did not seek your money or your belongings. I wanted to save you because David was my good friend, and because I am simply willing to take great risks for such causes. And now I want to say something serious to you. I know that the time of Latvian liberation is approaching. How and what will happen, I do not know. I only know that you will want to take revenge on the murderers, and you have a right, even an obligation, to do this. But I ask of you one thing: that no more innocent [people] suffer. And when an innocent person comes to you, don’t shut the door to him: help him, don’t let yourself become carried away [by blind revenge]; remember that I also helped you only because you are innocent."
Tuesday, 11 July
We hash out the issue of domestic discipline again. I say that some people among us have already lost their nerve too much, and must pull themselves together because [there have been] several clashes from Friday 7th between Riva and Zelke, where Riva completely lost control of herself and raised her voice.
I told Riva: "Calm yourself, for goodness sakes." She shouted back, "You calm yourself!" (The reason: Zelke had entered the hatch when she was ironing.)
Sunday, 12 November 1944
Robert is grim-faced again today. His tone is bossy. When he is in a bad mood, he is dangerous. He yells and makes a racket. When someone tries to calm him down, he yells even more and says, "I want to yell so that the whole house hears! Let the police come on my account! Let it cost me my head and your heads, too."
I had already lost my respect for him for his earlier behavior alone. [Our survival] depends solely on his mood.
On the fronts, no change.
Tuesday, 5 December 1944
Riva has completely lost her nerves. She gets agitated over every little thing and immediately begins to cry to the point that she cannot speak. Yes, the cellar wears upon one’s nerves…
Tuesday, 6 February 1945
Robert is terribly nervous. This whole business [of caring for us] is dragging on too long. If he had known, he would have considered it very carefully. I understand him very well, but how are we to blame?