Ruchana Medina White

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ruchana Medina White (born Nili Ruchana Miedzinski on November 9, 1945) was the first person born in Kibbutz Nili, a kibbutz established in Pleikersdorf, Germany.[1] Her preserved photography collection is displayed at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.[2]

Family[edit]

White's father, Noach Miedzinski (later Bernard Medine), was born in Poland, the youngest of eight siblings and the son of a Hasidic rebbe. During World War II, Miedzinski joined the Polish military during which time he was captured and imprisoned in the Warsaw Ghetto. As an active contributor to the Zionist underground, Miedzinski was caught, lined up in front of a synagogue and shot, though he survived.[3]

After surviving, he was again recaptured and placed in Gross-Rosen concentration camp, where he met his future wife, Sara Feldberg. Feldberg was a Polish Jew who grew up in the town of Zwoleń. She was the only surviving child of her family, and together with Miedzinski, joined the kibbutz seeking to rebuild their lives in post-World War II Germany.[4]

Kibbutz Nili[edit]

Kibbutz Nili was a kibbutz established on December 8, 1945 by Holocaust survivors on a 350-acre estate once owned by Nazi propagandist Julius Streicher.[5][6]

It was part of the Youth Aliyah movement, a Jewish organization aimed at rescuing young Jews from Nazi-occupied Europe and relocating them to Mandatory Palestine.[citation needed]

Named after the Zionist motto "Netzach Yisrael Lo Yishaker" ("The eternity of Israel will not lie"), Kibbutz Nili also humorously went by the name Streichershof after the former Nazi propagandist owner of the land now settled by the kibbutz.[citation needed]

Situated just outside of Nuremberg, it served as an agricultural hub, intended to exemplify the tenacity of Holocaust survivors in reviving life and furthering Zionist objectives.[7][8]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Studio portrait of the Miedzinski family at the Kibbutz Nili hachshara (Zionist collective) in Pleikershof, Germany. - Collections Search - United States Holocaust Memorial Museum". collections.ushmm.org. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
  2. ^ "Portrait of three young members of the Kibbutz Nili hachshara (Zionist collective) in Pleikershof, Germany. - Collections Search - United States Holocaust Memorial Museum". collections.ushmm.org. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
  3. ^ "Noach Miedzinski poses with his niece (left) and daughter Nili (right) at the Kibbutz Nili hachshara (Zionist collective) in Pleikershof, Germany. - Collections Search - United States Holocaust Memorial Museum". collections.ushmm.org. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
  4. ^ "Studio portrait of Noach and Sara (Feldberg) Miedzinski shortly before leaving for America. - Collections Search - United States Holocaust Memorial Museum". collections.ushmm.org. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
  5. ^ "NUREMBERGS KIBBUTZ NILI". The Palestine Post. September 13, 1946. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  6. ^ "These Young Holocaust Survivors Turned a Nazi's House Into a Kibbutz". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 2023-10-25. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
  7. ^ Patt, Avinoam J. (2009). Finding Home and Homeland: Jewish Youth and Zionism in the Aftermath of the Holocaust. pp. 191–193.
  8. ^ "Pleikershof: "Kibbuz Nili war der Korridor, der nach Israel führte." – Jüdische DP Lager und Gemeinden in Westdeutschland" (in German). Retrieved 2023-10-26.