Why Preserve My Family History?
As the child of a Holocaust survivor, I have been raised under the weighty fact that I am alive only because of bravery and selfless human kindness. If not for Julia, Jozef and Janina Bar, my father’s family would surely have been shot or transported to a death factory to die in a gas chamber.
Unfortunately, the echos of the Holocaust are replayed again and again around the world as antisemitism hysteria grips individuals and mobs. The only thing we have keeping us in check is the ancestral memory of the consequences of intolerance when it is allowed to permeate through a society.
The story of the survival of the Riesenbachs is but one story among thousands of stories of the victims of the Holocaust. Most will never be told. I created this Website as a historical record for the sake of my children, and the children of others who care about the survival of the Jewish people.
It is an honour and a duty to document my family’s story.
— Ron Riesenbach
Chaverim University
In the midst of the COVID pandemic, a group of our friends (the “Davisville Chaverim”) created a weekly tradition of getting together on Saturday evenings by videoconference to chat, share and ensure we stayed connected with one another. In the fall of 2020, we started “Chaverim University” where one of our group would present to the others about their professions, passions, or hobbies.
On October 10th, I presented a talk about my mission to record and preserve my family’s history. The 40-minute video (to the left) is the recording of that presentation.
Surviving the Holocaust
Documentation of the Riesenbach family story of survival, video testimonies and written recollections.
Mission to Poland 2000
A collection of narratives, photos & videos of Joe and family’s 2000 mission to see his childhood village of Markowa and visit with Janina.
Anmuth Mission to Poland 2025
Reflections by Gabriel and Tami Anmuth about their travel to Poland including a deeply emotional visit with the Bar family descendants.
Yakel and Ita’s 50th Wedding Anniversary
A digitized audio recording of the 1978 celebration of Ita and Jacob’s 50th Wedding Anniversary party.
Augenbraun Family
Jacob (Jack) Augenbraun was a Holocaust survivor and first cousin to Ita Riesenbach. This webpage is a remembrance about him and his wife Ida.
The Riesenbach Torah
Among the few possessions the Riesenbachs brought out of Poland to Canada was a Torah. This is what happened to the Torah after it was housed at a Toronto synagogue
Chaya Scheindel
Despite being born in rural Poland at the end of the 19th century, my great grandmother led anything but a boring life.
The Ulma Memorial Controversy
A controversy has emerged about the memorial / museum that was erected in Markowa to honour Poles who saved Jews.
Riesenbach.com 