RelatioNet DI KR 41 TR LI

RelatioNet DI KR 41 TR LI

Dina Krissi

Holocaust Project Katzanelson High- School

Kfar- saba, Israel

e-mails: sapirer1209@gmail.com

                   lior3961@gmail.com

                   relationet2014@gmail.com

First name: Dina                                              Date of birth: 07/02/1941

Last name: Baron                                             City of birth: Tripoli

Previous last name: Krissi                            Country of birth: Libya

Tripoli

Tripoli is the capital city of Libya. The city was founded in the 7th century BC by the Phoenicians, who named it " Oea".

By the later half of the 2nd century, the Romans conquered it and named it "Regio Tripolitania ", meaning "region of the three cities", due to the three connected cities Oea , Sabratha and Leptis Magna.

Since the 7th century, when the Arabs occupied the area, Tripoli became the capital city of Tripolitania district. After Italy's occupation, in 1911, Tripoli was chosen to be the capital city of Libya.   

Before Israel was established, there were 38,000 Jews in Libya, most of whom lived in Tripoli. 

The Jewish immigration to Libya began after the destruction of the 1st temple and continued when Apipenes ruled Israel. 

Over the years, many nations have taken over the North African countries and the Jewish people who lived in Tripoli were deported. A small part of them escaped to the desert trying to keep the Jewish lifestyle and from May to October 1942 some of them were sent to Giado concentration camp near Tripoli.

The conditions in Giado camp were very bad, and some of the Jews suffered from hunger.

 Between 1943-1952, under the British control, and later under the independent government of Libya, the Libyan people used to hit the Jews and destroy their property. When the state of Israel was established, most of the Jews of Libya immigrated to the new Jewish country, but some of them preferred immigrating to Italy.
People from Libya are very important in the Jewish community in Rome and they have their own synagogue. After the rise to power of Muaamar Gaddafi, the last Jews left Libya.

Tripoli map

Dina Krissi- Baron:

During the interview we learned about Dina's birth.
Her mother and uncle escaped in a track to the desert. He was able to find a pillow, blanket, and a mattress and built a thatch, Dina was born there on February 1941.
Dina told us that no sooner had the persecutions started in 1938 , than the Germans threat was felt.
Dina remembers that the Jews were forced to stay home in the dark, watching frighteningly the Germans walk beside their houses.
At the time, Dina's aunt, Yoli, lived in the ghetto which reminds Dina the old city of Jerusalem.

 In Tripoli, Dina went to an Italian strict school. In the morning they used to pray for Jesus, but her mother didn’t allow her to do it.
At first, the Italians allowed her not to pray, but when the Germans arrived things had changed.
There were no Jews in her class except her. That is why she did not have friends.
While the Germans ruled Libya, the Jews were not allowed to study at schools.

Dina's grandmother was the only one from her family who didn’t survive.
Due to the experiments which were conducted on Dina's uncle, Oscar Sutton, in the concentration camp, he had suffered from trauma and mental damage.
It was written on Oscar's passport that he got it out of mercy, therefore, his passport was donated to the Libyan Judaism museum.

Because Dina's mother, Dolly Krissy, had knowledge in languages, she survived. Her mother was also a Zionist, and studied at "Aliens", where they talked French.

Her father, Haim Krissy, had a store in Tripoli which was burned 3 times.

Dina has 5 siblings: Renne, Samuel, Josef, Abraham and Aviva.

 She told us that her uncle, Edger, fought in the war in France as a British soldier.

Until this day, Dina still got family in France.

                                     Dina's family                                                                   Dina's parents' wedding                                 

                                           

Dina's grandfather (the father of her mother) was British, he came to Libya in order to be a teacher, and married one of his students.
Dina's grandmother and her two uncles had British citizenship, as a result, they were sent to Bergen Belsen.
They were released from Bergen Belsen before the camp's liberation, because they were considered as prisons of war and got replaced with German soldiers. 

Dina and her family immigrated to Israel in 1949, on "The Old Theodor Herzl" boat, while her mother was nine months pregnant.
They were able to bring with them some furniture: two chairs, a closet, and 6 bracelets (one for every child).
When they arrived to Israel, her mother gave birth to her youngest sister, Aviva.

We were told that after they lived for a year in an immigrant's camp in "Parades Hanna", they moved to "Ganey Tikva" where they had low conditions.
In addition, their neighbor used to help her mother planting vegetables and taking care of their chickens.
Despite their low economic state, her mother did not want to get money, she wanted to earn it.

Dina and her two siblings

During the Austerity period in Israel, her father did not have a job.

Their family got a ration card and used clothes from the USA.

In Israel, Dina learned in a religious high school named "Yeshuron" in Petah Tikva.

Dina's high school class in Petah Tikva            

We also talked about her husband whom she met In Israel.

He immigrated to Israel from Hungary on "Exodus" ship.

During the Holocaust, he and his brother, who were the only survivors of their family, used to run and hide in Budapest's streets. 

He got cancer and died 5 years ago (2011).

Dina's husband and his brother

Today, she has 1 daughter, 3 grandchildren, 3 great grandchildren and one more on the way.

Her siblings and she have a great relationship and meet every first Saturday of the month.

Dina likes sculpting and drawing about the Holocaust and playing Petanque.  

                  Dina playing Petanque                             Dina's sculpture                            

One of the project's goals is to connect between the survivors and people they used to know during that era. When we met the survivors for the first time, in our school, Dina met David Arbiv who had known her father in Libya. David told her that one of his relatives had lived near her father's store in Libya and was looking for him.