The Story of a Large Family

Mr. Leopold Eisner (born on 29th December, 1883) and his brother Edvard/Eduard (born on 9th March, 1882) owned a small factory, located at 142, B. Němcová Street, where the Bedřich Smetana Arts School is today. The firm´s name was LINKA. It produced bedspreads and luxury silk lingerie, which was embroided by hand. On the ground floor, there were offices and the dispatch office and on the first floor there was a large workshop with a "factory" window. The girls employed there used to open the window when the weather was nice and call out to the tailor, Mr. Famfulík. He had put his sewing machine by the window opposite them so he could sing to them. His wife had a shop in today's Smetana Square. She made and sold hats there. When there was not enough work, she earned some extra money by working at LINKA.

Leopold lived with his wife and daughters Věra (born on 6th July, 1918 and Květa/Flora (born on 6th January, 1923) in a house at today´s 563, Mařákova Street. Věra took her school-leaving exam at the grammar school in Litomyšl in the 1936-1937 school year.

Edvard had a daughter Eva (born on 26th December, 1926) and a son Pavel (born on 18th September, 1929). They moved to Litomyšl from Skuteč in about 1930. They lived in a rented flat on the first floor in the so-called "Hošpes´s villa" at today's 653, T.G. Masaryk Street. They had a carpet and luxurious white furniture.

Eva had a lot of beautiful curly hair, which she wore loose. She was quite sporty and she swam very well. Eyewitnesses describe her as sincere, nice and friendly. She attended the girls' school and the grammar school for a short time (for the first grade and part of the second grade). After class, she used to drop in on her parents at LINKA.

She spent her free time in Špitálek, where she played with her friend Irena Famfuléková (whose married name was Mělnická). They played marbles or tag or sat on the shop-window sill in the Sladkus´shop, talking. Sometimes Jirka Sladkus went round and joined them. In about 1937 (38) she went with Eva and Irena to Scout camp in Sebranice. The girls stayed in school classrooms. Pallets laid on the floor were their beds.

Once, when Sokol gave a party, Eva came dressed in a beautiful Piešťany outfit, which was probably tailor-made.

Leopold Eisner was arrested at the time of Heydrichiade (Nazi terror following the assassination of the Reichsprotector, Heydrich). A man supposedly hid at the tabacconist´s owned by Mrs. Králová, although he probably only stayed there overnight. Somebody told the Germans about this person and they searched the Králs´ house. They did not find the man, but, hidden in a drawer in the shop downstairs, they did find a list of people who were giving money to support the widows and wives of those who had been arrested. Leopold visited the Freys at that time and told them that his name was also on the list and that he had placed all the family valuables in Mr. Král´s custody. The Germans gradually arrested the people from the list and executed them immediately. Leopold Eisner was executed on 10th June, 1942 in Pardubice.

Edvard, Flora, Věra, Eva, and Pavel left Litomyšl on transport for Pardubice on 3rd December, 1942 and they were sent to Terezín on 5th December. On 23rd January, 1943, they were put on Cr transport and sent to Auschwitz (Edvard with the no. 1202, Flora 1195 and Eva 1204. We do not know Věra´s and Pavel´s numbers). They all died at Auschwitz.

Among the people deported from Litomyšl on 3rd December, 1942 were Salomon Eisner (born on 5th February, 1855), Berta Eisnerová (born on 25th February, 1881), Blažena Eisnerová (born on 1st April, 1886), Helena Eisnerová (born on 6th February, 1895), Josef Eisner (born on 25th March, 1910) and the doctor Richard Eisner (born on 22nd July, 1914). We did not manage to find out their relationship to the families of Leopold and Edvard. Salomon died at Terezín on 20th November, 1943 and Berta was sent there on the so-called September Dm transport on 6th September, 1943 (with the number 3493). Blažena, Helena and Richard were sent to Auschwitz on 23rd January, 1943 and Josef on 18th December, 1943. None of them survived.

Dagmar Burdová, Tereza Jandáčková, Markéta Zrůbková