Paula Knobler's Obituary
We are heartbroken to share the news of the passing of Paula Blicblum Knobler, who died in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday, March 10th, at the age of 95.
Born in 1928 in Łódź, Poland, she was only 11 when Hitler invaded. Her family was forced into the Łódź ghetto, where she and her older brother were separated from their parents and younger siblings. They survived the war in a forced labor camp while her family was sent to the concentration camp of Treblinka where they were murdered. Under the constant threat of physical abuse and food deprivation, Paula and many others in Nazi labor camps found ways to “fight back” by sabotaging the weapons they were forced to manufacture for the Nazis.
In 1945 when the war ended, Paula was placed at the Landsberg Displaced Persons Camp in Germany. There, at age 19, she met Alec Knobler, who also survived the Holocaust. They married within weeks and moved to Palestine in 1948 where they began their family.
In 1957, when Paula was 29 years old, she moved her family to the United States to be near her only surviving brother in Cincinnati, Ohio. She worked full-time, raised three children, and found a close community (and a love of card games) with other Holocaust survivors.
Later, when she and her husband moved to Boca Raton she became an avid golfer. She had a lovely singing voice, enjoyed a good Cosmo, a beautiful tchotchke, and keeping a tidy house. While Paula never finished high school, she spoke four languages fluently - Polish, Hebrew, Yiddish, and English.
She is survived by her three children, Sam, Igal, and Sheri Knobler, six grandchildren, and one great-grandchild, who owe their lives to this one courageous woman. Even though she endured the unimaginable, she found love and warmth in her heart to share with all of us.
May her memory be a blessing. Baruch dayan emet.
Donations can be made to the Cincinnati Holocaust and Humanity Center.
What’s your fondest memory of Paula?
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Share a story where Paula's kindness touched your heart.
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