Photograph of a group of people standing in front of a monument to the six million Jews. Front Row, left to right: Renya (Renee) Toporek, Shloyme (Sam) Toporek, Zosha Messer Toporek, Faye Goldberg, Moishe Goldberg, Fruma Toporek, and baby Esther (being held by Fruma). Top Row, left to right: Norbert, Leibl (Louis), Harry (Hershl), Jacob, Yosef (Joe), Efroim.
Esther Kogan was born on September 10, 1947 in Creußen, Germany in a Displaced Persons camp. Her parents met and married in Kazakhstan. During the war, her father, Efroim Toporek (b. June 15, 1909 – d.1991) fled Lask, Poland with his brothers. Her mother, Fruma, nee Derin, b. May 1, 1920) was from Kharkov (Kharkiv), Ukraine and during the war was evacuated to Kazakhstan. After the war Efroim and Fruma were both placed in Displaced Persons camps in Germany, eventually gaining passage to Montreal, Canada through a cousin. The family later immigrated to Chicago.
