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Chana Bebczuk Comins, 1980

Portrait of Chana Bebczuk Comins and coworker at Bev's Cafe. View the original source document: WHI 56481

Chana Comins was a survivor of the Nazi Holocaust who settled in Madison, Wisconsin, after World War II.

Chana Bebczuk Comins was born in Stepan, Poland, on June 5, 1918. Although she attended Polish schools, Chana also received a Jewish education, learning Hebrew in the afternoons. In 1940, she married Melvin Cominetsky (name changed to "Comins" upon their arrival in Madison). Their first daughter was born on the same day the Nazis entered their town in 1941.

The 22-year-old new mother and her baby, only a few hours old, were immediately separated from Melvin and taken to a forced labor camp. There she witnessed the execution of her family and friends. In 1943, Chana made a daring escape from a transport of inmates on their way to a mass execution. She hid in the forest with her baby until the end of the war.

After liberation, Chana worked in Munich until she was miraculously reunited with her husband. They lived at a displaced persons camp in Ulm, Germany, where two more daughters were born. In December 1949, resettlement officials sent them to Madison, Wisconsin, where they were given housing, food, and employment. They also had a son.

Chana worked for more than 25 years as a cook in several Madison restaurants. Melvin was employed at Oscar Mayer & Co. for 23 years until his death in 1971. Chana died in December 2003.

Chana Comins, Oral History Interview

Chana's Testimony

Listen to Chana Comins tell her story to the Wisconsin Historical Society interviewer. 

Learn More

Oral Histories: Wisconsin Survivors of the Holocaust

Hear the stories of 22 Holocaust Survivors and two American witnesses interviewed between 1974 and 1981.