One birth record she saw was for a distant cousin, Devora Malka SYLBER. In the margin, written vertically, was an additional note stating that in 1949, Devora Malka GOLDEN (her married surname) changed her name to Zofia PAWLOWSKA. Hadassah wasn't really sure how to take this piece of information but it seemed that after surviving the war, Devora Malka, a.k.a Zofia, decided to rid herself of her Jewishness and disappear into the Christian world. After what Devora Malka probably went through, no judgements could be made about her motives.
Then late one night, a week after Hadassah returned from Poland -- at a time she probably should have been sleeping -- Hadassah was reviewing the latest Warsaw Cemetery submittal and doing the normal quality control. As she made a slight change to one of the date formats, the name Zofia PAWLOWSKA caught her eye! The birth year wasn't exactly right, but as we all get older, it gets easier to shave a few years off our age! Could it really be the same person? Hadassah would never have looked in Warsaw for her. So, if it is the same Devora Malka, a.k.a Zofia, she really didn't lose her Jewish faith…she chose to be buried in a Jewish cemetery. The name may be common, but how many other Zofia PAWLOWSKA's are also Jewish?
