Leonid Vinderman

Leonid Vinderman was born in 1929 in Vaslui, Romania, into a Jewish religious family. His father was a merchant dealing in food and also served as a soldier in the Romanian army. Leonid had two sisters and one brother and began elementary school in 1936.
Four years later, the fascist dictator Ion Antonescu came to power and declared Romanian Jews “stateless.” During the Second World War, Leonid’s family was deported to the Soviet Union, robbed, and physically abused. One of his sisters died at the age of eight from her injuries. In 1941, the family fled to Uzbekistan, where food shortages were so severe that his mother and other sister died.
After the Red Army pushed back the Wehrmacht, Leonid returned with his father and brother to Moldova, where he continued his schooling. His father soon died, leaving Leonid to pursue his studies alone. After graduating, he moved to Odessa, where he studied metrology and mathematics. Following his studies and military service, he relocated to Chernivtsi, where he married his wife Mery.
In 1992, the couple emigrated to Frankfurt am Main with their two daughters as so-called quota refugees. Leonid became an active member of the Jewish community in Frankfurt, serving for 16 years on the community council and as chair of the cultural commission. He also long served as deputy chair of the Jewish Refugee Association. In recent years, Leonid has begun speaking publicly about his family’s story as a contemporary witness.