Edward Haven
1933-2025
Ed Haven was born Edward Karol Rechtszafen on October 28, 1933, in Warsaw, Poland. He lived with his parents, Ludwik and Bronislawa, and his paternal grandparents. When Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, Ludwik was called into the Polish Army. Ed, his mother, and his grandparents tried to escape east toward Russia. Unsuccessful, they were forced to return to Warsaw, where their home was destroyed by German bombings. The family took refuge at a home in Konstancin, a town south of Warsaw.
In October 1940, German authorities forced Ed and his family into the Warsaw Ghetto. Life there was extremely difficult. Food was severely rationed, and people died from starvation and disease. Ed later remembered this period as deeply traumatic. He was often hungry and saw people dying in the streets.
In an effort to save her son, Bronislawa arranged false papers for herself and Ed. She became Anna Luniewska, and Ed became Edward Luniewski. They escaped the ghetto and hid with Ed’s former nanny and her son. Bronislawa took great care to protect Ed. When they had to travel through the city, she would walk on the opposite side of the street while Ed walked with his former nanny. During one of these trips, the Gestapo arrested Bronislawa. Ed never saw his mother again.
Ed remained in hiding until the Warsaw Uprising on August 1, 1944. Separated from his nanny during the fighting, he found himself alone and taken in by a group of Polish fighters. At eleven years old, Ed worked as a messenger for the underground Polish army.
After the Germans crushed the uprising in October, Ed was sent to the transit camp at Pruszków with other Warsaw residents. He and a friend managed to escape with the help of two Polish women who pretended to be their mothers.
In Krakow, Ed was taken in by the Machaczeks, a Catholic family who owned a bakery. He remembered this period as peaceful and pleasant. After the war, his father searched for him. He had been imprisoned in a Romanian POW camp but escaped to the United States in 1940. In 1946, the Polish Red Cross located Ed in Krakow.
At the age of 13, Ed left Poland to join his father in the United States. He traveled alone from Paris to Stockholm and then to New York before taking a train to Los Angeles.
In the United States, Ed served in the U.S. Army and built a new life. He met his wife, Judy, on a blind date, and they married in 1958. Together, they raised four children: Carrie, Patty, Dan, and Christina. In 1986, Ed visited Poland with his family to retrace his journey and reunite with the Machaczek family.
Ed and Judy resided in California for many years before moving to the Seattle area. Ed passed away in 2025 at the age of 92.
Video Testimony – Edward Haven
Warsaw Ghetto
Scout in the Polish Resistance
Hiding in Biezanow
Full Testimony (2014)
Photo Gallery – Edward Haven
E. Haven Gallery 1
A portrait of Ignacy Maksimilian Rechtszafen, Edward’s paternal grandfather. He was born on April 30, 1870 and perished in the Warsaw ghetto.
E. Haven Gallery 2
A portrait of Chana Krygier Rechtszafen, Edward’s paternal grandmother. She died in the Warsaw ghetto.
E. Haven Gallery 3
Ludwik, Edward’s father, with his sister, Bronie.
E. Haven Gallery 4
Bronislawa, Edward’s mother, on a hotel balcony overlooking the Black Sea. She is celebrating her honeymoon, 1930.
E. Haven Gallery 5
Ludwik on his honeymoon with Bronislawa, 1930.
E. Haven Gallery 6
Bronislawa and Chana walking in Warsaw, date unknown.
E. Haven Gallery 7
Edward and his mother in Warsaw, 1934.
E. Haven Gallery 8
Edward and his grandmother, 1934-1935.
E. Haven Gallery 9
Edward with his grandmother, Chana, and his cousin. Konstancin, 1937-1938.
E. Haven Gallery 10
Edward with his grandfather, Ignacy, and his cousin. Konstancin, 1937-1938.
E. Haven Gallery 11
Bronislawa and Ludwik walking in Warsaw, late 1930s.
E. Haven Gallery 12
Bronislawa and Edward shortly before they escaped the Warsaw ghetto, 1940-1941.
E. Haven Main
A portrait of Edward after the war.
E. Haven Gallery 14
Edward in the California, 1950s.
E. Haven Gallery 15
Edward in his U.S. army uniform, 1950s.
E. Haven Gallery 16
Edward and his wife, Judy, on their wedding day in 1958.
E. Haven Gallery 17
Edward and Judy’s four children.
E. Haven Gallery 18
Edward with his wife, children, and grandchildren, December 2012.
E. Haven Gallery 19
Edward sharing his story with students at the Holocaust Center for Humanity, April 2016.
