User:J6xAcDJ2WTuHWC/Helen Covensky

= Helen Covensky =

Helen Covensky (1925 – 2007), also known by her given name Hanka Ciesla, was a Polish-American painter. A Holocaust survivor, she was born in Poland and traveled to Germany during World War II, then immigrated to Detroit, Michigan in 1949. She began painting in 1967, (include more about her painting career here).

Early Life and Holocaust Survival
Born in Kielce into a Jewish family, Covensky moved to Sosnowiec at a young age. Threatened during the German Invasion of Poland in 1939, Covensky obtained false identification papers to appear Gentile. While she evaded capture, she was subjected to work in a German labor camp building military equipment. The rest of her immediate family was transported to Auschwitz, where her parents and sister were killed. Her brother David Chase survived, and the siblings were reunited after the war.

Life After the War
After World War II, Covensky married the American military journalist Harold Kempner and lived in Berlin, where she worked for the

Painting Career
Covensky -academic training Covensky took inspiration from Eastern European nature and aesthetics, particularly from her native Poland.

Legacy
-Documentary