her father eventually joined them and there they stayed, unable
to get visas to the United States. Cukier didn’t go into hiding
when the Nazi occupation of Belgium began in 1940. Instead, she
dyed her hair blonde and would go out shopping, something Jews
were not allowed to do.

“She said the important thing about being a Jew in Nazi
Germany was to absolutely be seen, because if you weren’t seen,
then they knew you were a Jew,” Arndts said. “So she was pretty
brave.” To support the family, Cukier taught French and English and
even helped a man sell diamonds on the black market. As things
got worse, the family eventually had to go into hiding with a
Belgian family. Th e Deutsche Welle article tells how Cukier
witnessed the family hiding in the apartment below get
discovered, with the father shot and mother and daughter sent
away. One of her family’s protectors was also murdered by the
Nazis. But liberation came in 1944, and the family then returned
to Cologne to rebuild their lives.

“It’s a part of who I am, the pain of being a
daughter of a Holocaust survivor.”
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About four years later, she immigrated to Philadelphia where
she married Goldman. In her new life, Cukier sang chansons
(lyric-driven French songs) at night clubs and worked as a belly
dancing instructor.

“She was a wild one, and she still is,” Arndts said.

Goldman died in 2017, but Cukier is still alive and well, living
in Cologne at 97.

As for Arndts, she plans to spend her time attending activities
at Bensalem Jewish Outreach Center, visiting with her 2-year-
old grandson Brayden and playing the blues. A year from now,
she’d like to record her fourth album, but in the meantime, she’ll
continue to perform at area venues about twice a week.

“I hope to die on stage,” Arndts said. “Th ere’s a saying, if you
want to be a musician, it’s a terrible profession. If you have to be
a musician, then it’s the best profession. It’s something I just have
to do. It’s like breathing air, I have to do it. I love it. It defi nes who
I am. It feels like my purpose.” ●
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MONICA LOEBL
National Director of Development
T: 561.948.3342
E: mloebl@afhu.org
eschucht@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0751
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JEWISHEXPONENT.COM THE GOOD LIFE
DECEMBER 19, 2019
27