Following their wedding, the young couple lived in Berlin until 1933. When
the Nazi regime took power in the spring of 1933, they fled to Paris. The Rebbetzin
was known to have taken university courses while also assisting the Rebbe with
his.
In 1939, Germany triggered World War II by launching a blitzkrieg (lightning
attack) against Poland. Chaya Mushka's father, aided by international intervention
spearheaded by Americans, managed to leave early in 1940 while Germany was still
officially at peace with the United States. Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak and some family
members miraculously arrived in the United States on the last boat to cross
the Atlantic ocean before the U-boat blockade began. Once in New York City,
her father set in motion efforts to rescue his family from the impending cataclysm
in Europe.
In May 1940, France was invaded by German forces and surrendered within four
weeks. A French puppet regime led by Marshal Philippe Petain and Pierre Laval
was established in Vichy, and the Rebbe and the Rebbetzin, like most Jews, fled
to Nice in southern France, choosing to live under Petain's government rather
than direct Nazi occupation in Paris and the surrounding areas.
In the course of their flight, there was a devastating bombardment. As people
ran in every direction, she noticed an explosive shell heading towards a man
next to her. Quickly pushing him to the ground, the Rebbetzin saved the man's
life. Recounting this story the Rebbetzin characteristically said, "True,
I saved his life, but for pushing a Jew one must do teshuvah."
