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Holocaust Survivor Memoirs World War II #1
Outcry: Holocaust Memoirs
Outcry - Holocaust Memoirs, a Profoundly Moving Autobiography
Mendel (Manny) Steinberg spent his teens in Nazi extermination camps in Germany and Poland, miraculously surviving while millions perished. This is his story.
Born in 1925 in the Jewish ghetto in Radom (Poland), Manny soon realized that people of Jewish faith were increasingly being regarded as outsiders. In September 1939 the Nazis invaded, and the nightmare started. The city’s Jewish population had no chance of escaping and was faced with starvation, torture, sexual abuse and ultimately deportation.
Outcry is the candid and moving account of a teenager who survived four Nazi camps: Dachau, Auschwitz, Vaihingen and Neckagerach. While being subjected to torture and degradation, he agonized over two haunting questions: "Why the Jews?" and "How can the world let this happen?" These questions remain hard to answer.
Manny’s brother Stanley had jumped off the cattle wagon on the way to the extermination camp where his mother and younger brother were to perish. Desperately lonely and hungry, Stanley stood outside the compound hoping to catch a glimpse of Manny and their father. Once he discovered that they were among the prisoners, he turned himself in. The days were marked by hunger, cold, hard labor, and fear. Knowing that other members of the family were in the same camp kept them alive. Since acknowledging each other would have meant death, they pretended to be complete strangers.
Manny relates how he was served human flesh and was forced to shave the heads of female corpses and pull out their teeth. Cherishing a picture of his beloved mother in his wooden shoe, he miraculously survived the terror of the Polish and German concentration camps together with his father and brother.
When the Americans arrived in April 1945, Manny was little more than a living skeleton, with several broken ribs and suffering from a serious lung condition, wearing only a dirty, ragged blanket.
This autobiography was written to fulfil a promise Manny made to himself during the first days of freedom. By publishing his Holocaust memoirs, he wants to ensure that the world never forgets what happened during WWII. The narrative is personal, unencumbered and direct.
Outcry touches the reader with its directness and simplicity. The story is told through the eyes of an old man forcing himself to relive years of intense suffering. It is an account of human cruelty, but also a testimony to the power of love and hope. Memoirs worthy of being adapted for the big screen.
"I read this book with a very heavy heart and tears running down my face. For Manny's endurance and his brother Stanley to be so tested is truly a testament to life! Bad people can do all the harm you want, but if one never gives up, the enemy will never win. Manny and his brother along with others, won. This is proven in this Holocaust book. A book well worth reading and learning from now and for future generations. It proves 'We will survive' ... Very well written as it goes straight to the reader's heart! The pictures are a treat, past, present and future, with a lovely tribute to his beloved, Mimi. Thank you for sharing 'YOU' with the rest of the world, Mr Steinberg! Bless you always."
"Manny Steinberg shares his extraordinary teenage story of surviving four concentration camps in an account noteworthy for its straightforward, unencumbered narrative. His is a story almost everyone can imagine happening to themselves - no less harrowing than more dramatic renditions of Holocaust survival, but somehow more compelling, and universal, for the unembellished simplicity of his style."
"You must read Outcry. You will have tears and joy how this young boy survived the six years in concentration camps in Poland and Germany. It is a hand-made story for a motion picture. Hollywood producers and directors, grab it. We must not allow this to happen again to human people."
Mendel (Manny) Steinberg spent his teens in Nazi extermination camps in Germany and Poland, miraculously surviving while millions perished. This is his story.
Born in 1925 in the Jewish ghetto in Radom (Poland), Manny soon realized that people of Jewish faith were increasingly being regarded as outsiders. In September 1939 the Nazis invaded, and the nightmare started. The city’s Jewish population had no chance of escaping and was faced with starvation, torture, sexual abuse and ultimately deportation.
Outcry is the candid and moving account of a teenager who survived four Nazi camps: Dachau, Auschwitz, Vaihingen and Neckagerach. While being subjected to torture and degradation, he agonized over two haunting questions: "Why the Jews?" and "How can the world let this happen?" These questions remain hard to answer.
Manny’s brother Stanley had jumped off the cattle wagon on the way to the extermination camp where his mother and younger brother were to perish. Desperately lonely and hungry, Stanley stood outside the compound hoping to catch a glimpse of Manny and their father. Once he discovered that they were among the prisoners, he turned himself in. The days were marked by hunger, cold, hard labor, and fear. Knowing that other members of the family were in the same camp kept them alive. Since acknowledging each other would have meant death, they pretended to be complete strangers.
Manny relates how he was served human flesh and was forced to shave the heads of female corpses and pull out their teeth. Cherishing a picture of his beloved mother in his wooden shoe, he miraculously survived the terror of the Polish and German concentration camps together with his father and brother.
When the Americans arrived in April 1945, Manny was little more than a living skeleton, with several broken ribs and suffering from a serious lung condition, wearing only a dirty, ragged blanket.
This autobiography was written to fulfil a promise Manny made to himself during the first days of freedom. By publishing his Holocaust memoirs, he wants to ensure that the world never forgets what happened during WWII. The narrative is personal, unencumbered and direct.
Outcry touches the reader with its directness and simplicity. The story is told through the eyes of an old man forcing himself to relive years of intense suffering. It is an account of human cruelty, but also a testimony to the power of love and hope. Memoirs worthy of being adapted for the big screen.
"I read this book with a very heavy heart and tears running down my face. For Manny's endurance and his brother Stanley to be so tested is truly a testament to life! Bad people can do all the harm you want, but if one never gives up, the enemy will never win. Manny and his brother along with others, won. This is proven in this Holocaust book. A book well worth reading and learning from now and for future generations. It proves 'We will survive' ... Very well written as it goes straight to the reader's heart! The pictures are a treat, past, present and future, with a lovely tribute to his beloved, Mimi. Thank you for sharing 'YOU' with the rest of the world, Mr Steinberg! Bless you always."
"Manny Steinberg shares his extraordinary teenage story of surviving four concentration camps in an account noteworthy for its straightforward, unencumbered narrative. His is a story almost everyone can imagine happening to themselves - no less harrowing than more dramatic renditions of Holocaust survival, but somehow more compelling, and universal, for the unembellished simplicity of his style."
"You must read Outcry. You will have tears and joy how this young boy survived the six years in concentration camps in Poland and Germany. It is a hand-made story for a motion picture. Hollywood producers and directors, grab it. We must not allow this to happen again to human people."
250 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 344 reviews
March 11, 2015
A painful read. At times I didn't want to carry on. Other times I couldn't put it down.
Selfishly I kept waiting for the liberation details, as I knew reading would then become easier
These horrific accounts need to be told, over and over again.
And should be compulsory reading for all teenage children.
The past cannot and must not, be forgotten. Lessons are still to be learned.
Manny's descriptions are graphic and gruesome.
Honesty prevails in all his writing.
I am in awe of him and his family.
Their strength, their love, their survival.
Selfishly I kept waiting for the liberation details, as I knew reading would then become easier
These horrific accounts need to be told, over and over again.
And should be compulsory reading for all teenage children.
The past cannot and must not, be forgotten. Lessons are still to be learned.
Manny's descriptions are graphic and gruesome.
Honesty prevails in all his writing.
I am in awe of him and his family.
Their strength, their love, their survival.
March 17, 2015
3.5 stars
I received this as a free e-book from Amazon. Holocaust memoirs do not tend to make for happy reading or good bedtime reading but they are vitally important in helping society to remember just what happened. This book does that and rates 5 stars for the story. Clearly the author was not writing in his mother tongue and that no doubt made the job much more difficult. Unfortunately there were many errors and problems with sentence structure that just detracted from the book as a whole. A run past a good editor would go a long way into improving this book.
I received this as a free e-book from Amazon. Holocaust memoirs do not tend to make for happy reading or good bedtime reading but they are vitally important in helping society to remember just what happened. This book does that and rates 5 stars for the story. Clearly the author was not writing in his mother tongue and that no doubt made the job much more difficult. Unfortunately there were many errors and problems with sentence structure that just detracted from the book as a whole. A run past a good editor would go a long way into improving this book.
April 8, 2015
One cannot read this book without feeling the atrocities that Manny went through. Having heard and read about the Holocaust, this story brought out things you dont read in papers...my only thought was that G-d had other plans for Manny and gave him the strength to go through it all. Bless him and his family, and may none of us know anything like it....although it does bring 9/11 to mind. May we all attain peace in this world.
November 28, 2014
A true story of love and hope prevailing in the midst of hatred, and evil.
Even though this had some very difficult content I found Manny's account of the horrendous experiences he had to endure deeply moving. This was one of those rare reads that I found very hard to stop reading each of the four nights it took me to finish it. I think anyone sixteen years and older should read this. We all need to never forget the atrocities that befell so many innocent men women and precious little children who lost their lives during Hitler's evil reign. Manny puts you right their with him throughout the four years he spent in concentration camps. He also tells of his childhood before the terror began. He does such a good job of describing the people and events. I came away feeling like I really got to know him and his family. They were all so loving and caring toward one another. Thank you Manny for sharing your amazing story.
Even though this had some very difficult content I found Manny's account of the horrendous experiences he had to endure deeply moving. This was one of those rare reads that I found very hard to stop reading each of the four nights it took me to finish it. I think anyone sixteen years and older should read this. We all need to never forget the atrocities that befell so many innocent men women and precious little children who lost their lives during Hitler's evil reign. Manny puts you right their with him throughout the four years he spent in concentration camps. He also tells of his childhood before the terror began. He does such a good job of describing the people and events. I came away feeling like I really got to know him and his family. They were all so loving and caring toward one another. Thank you Manny for sharing your amazing story.
October 26, 2014
I was so involved with this family.
this book was very well written. I feel as if I were there with Manny through his experiences. my heart goes out to him and his family l y.
this book was very well written. I feel as if I were there with Manny through his experiences. my heart goes out to him and his family l y.
March 9, 2015
I cried & cried at the atrocities that this poor man and his family endured at the hands of the Nazi's. I didn't think things could get any worse and there were times when I thought I could not bear to read any more! I did however, go on to read this courageous, brutal and ultimately inspiring story to the end, and I am so glad I did.
I don't want to dwell on the utter barbarity, suffering and mind-boggling evil that Manny, his family, friends and fellow Jews experienced while in the camps. Instead I want to tell Manny how very grateful I am that he shared his story today and how much joy I had when he found his freedom with his brother and father.
There are still many lessons to be learned today. You can't help comparing what happened then to what is happening today in so many parts of the world. When will innocent and ordinary people be allowed to live in peace, free from inhumane injustices?
I applaud Manny and his faith and resilience. His belief in his faith and his love of his family carried him through the darkest hell that many of us will never (thankfully) have to go to.
Manny..live long and prosper!
I don't want to dwell on the utter barbarity, suffering and mind-boggling evil that Manny, his family, friends and fellow Jews experienced while in the camps. Instead I want to tell Manny how very grateful I am that he shared his story today and how much joy I had when he found his freedom with his brother and father.
There are still many lessons to be learned today. You can't help comparing what happened then to what is happening today in so many parts of the world. When will innocent and ordinary people be allowed to live in peace, free from inhumane injustices?
I applaud Manny and his faith and resilience. His belief in his faith and his love of his family carried him through the darkest hell that many of us will never (thankfully) have to go to.
Manny..live long and prosper!
November 30, 2014
True courage in the face of real evil.
I am forever grateful to Manny for writing this book. Your courage, honor, integrity, and perseverance in the face of such horrors and evil are and will always be an inspiration to me. I spent a year in the jungles of Vietnam and my time there was a walk in the park compared to what you and so many other innocent people had to endure every day for more than twelve years. Thank you for sharing your life's story.
I am forever grateful to Manny for writing this book. Your courage, honor, integrity, and perseverance in the face of such horrors and evil are and will always be an inspiration to me. I spent a year in the jungles of Vietnam and my time there was a walk in the park compared to what you and so many other innocent people had to endure every day for more than twelve years. Thank you for sharing your life's story.
January 22, 2015
This was heart-breaking, which was to be expected. It made me question humanity again, and at the same time gave me hope.
June 11, 2025
Reading the memoirs of a holocaust survivor is always a bit of a tough read. It's ugly, painful, heartbreaking, and will rip your soul apart. It is so hard to understand how someone could be that cruel to another human being. It boggles my mind and makes me incredibly angry.
April 2, 2015
This book has filled me with amazement at how God spared the author, both physically from death on many occasions, but also emotionally from hate and bitterness. He even speaks of the pity he felt for the Germans in the town they were brought to upon gaining their freedom. This is a boon that needs to be read so that we never forget.
March 5, 2015
I learned a lot about the Holocaust that was not included in many other such horrible memoirs. The book told all.
April 26, 2020
Quoted from foreword by author:-
"The following pages recount my real-life experiences and memories, but the names in my story have all been fictionalized."
Wonder why.
.........
"When I look back at what our family went through after Mama died, I think perhaps her early exit from this world was a blessing in disguise. I can't imagine my mother suffering the pain of having her children ripped from her arms or the indecencies and degradations that my stepmother had to endure at the hands of the Nazis."
"My father was full of plans for me and my brothers. He wanted a better life for us, and hoped that we would get a good education and find a proper profession.
"During that time, the Polish government had put limitations into place on professional careers for Jews. Jews could not access the necessary education to become professors, doctors, scientists or engineers. There was one semi-professional career path available, that of dental technician, so this was what my father had in mind for me. His eyes would light up with pride when he talked to me about it. To see his son become a technician would be a dream come true.
"Sometimes parents’ wishes and hopes for their children don't come to pass. Often this is because the children have their own dreams and aspirations. Of course, we could not know that our plans along with those of our father would soon be irrelevant, since no one could have imagined what was about to happen."
"Radom had a fine history too. Members of the Polish royal family resided there from time to time. We also had records of many victorious battles over old enemies. There was much beauty in Radom with its pretty parks, statues, museums and broad tree-lined avenues. We were proud of our little town.
"One of my earlier memories is Polish women, in their long dresses and with scarves tied around their heads, sitting at the entrances to the parks with their boxes of flowers. I often noticed that their hands were red and chapped during the cold winters and yet they sat there calling to anyone that would listen, “Please buy a flower for your girl.” I longed to help them.
"While my brothers and other boys would go into the park to play, I would stand to the side and watch these poor women attempting to make a few pennies so that their families would not starve. I realized that there were people who were really poor."
"As Stanley and I grew up, the brotherly bond grew strong. We were close in age, had similar interests and enjoyed the same activities. On the other hand, we were complete opposites physically. I had brown eyes, dark hair and olive skin, while Stanley was fair, with hazel eyes and light hair. It proved to be a blessing from God that the difference was so striking, for it surely saved our lives during the prison years to come."
"In my early years, I don't recall noticing any anti-Semitism. In fact, anti-Semitism was a concept Stanley and I had never heard of or experienced. However, we did live in the Jewish part of the city and were therefore sheltered from outside prejudice.
"As the months passed, it became obvious that the times were changing. There was an undercurrent of rage against our religion. We heard of Polish boys sneaking up behind elderly Jewish men and pulling their beards or rocks being thrown at women and children. The word ‘Jew’ appeared on walls and shop windows throughout the city. The madness was escalating like a breeze turning into a tornado."
"Things were getting worse by the minute. I continued to question the cruelty and accusations hurled at us on a constant basis. I prayed and thought deeply about our hardships, but couldn't find the answer within myself, so I turned to our father for guidance and explanation. I carefully examined his face as he searched for the right words. Perhaps he was wondering if he should tell me the awful truth or maybe keep it secret as long as possible, the frightening reality of what may come, ending the innocence of my childhood.
"He sighed deeply, put his hand on my shoulder and with a strained expression, he began to explain, “Son, I suppose it's time for you to know what is happening to our people to help you to understand what we must do to prepare ourselves for what lies ahead. For some time now, there has been an agenda against Jews and according to the latest news something terrible is going on in Germany. A man with a great hatred has come into power and has declared his plan for the complete extermination of our people. You know what the word extermination means, Mendel?”"
"Time passed, and I noticed that everyone had a worried or sad look on their face. Laughter and joy seemed to no longer exist. Depression and turmoil were to leave a mark on rich and poor alike. Business in Radom was falling off and I recall that our way of life was changing rapidly. We began to feel the lack of money, the shortage of food and we were cautioned to save our pennies."
.........
"Papa travelled a great deal in his youth. At one time, he considered Argentina to be his home. He liked to talk and his stories were like tales from the Arabian Nights to us. We learned that he had met my mother in Radom during his travels. After he returned to South America, they continued to correspond through letters and postcards. He tried to persuade her to go there many times, to marry him and make Argentina her home too. But my mother was an only child and couldn't bear to leave her parents, let alone travel such a great distance. It was very common in those days to move away and perhaps never see your family again. And so it was that my father eventually returned to Radom, married my mother Milka and started his family. No one would have ever thought that this happy, carefree life would take a turn for the worse in just a few short years."
"My parents taught us that all men were created equal in the eyes of God. That color and creed does not make a difference in the character of a man. It is the way a person is inside that's important, not the color of his skin. My Papa was a good man and lived by his convictions."
"Papa told us about the dark-skinned people that lived in South America. He also spoke of the passengers on the ship he travelled on and how they would throw coins in the harbor. The young black men would dive for the coins, bringing them up with their teeth every time. This was all so fascinating to me. I was eleven years old when I first saw a dark-skinned man."
"I remember that Chinese people visited our town too. I watched as they set up their beautiful rugs, which they intended to sell. They wore colorful dresses made of silk. I wanted to talk to the children, but I was too shy."
"During the summer months when we were free from school, my father would take us for long walks in the beautiful countryside. We would bring lunch and find a spot in the shade in which to picnic. Sometimes, we would stop at a farm and the farmer would give us milk, still slightly warm from the cow. I can still remember the taste of that milk. Those Polish and German farmers were our friends."
"Our family could not afford to buy a radio but there was a neighbor in our building who could, and for a while I was almost a permanent member of their household. How I loved the great orchestras from Hungary, Romania and our Poland. I would finish my lessons quickly and then spend an entire evening lost in this wonderful world of music. Sometimes my mother would give me a pie or cookies or part of a cake to share with my friends in exchange for this great enjoyment."
.........
"“Hello, what’s new today?”
“It is bad son, very bad. They have mobilized young men and reservists by the authority of the Polish High Command.”
"“Does this mean that we are going to war?”
"“I’m sure of it.” He sighed and shook his head. “War will soon be declared.”
"I tried to read more but people were grabbing the papers, anxious to learn more. There were groups of men everywhere, discussing the frightening thing that was happening to our country. I continued on my way to school, but when I arrived, I found it closed. I ran home, concerned about my family."
"It was cloudy and dark, with a sense of foreboding in the air. I was sure the sun would never shine again. It was as though a hurricane was about to hit the city, but we weren’t scared of wind and rain, but bombs."
"Around 8 pm, we heard a loud knock on the door. Mama and my brothers ran into the bedroom. Papa opened the door. Outside was a member of the special Polish police. He ordered us to go to the basement of our building. That was all.
"My father and stepmother herded us all together, shoving blankets, food and other supplies into our arms. Mama sobbed as she took one last look around our small apartment and gathered a few belongings. She knew this could be the last time she would see her cherished treasures."
"Finally, on the fifth day at about 5 pm in the afternoon, a patrol of policemen on motorcycles arrived. We could hear the noise of their engines as they came to an abrupt halt. They were the German Nazis, the real enemies of the Jews."
"For the first time, we met our enemy. I was struck with disbelief as I realized that among these German policemen were several familiar faces. They were the same people I had come to know at the marketplace and the farmers who had always been good to us. They were the ones who had taken me into their homes, shared their food and been my friends. Now I saw them wearing the armbands with the swastika and looking at me with hatred in their eyes. Why? I also saw weapons of war for the first time.
"Huge black tanks manned by Germans dressed in black shirts with red armbands with swastikas, large green trucks filled with German soldiers with rifles drawn and finally the convoy of motorcycle policemen roaring down the streets in our section of the city."
"Now the looting started.
"The soldiers left their weapons of death and destruction and began breaking into the shops and offices. They broke the fine glass windows and doors, the same ones Stanley and I had looked through, daydreaming, not that long ago. They took the merchandise that had been abandoned when the owners fled for their lives.
"I watched as they grabbed bundles and boxes of whatever they chose and returned to their trucks sneering at our people as if to say, “What can you do about it?” The answer was easy: nothing.
"We stood helpless."
"I walked towards my building and slowly turned around to take one last look at the broken shop windows where there had once been pretty dresses, lovely furs, sparkling jewels, and children's clothes and shoes. The bookshops were in ruins too. Books were thrown into the streets, and then run over by the large tanks. Other soldiers poured kerosene over any fresh meat and crushed vegetables and fruit under their feet. German soldiers guarded the entrances to the stores so that the shop owners would not attempt to salvage any of their goods. As I made my way back to our building I could not control my tears. How much could a boy of thirteen take? But as I found out in the years to come, the human mind and body can endure the most unimaginable hardships. Deep in thought I continued home.
"I began to realize that this destruction meant that all business would stop. There would be no jobs for our people and no wages. They had taken away our liberty, earning potential, and dignity. The next step would be our lives.
"It was my opinion that the Jewish population made the best merchants in the world. It was as if the Jews had a gene governing salesmanship. There would be nowhere to purchase goods, buy supplies, or even food."
"A chilling scream caused me to jump out of my seat.
"We ran to the window and witnessed the most savage and cruel act I thought could ever be seen. I was nauseous as I watched young Polish girls with their legs tied apart, their bodies exposed in the most humiliating and degrading way. The soldiers were raping, mutilating and subjecting these women to unbelievable acts of sadistic torture."
"Several trucks went slowly up and down the streets carrying hysterically sobbing teenage girls. The men were of all ages and acted like animals. I could see the lust in their faces and the girls' pain and horror. After they had brutalized and used these young women, they saturated their helpless victims with brandy and threw them onto the street. Clothing torn, their bodies abused, left for dead."
"The streets were muddy from a recent shower and stagnant pools of water were everywhere. Among these, innocent victims lay moaning, crying or lifeless."
"The next day we discovered that we had not, by any means, seen or felt the full wrath of the Nazis. The SS troops arrived in their black uniforms with the skull insignia on their caps. How appropriate as their prime interest was the death of the Jews.
"In their first hour in town, under orders from the madman, they began taking our people and killing them. First went the leading citizens, the Rabbis, teachers, intellectuals and any strong young men. Without leadership they knew it would be difficult for us to organize and that the likelihood of resistance would be low.
"For no reason, our leaders were sentenced to death and shot in front of their families. Justice was not a word in the German vocabulary of the Nazi commanders. Nor did they recognize the word in any other language.
"Many people who were sick, ailing, or elderly were also exterminated at this time. The Nazis considered Jews to be inferior human beings, to be disposed of like rubbish.
"For some unknown reason, they spared the lives of a few Rabbis. Perhaps, in their sadistic way of thinking, the idea of ‘torture first’ was responsible for this decision. Because there came a time when these holy men were grabbed, held down and had gasoline poured on their beards and then set on fire. The Nazis watched, smiling, as these men of God writhed in agony. Some of them burned to death while others lay dying from the excruciating pain. In some cases, the finale was a shot to the head and then the body was left in the road where it had fallen."
"Our days and nights were filled with endless terror.
"Corpses littered the streets, covered with large sheets of paper. Family members searching for their missing sons, fathers, daughters or mothers roamed the streets, lifting up the corners of these paper sheets, then shaking their heads in pity and moving on to the next one. All they wanted was to know the fate of their loved ones.
"I will also never forget the day that a group of German soldiers decided to gather a group of Jewish boys and girls for their enjoyment. They broke bottles to make a large mountain of glass, and to this they added small sharp tacks. They rounded up children like cattle, and then forced them at gunpoint to dance with bare feet and perform sexual acts upon each other on this bed of torture. When they were no longer amused, they shot the children."
"The following pages recount my real-life experiences and memories, but the names in my story have all been fictionalized."
Wonder why.
.........
"When I look back at what our family went through after Mama died, I think perhaps her early exit from this world was a blessing in disguise. I can't imagine my mother suffering the pain of having her children ripped from her arms or the indecencies and degradations that my stepmother had to endure at the hands of the Nazis."
"My father was full of plans for me and my brothers. He wanted a better life for us, and hoped that we would get a good education and find a proper profession.
"During that time, the Polish government had put limitations into place on professional careers for Jews. Jews could not access the necessary education to become professors, doctors, scientists or engineers. There was one semi-professional career path available, that of dental technician, so this was what my father had in mind for me. His eyes would light up with pride when he talked to me about it. To see his son become a technician would be a dream come true.
"Sometimes parents’ wishes and hopes for their children don't come to pass. Often this is because the children have their own dreams and aspirations. Of course, we could not know that our plans along with those of our father would soon be irrelevant, since no one could have imagined what was about to happen."
"Radom had a fine history too. Members of the Polish royal family resided there from time to time. We also had records of many victorious battles over old enemies. There was much beauty in Radom with its pretty parks, statues, museums and broad tree-lined avenues. We were proud of our little town.
"One of my earlier memories is Polish women, in their long dresses and with scarves tied around their heads, sitting at the entrances to the parks with their boxes of flowers. I often noticed that their hands were red and chapped during the cold winters and yet they sat there calling to anyone that would listen, “Please buy a flower for your girl.” I longed to help them.
"While my brothers and other boys would go into the park to play, I would stand to the side and watch these poor women attempting to make a few pennies so that their families would not starve. I realized that there were people who were really poor."
"As Stanley and I grew up, the brotherly bond grew strong. We were close in age, had similar interests and enjoyed the same activities. On the other hand, we were complete opposites physically. I had brown eyes, dark hair and olive skin, while Stanley was fair, with hazel eyes and light hair. It proved to be a blessing from God that the difference was so striking, for it surely saved our lives during the prison years to come."
"In my early years, I don't recall noticing any anti-Semitism. In fact, anti-Semitism was a concept Stanley and I had never heard of or experienced. However, we did live in the Jewish part of the city and were therefore sheltered from outside prejudice.
"As the months passed, it became obvious that the times were changing. There was an undercurrent of rage against our religion. We heard of Polish boys sneaking up behind elderly Jewish men and pulling their beards or rocks being thrown at women and children. The word ‘Jew’ appeared on walls and shop windows throughout the city. The madness was escalating like a breeze turning into a tornado."
"Things were getting worse by the minute. I continued to question the cruelty and accusations hurled at us on a constant basis. I prayed and thought deeply about our hardships, but couldn't find the answer within myself, so I turned to our father for guidance and explanation. I carefully examined his face as he searched for the right words. Perhaps he was wondering if he should tell me the awful truth or maybe keep it secret as long as possible, the frightening reality of what may come, ending the innocence of my childhood.
"He sighed deeply, put his hand on my shoulder and with a strained expression, he began to explain, “Son, I suppose it's time for you to know what is happening to our people to help you to understand what we must do to prepare ourselves for what lies ahead. For some time now, there has been an agenda against Jews and according to the latest news something terrible is going on in Germany. A man with a great hatred has come into power and has declared his plan for the complete extermination of our people. You know what the word extermination means, Mendel?”"
"Time passed, and I noticed that everyone had a worried or sad look on their face. Laughter and joy seemed to no longer exist. Depression and turmoil were to leave a mark on rich and poor alike. Business in Radom was falling off and I recall that our way of life was changing rapidly. We began to feel the lack of money, the shortage of food and we were cautioned to save our pennies."
.........
"Papa travelled a great deal in his youth. At one time, he considered Argentina to be his home. He liked to talk and his stories were like tales from the Arabian Nights to us. We learned that he had met my mother in Radom during his travels. After he returned to South America, they continued to correspond through letters and postcards. He tried to persuade her to go there many times, to marry him and make Argentina her home too. But my mother was an only child and couldn't bear to leave her parents, let alone travel such a great distance. It was very common in those days to move away and perhaps never see your family again. And so it was that my father eventually returned to Radom, married my mother Milka and started his family. No one would have ever thought that this happy, carefree life would take a turn for the worse in just a few short years."
"My parents taught us that all men were created equal in the eyes of God. That color and creed does not make a difference in the character of a man. It is the way a person is inside that's important, not the color of his skin. My Papa was a good man and lived by his convictions."
"Papa told us about the dark-skinned people that lived in South America. He also spoke of the passengers on the ship he travelled on and how they would throw coins in the harbor. The young black men would dive for the coins, bringing them up with their teeth every time. This was all so fascinating to me. I was eleven years old when I first saw a dark-skinned man."
"I remember that Chinese people visited our town too. I watched as they set up their beautiful rugs, which they intended to sell. They wore colorful dresses made of silk. I wanted to talk to the children, but I was too shy."
"During the summer months when we were free from school, my father would take us for long walks in the beautiful countryside. We would bring lunch and find a spot in the shade in which to picnic. Sometimes, we would stop at a farm and the farmer would give us milk, still slightly warm from the cow. I can still remember the taste of that milk. Those Polish and German farmers were our friends."
"Our family could not afford to buy a radio but there was a neighbor in our building who could, and for a while I was almost a permanent member of their household. How I loved the great orchestras from Hungary, Romania and our Poland. I would finish my lessons quickly and then spend an entire evening lost in this wonderful world of music. Sometimes my mother would give me a pie or cookies or part of a cake to share with my friends in exchange for this great enjoyment."
.........
"“Hello, what’s new today?”
“It is bad son, very bad. They have mobilized young men and reservists by the authority of the Polish High Command.”
"“Does this mean that we are going to war?”
"“I’m sure of it.” He sighed and shook his head. “War will soon be declared.”
"I tried to read more but people were grabbing the papers, anxious to learn more. There were groups of men everywhere, discussing the frightening thing that was happening to our country. I continued on my way to school, but when I arrived, I found it closed. I ran home, concerned about my family."
"It was cloudy and dark, with a sense of foreboding in the air. I was sure the sun would never shine again. It was as though a hurricane was about to hit the city, but we weren’t scared of wind and rain, but bombs."
"Around 8 pm, we heard a loud knock on the door. Mama and my brothers ran into the bedroom. Papa opened the door. Outside was a member of the special Polish police. He ordered us to go to the basement of our building. That was all.
"My father and stepmother herded us all together, shoving blankets, food and other supplies into our arms. Mama sobbed as she took one last look around our small apartment and gathered a few belongings. She knew this could be the last time she would see her cherished treasures."
"Finally, on the fifth day at about 5 pm in the afternoon, a patrol of policemen on motorcycles arrived. We could hear the noise of their engines as they came to an abrupt halt. They were the German Nazis, the real enemies of the Jews."
"For the first time, we met our enemy. I was struck with disbelief as I realized that among these German policemen were several familiar faces. They were the same people I had come to know at the marketplace and the farmers who had always been good to us. They were the ones who had taken me into their homes, shared their food and been my friends. Now I saw them wearing the armbands with the swastika and looking at me with hatred in their eyes. Why? I also saw weapons of war for the first time.
"Huge black tanks manned by Germans dressed in black shirts with red armbands with swastikas, large green trucks filled with German soldiers with rifles drawn and finally the convoy of motorcycle policemen roaring down the streets in our section of the city."
"Now the looting started.
"The soldiers left their weapons of death and destruction and began breaking into the shops and offices. They broke the fine glass windows and doors, the same ones Stanley and I had looked through, daydreaming, not that long ago. They took the merchandise that had been abandoned when the owners fled for their lives.
"I watched as they grabbed bundles and boxes of whatever they chose and returned to their trucks sneering at our people as if to say, “What can you do about it?” The answer was easy: nothing.
"We stood helpless."
"I walked towards my building and slowly turned around to take one last look at the broken shop windows where there had once been pretty dresses, lovely furs, sparkling jewels, and children's clothes and shoes. The bookshops were in ruins too. Books were thrown into the streets, and then run over by the large tanks. Other soldiers poured kerosene over any fresh meat and crushed vegetables and fruit under their feet. German soldiers guarded the entrances to the stores so that the shop owners would not attempt to salvage any of their goods. As I made my way back to our building I could not control my tears. How much could a boy of thirteen take? But as I found out in the years to come, the human mind and body can endure the most unimaginable hardships. Deep in thought I continued home.
"I began to realize that this destruction meant that all business would stop. There would be no jobs for our people and no wages. They had taken away our liberty, earning potential, and dignity. The next step would be our lives.
"It was my opinion that the Jewish population made the best merchants in the world. It was as if the Jews had a gene governing salesmanship. There would be nowhere to purchase goods, buy supplies, or even food."
"A chilling scream caused me to jump out of my seat.
"We ran to the window and witnessed the most savage and cruel act I thought could ever be seen. I was nauseous as I watched young Polish girls with their legs tied apart, their bodies exposed in the most humiliating and degrading way. The soldiers were raping, mutilating and subjecting these women to unbelievable acts of sadistic torture."
"Several trucks went slowly up and down the streets carrying hysterically sobbing teenage girls. The men were of all ages and acted like animals. I could see the lust in their faces and the girls' pain and horror. After they had brutalized and used these young women, they saturated their helpless victims with brandy and threw them onto the street. Clothing torn, their bodies abused, left for dead."
"The streets were muddy from a recent shower and stagnant pools of water were everywhere. Among these, innocent victims lay moaning, crying or lifeless."
"The next day we discovered that we had not, by any means, seen or felt the full wrath of the Nazis. The SS troops arrived in their black uniforms with the skull insignia on their caps. How appropriate as their prime interest was the death of the Jews.
"In their first hour in town, under orders from the madman, they began taking our people and killing them. First went the leading citizens, the Rabbis, teachers, intellectuals and any strong young men. Without leadership they knew it would be difficult for us to organize and that the likelihood of resistance would be low.
"For no reason, our leaders were sentenced to death and shot in front of their families. Justice was not a word in the German vocabulary of the Nazi commanders. Nor did they recognize the word in any other language.
"Many people who were sick, ailing, or elderly were also exterminated at this time. The Nazis considered Jews to be inferior human beings, to be disposed of like rubbish.
"For some unknown reason, they spared the lives of a few Rabbis. Perhaps, in their sadistic way of thinking, the idea of ‘torture first’ was responsible for this decision. Because there came a time when these holy men were grabbed, held down and had gasoline poured on their beards and then set on fire. The Nazis watched, smiling, as these men of God writhed in agony. Some of them burned to death while others lay dying from the excruciating pain. In some cases, the finale was a shot to the head and then the body was left in the road where it had fallen."
"Our days and nights were filled with endless terror.
"Corpses littered the streets, covered with large sheets of paper. Family members searching for their missing sons, fathers, daughters or mothers roamed the streets, lifting up the corners of these paper sheets, then shaking their heads in pity and moving on to the next one. All they wanted was to know the fate of their loved ones.
"I will also never forget the day that a group of German soldiers decided to gather a group of Jewish boys and girls for their enjoyment. They broke bottles to make a large mountain of glass, and to this they added small sharp tacks. They rounded up children like cattle, and then forced them at gunpoint to dance with bare feet and perform sexual acts upon each other on this bed of torture. When they were no longer amused, they shot the children."
September 24, 2019
To be honest, being a huge history buff and having a particular interest in the Holocaust (I’m Jewish), I’m very torn concerning this particular memoir. It started out very good and I instantly connected with the main character and sympathized with him after he lost his mom to childbirth. The family’s life in Radom, Poland, was described in such a vivid way that I could easily picture myself right there, growing together with young Steinberg brothers and going through daily routines with them. The gradual threat hanging over the country and the eventual spread of antisemitism was also introduced in such a way that it was impossible not to feel for the boys, who seemingly couldn’t understand how could their former neighbors, with which they got along just fine all these years, suddenly turn their backs on them just due to the family being Jewish. The arrival of the German army was described in a powerful and profound way, and from that moment on, I knew that life would only get worse for the Steinbergs for they will be fighting for their very survival.
The life in the first camp where the male members of the Steinberg family found themselves was also incredibly realistically described - the near-starvation, the brutality of the guards, the anti-sanitary conditions and the round-the-clock, back-breaking work would wear anyone out, and it was my personal conviction that only having his father and brother near helped Manny survive that hell. However, it was the Auschwitz part that made me raise my brow on quite a few occasions. What he described occurring there was just… historically inaccurate? After studying Auschwitz for a long time, reading such wild descriptions made me seriously question what I just read.
“To drown out the cries of people on their way to the crematorium, a group of naked gypsy women banged on drums.” What? There was a Gypsy camp in Auschwitz but its inmates never welcomed the new arrivals and particularly naked. There was a special camp orchestra organized for that very purpose but its members were very much dressed in special uniforms. Another thing, people didn’t cry on their way to the crematorium. They didn’t know it was a crematorium at all; SS men serving on the ramp took great care to persuade them that those were only showers and that they would be given soup and hot coffee after they took their shower and underwent a mandatory disinfection process. SS officer Hössler was particularly famous for giving such cunning, “welcoming” speeches and for luring people inside the gas chambers without any protest, or even a shadow of a doubt, in the new arrivals’ minds. Read F. Müller’s memoir if you want to learn more about it, “Eyewitness Auschwitz.”
Next, the author describes SS doctors conducting the selections: “at the gate of Auschwitz was a group of doctors. They were wearing white aprons spotted with blood… I watched their bloody hands and thought of the Jewish people they had tortured, killed, mutilated and experimented on.” Now for the actual historical facts: Auschwitz SS doctors were all definitely war criminals, who very much deserved the noose, but they never conducted selections in anything blood-stained. All SS doctors wore gray SS uniforms during selections, only donning their white gowns while conduction actual medical experiments in the enclosed facilities. If you know anything about Germans, they are quite immaculate people who would make an inmate clean their entire uniform as soon as one speck of dirt would land on it and they definitely wouldn’t stand on the ramp with blood dripping off their hands. Why was there a need to invent something of this sort, I don’t understand. Auschwitz had enough of real horrors going on there and inventing something so grotesquely Hollywood-ish is just disrespectful to the victims in my personal opinion.
Another thing out of the science fiction genre: “The camp was surrounded by barbed wire, which was electrified. There were warning signs stating that anyone coming within six feet of the fence would be electrocuted. I knew it was true because I saw someone die this way. A small girl who looked about seven years old was wandering around the camp that day… She wasn’t paying attention to where she was going. Suddenly her body was lifted off the ground and pulled toward the fence, where she was stuck, spread-eagled for a moment, before falling to the ground.” I don’t know about you, but I’ve never heard about anyone being lifted off the ground and pulled to the electric fence from six feet away before. In fact, inmates conducted their affairs handing each other different things through the fence or throwing them over the fence, carefully, of course in order not to touch the wire, but no one ever magically lifted in the air and died this way. They did kill themselves by throwing themselves at the wire, but this? This was just weird.
Another thing that was a pure invention: “Prisoners were given a piece of soap… on the soap were the letters “RJF.” The “R” was for “Rein,” German for pure. The “J” for “Jew” and “F” for “Fett,” German for flesh.” The soap thing is a myth that was debunked by the leading Holocaust researches themselves. Aaron Breitbart, a senior researcher at the Simon Wiesenthal Center along with Michael Berenbaum (a project manager for the US Holocaust Memorial Museum) both agreed that there was "no evidence that the Nazis actually manufactured soap with human bodies." Sorry, I tend to side with Holocaust leading researches here. Feel free to check the Jewish Virtual Library if you like to read more about this whole thing.
The author also later mentions that the SS fed them sausages made with human flesh (again, a rumor debunked by the Holocaust researchers); trucks with hydraulic lifts (huh?? Never heard about anything of that type in Auschwitz) and some other absolutely fantastic things, and this is where he completely lost me. After that, I was just reading and thinking, what else - and why? - did he invent? Don’t get me wrong, I do believe that he was a Holocaust survivor and went through all of these camps. But I read memoirs for authenticity reasons, and when things like these pop up and make me scratch my head, I feel seriously disappointed and cheated as a reader and as someone interested in the history of the Holocaust. In the end, I came to the conclusion that perhaps his advanced age was the reason for this fiction mixing with his real memories but why wasn’t it fact-checked by the publisher prior to the publication then? I mean, Rena Gelissen also wrote her memoir later in life, but she made sure to double and triple-check everything to give the most accurate picture of her life story to the reader. I’m just really confused about this particular memoir, and I wish someone fact-checked it before publishing. It is an important story that needs to be told, but it’s not an alternative history or science-fiction genre. Memoirs, in my personal opinion, must be as accurate as possible.
The life in the first camp where the male members of the Steinberg family found themselves was also incredibly realistically described - the near-starvation, the brutality of the guards, the anti-sanitary conditions and the round-the-clock, back-breaking work would wear anyone out, and it was my personal conviction that only having his father and brother near helped Manny survive that hell. However, it was the Auschwitz part that made me raise my brow on quite a few occasions. What he described occurring there was just… historically inaccurate? After studying Auschwitz for a long time, reading such wild descriptions made me seriously question what I just read.
“To drown out the cries of people on their way to the crematorium, a group of naked gypsy women banged on drums.” What? There was a Gypsy camp in Auschwitz but its inmates never welcomed the new arrivals and particularly naked. There was a special camp orchestra organized for that very purpose but its members were very much dressed in special uniforms. Another thing, people didn’t cry on their way to the crematorium. They didn’t know it was a crematorium at all; SS men serving on the ramp took great care to persuade them that those were only showers and that they would be given soup and hot coffee after they took their shower and underwent a mandatory disinfection process. SS officer Hössler was particularly famous for giving such cunning, “welcoming” speeches and for luring people inside the gas chambers without any protest, or even a shadow of a doubt, in the new arrivals’ minds. Read F. Müller’s memoir if you want to learn more about it, “Eyewitness Auschwitz.”
Next, the author describes SS doctors conducting the selections: “at the gate of Auschwitz was a group of doctors. They were wearing white aprons spotted with blood… I watched their bloody hands and thought of the Jewish people they had tortured, killed, mutilated and experimented on.” Now for the actual historical facts: Auschwitz SS doctors were all definitely war criminals, who very much deserved the noose, but they never conducted selections in anything blood-stained. All SS doctors wore gray SS uniforms during selections, only donning their white gowns while conduction actual medical experiments in the enclosed facilities. If you know anything about Germans, they are quite immaculate people who would make an inmate clean their entire uniform as soon as one speck of dirt would land on it and they definitely wouldn’t stand on the ramp with blood dripping off their hands. Why was there a need to invent something of this sort, I don’t understand. Auschwitz had enough of real horrors going on there and inventing something so grotesquely Hollywood-ish is just disrespectful to the victims in my personal opinion.
Another thing out of the science fiction genre: “The camp was surrounded by barbed wire, which was electrified. There were warning signs stating that anyone coming within six feet of the fence would be electrocuted. I knew it was true because I saw someone die this way. A small girl who looked about seven years old was wandering around the camp that day… She wasn’t paying attention to where she was going. Suddenly her body was lifted off the ground and pulled toward the fence, where she was stuck, spread-eagled for a moment, before falling to the ground.” I don’t know about you, but I’ve never heard about anyone being lifted off the ground and pulled to the electric fence from six feet away before. In fact, inmates conducted their affairs handing each other different things through the fence or throwing them over the fence, carefully, of course in order not to touch the wire, but no one ever magically lifted in the air and died this way. They did kill themselves by throwing themselves at the wire, but this? This was just weird.
Another thing that was a pure invention: “Prisoners were given a piece of soap… on the soap were the letters “RJF.” The “R” was for “Rein,” German for pure. The “J” for “Jew” and “F” for “Fett,” German for flesh.” The soap thing is a myth that was debunked by the leading Holocaust researches themselves. Aaron Breitbart, a senior researcher at the Simon Wiesenthal Center along with Michael Berenbaum (a project manager for the US Holocaust Memorial Museum) both agreed that there was "no evidence that the Nazis actually manufactured soap with human bodies." Sorry, I tend to side with Holocaust leading researches here. Feel free to check the Jewish Virtual Library if you like to read more about this whole thing.
The author also later mentions that the SS fed them sausages made with human flesh (again, a rumor debunked by the Holocaust researchers); trucks with hydraulic lifts (huh?? Never heard about anything of that type in Auschwitz) and some other absolutely fantastic things, and this is where he completely lost me. After that, I was just reading and thinking, what else - and why? - did he invent? Don’t get me wrong, I do believe that he was a Holocaust survivor and went through all of these camps. But I read memoirs for authenticity reasons, and when things like these pop up and make me scratch my head, I feel seriously disappointed and cheated as a reader and as someone interested in the history of the Holocaust. In the end, I came to the conclusion that perhaps his advanced age was the reason for this fiction mixing with his real memories but why wasn’t it fact-checked by the publisher prior to the publication then? I mean, Rena Gelissen also wrote her memoir later in life, but she made sure to double and triple-check everything to give the most accurate picture of her life story to the reader. I’m just really confused about this particular memoir, and I wish someone fact-checked it before publishing. It is an important story that needs to be told, but it’s not an alternative history or science-fiction genre. Memoirs, in my personal opinion, must be as accurate as possible.
June 24, 2020
Very good
This book was a great story of his experiences and his survival. He went through a lot and ended up doing great things.
This book was a great story of his experiences and his survival. He went through a lot and ended up doing great things.
April 26, 2020
Quoted from foreword by author:-
"The following pages recount my real-life experiences and memories, but the names in my story have all been fictionalized."
Wonder why.
.........
"When I look back at what our family went through after Mama died, I think perhaps her early exit from this world was a blessing in disguise. I can't imagine my mother suffering the pain of having her children ripped from her arms or the indecencies and degradations that my stepmother had to endure at the hands of the Nazis."
"My father was full of plans for me and my brothers. He wanted a better life for us, and hoped that we would get a good education and find a proper profession.
"During that time, the Polish government had put limitations into place on professional careers for Jews. Jews could not access the necessary education to become professors, doctors, scientists or engineers. There was one semi-professional career path available, that of dental technician, so this was what my father had in mind for me. His eyes would light up with pride when he talked to me about it. To see his son become a technician would be a dream come true.
"Sometimes parents’ wishes and hopes for their children don't come to pass. Often this is because the children have their own dreams and aspirations. Of course, we could not know that our plans along with those of our father would soon be irrelevant, since no one could have imagined what was about to happen."
"Radom had a fine history too. Members of the Polish royal family resided there from time to time. We also had records of many victorious battles over old enemies. There was much beauty in Radom with its pretty parks, statues, museums and broad tree-lined avenues. We were proud of our little town.
"One of my earlier memories is Polish women, in their long dresses and with scarves tied around their heads, sitting at the entrances to the parks with their boxes of flowers. I often noticed that their hands were red and chapped during the cold winters and yet they sat there calling to anyone that would listen, “Please buy a flower for your girl.” I longed to help them.
"While my brothers and other boys would go into the park to play, I would stand to the side and watch these poor women attempting to make a few pennies so that their families would not starve. I realized that there were people who were really poor."
"As Stanley and I grew up, the brotherly bond grew strong. We were close in age, had similar interests and enjoyed the same activities. On the other hand, we were complete opposites physically. I had brown eyes, dark hair and olive skin, while Stanley was fair, with hazel eyes and light hair. It proved to be a blessing from God that the difference was so striking, for it surely saved our lives during the prison years to come."
"In my early years, I don't recall noticing any anti-Semitism. In fact, anti-Semitism was a concept Stanley and I had never heard of or experienced. However, we did live in the Jewish part of the city and were therefore sheltered from outside prejudice.
"As the months passed, it became obvious that the times were changing. There was an undercurrent of rage against our religion. We heard of Polish boys sneaking up behind elderly Jewish men and pulling their beards or rocks being thrown at women and children. The word ‘Jew’ appeared on walls and shop windows throughout the city. The madness was escalating like a breeze turning into a tornado."
"Things were getting worse by the minute. I continued to question the cruelty and accusations hurled at us on a constant basis. I prayed and thought deeply about our hardships, but couldn't find the answer within myself, so I turned to our father for guidance and explanation. I carefully examined his face as he searched for the right words. Perhaps he was wondering if he should tell me the awful truth or maybe keep it secret as long as possible, the frightening reality of what may come, ending the innocence of my childhood.
"He sighed deeply, put his hand on my shoulder and with a strained expression, he began to explain, “Son, I suppose it's time for you to know what is happening to our people to help you to understand what we must do to prepare ourselves for what lies ahead. For some time now, there has been an agenda against Jews and according to the latest news something terrible is going on in Germany. A man with a great hatred has come into power and has declared his plan for the complete extermination of our people. You know what the word extermination means, Mendel?”"
"Time passed, and I noticed that everyone had a worried or sad look on their face. Laughter and joy seemed to no longer exist. Depression and turmoil were to leave a mark on rich and poor alike. Business in Radom was falling off and I recall that our way of life was changing rapidly. We began to feel the lack of money, the shortage of food and we were cautioned to save our pennies."
.........
"Papa travelled a great deal in his youth. At one time, he considered Argentina to be his home. He liked to talk and his stories were like tales from the Arabian Nights to us. We learned that he had met my mother in Radom during his travels. After he returned to South America, they continued to correspond through letters and postcards. He tried to persuade her to go there many times, to marry him and make Argentina her home too. But my mother was an only child and couldn't bear to leave her parents, let alone travel such a great distance. It was very common in those days to move away and perhaps never see your family again. And so it was that my father eventually returned to Radom, married my mother Milka and started his family. No one would have ever thought that this happy, carefree life would take a turn for the worse in just a few short years."
"My parents taught us that all men were created equal in the eyes of God. That color and creed does not make a difference in the character of a man. It is the way a person is inside that's important, not the color of his skin. My Papa was a good man and lived by his convictions."
"Papa told us about the dark-skinned people that lived in South America. He also spoke of the passengers on the ship he travelled on and how they would throw coins in the harbor. The young black men would dive for the coins, bringing them up with their teeth every time. This was all so fascinating to me. I was eleven years old when I first saw a dark-skinned man."
"I remember that Chinese people visited our town too. I watched as they set up their beautiful rugs, which they intended to sell. They wore colorful dresses made of silk. I wanted to talk to the children, but I was too shy."
"During the summer months when we were free from school, my father would take us for long walks in the beautiful countryside. We would bring lunch and find a spot in the shade in which to picnic. Sometimes, we would stop at a farm and the farmer would give us milk, still slightly warm from the cow. I can still remember the taste of that milk. Those Polish and German farmers were our friends."
"Our family could not afford to buy a radio but there was a neighbor in our building who could, and for a while I was almost a permanent member of their household. How I loved the great orchestras from Hungary, Romania and our Poland. I would finish my lessons quickly and then spend an entire evening lost in this wonderful world of music. Sometimes my mother would give me a pie or cookies or part of a cake to share with my friends in exchange for this great enjoyment."
.........
"“Hello, what’s new today?”
“It is bad son, very bad. They have mobilized young men and reservists by the authority of the Polish High Command.”
"“Does this mean that we are going to war?”
"“I’m sure of it.” He sighed and shook his head. “War will soon be declared.”
"I tried to read more but people were grabbing the papers, anxious to learn more. There were groups of men everywhere, discussing the frightening thing that was happening to our country. I continued on my way to school, but when I arrived, I found it closed. I ran home, concerned about my family."
"It was cloudy and dark, with a sense of foreboding in the air. I was sure the sun would never shine again. It was as though a hurricane was about to hit the city, but we weren’t scared of wind and rain, but bombs."
"Around 8 pm, we heard a loud knock on the door. Mama and my brothers ran into the bedroom. Papa opened the door. Outside was a member of the special Polish police. He ordered us to go to the basement of our building. That was all.
"My father and stepmother herded us all together, shoving blankets, food and other supplies into our arms. Mama sobbed as she took one last look around our small apartment and gathered a few belongings. She knew this could be the last time she would see her cherished treasures."
"Finally, on the fifth day at about 5 pm in the afternoon, a patrol of policemen on motorcycles arrived. We could hear the noise of their engines as they came to an abrupt halt. They were the German Nazis, the real enemies of the Jews."
"For the first time, we met our enemy. I was struck with disbelief as I realized that among these German policemen were several familiar faces. They were the same people I had come to know at the marketplace and the farmers who had always been good to us. They were the ones who had taken me into their homes, shared their food and been my friends. Now I saw them wearing the armbands with the swastika and looking at me with hatred in their eyes. Why? I also saw weapons of war for the first time.
"Huge black tanks manned by Germans dressed in black shirts with red armbands with swastikas, large green trucks filled with German soldiers with rifles drawn and finally the convoy of motorcycle policemen roaring down the streets in our section of the city."
"Now the looting started.
"The soldiers left their weapons of death and destruction and began breaking into the shops and offices. They broke the fine glass windows and doors, the same ones Stanley and I had looked through, daydreaming, not that long ago. They took the merchandise that had been abandoned when the owners fled for their lives.
"I watched as they grabbed bundles and boxes of whatever they chose and returned to their trucks sneering at our people as if to say, “What can you do about it?” The answer was easy: nothing.
"We stood helpless."
"I walked towards my building and slowly turned around to take one last look at the broken shop windows where there had once been pretty dresses, lovely furs, sparkling jewels, and children's clothes and shoes. The bookshops were in ruins too. Books were thrown into the streets, and then run over by the large tanks. Other soldiers poured kerosene over any fresh meat and crushed vegetables and fruit under their feet. German soldiers guarded the entrances to the stores so that the shop owners would not attempt to salvage any of their goods. As I made my way back to our building I could not control my tears. How much could a boy of thirteen take? But as I found out in the years to come, the human mind and body can endure the most unimaginable hardships. Deep in thought I continued home.
"I began to realize that this destruction meant that all business would stop. There would be no jobs for our people and no wages. They had taken away our liberty, earning potential, and dignity. The next step would be our lives.
"It was my opinion that the Jewish population made the best merchants in the world. It was as if the Jews had a gene governing salesmanship. There would be nowhere to purchase goods, buy supplies, or even food."
"A chilling scream caused me to jump out of my seat.
"We ran to the window and witnessed the most savage and cruel act I thought could ever be seen. I was nauseous as I watched young Polish girls with their legs tied apart, their bodies exposed in the most humiliating and degrading way. The soldiers were raping, mutilating and subjecting these women to unbelievable acts of sadistic torture."
"Several trucks went slowly up and down the streets carrying hysterically sobbing teenage girls. The men were of all ages and acted like animals. I could see the lust in their faces and the girls' pain and horror. After they had brutalized and used these young women, they saturated their helpless victims with brandy and threw them onto the street. Clothing torn, their bodies abused, left for dead."
"The streets were muddy from a recent shower and stagnant pools of water were everywhere. Among these, innocent victims lay moaning, crying or lifeless."
"The next day we discovered that we had not, by any means, seen or felt the full wrath of the Nazis. The SS troops arrived in their black uniforms with the skull insignia on their caps. How appropriate as their prime interest was the death of the Jews.
"In their first hour in town, under orders from the madman, they began taking our people and killing them. First went the leading citizens, the Rabbis, teachers, intellectuals and any strong young men. Without leadership they knew it would be difficult for us to organize and that the likelihood of resistance would be low.
"For no reason, our leaders were sentenced to death and shot in front of their families. Justice was not a word in the German vocabulary of the Nazi commanders. Nor did they recognize the word in any other language.
"Many people who were sick, ailing, or elderly were also exterminated at this time. The Nazis considered Jews to be inferior human beings, to be disposed of like rubbish.
"For some unknown reason, they spared the lives of a few Rabbis. Perhaps, in their sadistic way of thinking, the idea of ‘torture first’ was responsible for this decision. Because there came a time when these holy men were grabbed, held down and had gasoline poured on their beards and then set on fire. The Nazis watched, smiling, as these men of God writhed in agony. Some of them burned to death while others lay dying from the excruciating pain. In some cases, the finale was a shot to the head and then the body was left in the road where it had fallen."
"Our days and nights were filled with endless terror.
"Corpses littered the streets, covered with large sheets of paper. Family members searching for their missing sons, fathers, daughters or mothers roamed the streets, lifting up the corners of these paper sheets, then shaking their heads in pity and moving on to the next one. All they wanted was to know the fate of their loved ones.
"I will also never forget the day that a group of German soldiers decided to gather a group of Jewish boys and girls for their enjoyment. They broke bottles to make a large mountain of glass, and to this they added small sharp tacks. They rounded up children like cattle, and then forced them at gunpoint to dance with bare feet and perform sexual acts upon each other on this bed of torture. When they were no longer amused, they shot the children."
"The following pages recount my real-life experiences and memories, but the names in my story have all been fictionalized."
Wonder why.
.........
"When I look back at what our family went through after Mama died, I think perhaps her early exit from this world was a blessing in disguise. I can't imagine my mother suffering the pain of having her children ripped from her arms or the indecencies and degradations that my stepmother had to endure at the hands of the Nazis."
"My father was full of plans for me and my brothers. He wanted a better life for us, and hoped that we would get a good education and find a proper profession.
"During that time, the Polish government had put limitations into place on professional careers for Jews. Jews could not access the necessary education to become professors, doctors, scientists or engineers. There was one semi-professional career path available, that of dental technician, so this was what my father had in mind for me. His eyes would light up with pride when he talked to me about it. To see his son become a technician would be a dream come true.
"Sometimes parents’ wishes and hopes for their children don't come to pass. Often this is because the children have their own dreams and aspirations. Of course, we could not know that our plans along with those of our father would soon be irrelevant, since no one could have imagined what was about to happen."
"Radom had a fine history too. Members of the Polish royal family resided there from time to time. We also had records of many victorious battles over old enemies. There was much beauty in Radom with its pretty parks, statues, museums and broad tree-lined avenues. We were proud of our little town.
"One of my earlier memories is Polish women, in their long dresses and with scarves tied around their heads, sitting at the entrances to the parks with their boxes of flowers. I often noticed that their hands were red and chapped during the cold winters and yet they sat there calling to anyone that would listen, “Please buy a flower for your girl.” I longed to help them.
"While my brothers and other boys would go into the park to play, I would stand to the side and watch these poor women attempting to make a few pennies so that their families would not starve. I realized that there were people who were really poor."
"As Stanley and I grew up, the brotherly bond grew strong. We were close in age, had similar interests and enjoyed the same activities. On the other hand, we were complete opposites physically. I had brown eyes, dark hair and olive skin, while Stanley was fair, with hazel eyes and light hair. It proved to be a blessing from God that the difference was so striking, for it surely saved our lives during the prison years to come."
"In my early years, I don't recall noticing any anti-Semitism. In fact, anti-Semitism was a concept Stanley and I had never heard of or experienced. However, we did live in the Jewish part of the city and were therefore sheltered from outside prejudice.
"As the months passed, it became obvious that the times were changing. There was an undercurrent of rage against our religion. We heard of Polish boys sneaking up behind elderly Jewish men and pulling their beards or rocks being thrown at women and children. The word ‘Jew’ appeared on walls and shop windows throughout the city. The madness was escalating like a breeze turning into a tornado."
"Things were getting worse by the minute. I continued to question the cruelty and accusations hurled at us on a constant basis. I prayed and thought deeply about our hardships, but couldn't find the answer within myself, so I turned to our father for guidance and explanation. I carefully examined his face as he searched for the right words. Perhaps he was wondering if he should tell me the awful truth or maybe keep it secret as long as possible, the frightening reality of what may come, ending the innocence of my childhood.
"He sighed deeply, put his hand on my shoulder and with a strained expression, he began to explain, “Son, I suppose it's time for you to know what is happening to our people to help you to understand what we must do to prepare ourselves for what lies ahead. For some time now, there has been an agenda against Jews and according to the latest news something terrible is going on in Germany. A man with a great hatred has come into power and has declared his plan for the complete extermination of our people. You know what the word extermination means, Mendel?”"
"Time passed, and I noticed that everyone had a worried or sad look on their face. Laughter and joy seemed to no longer exist. Depression and turmoil were to leave a mark on rich and poor alike. Business in Radom was falling off and I recall that our way of life was changing rapidly. We began to feel the lack of money, the shortage of food and we were cautioned to save our pennies."
.........
"Papa travelled a great deal in his youth. At one time, he considered Argentina to be his home. He liked to talk and his stories were like tales from the Arabian Nights to us. We learned that he had met my mother in Radom during his travels. After he returned to South America, they continued to correspond through letters and postcards. He tried to persuade her to go there many times, to marry him and make Argentina her home too. But my mother was an only child and couldn't bear to leave her parents, let alone travel such a great distance. It was very common in those days to move away and perhaps never see your family again. And so it was that my father eventually returned to Radom, married my mother Milka and started his family. No one would have ever thought that this happy, carefree life would take a turn for the worse in just a few short years."
"My parents taught us that all men were created equal in the eyes of God. That color and creed does not make a difference in the character of a man. It is the way a person is inside that's important, not the color of his skin. My Papa was a good man and lived by his convictions."
"Papa told us about the dark-skinned people that lived in South America. He also spoke of the passengers on the ship he travelled on and how they would throw coins in the harbor. The young black men would dive for the coins, bringing them up with their teeth every time. This was all so fascinating to me. I was eleven years old when I first saw a dark-skinned man."
"I remember that Chinese people visited our town too. I watched as they set up their beautiful rugs, which they intended to sell. They wore colorful dresses made of silk. I wanted to talk to the children, but I was too shy."
"During the summer months when we were free from school, my father would take us for long walks in the beautiful countryside. We would bring lunch and find a spot in the shade in which to picnic. Sometimes, we would stop at a farm and the farmer would give us milk, still slightly warm from the cow. I can still remember the taste of that milk. Those Polish and German farmers were our friends."
"Our family could not afford to buy a radio but there was a neighbor in our building who could, and for a while I was almost a permanent member of their household. How I loved the great orchestras from Hungary, Romania and our Poland. I would finish my lessons quickly and then spend an entire evening lost in this wonderful world of music. Sometimes my mother would give me a pie or cookies or part of a cake to share with my friends in exchange for this great enjoyment."
.........
"“Hello, what’s new today?”
“It is bad son, very bad. They have mobilized young men and reservists by the authority of the Polish High Command.”
"“Does this mean that we are going to war?”
"“I’m sure of it.” He sighed and shook his head. “War will soon be declared.”
"I tried to read more but people were grabbing the papers, anxious to learn more. There were groups of men everywhere, discussing the frightening thing that was happening to our country. I continued on my way to school, but when I arrived, I found it closed. I ran home, concerned about my family."
"It was cloudy and dark, with a sense of foreboding in the air. I was sure the sun would never shine again. It was as though a hurricane was about to hit the city, but we weren’t scared of wind and rain, but bombs."
"Around 8 pm, we heard a loud knock on the door. Mama and my brothers ran into the bedroom. Papa opened the door. Outside was a member of the special Polish police. He ordered us to go to the basement of our building. That was all.
"My father and stepmother herded us all together, shoving blankets, food and other supplies into our arms. Mama sobbed as she took one last look around our small apartment and gathered a few belongings. She knew this could be the last time she would see her cherished treasures."
"Finally, on the fifth day at about 5 pm in the afternoon, a patrol of policemen on motorcycles arrived. We could hear the noise of their engines as they came to an abrupt halt. They were the German Nazis, the real enemies of the Jews."
"For the first time, we met our enemy. I was struck with disbelief as I realized that among these German policemen were several familiar faces. They were the same people I had come to know at the marketplace and the farmers who had always been good to us. They were the ones who had taken me into their homes, shared their food and been my friends. Now I saw them wearing the armbands with the swastika and looking at me with hatred in their eyes. Why? I also saw weapons of war for the first time.
"Huge black tanks manned by Germans dressed in black shirts with red armbands with swastikas, large green trucks filled with German soldiers with rifles drawn and finally the convoy of motorcycle policemen roaring down the streets in our section of the city."
"Now the looting started.
"The soldiers left their weapons of death and destruction and began breaking into the shops and offices. They broke the fine glass windows and doors, the same ones Stanley and I had looked through, daydreaming, not that long ago. They took the merchandise that had been abandoned when the owners fled for their lives.
"I watched as they grabbed bundles and boxes of whatever they chose and returned to their trucks sneering at our people as if to say, “What can you do about it?” The answer was easy: nothing.
"We stood helpless."
"I walked towards my building and slowly turned around to take one last look at the broken shop windows where there had once been pretty dresses, lovely furs, sparkling jewels, and children's clothes and shoes. The bookshops were in ruins too. Books were thrown into the streets, and then run over by the large tanks. Other soldiers poured kerosene over any fresh meat and crushed vegetables and fruit under their feet. German soldiers guarded the entrances to the stores so that the shop owners would not attempt to salvage any of their goods. As I made my way back to our building I could not control my tears. How much could a boy of thirteen take? But as I found out in the years to come, the human mind and body can endure the most unimaginable hardships. Deep in thought I continued home.
"I began to realize that this destruction meant that all business would stop. There would be no jobs for our people and no wages. They had taken away our liberty, earning potential, and dignity. The next step would be our lives.
"It was my opinion that the Jewish population made the best merchants in the world. It was as if the Jews had a gene governing salesmanship. There would be nowhere to purchase goods, buy supplies, or even food."
"A chilling scream caused me to jump out of my seat.
"We ran to the window and witnessed the most savage and cruel act I thought could ever be seen. I was nauseous as I watched young Polish girls with their legs tied apart, their bodies exposed in the most humiliating and degrading way. The soldiers were raping, mutilating and subjecting these women to unbelievable acts of sadistic torture."
"Several trucks went slowly up and down the streets carrying hysterically sobbing teenage girls. The men were of all ages and acted like animals. I could see the lust in their faces and the girls' pain and horror. After they had brutalized and used these young women, they saturated their helpless victims with brandy and threw them onto the street. Clothing torn, their bodies abused, left for dead."
"The streets were muddy from a recent shower and stagnant pools of water were everywhere. Among these, innocent victims lay moaning, crying or lifeless."
"The next day we discovered that we had not, by any means, seen or felt the full wrath of the Nazis. The SS troops arrived in their black uniforms with the skull insignia on their caps. How appropriate as their prime interest was the death of the Jews.
"In their first hour in town, under orders from the madman, they began taking our people and killing them. First went the leading citizens, the Rabbis, teachers, intellectuals and any strong young men. Without leadership they knew it would be difficult for us to organize and that the likelihood of resistance would be low.
"For no reason, our leaders were sentenced to death and shot in front of their families. Justice was not a word in the German vocabulary of the Nazi commanders. Nor did they recognize the word in any other language.
"Many people who were sick, ailing, or elderly were also exterminated at this time. The Nazis considered Jews to be inferior human beings, to be disposed of like rubbish.
"For some unknown reason, they spared the lives of a few Rabbis. Perhaps, in their sadistic way of thinking, the idea of ‘torture first’ was responsible for this decision. Because there came a time when these holy men were grabbed, held down and had gasoline poured on their beards and then set on fire. The Nazis watched, smiling, as these men of God writhed in agony. Some of them burned to death while others lay dying from the excruciating pain. In some cases, the finale was a shot to the head and then the body was left in the road where it had fallen."
"Our days and nights were filled with endless terror.
"Corpses littered the streets, covered with large sheets of paper. Family members searching for their missing sons, fathers, daughters or mothers roamed the streets, lifting up the corners of these paper sheets, then shaking their heads in pity and moving on to the next one. All they wanted was to know the fate of their loved ones.
"I will also never forget the day that a group of German soldiers decided to gather a group of Jewish boys and girls for their enjoyment. They broke bottles to make a large mountain of glass, and to this they added small sharp tacks. They rounded up children like cattle, and then forced them at gunpoint to dance with bare feet and perform sexual acts upon each other on this bed of torture. When they were no longer amused, they shot the children."
April 26, 2018
Wow! What an incredible story.
Once I started reading it, there was no way I could put it down. The book is written so vividly & clear that I literally felt like I was there at times. The depth is deep & the scope is complete. Insight such as guards being released murderers and rapist hired solely because of their sadistic nature is just unconscionable. Shocking story, brilliant, painful & intense!
Once I started reading it, there was no way I could put it down. The book is written so vividly & clear that I literally felt like I was there at times. The depth is deep & the scope is complete. Insight such as guards being released murderers and rapist hired solely because of their sadistic nature is just unconscionable. Shocking story, brilliant, painful & intense!
January 6, 2023
I just read "Men's search for meaning" by Viktor Frankl and wanted to learn more about the holocaust, concentration camps and about what happened to people at that time in history.
I was tentative because I didn't want more horror stories, but at the same time, I felt like it was my duty to at least read and learn and not let those people and what has happened to them be forgotten.
So I started.
The story is told very directly, with details, but there is no suspense or moments when you are going to bite your nails off. It is a recollection of the dark past, a ray of light shown on unspeakable things that happened to innocent people. How strange life is sometimes? How some things can happen... seemingly out of nowhere. How on one hand, such atrocities could happen to educated, good people? How on the other hand, educated, good people can turn into monsters?
At the end of the book, I was crying. Because there is so much good in this world, in this man who went through the nightmare, hell for 6 years and came out of it with so much love and gratitude in his heart, wanting to repay and help people who liberated and helped him. Of course, it wasn't easy for him, and to this day the memories of what he has been through stay with him, but he made such a beautiful life: helped and loved and made a difference in the world.
Thank you, Manny.
I was tentative because I didn't want more horror stories, but at the same time, I felt like it was my duty to at least read and learn and not let those people and what has happened to them be forgotten.
So I started.
The story is told very directly, with details, but there is no suspense or moments when you are going to bite your nails off. It is a recollection of the dark past, a ray of light shown on unspeakable things that happened to innocent people. How strange life is sometimes? How some things can happen... seemingly out of nowhere. How on one hand, such atrocities could happen to educated, good people? How on the other hand, educated, good people can turn into monsters?
At the end of the book, I was crying. Because there is so much good in this world, in this man who went through the nightmare, hell for 6 years and came out of it with so much love and gratitude in his heart, wanting to repay and help people who liberated and helped him. Of course, it wasn't easy for him, and to this day the memories of what he has been through stay with him, but he made such a beautiful life: helped and loved and made a difference in the world.
Thank you, Manny.
March 16, 2015
This is one of the best books I have ever read. I got the kindle book free from Amazon but I wish I won the real book from goodreads. This book is one I would keep forever. My husbands family are all Jewish and one cousin donated books to the local school district because there were absolutely no books about the true history of what the Jewish people went through. I substitute teach at the school and am very proud when my name as recognized due to the kindness of my husbands cousin. Unfortunately my husbands cousin is deceased now but the school and the family have a scholarship in his name for high school students. I think this book would be a great asset to the school and should be required reading. It is written so well and the story is so heartbreaking but someone had to tell the honest truth about what went on. I have read plenty of fictionional books regarding the German treatment of the Jewish people but have read very few that are autobiographical.
I love this book!
Kellie Leibovitz
I love this book!
Kellie Leibovitz
March 10, 2015
A Heartbreaking Memoir
This is a heartbreaking memoir of Manny Steinberg's years of survival through the the Holocaust. He lost his stepmother and youngest brother, and witnessed atrocities that I couldn't even imagine. He tells of a soldier taking an infant baby girl and tossing her in the air and shooting her as if she were nothing but target practice, and then shooting the mother of the infant for screaming at witnessing the death of her baby. I have never read such a graphic, horrific memoir of the cruelties that took place until I read this memoir. What made me cry the most was the pictures at the end of the book of Manny and his wife and their children, and the remaining family that survived the Holocaust. Manny actually enlisted with the U. S. Army and served three years in the Korean War, because he wanted to "pay back his debt to America for liberating him, his brother, and his father". This is a gut-wrenching memoir; I highly recommend it!
This is a heartbreaking memoir of Manny Steinberg's years of survival through the the Holocaust. He lost his stepmother and youngest brother, and witnessed atrocities that I couldn't even imagine. He tells of a soldier taking an infant baby girl and tossing her in the air and shooting her as if she were nothing but target practice, and then shooting the mother of the infant for screaming at witnessing the death of her baby. I have never read such a graphic, horrific memoir of the cruelties that took place until I read this memoir. What made me cry the most was the pictures at the end of the book of Manny and his wife and their children, and the remaining family that survived the Holocaust. Manny actually enlisted with the U. S. Army and served three years in the Korean War, because he wanted to "pay back his debt to America for liberating him, his brother, and his father". This is a gut-wrenching memoir; I highly recommend it!
February 13, 2022
This is my sixth book I’m reading about a Holocaust survivor story and the book title is called “Outcry” written by Manny Steinberg. It is really an interesting, sad and intriguing story written. He does such a good job of describing the people and events. He also describes his childhood memories before the war. He comes from a beautiful and loving family. It also shows many photos of his family and children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Manny Steinberg was born in 1925, a Polish Jew in Radom, Poland. He spent his teens in a concentration camps for 6 years and survived four concentration camps. In April, 1945, the Americans liberated the camp. He emigrated to America and married Mimi for the next 60 years and had children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Sadly, in 2015 he passed away. his storytelling of the horrific events of the Holocaust are unfortunately too real. His writing was descriptive and made your heart break remembering what so many endured.
April 20, 2015
Outcry
I have read many survivor stories, listened to several lectures fro survivors, recently visited the U.S. Holocaust Memorial & Museum. Studying this part of history has changed my life. When I am feeling down or having self pity it is stories like these that make me realize how much worse my life could possibly be.
I have read many survivor stories, listened to several lectures fro survivors, recently visited the U.S. Holocaust Memorial & Museum. Studying this part of history has changed my life. When I am feeling down or having self pity it is stories like these that make me realize how much worse my life could possibly be.
March 6, 2015
Heart felt thanks for sharing his story
The personal honesty....humanity....hope and grief...all wrapped in this very raw sharing.....I felt honored....and humbled by this man's strength. Again...Thank you
The personal honesty....humanity....hope and grief...all wrapped in this very raw sharing.....I felt honored....and humbled by this man's strength. Again...Thank you
December 23, 2014
A deeply moving autobiography of a holocaust survivior.
June 28, 2020
Outcry - Holocaust Memoirs, a Profoundly Moving Autobiography, This was a book that i couldnt put down! An emotional read and yet again I wonder at the horrors man can commit.
Im sure someone was looking over Manny for him to survive, and then to read what happened when he wanted to go to Japan.
Im sure someone was looking over Manny for him to survive, and then to read what happened when he wanted to go to Japan.
October 11, 2017
A startling and agonizing experience of a Jewish teenager in a Nazi concentration camp in Poland.
April 26, 2020
Quoted from foreword by author:-
"The following pages recount my real-life experiences and memories, but the names in my story have all been fictionalized."
Wonder why.
.........
"When I look back at what our family went through after Mama died, I think perhaps her early exit from this world was a blessing in disguise. I can't imagine my mother suffering the pain of having her children ripped from her arms or the indecencies and degradations that my stepmother had to endure at the hands of the Nazis."
"My father was full of plans for me and my brothers. He wanted a better life for us, and hoped that we would get a good education and find a proper profession.
"During that time, the Polish government had put limitations into place on professional careers for Jews. Jews could not access the necessary education to become professors, doctors, scientists or engineers. There was one semi-professional career path available, that of dental technician, so this was what my father had in mind for me. His eyes would light up with pride when he talked to me about it. To see his son become a technician would be a dream come true.
"Sometimes parents’ wishes and hopes for their children don't come to pass. Often this is because the children have their own dreams and aspirations. Of course, we could not know that our plans along with those of our father would soon be irrelevant, since no one could have imagined what was about to happen."
"Radom had a fine history too. Members of the Polish royal family resided there from time to time. We also had records of many victorious battles over old enemies. There was much beauty in Radom with its pretty parks, statues, museums and broad tree-lined avenues. We were proud of our little town.
"One of my earlier memories is Polish women, in their long dresses and with scarves tied around their heads, sitting at the entrances to the parks with their boxes of flowers. I often noticed that their hands were red and chapped during the cold winters and yet they sat there calling to anyone that would listen, “Please buy a flower for your girl.” I longed to help them.
"While my brothers and other boys would go into the park to play, I would stand to the side and watch these poor women attempting to make a few pennies so that their families would not starve. I realized that there were people who were really poor."
"As Stanley and I grew up, the brotherly bond grew strong. We were close in age, had similar interests and enjoyed the same activities. On the other hand, we were complete opposites physically. I had brown eyes, dark hair and olive skin, while Stanley was fair, with hazel eyes and light hair. It proved to be a blessing from God that the difference was so striking, for it surely saved our lives during the prison years to come."
"In my early years, I don't recall noticing any anti-Semitism. In fact, anti-Semitism was a concept Stanley and I had never heard of or experienced. However, we did live in the Jewish part of the city and were therefore sheltered from outside prejudice.
"As the months passed, it became obvious that the times were changing. There was an undercurrent of rage against our religion. We heard of Polish boys sneaking up behind elderly Jewish men and pulling their beards or rocks being thrown at women and children. The word ‘Jew’ appeared on walls and shop windows throughout the city. The madness was escalating like a breeze turning into a tornado."
"Things were getting worse by the minute. I continued to question the cruelty and accusations hurled at us on a constant basis. I prayed and thought deeply about our hardships, but couldn't find the answer within myself, so I turned to our father for guidance and explanation. I carefully examined his face as he searched for the right words. Perhaps he was wondering if he should tell me the awful truth or maybe keep it secret as long as possible, the frightening reality of what may come, ending the innocence of my childhood.
"He sighed deeply, put his hand on my shoulder and with a strained expression, he began to explain, “Son, I suppose it's time for you to know what is happening to our people to help you to understand what we must do to prepare ourselves for what lies ahead. For some time now, there has been an agenda against Jews and according to the latest news something terrible is going on in Germany. A man with a great hatred has come into power and has declared his plan for the complete extermination of our people. You know what the word extermination means, Mendel?”"
"Time passed, and I noticed that everyone had a worried or sad look on their face. Laughter and joy seemed to no longer exist. Depression and turmoil were to leave a mark on rich and poor alike. Business in Radom was falling off and I recall that our way of life was changing rapidly. We began to feel the lack of money, the shortage of food and we were cautioned to save our pennies."
.........
"Papa travelled a great deal in his youth. At one time, he considered Argentina to be his home. He liked to talk and his stories were like tales from the Arabian Nights to us. We learned that he had met my mother in Radom during his travels. After he returned to South America, they continued to correspond through letters and postcards. He tried to persuade her to go there many times, to marry him and make Argentina her home too. But my mother was an only child and couldn't bear to leave her parents, let alone travel such a great distance. It was very common in those days to move away and perhaps never see your family again. And so it was that my father eventually returned to Radom, married my mother Milka and started his family. No one would have ever thought that this happy, carefree life would take a turn for the worse in just a few short years."
"My parents taught us that all men were created equal in the eyes of God. That color and creed does not make a difference in the character of a man. It is the way a person is inside that's important, not the color of his skin. My Papa was a good man and lived by his convictions."
"Papa told us about the dark-skinned people that lived in South America. He also spoke of the passengers on the ship he travelled on and how they would throw coins in the harbor. The young black men would dive for the coins, bringing them up with their teeth every time. This was all so fascinating to me. I was eleven years old when I first saw a dark-skinned man."
"I remember that Chinese people visited our town too. I watched as they set up their beautiful rugs, which they intended to sell. They wore colorful dresses made of silk. I wanted to talk to the children, but I was too shy."
"During the summer months when we were free from school, my father would take us for long walks in the beautiful countryside. We would bring lunch and find a spot in the shade in which to picnic. Sometimes, we would stop at a farm and the farmer would give us milk, still slightly warm from the cow. I can still remember the taste of that milk. Those Polish and German farmers were our friends."
"Our family could not afford to buy a radio but there was a neighbor in our building who could, and for a while I was almost a permanent member of their household. How I loved the great orchestras from Hungary, Romania and our Poland. I would finish my lessons quickly and then spend an entire evening lost in this wonderful world of music. Sometimes my mother would give me a pie or cookies or part of a cake to share with my friends in exchange for this great enjoyment."
.........
"“Hello, what’s new today?”
“It is bad son, very bad. They have mobilized young men and reservists by the authority of the Polish High Command.”
"“Does this mean that we are going to war?”
"“I’m sure of it.” He sighed and shook his head. “War will soon be declared.”
"I tried to read more but people were grabbing the papers, anxious to learn more. There were groups of men everywhere, discussing the frightening thing that was happening to our country. I continued on my way to school, but when I arrived, I found it closed. I ran home, concerned about my family."
"It was cloudy and dark, with a sense of foreboding in the air. I was sure the sun would never shine again. It was as though a hurricane was about to hit the city, but we weren’t scared of wind and rain, but bombs."
"Around 8 pm, we heard a loud knock on the door. Mama and my brothers ran into the bedroom. Papa opened the door. Outside was a member of the special Polish police. He ordered us to go to the basement of our building. That was all.
"My father and stepmother herded us all together, shoving blankets, food and other supplies into our arms. Mama sobbed as she took one last look around our small apartment and gathered a few belongings. She knew this could be the last time she would see her cherished treasures."
"Finally, on the fifth day at about 5 pm in the afternoon, a patrol of policemen on motorcycles arrived. We could hear the noise of their engines as they came to an abrupt halt. They were the German Nazis, the real enemies of the Jews."
"For the first time, we met our enemy. I was struck with disbelief as I realized that among these German policemen were several familiar faces. They were the same people I had come to know at the marketplace and the farmers who had always been good to us. They were the ones who had taken me into their homes, shared their food and been my friends. Now I saw them wearing the armbands with the swastika and looking at me with hatred in their eyes. Why? I also saw weapons of war for the first time.
"Huge black tanks manned by Germans dressed in black shirts with red armbands with swastikas, large green trucks filled with German soldiers with rifles drawn and finally the convoy of motorcycle policemen roaring down the streets in our section of the city."
"Now the looting started.
"The soldiers left their weapons of death and destruction and began breaking into the shops and offices. They broke the fine glass windows and doors, the same ones Stanley and I had looked through, daydreaming, not that long ago. They took the merchandise that had been abandoned when the owners fled for their lives.
"I watched as they grabbed bundles and boxes of whatever they chose and returned to their trucks sneering at our people as if to say, “What can you do about it?” The answer was easy: nothing.
"We stood helpless."
"I walked towards my building and slowly turned around to take one last look at the broken shop windows where there had once been pretty dresses, lovely furs, sparkling jewels, and children's clothes and shoes. The bookshops were in ruins too. Books were thrown into the streets, and then run over by the large tanks. Other soldiers poured kerosene over any fresh meat and crushed vegetables and fruit under their feet. German soldiers guarded the entrances to the stores so that the shop owners would not attempt to salvage any of their goods. As I made my way back to our building I could not control my tears. How much could a boy of thirteen take? But as I found out in the years to come, the human mind and body can endure the most unimaginable hardships. Deep in thought I continued home.
"I began to realize that this destruction meant that all business would stop. There would be no jobs for our people and no wages. They had taken away our liberty, earning potential, and dignity. The next step would be our lives.
"It was my opinion that the Jewish population made the best merchants in the world. It was as if the Jews had a gene governing salesmanship. There would be nowhere to purchase goods, buy supplies, or even food."
"A chilling scream caused me to jump out of my seat.
"We ran to the window and witnessed the most savage and cruel act I thought could ever be seen. I was nauseous as I watched young Polish girls with their legs tied apart, their bodies exposed in the most humiliating and degrading way. The soldiers were raping, mutilating and subjecting these women to unbelievable acts of sadistic torture."
"Several trucks went slowly up and down the streets carrying hysterically sobbing teenage girls. The men were of all ages and acted like animals. I could see the lust in their faces and the girls' pain and horror. After they had brutalized and used these young women, they saturated their helpless victims with brandy and threw them onto the street. Clothing torn, their bodies abused, left for dead."
"The streets were muddy from a recent shower and stagnant pools of water were everywhere. Among these, innocent victims lay moaning, crying or lifeless."
"The next day we discovered that we had not, by any means, seen or felt the full wrath of the Nazis. The SS troops arrived in their black uniforms with the skull insignia on their caps. How appropriate as their prime interest was the death of the Jews.
"In their first hour in town, under orders from the madman, they began taking our people and killing them. First went the leading citizens, the Rabbis, teachers, intellectuals and any strong young men. Without leadership they knew it would be difficult for us to organize and that the likelihood of resistance would be low.
"For no reason, our leaders were sentenced to death and shot in front of their families. Justice was not a word in the German vocabulary of the Nazi commanders. Nor did they recognize the word in any other language.
"Many people who were sick, ailing, or elderly were also exterminated at this time. The Nazis considered Jews to be inferior human beings, to be disposed of like rubbish.
"For some unknown reason, they spared the lives of a few Rabbis. Perhaps, in their sadistic way of thinking, the idea of ‘torture first’ was responsible for this decision. Because there came a time when these holy men were grabbed, held down and had gasoline poured on their beards and then set on fire. The Nazis watched, smiling, as these men of God writhed in agony. Some of them burned to death while others lay dying from the excruciating pain. In some cases, the finale was a shot to the head and then the body was left in the road where it had fallen."
"Our days and nights were filled with endless terror.
"Corpses littered the streets, covered with large sheets of paper. Family members searching for their missing sons, fathers, daughters or mothers roamed the streets, lifting up the corners of these paper sheets, then shaking their heads in pity and moving on to the next one. All they wanted was to know the fate of their loved ones.
"I will also never forget the day that a group of German soldiers decided to gather a group of Jewish boys and girls for their enjoyment. They broke bottles to make a large mountain of glass, and to this they added small sharp tacks. They rounded up children like cattle, and then forced them at gunpoint to dance with bare feet and perform sexual acts upon each other on this bed of torture. When they were no longer amused, they shot the children."
"The following pages recount my real-life experiences and memories, but the names in my story have all been fictionalized."
Wonder why.
.........
"When I look back at what our family went through after Mama died, I think perhaps her early exit from this world was a blessing in disguise. I can't imagine my mother suffering the pain of having her children ripped from her arms or the indecencies and degradations that my stepmother had to endure at the hands of the Nazis."
"My father was full of plans for me and my brothers. He wanted a better life for us, and hoped that we would get a good education and find a proper profession.
"During that time, the Polish government had put limitations into place on professional careers for Jews. Jews could not access the necessary education to become professors, doctors, scientists or engineers. There was one semi-professional career path available, that of dental technician, so this was what my father had in mind for me. His eyes would light up with pride when he talked to me about it. To see his son become a technician would be a dream come true.
"Sometimes parents’ wishes and hopes for their children don't come to pass. Often this is because the children have their own dreams and aspirations. Of course, we could not know that our plans along with those of our father would soon be irrelevant, since no one could have imagined what was about to happen."
"Radom had a fine history too. Members of the Polish royal family resided there from time to time. We also had records of many victorious battles over old enemies. There was much beauty in Radom with its pretty parks, statues, museums and broad tree-lined avenues. We were proud of our little town.
"One of my earlier memories is Polish women, in their long dresses and with scarves tied around their heads, sitting at the entrances to the parks with their boxes of flowers. I often noticed that their hands were red and chapped during the cold winters and yet they sat there calling to anyone that would listen, “Please buy a flower for your girl.” I longed to help them.
"While my brothers and other boys would go into the park to play, I would stand to the side and watch these poor women attempting to make a few pennies so that their families would not starve. I realized that there were people who were really poor."
"As Stanley and I grew up, the brotherly bond grew strong. We were close in age, had similar interests and enjoyed the same activities. On the other hand, we were complete opposites physically. I had brown eyes, dark hair and olive skin, while Stanley was fair, with hazel eyes and light hair. It proved to be a blessing from God that the difference was so striking, for it surely saved our lives during the prison years to come."
"In my early years, I don't recall noticing any anti-Semitism. In fact, anti-Semitism was a concept Stanley and I had never heard of or experienced. However, we did live in the Jewish part of the city and were therefore sheltered from outside prejudice.
"As the months passed, it became obvious that the times were changing. There was an undercurrent of rage against our religion. We heard of Polish boys sneaking up behind elderly Jewish men and pulling their beards or rocks being thrown at women and children. The word ‘Jew’ appeared on walls and shop windows throughout the city. The madness was escalating like a breeze turning into a tornado."
"Things were getting worse by the minute. I continued to question the cruelty and accusations hurled at us on a constant basis. I prayed and thought deeply about our hardships, but couldn't find the answer within myself, so I turned to our father for guidance and explanation. I carefully examined his face as he searched for the right words. Perhaps he was wondering if he should tell me the awful truth or maybe keep it secret as long as possible, the frightening reality of what may come, ending the innocence of my childhood.
"He sighed deeply, put his hand on my shoulder and with a strained expression, he began to explain, “Son, I suppose it's time for you to know what is happening to our people to help you to understand what we must do to prepare ourselves for what lies ahead. For some time now, there has been an agenda against Jews and according to the latest news something terrible is going on in Germany. A man with a great hatred has come into power and has declared his plan for the complete extermination of our people. You know what the word extermination means, Mendel?”"
"Time passed, and I noticed that everyone had a worried or sad look on their face. Laughter and joy seemed to no longer exist. Depression and turmoil were to leave a mark on rich and poor alike. Business in Radom was falling off and I recall that our way of life was changing rapidly. We began to feel the lack of money, the shortage of food and we were cautioned to save our pennies."
.........
"Papa travelled a great deal in his youth. At one time, he considered Argentina to be his home. He liked to talk and his stories were like tales from the Arabian Nights to us. We learned that he had met my mother in Radom during his travels. After he returned to South America, they continued to correspond through letters and postcards. He tried to persuade her to go there many times, to marry him and make Argentina her home too. But my mother was an only child and couldn't bear to leave her parents, let alone travel such a great distance. It was very common in those days to move away and perhaps never see your family again. And so it was that my father eventually returned to Radom, married my mother Milka and started his family. No one would have ever thought that this happy, carefree life would take a turn for the worse in just a few short years."
"My parents taught us that all men were created equal in the eyes of God. That color and creed does not make a difference in the character of a man. It is the way a person is inside that's important, not the color of his skin. My Papa was a good man and lived by his convictions."
"Papa told us about the dark-skinned people that lived in South America. He also spoke of the passengers on the ship he travelled on and how they would throw coins in the harbor. The young black men would dive for the coins, bringing them up with their teeth every time. This was all so fascinating to me. I was eleven years old when I first saw a dark-skinned man."
"I remember that Chinese people visited our town too. I watched as they set up their beautiful rugs, which they intended to sell. They wore colorful dresses made of silk. I wanted to talk to the children, but I was too shy."
"During the summer months when we were free from school, my father would take us for long walks in the beautiful countryside. We would bring lunch and find a spot in the shade in which to picnic. Sometimes, we would stop at a farm and the farmer would give us milk, still slightly warm from the cow. I can still remember the taste of that milk. Those Polish and German farmers were our friends."
"Our family could not afford to buy a radio but there was a neighbor in our building who could, and for a while I was almost a permanent member of their household. How I loved the great orchestras from Hungary, Romania and our Poland. I would finish my lessons quickly and then spend an entire evening lost in this wonderful world of music. Sometimes my mother would give me a pie or cookies or part of a cake to share with my friends in exchange for this great enjoyment."
.........
"“Hello, what’s new today?”
“It is bad son, very bad. They have mobilized young men and reservists by the authority of the Polish High Command.”
"“Does this mean that we are going to war?”
"“I’m sure of it.” He sighed and shook his head. “War will soon be declared.”
"I tried to read more but people were grabbing the papers, anxious to learn more. There were groups of men everywhere, discussing the frightening thing that was happening to our country. I continued on my way to school, but when I arrived, I found it closed. I ran home, concerned about my family."
"It was cloudy and dark, with a sense of foreboding in the air. I was sure the sun would never shine again. It was as though a hurricane was about to hit the city, but we weren’t scared of wind and rain, but bombs."
"Around 8 pm, we heard a loud knock on the door. Mama and my brothers ran into the bedroom. Papa opened the door. Outside was a member of the special Polish police. He ordered us to go to the basement of our building. That was all.
"My father and stepmother herded us all together, shoving blankets, food and other supplies into our arms. Mama sobbed as she took one last look around our small apartment and gathered a few belongings. She knew this could be the last time she would see her cherished treasures."
"Finally, on the fifth day at about 5 pm in the afternoon, a patrol of policemen on motorcycles arrived. We could hear the noise of their engines as they came to an abrupt halt. They were the German Nazis, the real enemies of the Jews."
"For the first time, we met our enemy. I was struck with disbelief as I realized that among these German policemen were several familiar faces. They were the same people I had come to know at the marketplace and the farmers who had always been good to us. They were the ones who had taken me into their homes, shared their food and been my friends. Now I saw them wearing the armbands with the swastika and looking at me with hatred in their eyes. Why? I also saw weapons of war for the first time.
"Huge black tanks manned by Germans dressed in black shirts with red armbands with swastikas, large green trucks filled with German soldiers with rifles drawn and finally the convoy of motorcycle policemen roaring down the streets in our section of the city."
"Now the looting started.
"The soldiers left their weapons of death and destruction and began breaking into the shops and offices. They broke the fine glass windows and doors, the same ones Stanley and I had looked through, daydreaming, not that long ago. They took the merchandise that had been abandoned when the owners fled for their lives.
"I watched as they grabbed bundles and boxes of whatever they chose and returned to their trucks sneering at our people as if to say, “What can you do about it?” The answer was easy: nothing.
"We stood helpless."
"I walked towards my building and slowly turned around to take one last look at the broken shop windows where there had once been pretty dresses, lovely furs, sparkling jewels, and children's clothes and shoes. The bookshops were in ruins too. Books were thrown into the streets, and then run over by the large tanks. Other soldiers poured kerosene over any fresh meat and crushed vegetables and fruit under their feet. German soldiers guarded the entrances to the stores so that the shop owners would not attempt to salvage any of their goods. As I made my way back to our building I could not control my tears. How much could a boy of thirteen take? But as I found out in the years to come, the human mind and body can endure the most unimaginable hardships. Deep in thought I continued home.
"I began to realize that this destruction meant that all business would stop. There would be no jobs for our people and no wages. They had taken away our liberty, earning potential, and dignity. The next step would be our lives.
"It was my opinion that the Jewish population made the best merchants in the world. It was as if the Jews had a gene governing salesmanship. There would be nowhere to purchase goods, buy supplies, or even food."
"A chilling scream caused me to jump out of my seat.
"We ran to the window and witnessed the most savage and cruel act I thought could ever be seen. I was nauseous as I watched young Polish girls with their legs tied apart, their bodies exposed in the most humiliating and degrading way. The soldiers were raping, mutilating and subjecting these women to unbelievable acts of sadistic torture."
"Several trucks went slowly up and down the streets carrying hysterically sobbing teenage girls. The men were of all ages and acted like animals. I could see the lust in their faces and the girls' pain and horror. After they had brutalized and used these young women, they saturated their helpless victims with brandy and threw them onto the street. Clothing torn, their bodies abused, left for dead."
"The streets were muddy from a recent shower and stagnant pools of water were everywhere. Among these, innocent victims lay moaning, crying or lifeless."
"The next day we discovered that we had not, by any means, seen or felt the full wrath of the Nazis. The SS troops arrived in their black uniforms with the skull insignia on their caps. How appropriate as their prime interest was the death of the Jews.
"In their first hour in town, under orders from the madman, they began taking our people and killing them. First went the leading citizens, the Rabbis, teachers, intellectuals and any strong young men. Without leadership they knew it would be difficult for us to organize and that the likelihood of resistance would be low.
"For no reason, our leaders were sentenced to death and shot in front of their families. Justice was not a word in the German vocabulary of the Nazi commanders. Nor did they recognize the word in any other language.
"Many people who were sick, ailing, or elderly were also exterminated at this time. The Nazis considered Jews to be inferior human beings, to be disposed of like rubbish.
"For some unknown reason, they spared the lives of a few Rabbis. Perhaps, in their sadistic way of thinking, the idea of ‘torture first’ was responsible for this decision. Because there came a time when these holy men were grabbed, held down and had gasoline poured on their beards and then set on fire. The Nazis watched, smiling, as these men of God writhed in agony. Some of them burned to death while others lay dying from the excruciating pain. In some cases, the finale was a shot to the head and then the body was left in the road where it had fallen."
"Our days and nights were filled with endless terror.
"Corpses littered the streets, covered with large sheets of paper. Family members searching for their missing sons, fathers, daughters or mothers roamed the streets, lifting up the corners of these paper sheets, then shaking their heads in pity and moving on to the next one. All they wanted was to know the fate of their loved ones.
"I will also never forget the day that a group of German soldiers decided to gather a group of Jewish boys and girls for their enjoyment. They broke bottles to make a large mountain of glass, and to this they added small sharp tacks. They rounded up children like cattle, and then forced them at gunpoint to dance with bare feet and perform sexual acts upon each other on this bed of torture. When they were no longer amused, they shot the children."
April 26, 2020
Quoted from foreword by author:-
"The following pages recount my real-life experiences and memories, but the names in my story have all been fictionalized."
Wonder why.
.........
"When I look back at what our family went through after Mama died, I think perhaps her early exit from this world was a blessing in disguise. I can't imagine my mother suffering the pain of having her children ripped from her arms or the indecencies and degradations that my stepmother had to endure at the hands of the Nazis."
"My father was full of plans for me and my brothers. He wanted a better life for us, and hoped that we would get a good education and find a proper profession.
"During that time, the Polish government had put limitations into place on professional careers for Jews. Jews could not access the necessary education to become professors, doctors, scientists or engineers. There was one semi-professional career path available, that of dental technician, so this was what my father had in mind for me. His eyes would light up with pride when he talked to me about it. To see his son become a technician would be a dream come true.
"Sometimes parents’ wishes and hopes for their children don't come to pass. Often this is because the children have their own dreams and aspirations. Of course, we could not know that our plans along with those of our father would soon be irrelevant, since no one could have imagined what was about to happen."
"Radom had a fine history too. Members of the Polish royal family resided there from time to time. We also had records of many victorious battles over old enemies. There was much beauty in Radom with its pretty parks, statues, museums and broad tree-lined avenues. We were proud of our little town.
"One of my earlier memories is Polish women, in their long dresses and with scarves tied around their heads, sitting at the entrances to the parks with their boxes of flowers. I often noticed that their hands were red and chapped during the cold winters and yet they sat there calling to anyone that would listen, “Please buy a flower for your girl.” I longed to help them.
"While my brothers and other boys would go into the park to play, I would stand to the side and watch these poor women attempting to make a few pennies so that their families would not starve. I realized that there were people who were really poor."
"As Stanley and I grew up, the brotherly bond grew strong. We were close in age, had similar interests and enjoyed the same activities. On the other hand, we were complete opposites physically. I had brown eyes, dark hair and olive skin, while Stanley was fair, with hazel eyes and light hair. It proved to be a blessing from God that the difference was so striking, for it surely saved our lives during the prison years to come."
"In my early years, I don't recall noticing any anti-Semitism. In fact, anti-Semitism was a concept Stanley and I had never heard of or experienced. However, we did live in the Jewish part of the city and were therefore sheltered from outside prejudice.
"As the months passed, it became obvious that the times were changing. There was an undercurrent of rage against our religion. We heard of Polish boys sneaking up behind elderly Jewish men and pulling their beards or rocks being thrown at women and children. The word ‘Jew’ appeared on walls and shop windows throughout the city. The madness was escalating like a breeze turning into a tornado."
"Things were getting worse by the minute. I continued to question the cruelty and accusations hurled at us on a constant basis. I prayed and thought deeply about our hardships, but couldn't find the answer within myself, so I turned to our father for guidance and explanation. I carefully examined his face as he searched for the right words. Perhaps he was wondering if he should tell me the awful truth or maybe keep it secret as long as possible, the frightening reality of what may come, ending the innocence of my childhood.
"He sighed deeply, put his hand on my shoulder and with a strained expression, he began to explain, “Son, I suppose it's time for you to know what is happening to our people to help you to understand what we must do to prepare ourselves for what lies ahead. For some time now, there has been an agenda against Jews and according to the latest news something terrible is going on in Germany. A man with a great hatred has come into power and has declared his plan for the complete extermination of our people. You know what the word extermination means, Mendel?”"
"Time passed, and I noticed that everyone had a worried or sad look on their face. Laughter and joy seemed to no longer exist. Depression and turmoil were to leave a mark on rich and poor alike. Business in Radom was falling off and I recall that our way of life was changing rapidly. We began to feel the lack of money, the shortage of food and we were cautioned to save our pennies."
.........
"Papa travelled a great deal in his youth. At one time, he considered Argentina to be his home. He liked to talk and his stories were like tales from the Arabian Nights to us. We learned that he had met my mother in Radom during his travels. After he returned to South America, they continued to correspond through letters and postcards. He tried to persuade her to go there many times, to marry him and make Argentina her home too. But my mother was an only child and couldn't bear to leave her parents, let alone travel such a great distance. It was very common in those days to move away and perhaps never see your family again. And so it was that my father eventually returned to Radom, married my mother Milka and started his family. No one would have ever thought that this happy, carefree life would take a turn for the worse in just a few short years."
"My parents taught us that all men were created equal in the eyes of God. That color and creed does not make a difference in the character of a man. It is the way a person is inside that's important, not the color of his skin. My Papa was a good man and lived by his convictions."
"Papa told us about the dark-skinned people that lived in South America. He also spoke of the passengers on the ship he travelled on and how they would throw coins in the harbor. The young black men would dive for the coins, bringing them up with their teeth every time. This was all so fascinating to me. I was eleven years old when I first saw a dark-skinned man."
"I remember that Chinese people visited our town too. I watched as they set up their beautiful rugs, which they intended to sell. They wore colorful dresses made of silk. I wanted to talk to the children, but I was too shy."
"During the summer months when we were free from school, my father would take us for long walks in the beautiful countryside. We would bring lunch and find a spot in the shade in which to picnic. Sometimes, we would stop at a farm and the farmer would give us milk, still slightly warm from the cow. I can still remember the taste of that milk. Those Polish and German farmers were our friends."
"Our family could not afford to buy a radio but there was a neighbor in our building who could, and for a while I was almost a permanent member of their household. How I loved the great orchestras from Hungary, Romania and our Poland. I would finish my lessons quickly and then spend an entire evening lost in this wonderful world of music. Sometimes my mother would give me a pie or cookies or part of a cake to share with my friends in exchange for this great enjoyment."
.........
"“Hello, what’s new today?”
“It is bad son, very bad. They have mobilized young men and reservists by the authority of the Polish High Command.”
"“Does this mean that we are going to war?”
"“I’m sure of it.” He sighed and shook his head. “War will soon be declared.”
"I tried to read more but people were grabbing the papers, anxious to learn more. There were groups of men everywhere, discussing the frightening thing that was happening to our country. I continued on my way to school, but when I arrived, I found it closed. I ran home, concerned about my family."
"It was cloudy and dark, with a sense of foreboding in the air. I was sure the sun would never shine again. It was as though a hurricane was about to hit the city, but we weren’t scared of wind and rain, but bombs."
"Around 8 pm, we heard a loud knock on the door. Mama and my brothers ran into the bedroom. Papa opened the door. Outside was a member of the special Polish police. He ordered us to go to the basement of our building. That was all.
"My father and stepmother herded us all together, shoving blankets, food and other supplies into our arms. Mama sobbed as she took one last look around our small apartment and gathered a few belongings. She knew this could be the last time she would see her cherished treasures."
"Finally, on the fifth day at about 5 pm in the afternoon, a patrol of policemen on motorcycles arrived. We could hear the noise of their engines as they came to an abrupt halt. They were the German Nazis, the real enemies of the Jews."
"For the first time, we met our enemy. I was struck with disbelief as I realized that among these German policemen were several familiar faces. They were the same people I had come to know at the marketplace and the farmers who had always been good to us. They were the ones who had taken me into their homes, shared their food and been my friends. Now I saw them wearing the armbands with the swastika and looking at me with hatred in their eyes. Why? I also saw weapons of war for the first time.
"Huge black tanks manned by Germans dressed in black shirts with red armbands with swastikas, large green trucks filled with German soldiers with rifles drawn and finally the convoy of motorcycle policemen roaring down the streets in our section of the city."
"Now the looting started.
"The soldiers left their weapons of death and destruction and began breaking into the shops and offices. They broke the fine glass windows and doors, the same ones Stanley and I had looked through, daydreaming, not that long ago. They took the merchandise that had been abandoned when the owners fled for their lives.
"I watched as they grabbed bundles and boxes of whatever they chose and returned to their trucks sneering at our people as if to say, “What can you do about it?” The answer was easy: nothing.
"We stood helpless."
"I walked towards my building and slowly turned around to take one last look at the broken shop windows where there had once been pretty dresses, lovely furs, sparkling jewels, and children's clothes and shoes. The bookshops were in ruins too. Books were thrown into the streets, and then run over by the large tanks. Other soldiers poured kerosene over any fresh meat and crushed vegetables and fruit under their feet. German soldiers guarded the entrances to the stores so that the shop owners would not attempt to salvage any of their goods. As I made my way back to our building I could not control my tears. How much could a boy of thirteen take? But as I found out in the years to come, the human mind and body can endure the most unimaginable hardships. Deep in thought I continued home.
"I began to realize that this destruction meant that all business would stop. There would be no jobs for our people and no wages. They had taken away our liberty, earning potential, and dignity. The next step would be our lives.
"It was my opinion that the Jewish population made the best merchants in the world. It was as if the Jews had a gene governing salesmanship. There would be nowhere to purchase goods, buy supplies, or even food."
"A chilling scream caused me to jump out of my seat.
"We ran to the window and witnessed the most savage and cruel act I thought could ever be seen. I was nauseous as I watched young Polish girls with their legs tied apart, their bodies exposed in the most humiliating and degrading way. The soldiers were raping, mutilating and subjecting these women to unbelievable acts of sadistic torture."
"Several trucks went slowly up and down the streets carrying hysterically sobbing teenage girls. The men were of all ages and acted like animals. I could see the lust in their faces and the girls' pain and horror. After they had brutalized and used these young women, they saturated their helpless victims with brandy and threw them onto the street. Clothing torn, their bodies abused, left for dead."
"The streets were muddy from a recent shower and stagnant pools of water were everywhere. Among these, innocent victims lay moaning, crying or lifeless."
"The next day we discovered that we had not, by any means, seen or felt the full wrath of the Nazis. The SS troops arrived in their black uniforms with the skull insignia on their caps. How appropriate as their prime interest was the death of the Jews.
"In their first hour in town, under orders from the madman, they began taking our people and killing them. First went the leading citizens, the Rabbis, teachers, intellectuals and any strong young men. Without leadership they knew it would be difficult for us to organize and that the likelihood of resistance would be low.
"For no reason, our leaders were sentenced to death and shot in front of their families. Justice was not a word in the German vocabulary of the Nazi commanders. Nor did they recognize the word in any other language.
"Many people who were sick, ailing, or elderly were also exterminated at this time. The Nazis considered Jews to be inferior human beings, to be disposed of like rubbish.
"For some unknown reason, they spared the lives of a few Rabbis. Perhaps, in their sadistic way of thinking, the idea of ‘torture first’ was responsible for this decision. Because there came a time when these holy men were grabbed, held down and had gasoline poured on their beards and then set on fire. The Nazis watched, smiling, as these men of God writhed in agony. Some of them burned to death while others lay dying from the excruciating pain. In some cases, the finale was a shot to the head and then the body was left in the road where it had fallen."
"Our days and nights were filled with endless terror.
"Corpses littered the streets, covered with large sheets of paper. Family members searching for their missing sons, fathers, daughters or mothers roamed the streets, lifting up the corners of these paper sheets, then shaking their heads in pity and moving on to the next one. All they wanted was to know the fate of their loved ones.
"I will also never forget the day that a group of German soldiers decided to gather a group of Jewish boys and girls for their enjoyment. They broke bottles to make a large mountain of glass, and to this they added small sharp tacks. They rounded up children like cattle, and then forced them at gunpoint to dance with bare feet and perform sexual acts upon each other on this bed of torture. When they were no longer amused, they shot the children."
"The following pages recount my real-life experiences and memories, but the names in my story have all been fictionalized."
Wonder why.
.........
"When I look back at what our family went through after Mama died, I think perhaps her early exit from this world was a blessing in disguise. I can't imagine my mother suffering the pain of having her children ripped from her arms or the indecencies and degradations that my stepmother had to endure at the hands of the Nazis."
"My father was full of plans for me and my brothers. He wanted a better life for us, and hoped that we would get a good education and find a proper profession.
"During that time, the Polish government had put limitations into place on professional careers for Jews. Jews could not access the necessary education to become professors, doctors, scientists or engineers. There was one semi-professional career path available, that of dental technician, so this was what my father had in mind for me. His eyes would light up with pride when he talked to me about it. To see his son become a technician would be a dream come true.
"Sometimes parents’ wishes and hopes for their children don't come to pass. Often this is because the children have their own dreams and aspirations. Of course, we could not know that our plans along with those of our father would soon be irrelevant, since no one could have imagined what was about to happen."
"Radom had a fine history too. Members of the Polish royal family resided there from time to time. We also had records of many victorious battles over old enemies. There was much beauty in Radom with its pretty parks, statues, museums and broad tree-lined avenues. We were proud of our little town.
"One of my earlier memories is Polish women, in their long dresses and with scarves tied around their heads, sitting at the entrances to the parks with their boxes of flowers. I often noticed that their hands were red and chapped during the cold winters and yet they sat there calling to anyone that would listen, “Please buy a flower for your girl.” I longed to help them.
"While my brothers and other boys would go into the park to play, I would stand to the side and watch these poor women attempting to make a few pennies so that their families would not starve. I realized that there were people who were really poor."
"As Stanley and I grew up, the brotherly bond grew strong. We were close in age, had similar interests and enjoyed the same activities. On the other hand, we were complete opposites physically. I had brown eyes, dark hair and olive skin, while Stanley was fair, with hazel eyes and light hair. It proved to be a blessing from God that the difference was so striking, for it surely saved our lives during the prison years to come."
"In my early years, I don't recall noticing any anti-Semitism. In fact, anti-Semitism was a concept Stanley and I had never heard of or experienced. However, we did live in the Jewish part of the city and were therefore sheltered from outside prejudice.
"As the months passed, it became obvious that the times were changing. There was an undercurrent of rage against our religion. We heard of Polish boys sneaking up behind elderly Jewish men and pulling their beards or rocks being thrown at women and children. The word ‘Jew’ appeared on walls and shop windows throughout the city. The madness was escalating like a breeze turning into a tornado."
"Things were getting worse by the minute. I continued to question the cruelty and accusations hurled at us on a constant basis. I prayed and thought deeply about our hardships, but couldn't find the answer within myself, so I turned to our father for guidance and explanation. I carefully examined his face as he searched for the right words. Perhaps he was wondering if he should tell me the awful truth or maybe keep it secret as long as possible, the frightening reality of what may come, ending the innocence of my childhood.
"He sighed deeply, put his hand on my shoulder and with a strained expression, he began to explain, “Son, I suppose it's time for you to know what is happening to our people to help you to understand what we must do to prepare ourselves for what lies ahead. For some time now, there has been an agenda against Jews and according to the latest news something terrible is going on in Germany. A man with a great hatred has come into power and has declared his plan for the complete extermination of our people. You know what the word extermination means, Mendel?”"
"Time passed, and I noticed that everyone had a worried or sad look on their face. Laughter and joy seemed to no longer exist. Depression and turmoil were to leave a mark on rich and poor alike. Business in Radom was falling off and I recall that our way of life was changing rapidly. We began to feel the lack of money, the shortage of food and we were cautioned to save our pennies."
.........
"Papa travelled a great deal in his youth. At one time, he considered Argentina to be his home. He liked to talk and his stories were like tales from the Arabian Nights to us. We learned that he had met my mother in Radom during his travels. After he returned to South America, they continued to correspond through letters and postcards. He tried to persuade her to go there many times, to marry him and make Argentina her home too. But my mother was an only child and couldn't bear to leave her parents, let alone travel such a great distance. It was very common in those days to move away and perhaps never see your family again. And so it was that my father eventually returned to Radom, married my mother Milka and started his family. No one would have ever thought that this happy, carefree life would take a turn for the worse in just a few short years."
"My parents taught us that all men were created equal in the eyes of God. That color and creed does not make a difference in the character of a man. It is the way a person is inside that's important, not the color of his skin. My Papa was a good man and lived by his convictions."
"Papa told us about the dark-skinned people that lived in South America. He also spoke of the passengers on the ship he travelled on and how they would throw coins in the harbor. The young black men would dive for the coins, bringing them up with their teeth every time. This was all so fascinating to me. I was eleven years old when I first saw a dark-skinned man."
"I remember that Chinese people visited our town too. I watched as they set up their beautiful rugs, which they intended to sell. They wore colorful dresses made of silk. I wanted to talk to the children, but I was too shy."
"During the summer months when we were free from school, my father would take us for long walks in the beautiful countryside. We would bring lunch and find a spot in the shade in which to picnic. Sometimes, we would stop at a farm and the farmer would give us milk, still slightly warm from the cow. I can still remember the taste of that milk. Those Polish and German farmers were our friends."
"Our family could not afford to buy a radio but there was a neighbor in our building who could, and for a while I was almost a permanent member of their household. How I loved the great orchestras from Hungary, Romania and our Poland. I would finish my lessons quickly and then spend an entire evening lost in this wonderful world of music. Sometimes my mother would give me a pie or cookies or part of a cake to share with my friends in exchange for this great enjoyment."
.........
"“Hello, what’s new today?”
“It is bad son, very bad. They have mobilized young men and reservists by the authority of the Polish High Command.”
"“Does this mean that we are going to war?”
"“I’m sure of it.” He sighed and shook his head. “War will soon be declared.”
"I tried to read more but people were grabbing the papers, anxious to learn more. There were groups of men everywhere, discussing the frightening thing that was happening to our country. I continued on my way to school, but when I arrived, I found it closed. I ran home, concerned about my family."
"It was cloudy and dark, with a sense of foreboding in the air. I was sure the sun would never shine again. It was as though a hurricane was about to hit the city, but we weren’t scared of wind and rain, but bombs."
"Around 8 pm, we heard a loud knock on the door. Mama and my brothers ran into the bedroom. Papa opened the door. Outside was a member of the special Polish police. He ordered us to go to the basement of our building. That was all.
"My father and stepmother herded us all together, shoving blankets, food and other supplies into our arms. Mama sobbed as she took one last look around our small apartment and gathered a few belongings. She knew this could be the last time she would see her cherished treasures."
"Finally, on the fifth day at about 5 pm in the afternoon, a patrol of policemen on motorcycles arrived. We could hear the noise of their engines as they came to an abrupt halt. They were the German Nazis, the real enemies of the Jews."
"For the first time, we met our enemy. I was struck with disbelief as I realized that among these German policemen were several familiar faces. They were the same people I had come to know at the marketplace and the farmers who had always been good to us. They were the ones who had taken me into their homes, shared their food and been my friends. Now I saw them wearing the armbands with the swastika and looking at me with hatred in their eyes. Why? I also saw weapons of war for the first time.
"Huge black tanks manned by Germans dressed in black shirts with red armbands with swastikas, large green trucks filled with German soldiers with rifles drawn and finally the convoy of motorcycle policemen roaring down the streets in our section of the city."
"Now the looting started.
"The soldiers left their weapons of death and destruction and began breaking into the shops and offices. They broke the fine glass windows and doors, the same ones Stanley and I had looked through, daydreaming, not that long ago. They took the merchandise that had been abandoned when the owners fled for their lives.
"I watched as they grabbed bundles and boxes of whatever they chose and returned to their trucks sneering at our people as if to say, “What can you do about it?” The answer was easy: nothing.
"We stood helpless."
"I walked towards my building and slowly turned around to take one last look at the broken shop windows where there had once been pretty dresses, lovely furs, sparkling jewels, and children's clothes and shoes. The bookshops were in ruins too. Books were thrown into the streets, and then run over by the large tanks. Other soldiers poured kerosene over any fresh meat and crushed vegetables and fruit under their feet. German soldiers guarded the entrances to the stores so that the shop owners would not attempt to salvage any of their goods. As I made my way back to our building I could not control my tears. How much could a boy of thirteen take? But as I found out in the years to come, the human mind and body can endure the most unimaginable hardships. Deep in thought I continued home.
"I began to realize that this destruction meant that all business would stop. There would be no jobs for our people and no wages. They had taken away our liberty, earning potential, and dignity. The next step would be our lives.
"It was my opinion that the Jewish population made the best merchants in the world. It was as if the Jews had a gene governing salesmanship. There would be nowhere to purchase goods, buy supplies, or even food."
"A chilling scream caused me to jump out of my seat.
"We ran to the window and witnessed the most savage and cruel act I thought could ever be seen. I was nauseous as I watched young Polish girls with their legs tied apart, their bodies exposed in the most humiliating and degrading way. The soldiers were raping, mutilating and subjecting these women to unbelievable acts of sadistic torture."
"Several trucks went slowly up and down the streets carrying hysterically sobbing teenage girls. The men were of all ages and acted like animals. I could see the lust in their faces and the girls' pain and horror. After they had brutalized and used these young women, they saturated their helpless victims with brandy and threw them onto the street. Clothing torn, their bodies abused, left for dead."
"The streets were muddy from a recent shower and stagnant pools of water were everywhere. Among these, innocent victims lay moaning, crying or lifeless."
"The next day we discovered that we had not, by any means, seen or felt the full wrath of the Nazis. The SS troops arrived in their black uniforms with the skull insignia on their caps. How appropriate as their prime interest was the death of the Jews.
"In their first hour in town, under orders from the madman, they began taking our people and killing them. First went the leading citizens, the Rabbis, teachers, intellectuals and any strong young men. Without leadership they knew it would be difficult for us to organize and that the likelihood of resistance would be low.
"For no reason, our leaders were sentenced to death and shot in front of their families. Justice was not a word in the German vocabulary of the Nazi commanders. Nor did they recognize the word in any other language.
"Many people who were sick, ailing, or elderly were also exterminated at this time. The Nazis considered Jews to be inferior human beings, to be disposed of like rubbish.
"For some unknown reason, they spared the lives of a few Rabbis. Perhaps, in their sadistic way of thinking, the idea of ‘torture first’ was responsible for this decision. Because there came a time when these holy men were grabbed, held down and had gasoline poured on their beards and then set on fire. The Nazis watched, smiling, as these men of God writhed in agony. Some of them burned to death while others lay dying from the excruciating pain. In some cases, the finale was a shot to the head and then the body was left in the road where it had fallen."
"Our days and nights were filled with endless terror.
"Corpses littered the streets, covered with large sheets of paper. Family members searching for their missing sons, fathers, daughters or mothers roamed the streets, lifting up the corners of these paper sheets, then shaking their heads in pity and moving on to the next one. All they wanted was to know the fate of their loved ones.
"I will also never forget the day that a group of German soldiers decided to gather a group of Jewish boys and girls for their enjoyment. They broke bottles to make a large mountain of glass, and to this they added small sharp tacks. They rounded up children like cattle, and then forced them at gunpoint to dance with bare feet and perform sexual acts upon each other on this bed of torture. When they were no longer amused, they shot the children."
April 26, 2020
Quoted from foreword by author:-
"The following pages recount my real-life experiences and memories, but the names in my story have all been fictionalized."
Wonder why.
.........
"When I look back at what our family went through after Mama died, I think perhaps her early exit from this world was a blessing in disguise. I can't imagine my mother suffering the pain of having her children ripped from her arms or the indecencies and degradations that my stepmother had to endure at the hands of the Nazis."
"My father was full of plans for me and my brothers. He wanted a better life for us, and hoped that we would get a good education and find a proper profession.
"During that time, the Polish government had put limitations into place on professional careers for Jews. Jews could not access the necessary education to become professors, doctors, scientists or engineers. There was one semi-professional career path available, that of dental technician, so this was what my father had in mind for me. His eyes would light up with pride when he talked to me about it. To see his son become a technician would be a dream come true.
"Sometimes parents’ wishes and hopes for their children don't come to pass. Often this is because the children have their own dreams and aspirations. Of course, we could not know that our plans along with those of our father would soon be irrelevant, since no one could have imagined what was about to happen."
"Radom had a fine history too. Members of the Polish royal family resided there from time to time. We also had records of many victorious battles over old enemies. There was much beauty in Radom with its pretty parks, statues, museums and broad tree-lined avenues. We were proud of our little town.
"One of my earlier memories is Polish women, in their long dresses and with scarves tied around their heads, sitting at the entrances to the parks with their boxes of flowers. I often noticed that their hands were red and chapped during the cold winters and yet they sat there calling to anyone that would listen, “Please buy a flower for your girl.” I longed to help them.
"While my brothers and other boys would go into the park to play, I would stand to the side and watch these poor women attempting to make a few pennies so that their families would not starve. I realized that there were people who were really poor."
"As Stanley and I grew up, the brotherly bond grew strong. We were close in age, had similar interests and enjoyed the same activities. On the other hand, we were complete opposites physically. I had brown eyes, dark hair and olive skin, while Stanley was fair, with hazel eyes and light hair. It proved to be a blessing from God that the difference was so striking, for it surely saved our lives during the prison years to come."
"In my early years, I don't recall noticing any anti-Semitism. In fact, anti-Semitism was a concept Stanley and I had never heard of or experienced. However, we did live in the Jewish part of the city and were therefore sheltered from outside prejudice.
"As the months passed, it became obvious that the times were changing. There was an undercurrent of rage against our religion. We heard of Polish boys sneaking up behind elderly Jewish men and pulling their beards or rocks being thrown at women and children. The word ‘Jew’ appeared on walls and shop windows throughout the city. The madness was escalating like a breeze turning into a tornado."
"Things were getting worse by the minute. I continued to question the cruelty and accusations hurled at us on a constant basis. I prayed and thought deeply about our hardships, but couldn't find the answer within myself, so I turned to our father for guidance and explanation. I carefully examined his face as he searched for the right words. Perhaps he was wondering if he should tell me the awful truth or maybe keep it secret as long as possible, the frightening reality of what may come, ending the innocence of my childhood.
"He sighed deeply, put his hand on my shoulder and with a strained expression, he began to explain, “Son, I suppose it's time for you to know what is happening to our people to help you to understand what we must do to prepare ourselves for what lies ahead. For some time now, there has been an agenda against Jews and according to the latest news something terrible is going on in Germany. A man with a great hatred has come into power and has declared his plan for the complete extermination of our people. You know what the word extermination means, Mendel?”"
"Time passed, and I noticed that everyone had a worried or sad look on their face. Laughter and joy seemed to no longer exist. Depression and turmoil were to leave a mark on rich and poor alike. Business in Radom was falling off and I recall that our way of life was changing rapidly. We began to feel the lack of money, the shortage of food and we were cautioned to save our pennies."
.........
"Papa travelled a great deal in his youth. At one time, he considered Argentina to be his home. He liked to talk and his stories were like tales from the Arabian Nights to us. We learned that he had met my mother in Radom during his travels. After he returned to South America, they continued to correspond through letters and postcards. He tried to persuade her to go there many times, to marry him and make Argentina her home too. But my mother was an only child and couldn't bear to leave her parents, let alone travel such a great distance. It was very common in those days to move away and perhaps never see your family again. And so it was that my father eventually returned to Radom, married my mother Milka and started his family. No one would have ever thought that this happy, carefree life would take a turn for the worse in just a few short years."
"My parents taught us that all men were created equal in the eyes of God. That color and creed does not make a difference in the character of a man. It is the way a person is inside that's important, not the color of his skin. My Papa was a good man and lived by his convictions."
"Papa told us about the dark-skinned people that lived in South America. He also spoke of the passengers on the ship he travelled on and how they would throw coins in the harbor. The young black men would dive for the coins, bringing them up with their teeth every time. This was all so fascinating to me. I was eleven years old when I first saw a dark-skinned man."
"I remember that Chinese people visited our town too. I watched as they set up their beautiful rugs, which they intended to sell. They wore colorful dresses made of silk. I wanted to talk to the children, but I was too shy."
"During the summer months when we were free from school, my father would take us for long walks in the beautiful countryside. We would bring lunch and find a spot in the shade in which to picnic. Sometimes, we would stop at a farm and the farmer would give us milk, still slightly warm from the cow. I can still remember the taste of that milk. Those Polish and German farmers were our friends."
"Our family could not afford to buy a radio but there was a neighbor in our building who could, and for a while I was almost a permanent member of their household. How I loved the great orchestras from Hungary, Romania and our Poland. I would finish my lessons quickly and then spend an entire evening lost in this wonderful world of music. Sometimes my mother would give me a pie or cookies or part of a cake to share with my friends in exchange for this great enjoyment."
.........
"“Hello, what’s new today?”
“It is bad son, very bad. They have mobilized young men and reservists by the authority of the Polish High Command.”
"“Does this mean that we are going to war?”
"“I’m sure of it.” He sighed and shook his head. “War will soon be declared.”
"I tried to read more but people were grabbing the papers, anxious to learn more. There were groups of men everywhere, discussing the frightening thing that was happening to our country. I continued on my way to school, but when I arrived, I found it closed. I ran home, concerned about my family."
"It was cloudy and dark, with a sense of foreboding in the air. I was sure the sun would never shine again. It was as though a hurricane was about to hit the city, but we weren’t scared of wind and rain, but bombs."
"Around 8 pm, we heard a loud knock on the door. Mama and my brothers ran into the bedroom. Papa opened the door. Outside was a member of the special Polish police. He ordered us to go to the basement of our building. That was all.
"My father and stepmother herded us all together, shoving blankets, food and other supplies into our arms. Mama sobbed as she took one last look around our small apartment and gathered a few belongings. She knew this could be the last time she would see her cherished treasures."
"Finally, on the fifth day at about 5 pm in the afternoon, a patrol of policemen on motorcycles arrived. We could hear the noise of their engines as they came to an abrupt halt. They were the German Nazis, the real enemies of the Jews."
"For the first time, we met our enemy. I was struck with disbelief as I realized that among these German policemen were several familiar faces. They were the same people I had come to know at the marketplace and the farmers who had always been good to us. They were the ones who had taken me into their homes, shared their food and been my friends. Now I saw them wearing the armbands with the swastika and looking at me with hatred in their eyes. Why? I also saw weapons of war for the first time.
"Huge black tanks manned by Germans dressed in black shirts with red armbands with swastikas, large green trucks filled with German soldiers with rifles drawn and finally the convoy of motorcycle policemen roaring down the streets in our section of the city."
"Now the looting started.
"The soldiers left their weapons of death and destruction and began breaking into the shops and offices. They broke the fine glass windows and doors, the same ones Stanley and I had looked through, daydreaming, not that long ago. They took the merchandise that had been abandoned when the owners fled for their lives.
"I watched as they grabbed bundles and boxes of whatever they chose and returned to their trucks sneering at our people as if to say, “What can you do about it?” The answer was easy: nothing.
"We stood helpless."
"I walked towards my building and slowly turned around to take one last look at the broken shop windows where there had once been pretty dresses, lovely furs, sparkling jewels, and children's clothes and shoes. The bookshops were in ruins too. Books were thrown into the streets, and then run over by the large tanks. Other soldiers poured kerosene over any fresh meat and crushed vegetables and fruit under their feet. German soldiers guarded the entrances to the stores so that the shop owners would not attempt to salvage any of their goods. As I made my way back to our building I could not control my tears. How much could a boy of thirteen take? But as I found out in the years to come, the human mind and body can endure the most unimaginable hardships. Deep in thought I continued home.
"I began to realize that this destruction meant that all business would stop. There would be no jobs for our people and no wages. They had taken away our liberty, earning potential, and dignity. The next step would be our lives.
"It was my opinion that the Jewish population made the best merchants in the world. It was as if the Jews had a gene governing salesmanship. There would be nowhere to purchase goods, buy supplies, or even food."
"A chilling scream caused me to jump out of my seat.
"We ran to the window and witnessed the most savage and cruel act I thought could ever be seen. I was nauseous as I watched young Polish girls with their legs tied apart, their bodies exposed in the most humiliating and degrading way. The soldiers were raping, mutilating and subjecting these women to unbelievable acts of sadistic torture."
"Several trucks went slowly up and down the streets carrying hysterically sobbing teenage girls. The men were of all ages and acted like animals. I could see the lust in their faces and the girls' pain and horror. After they had brutalized and used these young women, they saturated their helpless victims with brandy and threw them onto the street. Clothing torn, their bodies abused, left for dead."
"The streets were muddy from a recent shower and stagnant pools of water were everywhere. Among these, innocent victims lay moaning, crying or lifeless."
"The next day we discovered that we had not, by any means, seen or felt the full wrath of the Nazis. The SS troops arrived in their black uniforms with the skull insignia on their caps. How appropriate as their prime interest was the death of the Jews.
"In their first hour in town, under orders from the madman, they began taking our people and killing them. First went the leading citizens, the Rabbis, teachers, intellectuals and any strong young men. Without leadership they knew it would be difficult for us to organize and that the likelihood of resistance would be low.
"For no reason, our leaders were sentenced to death and shot in front of their families. Justice was not a word in the German vocabulary of the Nazi commanders. Nor did they recognize the word in any other language.
"Many people who were sick, ailing, or elderly were also exterminated at this time. The Nazis considered Jews to be inferior human beings, to be disposed of like rubbish.
"For some unknown reason, they spared the lives of a few Rabbis. Perhaps, in their sadistic way of thinking, the idea of ‘torture first’ was responsible for this decision. Because there came a time when these holy men were grabbed, held down and had gasoline poured on their beards and then set on fire. The Nazis watched, smiling, as these men of God writhed in agony. Some of them burned to death while others lay dying from the excruciating pain. In some cases, the finale was a shot to the head and then the body was left in the road where it had fallen."
"Our days and nights were filled with endless terror.
"Corpses littered the streets, covered with large sheets of paper. Family members searching for their missing sons, fathers, daughters or mothers roamed the streets, lifting up the corners of these paper sheets, then shaking their heads in pity and moving on to the next one. All they wanted was to know the fate of their loved ones.
"I will also never forget the day that a group of German soldiers decided to gather a group of Jewish boys and girls for their enjoyment. They broke bottles to make a large mountain of glass, and to this they added small sharp tacks. They rounded up children like cattle, and then forced them at gunpoint to dance with bare feet and perform sexual acts upon each other on this bed of torture. When they were no longer amused, they shot the children."
"The following pages recount my real-life experiences and memories, but the names in my story have all been fictionalized."
Wonder why.
.........
"When I look back at what our family went through after Mama died, I think perhaps her early exit from this world was a blessing in disguise. I can't imagine my mother suffering the pain of having her children ripped from her arms or the indecencies and degradations that my stepmother had to endure at the hands of the Nazis."
"My father was full of plans for me and my brothers. He wanted a better life for us, and hoped that we would get a good education and find a proper profession.
"During that time, the Polish government had put limitations into place on professional careers for Jews. Jews could not access the necessary education to become professors, doctors, scientists or engineers. There was one semi-professional career path available, that of dental technician, so this was what my father had in mind for me. His eyes would light up with pride when he talked to me about it. To see his son become a technician would be a dream come true.
"Sometimes parents’ wishes and hopes for their children don't come to pass. Often this is because the children have their own dreams and aspirations. Of course, we could not know that our plans along with those of our father would soon be irrelevant, since no one could have imagined what was about to happen."
"Radom had a fine history too. Members of the Polish royal family resided there from time to time. We also had records of many victorious battles over old enemies. There was much beauty in Radom with its pretty parks, statues, museums and broad tree-lined avenues. We were proud of our little town.
"One of my earlier memories is Polish women, in their long dresses and with scarves tied around their heads, sitting at the entrances to the parks with their boxes of flowers. I often noticed that their hands were red and chapped during the cold winters and yet they sat there calling to anyone that would listen, “Please buy a flower for your girl.” I longed to help them.
"While my brothers and other boys would go into the park to play, I would stand to the side and watch these poor women attempting to make a few pennies so that their families would not starve. I realized that there were people who were really poor."
"As Stanley and I grew up, the brotherly bond grew strong. We were close in age, had similar interests and enjoyed the same activities. On the other hand, we were complete opposites physically. I had brown eyes, dark hair and olive skin, while Stanley was fair, with hazel eyes and light hair. It proved to be a blessing from God that the difference was so striking, for it surely saved our lives during the prison years to come."
"In my early years, I don't recall noticing any anti-Semitism. In fact, anti-Semitism was a concept Stanley and I had never heard of or experienced. However, we did live in the Jewish part of the city and were therefore sheltered from outside prejudice.
"As the months passed, it became obvious that the times were changing. There was an undercurrent of rage against our religion. We heard of Polish boys sneaking up behind elderly Jewish men and pulling their beards or rocks being thrown at women and children. The word ‘Jew’ appeared on walls and shop windows throughout the city. The madness was escalating like a breeze turning into a tornado."
"Things were getting worse by the minute. I continued to question the cruelty and accusations hurled at us on a constant basis. I prayed and thought deeply about our hardships, but couldn't find the answer within myself, so I turned to our father for guidance and explanation. I carefully examined his face as he searched for the right words. Perhaps he was wondering if he should tell me the awful truth or maybe keep it secret as long as possible, the frightening reality of what may come, ending the innocence of my childhood.
"He sighed deeply, put his hand on my shoulder and with a strained expression, he began to explain, “Son, I suppose it's time for you to know what is happening to our people to help you to understand what we must do to prepare ourselves for what lies ahead. For some time now, there has been an agenda against Jews and according to the latest news something terrible is going on in Germany. A man with a great hatred has come into power and has declared his plan for the complete extermination of our people. You know what the word extermination means, Mendel?”"
"Time passed, and I noticed that everyone had a worried or sad look on their face. Laughter and joy seemed to no longer exist. Depression and turmoil were to leave a mark on rich and poor alike. Business in Radom was falling off and I recall that our way of life was changing rapidly. We began to feel the lack of money, the shortage of food and we were cautioned to save our pennies."
.........
"Papa travelled a great deal in his youth. At one time, he considered Argentina to be his home. He liked to talk and his stories were like tales from the Arabian Nights to us. We learned that he had met my mother in Radom during his travels. After he returned to South America, they continued to correspond through letters and postcards. He tried to persuade her to go there many times, to marry him and make Argentina her home too. But my mother was an only child and couldn't bear to leave her parents, let alone travel such a great distance. It was very common in those days to move away and perhaps never see your family again. And so it was that my father eventually returned to Radom, married my mother Milka and started his family. No one would have ever thought that this happy, carefree life would take a turn for the worse in just a few short years."
"My parents taught us that all men were created equal in the eyes of God. That color and creed does not make a difference in the character of a man. It is the way a person is inside that's important, not the color of his skin. My Papa was a good man and lived by his convictions."
"Papa told us about the dark-skinned people that lived in South America. He also spoke of the passengers on the ship he travelled on and how they would throw coins in the harbor. The young black men would dive for the coins, bringing them up with their teeth every time. This was all so fascinating to me. I was eleven years old when I first saw a dark-skinned man."
"I remember that Chinese people visited our town too. I watched as they set up their beautiful rugs, which they intended to sell. They wore colorful dresses made of silk. I wanted to talk to the children, but I was too shy."
"During the summer months when we were free from school, my father would take us for long walks in the beautiful countryside. We would bring lunch and find a spot in the shade in which to picnic. Sometimes, we would stop at a farm and the farmer would give us milk, still slightly warm from the cow. I can still remember the taste of that milk. Those Polish and German farmers were our friends."
"Our family could not afford to buy a radio but there was a neighbor in our building who could, and for a while I was almost a permanent member of their household. How I loved the great orchestras from Hungary, Romania and our Poland. I would finish my lessons quickly and then spend an entire evening lost in this wonderful world of music. Sometimes my mother would give me a pie or cookies or part of a cake to share with my friends in exchange for this great enjoyment."
.........
"“Hello, what’s new today?”
“It is bad son, very bad. They have mobilized young men and reservists by the authority of the Polish High Command.”
"“Does this mean that we are going to war?”
"“I’m sure of it.” He sighed and shook his head. “War will soon be declared.”
"I tried to read more but people were grabbing the papers, anxious to learn more. There were groups of men everywhere, discussing the frightening thing that was happening to our country. I continued on my way to school, but when I arrived, I found it closed. I ran home, concerned about my family."
"It was cloudy and dark, with a sense of foreboding in the air. I was sure the sun would never shine again. It was as though a hurricane was about to hit the city, but we weren’t scared of wind and rain, but bombs."
"Around 8 pm, we heard a loud knock on the door. Mama and my brothers ran into the bedroom. Papa opened the door. Outside was a member of the special Polish police. He ordered us to go to the basement of our building. That was all.
"My father and stepmother herded us all together, shoving blankets, food and other supplies into our arms. Mama sobbed as she took one last look around our small apartment and gathered a few belongings. She knew this could be the last time she would see her cherished treasures."
"Finally, on the fifth day at about 5 pm in the afternoon, a patrol of policemen on motorcycles arrived. We could hear the noise of their engines as they came to an abrupt halt. They were the German Nazis, the real enemies of the Jews."
"For the first time, we met our enemy. I was struck with disbelief as I realized that among these German policemen were several familiar faces. They were the same people I had come to know at the marketplace and the farmers who had always been good to us. They were the ones who had taken me into their homes, shared their food and been my friends. Now I saw them wearing the armbands with the swastika and looking at me with hatred in their eyes. Why? I also saw weapons of war for the first time.
"Huge black tanks manned by Germans dressed in black shirts with red armbands with swastikas, large green trucks filled with German soldiers with rifles drawn and finally the convoy of motorcycle policemen roaring down the streets in our section of the city."
"Now the looting started.
"The soldiers left their weapons of death and destruction and began breaking into the shops and offices. They broke the fine glass windows and doors, the same ones Stanley and I had looked through, daydreaming, not that long ago. They took the merchandise that had been abandoned when the owners fled for their lives.
"I watched as they grabbed bundles and boxes of whatever they chose and returned to their trucks sneering at our people as if to say, “What can you do about it?” The answer was easy: nothing.
"We stood helpless."
"I walked towards my building and slowly turned around to take one last look at the broken shop windows where there had once been pretty dresses, lovely furs, sparkling jewels, and children's clothes and shoes. The bookshops were in ruins too. Books were thrown into the streets, and then run over by the large tanks. Other soldiers poured kerosene over any fresh meat and crushed vegetables and fruit under their feet. German soldiers guarded the entrances to the stores so that the shop owners would not attempt to salvage any of their goods. As I made my way back to our building I could not control my tears. How much could a boy of thirteen take? But as I found out in the years to come, the human mind and body can endure the most unimaginable hardships. Deep in thought I continued home.
"I began to realize that this destruction meant that all business would stop. There would be no jobs for our people and no wages. They had taken away our liberty, earning potential, and dignity. The next step would be our lives.
"It was my opinion that the Jewish population made the best merchants in the world. It was as if the Jews had a gene governing salesmanship. There would be nowhere to purchase goods, buy supplies, or even food."
"A chilling scream caused me to jump out of my seat.
"We ran to the window and witnessed the most savage and cruel act I thought could ever be seen. I was nauseous as I watched young Polish girls with their legs tied apart, their bodies exposed in the most humiliating and degrading way. The soldiers were raping, mutilating and subjecting these women to unbelievable acts of sadistic torture."
"Several trucks went slowly up and down the streets carrying hysterically sobbing teenage girls. The men were of all ages and acted like animals. I could see the lust in their faces and the girls' pain and horror. After they had brutalized and used these young women, they saturated their helpless victims with brandy and threw them onto the street. Clothing torn, their bodies abused, left for dead."
"The streets were muddy from a recent shower and stagnant pools of water were everywhere. Among these, innocent victims lay moaning, crying or lifeless."
"The next day we discovered that we had not, by any means, seen or felt the full wrath of the Nazis. The SS troops arrived in their black uniforms with the skull insignia on their caps. How appropriate as their prime interest was the death of the Jews.
"In their first hour in town, under orders from the madman, they began taking our people and killing them. First went the leading citizens, the Rabbis, teachers, intellectuals and any strong young men. Without leadership they knew it would be difficult for us to organize and that the likelihood of resistance would be low.
"For no reason, our leaders were sentenced to death and shot in front of their families. Justice was not a word in the German vocabulary of the Nazi commanders. Nor did they recognize the word in any other language.
"Many people who were sick, ailing, or elderly were also exterminated at this time. The Nazis considered Jews to be inferior human beings, to be disposed of like rubbish.
"For some unknown reason, they spared the lives of a few Rabbis. Perhaps, in their sadistic way of thinking, the idea of ‘torture first’ was responsible for this decision. Because there came a time when these holy men were grabbed, held down and had gasoline poured on their beards and then set on fire. The Nazis watched, smiling, as these men of God writhed in agony. Some of them burned to death while others lay dying from the excruciating pain. In some cases, the finale was a shot to the head and then the body was left in the road where it had fallen."
"Our days and nights were filled with endless terror.
"Corpses littered the streets, covered with large sheets of paper. Family members searching for their missing sons, fathers, daughters or mothers roamed the streets, lifting up the corners of these paper sheets, then shaking their heads in pity and moving on to the next one. All they wanted was to know the fate of their loved ones.
"I will also never forget the day that a group of German soldiers decided to gather a group of Jewish boys and girls for their enjoyment. They broke bottles to make a large mountain of glass, and to this they added small sharp tacks. They rounded up children like cattle, and then forced them at gunpoint to dance with bare feet and perform sexual acts upon each other on this bed of torture. When they were no longer amused, they shot the children."
January 14, 2023
Wow, what an amazing and important story of survival and resilience. It's just unbelievable the level of sheer evil and the torture that people went through only 2 generations ago. It is heartbreaking to read about but these stories need to continue to be shared.
November 18, 2018
A poignant tale. How love is stronger than hate.
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