Early Years

 

I was born on October 2, 1922, in Radom, an industrial city in Poland. The population was 100,000 in 1939 -- approximately one third of which were Jewish. We had a vibrant Jewish community with many Zionist and Socialist organizations, i.e. schools, libraries, a theatre, a hospital, an orphanage, old peoples home, etc.

We were four children. The eldest was my sister Rayzl, and I was the middle of two brothers, Chaim, the older and Elek, the younger. The living conditions were poor. Our family of six occupied one room with no running water in the house. Water had to be carried in pails from a public outlet several hundred yards away. In the winter, the area around the faucet was a skating rink. At times, my Mother asked me to bring a pail of water to help her with the housework, and always without giving a second thought, the answer was "No".

One day I was doing school homework in a friend's house, when his mother asked him to go to the pharmacy for some medication for her and his reply was "No". I was ready to jump up from the chair and go for the medication, but immediately realized it would not be fair to my friend nor conducive to our friendship. At the same moment I felt like someone flipped a switch in my mind, recalling my own behaviour in similar circumstances to my own mother. I felt my ego deflated. I felt guilty and ashamed of myself.

On my way back home (it was a long walk with no public transportation), after long and serious contemplation I made a decision to change my attitude and behaviour towards my mother. I would not only help mother when being asked, but I would do things around the house without being asked. I must admit that it was easier to reach a decision than to change established habits.

At the beginning when asked to help, I had to frequently stifle the ready response of declining, while becoming aware of my decision and answering affirmatively. It took me close to a year until I successfully changed the previous habit, and my outlook on life since became brighter and more rewarding.

This change in attitude towards my mother has affected my behaviour towards people in general. Through this incident, I came to the realization that I have the power to choose and make decisions within myself. Although we are influenced by others and definitely learn from others, in the final analysis, I remain in authority to choose and decide what I consider is best in the given circumstance. Another by product came into being, the wonderful feeling of elation when a good deed is being done; it adds meaning to life with an instant reward.

At the age of five I started to go to "Cheder" (a Jewish parochial school) and at the age of seven I started first grade public school. To attend both schools, I had to leave the house very early in the morning, because there was no public transportation. At noon I left the Cheder and went directly to the public school, which was quite a distance away. I had to cut short my lunch period to arrive at school in time.

I was a sickly child, anemic and undernourished, and had great physical difficulty coping with the heavy load. The doctor advised my parents that if they wanted to have a healthy child they would have to diminish the stress I had to face. The cheder was abandoned and a Hebrew teacher was hired who came to the house to teach me the Bible, Pentateuch and Talmud. The doctor also advised them to send me to a summer camp to get proper nourishment and rest in order to gain strength and health.

Another event took place that I recall vividly when I was ten years old. On the doctor's advice, I was sent to a summer camp with seventy other boys. I did not know at the time nor did my parents, that I was the only Jew among Polish children of the Catholic faith. Within the first few days, I became friendly with many of the boys, until the first Sunday arrived. After breakfast, we all went to church, in spite of my protests that being Jewish, I was not supposed to enter a church, I was told I could not be left alone in the camp and had to accompany the other boys.

During the prayers, when everybody was kneeling, I stood in an upright position arousing the curiosity of all the other children. Upon returning to camp many of them realized that I was a Jew, precipitating the maltreatment, beating, ostracism, and exclusion from participating in all the group activities. I could not understand why the children I had become friendly with before that Sunday outing to church suddenly became my enemies for no reason at all, I was even accused of having killed Jesus Christ. This was my first incident of discrimination that I encountered but many more followed in later life.

I graduated from public school in 1936. My parents could not afford to pay for High school so I decided to learn a trade. As my Uncle David, (Father's younger brother) had a cabinet makers' shop, I went to him for a three year apprenticeship without any monetary compensation.

I worked in the shop from 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and from 5:00 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. I attended a trade school, so that after three years I could pass an exam and advance to become a cabinetmaker.

One evening sometime in November 1938, on my way home from school, I met my father sitting on the outside steps of the Post Office. I asked him why he was sitting on the steps, he replied he was somewhat tired and needed to relax for a while. He pleaded with me not to wait for him but should continue walking home because I had to get up early for work.

Little did I know that my Father had a heart attack and did not seek medical help. February 22, 1939, in the late evening we all went to bed, Father was the last one to shut off the light, he sat down on his bed, removed one slipper with the other foot and said he didn't feel good. These were the last words he ever spoke. He died in a sitting position with one slipper on. He was just 49 years old when he died.

We did not realize that Father had died. My oldest brother Chaim and I got dressed quickly and literally ran to get a doctor (there were no phones or public transportation). When we arrived home the doctor pronounced him dead -- the cause, a massive heart attack. Father died a few minutes past midnight on a Thursday, and the funeral had to take place Friday before noon. Chaim and I set out to make all the arrangements for the funeral and notify the family and friends. Walking with my brother I told him it was not a time to cry, - the responsibility of holding the family together rested with us.

There were several hundred people at the funeral. The courtyard was jam-packed with people, because Father was a well-known personality in our city. After "shiva" we found out that mother had no money left to buy food.

Without our knowledge mother started to work as a cleaning woman for rich families. When we found out we were very depressed and family. We had no alternative but to let mother continue doing this hard work despite our displeasure.

I was very attached to my father, much more than my siblings. To me father was an adviser, teacher, guide, a friend, anything I needed, I could count on getting it from dad.

In Poland, in my younger days, people were not only known by their names, but mostly by their nicknames. My father's nickname was "Aron Torah Kop", (Torah Head), which indicated that he was a learned man, especially in Talmudic studies. He graduated from a Yeshiva with a certificate to become a Rabbi, but since he was an orphan (his father died when he was six years old) he decided to learn a trade instead, as a cutter of hard leather, where he could earn enough to support himself.

Father became active in the Jewish Socialist Movement, the Bund. I accompanied him every Friday night after the Sabbath meal, to listen to political lectures. I was then 8-9 years old and the only youngster who was willing to leave a warm house in the winter to face sub zero temperatures, at times encountering vicious snow storms, in order to learn something new. On the way home I asked a lot of questions pertaining to the names I picked up from the lecturer, names Lenin, Trotsky, Peretz, Sokolof, Ben Gurion, etc.

Father patiently and systematically explained who these people were and the historical role they played that affected Jewish life. To me all this information was an eye-opener which gave me the incentive to search for books that broadened my horizon. So when Father suddenly died, I was shocked. My source of love, knowledge, advice, had been cut off without any warning. It took me close to a year to come to grips with the reality that father was gone would never come back.

Just at this time, I faced a serious dilemma, the cabinetmaker's union wanted to incorporate the employees of my uncle's shop to make it a union shop. My uncle was against it, I was caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. In my dreams, I asked father for advise and I got the right answer from him -- join the union.

As September 1939 rolled around, the Second World War began. Within eight days the mighty German army occupied our city of Radom. Immediately they issued a series of decrees concerning the Jewish population: i.e. Jews have to wear an armband with the Star of David, Jewish schools and synagogues are closed, all bank accounts are frozen, etc. Many other decrees were issued at later dates.

A "Judenrat" (a Jewish council of 24 people) was selected by the German authorities to administer the request from the German authorities. The Jewish community was obliged to supply a daily contingent of labour force, to the different military units.

The morning I reported for work, there was a request for carpenters and I was assigned to this commando at a place called "Kolejowa 18" which was under the supervision of the S.S. The buildings were warehouses where we had to erect shelving to place merchandise. With the exception of a few carpenters, the others had to unload merchandise from the railway siding onto trucks then unload it in the warehouse.

The merchandise consisted of 100 kg sacks of flower, sugar, etc. Each person had to carry a sack on his shoulder. Because most of these people had never carried such a heavy weight on their shoulders they collapsed, then the beating started, they were kicked, whipped and beaten with shovels.

The Orthodox Jews would have their beards and paiot cut with bayonets and the remaining stubble burned. It was a horrible sight to see. Because I was working as a carpenter I was spared.

After completing my day's work, the officer in charge ordered that all carpenters had to return the following day. The commando became my steady work place, which in 1942 became a branch of the concentration camp "Szkolna".

Thanks to this commando, I got my older brother Chaim into the carpentry shop (he never worked in carpentry before), and the day before the liquidation of the big Ghetto in August 1942 I managed to also smuggle in my younger brother Elek. Fortunately all through the war until our liberation we stayed together, so that at different times we were able to help each other.

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