The War
Legal Papers for Palestine
thousand refugees. It had opened in December 1945. Before we could settle in, we had to go through an American health inspection to make sure we did not have lice and were not carriers of typhus or other contagious diseases. They lined us up in a room with a huge gasoline-powdered DDT duster. Today, we know that DDT is extremely dangerous, but in those days nobody knew. They put the nozzle of the compressor into the neckline of our clothes, pressed the button, and so much powder shot out that it came out from our sleeves and pant legs. When we walked away, there was powder all over the ground except for a clear spot where our feet had been. Whatever we had or did not have definitely got killed. The boys and girls were split up so we could strip naked and dress in the new clothing that was waiting for us. All they had were military uniforms, and the smallest shirts and pants I could find were still too long. We were each given brand new clothes and assigned rooms in the former SS barracks, two to a room. The bar- racks were charming little houses with nice clean beds and carpets. The new place was so beautiful, and our rooms were so clean and well furnished, that we could not help but feel that we were fi - nally liberated and living in a new world. At four o’clock, we went to the main dining room. There were many young Jewish men and women there, all waiting to go to Palestine. We were treated with special care because we were children. They gave us tables that were charmingly set, with plentiful food. They gave us chocolate, and the American soldiers gave us other goodies. We could not be- lieve our good fortune! When we finished eating, everybody took a pile of food back to his room. We felt veiy comfortable in Leipheim because there were Jewish activities, including a newspaper committee and classes. We got along well, too. We were kids, so of course there was a certain amount of mischief. I already had a few friends from the group. Leon Rubinstein was there, having arrived about a month earlier. Another young fellow who became a lifelong friend, Ezra Sherman, was there with his brother and sister-in-law. Since he was a young boy, they brought him in to stay with us. very powered
147
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online