Stephen Shooster provide him with a weapon and safe passage back to pick up the pieces in Grybow. He went home. home feverishly working on his Singer Sewing Machine. Because all the fur coats were taken away, he was making a coat for his sister so she could go through the winter without freezing. But, on that day, he was supposed to report to the Gestapo in the morning where he would be assigned a menial laborer’s job. Max was about 23 years old, so he was required to assemble daily. On this morning he decided not to go. Instead, he thought it was much more important to make the jacket. While he was doing this, a German soldier entered his home, unannounced, and saw him working. The soldier demanded, “Why did you not come to clean the garbage in the streets like the rest of the Jews?” Max replied, “It’s better that, for me, I make a warm jacket for my sister before the cold comes.” The soldier asked, “Are you a tailor?” Max replied, “Yes.” The soldier looked around the room and saw the tools and materials of a tailor, “Can you fix my two buttons?” Max nodded, “Why not?” The soldier took his jacket off and showed Max it was missing two buttons. Max proceeded deftly to replace them. When he was finished, he returned the jacket to his abhorred customer. Satisfied with the work the soldier said, “Continue what you are doing until you are finished.” Yom Kippur arrived; it is one of the most important holidays for the Jews, and Max’s father decided to gather a minyan (10 men) at the synagogue and told Max he would need his help keeping an eye out for the Germans. When the time arrived, Max did as he was told. Most probably it was the last minyan at the Grybow Orthodox Temple. As the men prayed to God that the war should be over soon, Max waited and watched outside obedient to the wishes of his father. Thankfully, the night was quiet, and no one came. Soon after, Max started to plan his escape. As part of the plan, he went to Nowy-Sacz and found some small flintstones that he wanted to take with him purchasing 100 Zlo- ty worth. Since they were small, he could carry them easily in his pocket. He thought, wherever he went maybe he could sell them. Once the purchase was completed, he re- turned to German-occupied Grybow. Four days later on the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, he said to his father, “Papa, I’m leaving. I can’t live here anymore.” His mother started to cry. “Papa, I want you should sell me a horse and a buggy.” With this buggy and the flintstones rattling in his pocket, he took three friends, Isaac Goldman, and two oth- ers, and they all left. Isaac survived the war. They all said goodbye to their families and
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