Stephen Shooster little later than him. By the time I was there, he was already in Buna. Unlike Leon, I did not go through a life and death selection at Birkenau. Instead, a doctor gave each of us a quick look and let us through. I was not skinny since my sister was giving me food to eat prior to coming here. I believe Schindler gave the commandant’s wife a diamond ring prior to our arrival to ensure our safety. When I was done telling my story, Leon began his. He was 100 times worse off than mine. “Leon, being about 31 at the time, characterized our love as a ‘healing love.’ We had both been through a similar experience of depravity, anti-Semitism, and torture, and we were both alive in Israel. Israel was shaped by this experience. The new country was so new that I was told to not use the hot water, not to use the hot iron, and to be care- ful how I use electricity. The nation was struggling. The ’50s were a very tough period for the Israelis. “After meeting Leon, I spoke with my sisters in the USA, and they warned me that many men were preying upon women, especially ones with American citizenship to come to America. I told them I flipped for this boy and they were just overly cautious. My planned 6-week trip became three months. We dated the whole time I remained. It was a wonderful period in both of our lives. We went to the beach and the movies. We spoke our native tongue of Polish. I had to pay for everything. He hardly had a penny. The little he made in a month lasted two weeks. “As much as we were compatible, we were also very different. I was a few years older than him. My parents were loving and nourishing with my three sisters and me. I could not understand why Leon’s father was so rough on him. When I heard of this, I did not know if I could be close to him. “Despite these small fears, we were soon married. We both planned the wedding. Leon did not have a family to invite, except for his uncle; the same one that took him in when he arrived in Israel. The wedding was handled by the Orthodox Rabbinical Temple in Haifa. We had about 40 people in attendance. My friends from the USA were there, but my sisters could not come. Dr. Kant, the attorney who gave money to Leon in Krakow, came to Israel and was there with his family. My brother-in-law in the USA had a brother in Israel who acted, not as the best man, but represented my mother or father. He took me to the hoopah. He was also a professor in Jerusalem. I wore a light pink chiffon outfit with a short veil. “Leon wore a suit. I bet this was his first suit ever. Leon’s cousin Eliezer was the best man. “It took Leon only two weeks to ask for my hand in marriage. As an engagement gift, he gave me a necklace with a pocket for a photo and a matching ring. This cost him
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