Stephen Shooster
Rabbi Ben Tsiyon Halberstam second from right, The Bobover Rebbe in Krynica with followers. 1937 Krynica
nation center. No one was supposed to survive this Hell. Only one Jewish person did survive, a grave tender. Aside from him, there are only a few of the Nazi henchmen who, today, are willing to talk freely about the atrocities. I found it very hurtful as a Survivor when I visited the museum to see one of these despicable men telling their story on an endless loop, over and over again. But, I am getting ahead of myself and the story of my life.
The Zadik
When I was a small child, I became deathly ill with pneumonia. Getting sick and eventually getting better was a huge part of my family’s history. Because I was so young, I can’t tell you much about it. However, my friend, Max Blauner, who was eight years older than me was able to explain what happened. He told me, ‘Leon, your oldest sister died before she turned 1 year old.’ When I heard this, I imagine my parents were newly married, and my mother was pregnant. Eventually, she has her first baby. It’s a girl! My parents must have been ex- cited to show all their family and friends their precious first child and, like all parents, they took turns waking up day and night to give the baby attention. Then after about a year of bonding and cuddling, she suddenly died and, even though infant mortal- ity was common in those times, no talk of statistics could soothe a grieving parent. It must have been devastating. So, she got pregnant again. It was another little miracle
72
Made with FlippingBook Digital Proposal Creator