would come home soon all well again. My dream was so vivid that I laughed and happily tried to persuade Mama that Shlamek was indeed alive and well.
But Shlamek could not recover or send home any messages because he was dead. He was wounded by a bullet to the head in the town of Sanok near the river San. Weeks later, Papa found someone who knew exactly how it had happened. The bullet hit him just below his helmet in the back of his neck. With hospital treatment Shlamek could have lived, but there was no help available on the battlefield, where the wounded were left to die.
So for my wonderful brother Shlamek Stapler, life ended on a cold battlefield. In agony, Papa said Kaddish, the prayer for the dead, for his first-born son. And Mama, she could not forgive herself. "I had him right here," she cried. "Why did I let him go?" No one could console her.
Page 72
Chapter 5
Goldzia's life was pure misery. As a victim of the dreaded polio, she'd been bedridden now for eight years, and her inactive muscles had deteriorated. Once intelligent and talkative, her speech had slowly become too slurred to be intelligible. She still had a lot to say, but she knew that others became impatient when she struggled to communicate. She would restrict herself, but we knew how she suffered. We stood by helplessly, until talented Vrumek constructed an alphabet board. When Goldzia wanted to say something, we would place the board in front of her and she would point her finger to the letters, spelling out what she wanted to say. This manner of communication was much easier for her. With tears in her deep blue eyes, she kissed Vrumek's hands to thank him
Page 73
for his invention. Goldzia could comment on any subject and give sound advice. When the war broke out, our concern for her welfare became a debilitating obsession.
In one of the house searches, the young German SS officers who came into the apartment were quite intrigued when they saw Goldzia's radiant face, milky white skin, deep blue eyes, and blond hair. They stopped by her bed to ask questions about her. Goldzia motioned to Mama for the board. Goldzia proudly spelled out in perfect German, which she had never formally learned, Ich war in Wien: I was in Vienna. The Germans stood there mutely staring at Goldzia, straggling with their emotions. After momentarily being caught in the act of being human, they began yelling and throwing things about in the usual German fashion. Goldzia, well aware that she had stirred the inner feelings of humanity in the soldiers, defiantly smiled at them, as if daring them. The Germans made a lot of commotion but quickly finished the search to get away from Goldzia's haunting gaze.
Unfortunately, it did not work out the same way in our future meetings with the enemy. It seemed that in the beginning the Germans did not quite know what they were supposed to do with the Jews, but as time progressed they became better skilled at persecution. They found new ways to abuse, torture, and inflict their wrath upon the Jews. While performing subsequent house searches they were more destructive and cruel, and Goldzia was lucky to be ignored.
New decrees were imposed daily. Jews were shut indoors in the early evening with a strict curfew. They were to wear white armbands on their sleeves, ten centimeters wide, with a blue star of David clearly imprinted on them. Failure to wear the armband was punishable by death. Jews were not to congregate; this meant no walking in pairs or stopping to talk to anyone in the street. Jews were forbidden to shop in non-Jewish stores, which meant that an important source of food was eliminated.
Fat Commandant Schindler kept visiting the store as long as there was enough chocolate to satisfy his expensive appetite. When the supply was exhausted, his visits diminished. With
Page 74
his visits went his promise of protection. Schindler was on hand when the Germans eventually made us clear out of our apartment and store. His pink,
But Shlamek could not recover or send home any messages because he was dead. He was wounded by a bullet to the head in the town of Sanok near the river San. Weeks later, Papa found someone who knew exactly how it had happened. The bullet hit him just below his helmet in the back of his neck. With hospital treatment Shlamek could have lived, but there was no help available on the battlefield, where the wounded were left to die.
So for my wonderful brother Shlamek Stapler, life ended on a cold battlefield. In agony, Papa said Kaddish, the prayer for the dead, for his first-born son. And Mama, she could not forgive herself. "I had him right here," she cried. "Why did I let him go?" No one could console her.
Page 72
Chapter 5
Goldzia's life was pure misery. As a victim of the dreaded polio, she'd been bedridden now for eight years, and her inactive muscles had deteriorated. Once intelligent and talkative, her speech had slowly become too slurred to be intelligible. She still had a lot to say, but she knew that others became impatient when she struggled to communicate. She would restrict herself, but we knew how she suffered. We stood by helplessly, until talented Vrumek constructed an alphabet board. When Goldzia wanted to say something, we would place the board in front of her and she would point her finger to the letters, spelling out what she wanted to say. This manner of communication was much easier for her. With tears in her deep blue eyes, she kissed Vrumek's hands to thank him
Page 73
for his invention. Goldzia could comment on any subject and give sound advice. When the war broke out, our concern for her welfare became a debilitating obsession.
In one of the house searches, the young German SS officers who came into the apartment were quite intrigued when they saw Goldzia's radiant face, milky white skin, deep blue eyes, and blond hair. They stopped by her bed to ask questions about her. Goldzia motioned to Mama for the board. Goldzia proudly spelled out in perfect German, which she had never formally learned, Ich war in Wien: I was in Vienna. The Germans stood there mutely staring at Goldzia, straggling with their emotions. After momentarily being caught in the act of being human, they began yelling and throwing things about in the usual German fashion. Goldzia, well aware that she had stirred the inner feelings of humanity in the soldiers, defiantly smiled at them, as if daring them. The Germans made a lot of commotion but quickly finished the search to get away from Goldzia's haunting gaze.
Unfortunately, it did not work out the same way in our future meetings with the enemy. It seemed that in the beginning the Germans did not quite know what they were supposed to do with the Jews, but as time progressed they became better skilled at persecution. They found new ways to abuse, torture, and inflict their wrath upon the Jews. While performing subsequent house searches they were more destructive and cruel, and Goldzia was lucky to be ignored.
New decrees were imposed daily. Jews were shut indoors in the early evening with a strict curfew. They were to wear white armbands on their sleeves, ten centimeters wide, with a blue star of David clearly imprinted on them. Failure to wear the armband was punishable by death. Jews were not to congregate; this meant no walking in pairs or stopping to talk to anyone in the street. Jews were forbidden to shop in non-Jewish stores, which meant that an important source of food was eliminated.
Fat Commandant Schindler kept visiting the store as long as there was enough chocolate to satisfy his expensive appetite. When the supply was exhausted, his visits diminished. With
Page 74
his visits went his promise of protection. Schindler was on hand when the Germans eventually made us clear out of our apartment and store. His pink,
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