Difference between revisions of "Palo Shelah / Pavel Schlesinger (M / Slovakia, 1938), Holocaust survivor"
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Palo Shelah was born Pavel Schlesinger in September 1938 in southwestern Slovakia. When the deportations by Nazi Germany and the Slovak puppet government began in 1942, | Palo Shelah was born Pavel Schlesinger in September 1938 in southwestern Slovakia. When the deportations by Nazi Germany and the Slovak puppet government began in 1942, for a time a mixed Jewish-Christian couple hid Palo's family in the Slovak town of Nitra. Then, they crossed the border with Hungary, where Jews had not yet been rounded up. In September 1944, Palo's parents were arrested, and he and his 11-year-old brother Samuel found themselves alone. On foot they reached their uncle who lived in a nearby town but only to be arrested with him and transported to Auschwitz. | ||
Their arrival coincided with that of SS chief Heinrich Himmler, who ordered a halt to the murder of the Jews in the gas chambers. He and his brother survived until the camp was liberated on January 27, 1945. | |||
A famous picture shows him together with other children at Birkenau, when the camp was evacuated one month after liberation. Among those pictured are Tomasz Szwarz; Alicja Gruenbaum; Solomon Rozalin; Gita Sztrauss; Wiera Sadler; Marta Wiess; Boro Eksztein; Josef Rozenwaser; Rafael Szlezinger; Gabriel Nejman; Adek Apfelbaum; Hillik (later Harold) Apfelbaum; Mark Berkowitz (a twin); Pesa Balter; Rut Muszkies (later Webber); Miriam Friedman; and twins Miriam Mozes and Eva Mozes wearing knitted hats. | |||
[[File:Auschwitz Children.jpg|500px]] | |||
After the war the family was reunited (they all miraculously survived). Samuel, then 15, immigrated to Israel with a group of other youths; Shelah, then 10, later followed. Both were settled on different kibbutzim and their parents would follow only later. | |||
Revision as of 13:33, 24 January 2020
Palo Shelah was born Pavel Schlesinger in September 1938 in southwestern Slovakia. When the deportations by Nazi Germany and the Slovak puppet government began in 1942, for a time a mixed Jewish-Christian couple hid Palo's family in the Slovak town of Nitra. Then, they crossed the border with Hungary, where Jews had not yet been rounded up. In September 1944, Palo's parents were arrested, and he and his 11-year-old brother Samuel found themselves alone. On foot they reached their uncle who lived in a nearby town but only to be arrested with him and transported to Auschwitz.
Their arrival coincided with that of SS chief Heinrich Himmler, who ordered a halt to the murder of the Jews in the gas chambers. He and his brother survived until the camp was liberated on January 27, 1945.
A famous picture shows him together with other children at Birkenau, when the camp was evacuated one month after liberation. Among those pictured are Tomasz Szwarz; Alicja Gruenbaum; Solomon Rozalin; Gita Sztrauss; Wiera Sadler; Marta Wiess; Boro Eksztein; Josef Rozenwaser; Rafael Szlezinger; Gabriel Nejman; Adek Apfelbaum; Hillik (later Harold) Apfelbaum; Mark Berkowitz (a twin); Pesa Balter; Rut Muszkies (later Webber); Miriam Friedman; and twins Miriam Mozes and Eva Mozes wearing knitted hats.
After the war the family was reunited (they all miraculously survived). Samuel, then 15, immigrated to Israel with a group of other youths; Shelah, then 10, later followed. Both were settled on different kibbutzim and their parents would follow only later.