Table Of ContentI Only Wanted to Live
The struggle of a boy to survive the
holocaust
Arie Tamir
I Only Wanted to Live/ Arie Tamir
All rights reserved. Copyright © 2015 Arie Tamir
Reproduction in any manner, in whole or in part, in English or in other
languages, or otherwise without written permission of the publisher is
prohibited.
Translated from the Hebrew by Batya Jerenberg.
First printed in Hebrew on 2014 as "Zichronotai mekrakov".
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
DEDICATION
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1 – MY FAMILY
CHAPTER 2 – WAR IS COMING; THE CITY OF LWOW
CHAPTER 3 – WAR BREAKS OUT; ESCAPE TO LUBLIN
CHAPTER 4 – LIFE IN THE VILLAGE; OUR FIRST MEETING WITH
GERMANS
CHAPTER 5 – FIRST ROUND OF DECREES AIMED AT THE JEWS OF
KRAKOW
CHAPTER 6 – BREAKING THE ILLUSION
CHAPTER 7 – LIFE AMONG OUR GERMAN NEIGHBORS
CHAPTER 8 – A HARD WINTER
CHAPTER 9 – THE MOVE TO THE GHETTO, FIRST STAGE
9.1 – IMPROVISED SCHOOLS IN THE GHETTO
9.2 – MAKING A LIVING IN THE GHETTO
9.3 – PLAYING IN THE GHETTO
CHAPTER 10 – SPRING AND SUMMER 1941; ESTABLISHING LIFE IN
THE GHETTO
10.1 – THE FIRST PASSOVER SEDER
10.3 – THE CARD CLUB, WAR DEVELOPMENTS
CHAPTER 11 – A SAD FALL AND WINTER IN THE GHETTO, 1941
11.1 – STEALING OUR FURS
11.2 – A SERIOUS DISCUSSION
11.3 – A SAD GAME AND THE LAST MOVIE
11.4 – GOOD NEWS
11.5 – THE GHETTO ABSORBS REFUGEES AND GETS MORE
CROWDED
11.6 – SNOW SPORTS
11.7 – GIVING UP CHILDREN FOR ADOPTION
11.8 – SURPRISING GUESTS
11.9 – FOOD SMUGGLING IN THE GHETTO
11.10 – TERRIBLE RUMORS
CHAPTER 12 – DEPORTATION, JUNE 1942
12.1 – PARTING FROM SARENKA
CHAPTER 13 - DEPORTATION TO THE DESTRUCTION, OCTOBER
1942
CHAPTER 14: OCTOBER 1942 – MARCH 1943
CHAPTER 15 – THE LIQUIDATION OF THE GHETTO AND MY
ESCAPE
15.1 – FAILURE OF THE EFFORTS TO SMUGGLE ME FROM THE
GHETTO
15.2 – PARTING FROM MY FATHER
15.3 – MASSACRE ON THE GHETTO STREETS
15.4 – ESCAPE FROM THE GHETTO
CHAPTER 16 – USING A FALSE IDENTITY OUTSIDE THE GHETTO
16.1 – I BUY A FRIEND
16.2 – I AM ACCEPTED INTO THE “TOP SECRET GANG”
16.3 – A PRIEST’S EXHORTATION
16.4 – MY APARTMENT HIDEOUT, AND THE RIGHTEOUS AMONG
THE NATIONS
CHAPTER 17 – THE ROUTE TO FAMILY REUNIFICATION RUNS
THROUGH HELL
17.1 – FROM THE FIRING SQUAD TO MEETING MY FATHER
CHAPTER 18 – PLASZOW 8/1943 - 8/1944
18.1 – TAKEN FOR EXECUTION - REPRISE
18.1 – ROUTINE LIFE IN PLASZOW
18.2 – LIQUIDATION OF JEWISH POLICE; LOSS OF MY TOYS…
18.4 – I FIND A FRIEND – A GERMAN SOLDIER
CHAPTER 19 – CHILDREN’S “ACTION” IN PLASZOW - MAY 1944
19.1 – ON THE RUN AGAIN
20.1 – TRIP TO A GERMAN CONCENTRATION CAMP
CHAPTER 21 – THE “GOZEN 2” CONCENTRATION CAMP
21.1 – TO SAVE MY FATHER
21.2 – A NEW JOB, LUCKY AGAIN
21.3 – I SAY GOODBYE TO MY FATHER
21.4 – MY LIFE IS SAVED
CHAPTER 22 – LIBERATION AND RETURN TO LIFE
22.1 – A REVOLUTION: GERMAN SOLDIERS SERVE ME
22.2 – THE JOY OF FREEDOM; THE FADING URGE FOR REVENGE
22.3 – PRINCE OF AN AMERICAN HOSPITAL
22.4 – I BECOME AN ARDENT ZIONIST
CHAPTER 23 – AFTERWORD
CHAPTER 24--HISTORICAL LOOK ON THE EVENTS
SIDE NOTE 1: THE JEWS OF KRAKOW AND THE KAZIMIERZ
NEIGHBORHOOD
SIDE NOTE 2: THE JUDENRAT
SIDE NOTE 3: TESTIMONIES REGARDING LIFE IN THE GHETTO
SIDE NOTE 4: GESTAPO COLLABORATORS
SIDE NOTE 5: THE JEWISH POLICE IN THE GHETTO
SIDE NOTE 6: ABBREVIATED HISTORY OF POLISH-GERMAN
RELATIONS
SIDE NOTE 7: GOING INTO HIDING
SIDE NOTE 8: THE VILLAGE JEWS
SIDE NOTE 9: DEPORTATION OF 1-4 JUNE, 1942 BY TADEUSZ
PNKIEWICZ
SIDE NOTE 10: THE “ACTION” OF OCTOBER 1942 ACCORDING TO
TADEUSZ PANKIEWICZ:
SIDE NOTE 11: THE BEST PLACES TO HIDE OUTSIDE THE GHETTO
SIDE NOTE 12: THE UNDER GROUND RESISTANCE IN THE GHETTO
SIDE NOTE 13: THE GERMAN FORCES THAT OPERATED IN THE
KRAKOW GHETTO
SIDE NOTE 14: STREET KIDS
SIDE NOTE 1 5 : ACTIVITY OF THE JEWISH UNDERGROUND IN
KRAKOW
SIDE NOTE 1 6 : PLASZOW AND ITS COMMANDANT, AMON GOETH
SIDE NOTE 17: CHILDREN’S COMPOUND IN PLASHOW CAMP
SIDE NOTE 18: ROLE OF JEWISH POLICE IN THE GHETTO’S
LIQUIDATION
SIDE NOTE 19: “CHILDREN ACTION” IN PLASHOW OF MAY 1944
SIDE NOTE 20: HILOWITZ AND THE JEWISH POLICE IN PLASHOW
SIDE NOTE 21: AN INTRODUCTION TO CONCENTRATION CAMPS
SIDE NOTE 22: “KAPOS” OF GOZEN 2
SIDE NOTE 23: WAR NEWS
Dedication
I dedicate this book to the memory of my parents, Wilhelm (Nicknamed Wilek)
Wimisner and Eva Dorf, my sisters, Gizia and Sarenka, and dozens of cousins,
uncles and aunts.
My dear readers, remember the millions who were murdered and were not given
the chance to live a full, happy life.
I dedicate this book to my sweet 5 grandkids: Tom, Liran, Shelly ,Ben and
Itamar who, when the time is right, will be able to read the stories about our
family.
Acknowledgments
Thank you my beloved wife, Ariella, who was patient when I suddenly decided
to ‘play’ at being an author, for the advice, the corrections and the
encouragement.
Thank you my lovely daughters, Orit and Liat, who were moved by my stories
about the holocaust when we visited Krakow.
Thank you my cousin Miriam Milgrom Nitzan, who devoted many hours to
using her vast professional experience to improve the book in its early stages,
and, most importantly, encouraged me to keep writing when I was about to
collapse.
Thank you many friends who bothered to read the book in its early stages, made
helpful comments and encouraged me to continue.
Thank you Ayelet Maria Mitch, my talented editor, who edited, improved and
made the book more interesting and readable.
Thank you Tali Carmi and eBook-pro team.
Lastly, thank you all the good people who at one point or another helped me to
save my life, some of whom are Germans.
Introduction
Why did I suddenly remember to write my story?
I was about 7 years old when World War II broke out. We were a happy
family with three children. My sister, Gizia, was three years older than me and
my sister Sarenka was about five years younger (she was a year old when the
war began). I was nicknamed "Leosz" which stood for my formal name – Leon.
My mother took care of the house and kept busy with all sorts of social
activities. I remember her as always being beautiful and radiant, dressed in the
best of taste, and always concerned about her appearance. Like every good
Jewish Pole she was very proud of her children and would habitually boast about
our amazing exploits. Financially, we were in the upper middle class. The
horrific war burst into this good and happy life and after an unbearable six years
of going through all the levels of hell, my whole family – parents, sisters, 16
aunts and uncles and 23 cousins – were all murdered, and only I survived.
Like many Holocaust survivors, I didn't talk much about what I experienced.
After I was liberated on May 5, 1945, from the Mauthausen concentration camp,
I repeated my story hundreds of times in various circumstances. About a year
later, though, I gradually disconnected myself from my past. This break lasted
for about 50 years. Few of my friends knew I was a survivor; they thought that I
was at least a second-generation Israeli. Even my children didn't know. I didn't
hide it, and I wasn't ashamed of being a Holocaust survivor – I just wasn’t
interested in telling anyone. For me, it was like I had been reborn in Israel and
started my life over again here on the kibbutz. However, ever since the
Holocaust, it has been like a sad cloud always hung over me. It's hard for me to
feel free, to be happy with all my heart, or even to go wild.
Around 16 years ago I started getting more interested in the history of the
Holocaust and World War II in general. I did have one cousin of my father's who
had survived, Gina Milgrom. She had immigrated to Israel in 1946 and had had
three children who were parents themselves at that point. Since we were the only
relatives the two of us had in Israel, we were very close. Gina passed away in
