4-17-1953

The Nazis took my family.  Why would they?  They took everything away from an eight year old.  How dare they?  I didn’t give up though, I would do everything I could to get them back, whether I had to fight or leave my hometown of Budapest, Hungary.

10-23-1942

Mommy was always scared.   She would stay up at night and look out the window or create new hiding spots for the family.  I didn’t know why.  She said something about hiding from the Germans, what did that mean? 
One day, Mommy was showing me a new spot to hide under the floorboards of the kitchen when Papa yelled, “They’re here! Abigail, hide the kids!”
I quickly dove under the floorboards, knowing Mommy, Papa, Daniela and Grandma would all be in the kitchen cupboards.  I did not know how long I was under there, waiting for the Nazis to finish their check around the house. 
Then I heard the screams.  It was Daniela.  They found her and the rest of my family, except me.  From that point on, I knew my family would be gone. 
Once the Germans finished checking the house, I was dying to get out of the rat and mouse pit I was in under the kitchen floor.  I knew I had to get out of this house, as the Nazis would come to double-check the house tomorrow.  But where would I go?  And where was my family? 
Next, I decided to venture out into the woods.  This is probably the only place I felt comfortable in my entire life.  I ran through the woods as fast as I could, just trying to get away from the Nazi Germans. 
After exploring the deep woods for what seemed like hours, I stumbled upon a campground.   It must have been 10:00 at night and I figured that everyone at the camp must have been asleep.  My curious mind told me to explore further.  I was looking very intently around when I was tripped from behind.  Thump!  As I hit the ground, I could smell the leather of a large boot crashing down toward me.
“AHHHH—!” I screamed as my mouth was covered with a large hand. 
I flailed and kicked to try to get away but the man’s grip was too strong.  I expected the man to kidnap me or hurt me, but instead he took me to a building that I figured out was a kitchen. 
“Listen, I am not here to hurt you.  But why in the world are you exploring Nazi soldier camps in the middle of the night?”  The Nazi asked.
“I am trying to find my family…” I whimpered.
He asked, “What is your name, son?”
“Doron Rosenfeld, Sir,” I gulped, trying to keep my head held high.
“These German soldiers will kill you.  You are very lucky I caught you before any other trouble was made,” the German stated. “I am a cook for the Nazi soldiers.  They are going around , taking Jewish families.  I think I have an idea of where your family might be.  We might be able to find them if we move quickly.”
“Really?!   Where are they?” I asked, seeing a little bit of hope.
“Auschwitz.”
My mommy always told me to avoid the Germans.  What other choice did I have?  All I wanted to do was find my family.  Once I overheard Mommy talking about some type of camp.  Is that where they were?  Don’t cry, I told myself.  Stay strong.

*****

“Wake up! We will be leaving in an hour,” the German cook whispered in my ear the next
morning.  I had fallen asleep in the back of the kitchen next to the warm ovens.  It must have been about 4:00 a.m. which means I had gotten about five hours of sleep or so.  I was too excited, to be tired, though.  We might find my family! 
“Okay,” I said a bit too loud. 
“Shhh!”
“Sorry,” I giggled.  My heart was probably going a million miles per hour.  What if they weren’t at this strange Auschwitz place?  Should I trust this cook, who happens to be German?  I guess I would see.  I just want to see Daniela, Mommy, Papa, and Grandma. 

*****

“What is your name, sir?” I asked.
“Gregor,” the German cook said.
“Cool!” I exclaimed.
“Yeah I know. Now hide behind my seat. We will drive to Poland and then continue on foot to Auschwitz.  You are Jewish, Doron, you cannot be seen,” Gregor said, looking me in the eye.
“As long as I find my family,” I exclaimed.  I didn’t know why Gregor was so nervous.  It’s not like we are in danger, right?  Would I get in trouble for being with a Nazi?  He was trying to help me, I think, I hope…
“We just entered Poland. Our next stop we will continue on foot.  It is too dang-“ he stopped. “never mind, we will be fine.”
“Fine with me,” I said, walking ahead.  We walked for a very long time.  I was becoming extremely tired and started to believe I could not take it anymore.  Just when I began to stop, I looked up and saw a large row of houses and fences with people in it.
“What is that, Gregor?” I asked.
“That is Auschwitz, Doron,” He stated.
“Why do those two buildings have black smoke coming out the chimney of them?” I blurted out, pointing to the north.
“Ummmmmm…fire,” the cook said, staring blankly at the camp.
After we got a little closer, I noticed all the people were Jewish.  There were children, adults, and grandparents.  Surely my family was here!
“We cannot be seen.  We will go as far as the fence, and then you need to keep your eyes peeled because there are a lot of Jews out there,” Gregor said, looking me in the eye.
We waited by the fence for hours.  There were probably a hundred thousand Jews here!  After a while, everyone looked the same.  It was very hard to keep my eyes open.  And then I saw him.  Papa!  His 6’6” frame and clean crew cut could be picked out from a mile away.
“Papa! That’s him!” I yelled
“Are you sure?” he asked
“Positive,” I said, determined.
“Go. You are a Jew, you will look the same as everyone else.  Tell your papa to meet me by the kitchen at midnight tonight.  I will be in a green truck waiting for you and your family.  Trust me.” Gregor stated, sounding strong.
I quickly slid under the fence and sprinted all the way to Papa.  I knew I had to be safe and it took every bit of determination to not jump on him.  I didn’t care, I went up and hugged him as tight as possible, making him jump a little bit.
“Doron! How did you get here? I thought I’d never see you again!” he said, tearing up.
“I met a German cook who brought me here!  He is going to get us out of here, Papa, he really is!  He said to meet him by the kitchen tonight at midnight.  We can escape!” I exclaimed.
“Okay, you need to be quieter.  The other Jewish want to get out of here too.  We cannot let them know we are escaping,” he said.
“Sorry. Where are Mommy, Daniella, and Grandma?” I asked softly.
“They are resting in the barracks.  It was a very long journey that we took here.  Doron, this place is dangerous.  Thank you for being so courageous and coming here.  But we need to be careful tonight, we need to be strong and get out of here as fast as possible,” he stated.
After all of the hugs, kisses, tears at the barracks with the family, I told them the whole story of how I got here.  Mommy, Papa, and Grandma seemed very skeptical about the German cook Gregor who brought me here, but figured if he had taken me this far, he must be serious about escaping.  I could tell Papa was really nervous, and I did not know why.
“Papa, what’s wrong?” I asked, giving him a hug.
“The escape, Doron.  We could be killed.  I want everyone to be safe,” he said, staring at nothing in particular. 
That is one thing Papa has always been with me my entire life.  Honest.  He states everything straight up and expects me to understand and trust him with his words.
“Papa, we will be fine.  Grandpa is looking over us and will keep us safe,” I said, praying inside.

*****

This was it. The escape.  Look for the green truck where Gregor is waiting.  Now or never.
“Stay low to the ground and follow me.  We need to be very quiet,”  Papa said strictly.
And we were on to our journey.  It was mostly stress-free, walking quickly and keeping our heads on a swivel.  Stress free until we heard the screams.  It was a Jew trying to escape about a half mile away. 
“Shhhhh…we are almost there!” Papa whispered.
Now we had to get moving.  We walked at a fast pace and I saw the kitchens.  And then I saw the entrance where we would leave.  At first, I could not spot the green truck, thinking Gregor may have bailed on us.  But then I saw it, parked just down the block, ready to take us anywhere, anywhere away from this evil Nazi camp.

4-17-1953

Mom said I fell asleep right away in the backseat of the truck.  The German cook, Gregor, was questioned by my family on the ride, but they soon trusted him after everything he did for the family and me.  We ended up driving to France, wherever we could to be safe, and eventually bought a house and ended up staying here.  The Allied troops had Gregor on severe watch, but after a couple weeks realized that he was a good German.  He ended up living with us and is now my best friend.  It took me years to finally learn and understand World War II and how dangerous my acts were.  However, if I had not found Gregor and gotten to Auschwitz in time, I would not have a family.  I understand that it was a dangerous act, entering the largest German execution camp, but I would have done everything to get my family back.  We could be considered lucky, but I believe grandpa and God were looking over us to keep us safe.
Still to this day, my parents call me a hero.  Here I was, a six year old boy who had just lost his family that had no understanding of what was going on around him.  I knew not to give up and thanks to a little help from a German, my family was found and nobody was hurt.  I hope to pass on this trait to my kids one day.  I never did and never will have any regrets.