By Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel
CHULA VISTA, California — Yom HaShoah Remembrance: Miriam Samuel, My Aunt, a Poem in Her Voice
Betrayed by Neighbors
The Hungarian occupation marked a trying time,
My father lost his business, it’s a bitter rhyme.
A non-Jewish neighbor took what was ours,
While my brother and I sold bread to those with power.
Our home was taken, a military base,
And life as we knew it vanished without a trace.
The worst came in June, a day filled with dread,
When gendarmes and volunteers broke in, we fled.
“Pack up your things,” they said with a sneer,
They claimed it was nothing but a formality near.
But we quickly discovered the cruel, bitter truth,
Our lives were about to be robbed of their youth.
Oh, Marijke, that scene is etched in my mind,
As friends turned to foes, oh, how cruel and unkind.
Neighbors swooped in like vultures in flight,
“Let me take this; I’ll claim it,” they’d bite.
The bedroom was taken, the kitchen laid bare,
A frenzy of greed filled the cold morning air.
Shock and disbelief gripped my very core,
These were my friends; how could they ask for more?
We stood with our bags, our future unclear,
In my uncle’s yard, waiting in fear.
Rushed and chaotic, we packed on a whim,
There was no time for order; the chances were slim.
Then off to the station, on Shabbat, we went,
Crowded and anxious, our spirits were spent.
At dawn, more souls came from towns far away,
All waiting together, unsure of our stay.
The journey was long, agonizing and slow,
Through afternoon light into night’s afterglow.
In Poland, we landed, with hearts filled with doubt,
My father sought mercy, to find a way out.
He stepped to the general, standing proud and tall,
“See my rank,” he stated, “I’ve served through it all.”
But the chilling reply struck deep at our hope,
“A Jew is no citizen; you cannot elope.”
A broken man returned, his spirit now weak,
The weight of rejection left him unable to speak.
In that heart-wrenching moment, despair took its toll,
Under cold, hard disdain, it crushed us, our soul.
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Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel is spiritual leader of Temple Beth Shalom in Chula Vista.