By Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel
CHULA VISTA, California — In the voice of Leo Samuel, My Father:
Helpless and Lost
We were in the flour milling trade,
Serving folks twenty-five miles away, unafraid.
My father worked in lumber as well,
Railroads expanded; but soon business fell.
A million-dollar debt to the bank now,
For railroad expansion, no way to allow.
Our family had to sell almost all,
The grip of hardship made us feel small.
Religion shaped our lives every single day,
My father was faithful, guiding in his way.
With Rabbi skills, though he chose business,
His heart stayed true, despite the stress.
My mother hailed from wealth, not far away,
Twenty miles from Czerna, in comfort we’d stay.
The Depression struck hard, changing our course,
Essential needs met, though we lost our source.
I started at Czech schools, learning and growing,
But life shifted greatly, the threat was showing.
In thirty-nine, the Germans moved in fast,
The world I once knew was fading at last.
Before Hungarian control, Volusian’s cruel reign,
A harsh figure ruled with a punitive strain.
Hungary took charge, and relief felt brief,
But soon the darkness returned, bringing grief.
Life under the Germans was harsh and dire,
New laws enforced, our spirits grew tired.
Wearing yellow stars, a fate to detest,
My father’s protests led us to unrest.
In ghettos, we suffered, helpless and lost,
Brutality and fear; we paid a steep cost.
Enduring unimaginable pain, survival’s test,
A struggle for our lives; we had no rest.
We were taken to Khust, nearby to dwell,
A Ukrainian capital, where hope bid farewell.
Gathering point for us, packed tight and confined,
Fifty or sixty in rooms, all intertwined.
After a month and a half, they moved us fast,
They claimed labor camps awaited; we braced for the blast.
Little we knew of Auschwitz, horrors to be,
Packed into wagons, sixty strong, feeling so free.
This was nineteen forty-four, Pesta came near,
Living in our home, though freedom drew sheer.
If they had just waited three months in time,
Liberation perhaps could have changed our crime.
Eichmann prioritized deporting Jews on that train,
Ignoring our lives, causing unending pain.
He used trains to transport us from every town,
Taking us to Auschwitz, breaking us down.
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Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel is spiritual leader of Temple Beth Shalom in Chula Vista, California. Tomorrow: A poem about his aunt Miriam Samuel, in her voice.