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This document summarizes the life of Leon Leyson, a Polish Jew who survived the Holocaust due to the efforts of Oskar Schindler. It describes how Leon was born in Poland in 1929 and how his family was forced to live in the Krakow ghetto after Germany invaded Poland. Leon and his family were later transported to the Plaszow concentration camp, where Leon had to do forced labor. In 1945, Leon and his mother were transported to Schindler's factory, where his father worked. Oskar Schindler risked his life to save over 1,200 Jews, including Leon and his family. After the war, Leon emigrated to California and had a long teaching career.

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Mary Blue Pohjola
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31 views3 pages

Untitled Document

This document summarizes the life of Leon Leyson, a Polish Jew who survived the Holocaust due to the efforts of Oskar Schindler. It describes how Leon was born in Poland in 1929 and how his family was forced to live in the Krakow ghetto after Germany invaded Poland. Leon and his family were later transported to the Plaszow concentration camp, where Leon had to do forced labor. In 1945, Leon and his mother were transported to Schindler's factory, where his father worked. Oskar Schindler risked his life to save over 1,200 Jews, including Leon and his family. After the war, Leon emigrated to California and had a long teaching career.

Uploaded by

Mary Blue Pohjola
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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1934 - Hitler becomes dictator of Germany and wants to

exterminate the Jewish population.


A boy named Leon (Leib) Leyson was born in September of
1929, in Narewka, Poland. He had three brothers and one
sister. His father moved first to Krakow when he was three
then the rest his family moved there when he was eight.

In 1939 Germany invaded Poland and World War ll began.


The Jews were forced to wear a yellow star indicating that
they were Jewish.
The Nazis invaded Krakow and started transporting Jews to
concentration camps and executing them. Soon after, Leon
and his family were forced to live in the ghetto. Leon’s father
already had a job working for Oskar Schindler so he was able
to get jobs for most of his family.

On December 7, 1941 Japan attacked the US at Pearl Harbor.


The United States declared war on Japan and Germany. Up to
15,000 Jews were killed a day.
His family was transported to a concentration camp called
Plaszow. “The moment I entered the gates of Plaszow, I was
convinced I would never leave alive.” Leon had to work 12
hour days outside lugging rocks and heaving stones and was
only fed one meal of water with a couple chunks of potato in it.

In 1945 Hitler committed suicide and then Germany and Japan


both surrendered. World War ll ended.
Leon and his mother were transported to Schindler's factory
where his dad was located. They stayed there until the
German army was finally defeated and had to retreat.
Schindler convinced the soldiers to leave and said to the
Jewish workers “You are free.”
Oskar Schindler was important because

● he was a member of the Nazi party


● He saved over 12,000 Jews
● He ran the ammunition factory where he employed
Jewish workers
● He risked his life trying to save the Jews
● More than half of his workers were Jews
● He considered everybody important even if they were a
Jew

When Schindler's factory had to be moved, the workers were


loaded into trailers by gender. They stopped one time and they
were required to shave their head and strip down. The men
arrived, but the women’s trailer was stopped by Nazi soliders.
Schindler traveled to the women’s trailer and convinced the
soldiers that he needed every last person to work in his
factory.

Leon was the youngest Jew to work in Schindler's factory. “ I


was so small that I had to stand on an overturned wooden box
to reach the controls of the machine.”

After the war Leon and his parents moved to California. He


graduated from college in 1958 and then he taught high school
for thirty nine years. He also got married to Lis in July of 1965
and had two children. He died on January 12, 2013.

I knew about this event before reading it but I did not know all
of the details. I think the details made a real difference and
made me understand how terribly they were treated during
this time.

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