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Sam Weinreb, born April 5, 1929 in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, survived the Holocaust. He came home from a Bar Mitzvah lesson one day to find his family was gone. He was in Auschwitz for a year and one day total. Mr. Weinreb survived by escaping a death march. I set my shadow box up as a timeline. It starts out with a map of Czechoslovakia, to symbolize his home town. This is placed in the middle, almost like a home or a base for Mr. Weinreb’s life. It then goes to some Hebrew writing. The Hebrew writing in my shadow box was an artifact Sam could’ve been using to study. The next thing in my timeline is a swastika, symbolizing that the Germans invaded, making his life similar to hell. From there it goes to the Statue of Liberty. This stands for a number of things. The first would be hope and a new life in America. Sam’s life in America has been great. He has a family with two very successful kids. He has also just celebrated his sixty-seventh anniversary with his wife recently. The second thing the Statue of LIberty represents is freedom. Mr. Weinreb escaping the Nazis and gaining his life back was a miracle. If he didn’t escape he would have died. To symbolize Sam Weinreb’s success, I have a picture of him speaking; considering he speaks so much and changes many lives with his words. The last thing I have is flowers on the frame. This shows that Mr. Weinreb is a peaceful man. Even after what the Germans did to him and so many others he does not hold a grudge. He forgives But he will never forget.
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Sam kept marching like everyone else. The gun was at his back, and the SS soldiers were ready to pull the trigger if he so much as moved in a way they didn’t like. It was unbearable. The starvation, the exhaustion, he couldn’t go on much longer. However, he was so close. World War II’s end was near. The “death march” Sam Weinreb started off in consisted of five-thousand people. Towards the end they had just four-hundred people left. Sam was planning to escape, but his friend, David, thought he was crazy for doing so. “It had gotten to the point where it didn’t even matter if I died. I was no longer afraid,” Mr. Weinreb said. When he felt as if the SS soldiers were a little bit more relaxed, he bolted into the forest in the dead of night. And he didn’t look back once.
Sam Weinreb was a normal Jewish boy, born April 5, 1929, who lived with his parents, two brothers, and younger sister in Bratsilava, Czechoslovakia. It was an ordinary day for Sam. His bar mitzvah was only a couple weeks away, and he was coming home from one of his lessons when he found that no one was home and the doors were locked. That afternoon was the last time he would see any of his family members. His neighbor, who saw Sam standing outside alone, took him into his home and told him that his family had been taken away. The neighbor made arrangements for Sam to go with a man to the Hungarian border where, at the time, it was safe. Mr. Weinreb explained that at the time he was furious with his neighbor because all Sam wanted was to find his family, and the neighbor wasn’t helping find his family, but helping him escape. That same evening at around midnight, Sam arrived at the Hungarian border. He had decided to go find his uncle in Budapest and stay with him.
“I will never forget the look on my uncle’s face when he opened the door and saw me standing there. He knew something terribly bad must’ve happened.” His uncle offered to have him stay as long as he liked, but he ended up only staying for about three or four weeks. The reason for this was because one of the neighbors reported Sam’s uncle to the authorities for hosting an illegal foreigner. His uncle immediately had to make new arrangements, but somehow the police already knew about those too. Sam was now a thirteen-year old boy living on the streets of Budapest. Sam had nowhere to call home, no family, and was not sure how he was going to get food for the next day even. Imagine how lonely he must’ve been! Occasionally, people would help him by sparing some food scraps once in awhile. He mostly rummaged through trash cans behind restaurants as his daily source of meals. Sam couldn’t find any work either. He offered to scrub floors and clean dishes, but no one would take him.
Sam Weinreb lived like this for around six months until he couldn’t take it anymore. He turned himself into the police, telling them every single detail of his story. “What could they do to a thirteen year-old boy, who has no family, no home, and his only crime was being born Jewish? How wrong I was to think that.” Before he could even finish speaking the officer slapped him across his face and spoke these words, “There’s only one place you are going and that is prison.” Sam, now a thirteen year-old boy with no family, no home, no food, was now going to prison without any judicial process or hearing.
Sam spent two years in that prison. The criminals in the prison, however, treated him very well. When he was finally released to stay with his grandparents, he was told to report to the local police station twice a week, Tuesdays and Fridays, as a type of probation. When he reported to the police station on those days, he was beaten and called anti-Semitic names.This went on for a very long time until the Germans entered Hungary. It was really only a matter of time. The Nazis picked up all the Jews and put them into cattle cars, just like they had done to Sam’s family before in Czechoslovakia.The cattle cars were extremely cramped with terrible conditions. The Jews didn’t get food nor water the whole trip. People were going crazy right in front of Mr. Weinreb’s eyes.
After a long journey, Sam finally arrived in Birkenau, which was adjacent to Auschwitz, the most inhumane place on the earth. As his welcoming gift to Auschwitz a couple of soldiers entered the barrack where he was staying and chose two men. The soldier said, “You don’t look like you will be able to give a good days work,” and he shot them both on the spot. A sarcastic smile came across his face, “This, I am sure you will always remember.” Mr. Weinreb worked in the construction zone and the coal mine. For him, seeing thousands of people die each day was normal. He watched many people run into the barbed wire fence to commit suicide, but the scary part is the prisoners of the camp didn’t feel bad anymore. They had been dehumanized. “At least he will no longer suffer,” Sam quoted his thoughts.
Mr. Weinreb spent a year and one day in Auschwitz before the march started. This was very impressive considering it was very rare to see anyone survive one year in this terrifying place. The march was unbearable. Sam had to find a way out; he couldn’t go on. In the middle of night, while the SS soldiers continued to have the Jews march, Sam bolted out of the line and into the forest. He never stopped or looked back once. He awoke to find himself in a Russian military base, being taken care of with great hospitality. They nursed him back to health for a few months, and then sent him back to his hometown, where he was devastated with the realization that barely any of the people he was close with survived.
One day Mr. Weinreb ran into a girl whom he had known growing up. They stayed in touch, and now that girl is his wife. They wrote to each other back and forth, and she ended each letter telling him to try and immigrate to America. Sam decided he had to start somewhere. He went to the U.S. embassy the next day and told one of the soldiers that he wanted to travel to America. Three days later that same soldier showed up at the Displaced Persons Camp and told him that he would be going to America that very day. Sam was in shock!
Sam stayed in an orphanage in New York City, considering that he was just over sixteen when he arrived in this foreign land and he had nowhere else to go. Seven months later his girlfriend, Goldie, moved to the U.S., but quite a lot happened to Mr. Weinreb before then. A man who took a liking to Sam started visiting him every Sunday. The man brought him an English dictionary so that Sam could start learning the new language. The man did some digging and eventually uncovered that Sam had some relatives living in Mckeesport, Pennsylvania. The man asked permission of Sam to contact them Mr. Weinreb did give him permission. The next day one of his cousins showed up in New York to see him. His distant cousins invited Sam to visit them. So he went and stayed with them for two weeks and really enjoyed it. He decided to live in Mckeesport permanently.
Sam Weinreb is now eighty-three years old with two children, one daughter and one son. Sam’s wife is unfortunately sick, but on a side note they did just celebrate their sixty-fifth anniversary. Sam has had quite some journey! Sam spends a lot of his time now going to schools across the country to tell people about his journey and to educate them about the Holocaust. I don’t think I have ever been so touched by anything in my life. Being a Jewish boy and putting myself in Mr. Weinreb’s situation is unimaginable. It really is my responsibility to pass this story down. We must never forget this atrocity, or it will repeat itself. Sam Weinreb is undoubtedly one of the strongest people I know. And what a kind soul! After seeing so much hatred and gruesome things he is still able to forgive. That is a lesson we should all take from this. Forgive. But never forget.
Sam Weinreb was a normal Jewish boy, born April 5, 1929, who lived with his parents, two brothers, and younger sister in Bratsilava, Czechoslovakia. It was an ordinary day for Sam. His bar mitzvah was only a couple weeks away, and he was coming home from one of his lessons when he found that no one was home and the doors were locked. That afternoon was the last time he would see any of his family members. His neighbor, who saw Sam standing outside alone, took him into his home and told him that his family had been taken away. The neighbor made arrangements for Sam to go with a man to the Hungarian border where, at the time, it was safe. Mr. Weinreb explained that at the time he was furious with his neighbor because all Sam wanted was to find his family, and the neighbor wasn’t helping find his family, but helping him escape. That same evening at around midnight, Sam arrived at the Hungarian border. He had decided to go find his uncle in Budapest and stay with him.
“I will never forget the look on my uncle’s face when he opened the door and saw me standing there. He knew something terribly bad must’ve happened.” His uncle offered to have him stay as long as he liked, but he ended up only staying for about three or four weeks. The reason for this was because one of the neighbors reported Sam’s uncle to the authorities for hosting an illegal foreigner. His uncle immediately had to make new arrangements, but somehow the police already knew about those too. Sam was now a thirteen-year old boy living on the streets of Budapest. Sam had nowhere to call home, no family, and was not sure how he was going to get food for the next day even. Imagine how lonely he must’ve been! Occasionally, people would help him by sparing some food scraps once in awhile. He mostly rummaged through trash cans behind restaurants as his daily source of meals. Sam couldn’t find any work either. He offered to scrub floors and clean dishes, but no one would take him.
Sam Weinreb lived like this for around six months until he couldn’t take it anymore. He turned himself into the police, telling them every single detail of his story. “What could they do to a thirteen year-old boy, who has no family, no home, and his only crime was being born Jewish? How wrong I was to think that.” Before he could even finish speaking the officer slapped him across his face and spoke these words, “There’s only one place you are going and that is prison.” Sam, now a thirteen year-old boy with no family, no home, no food, was now going to prison without any judicial process or hearing.
Sam spent two years in that prison. The criminals in the prison, however, treated him very well. When he was finally released to stay with his grandparents, he was told to report to the local police station twice a week, Tuesdays and Fridays, as a type of probation. When he reported to the police station on those days, he was beaten and called anti-Semitic names.This went on for a very long time until the Germans entered Hungary. It was really only a matter of time. The Nazis picked up all the Jews and put them into cattle cars, just like they had done to Sam’s family before in Czechoslovakia.The cattle cars were extremely cramped with terrible conditions. The Jews didn’t get food nor water the whole trip. People were going crazy right in front of Mr. Weinreb’s eyes.
After a long journey, Sam finally arrived in Birkenau, which was adjacent to Auschwitz, the most inhumane place on the earth. As his welcoming gift to Auschwitz a couple of soldiers entered the barrack where he was staying and chose two men. The soldier said, “You don’t look like you will be able to give a good days work,” and he shot them both on the spot. A sarcastic smile came across his face, “This, I am sure you will always remember.” Mr. Weinreb worked in the construction zone and the coal mine. For him, seeing thousands of people die each day was normal. He watched many people run into the barbed wire fence to commit suicide, but the scary part is the prisoners of the camp didn’t feel bad anymore. They had been dehumanized. “At least he will no longer suffer,” Sam quoted his thoughts.
Mr. Weinreb spent a year and one day in Auschwitz before the march started. This was very impressive considering it was very rare to see anyone survive one year in this terrifying place. The march was unbearable. Sam had to find a way out; he couldn’t go on. In the middle of night, while the SS soldiers continued to have the Jews march, Sam bolted out of the line and into the forest. He never stopped or looked back once. He awoke to find himself in a Russian military base, being taken care of with great hospitality. They nursed him back to health for a few months, and then sent him back to his hometown, where he was devastated with the realization that barely any of the people he was close with survived.
One day Mr. Weinreb ran into a girl whom he had known growing up. They stayed in touch, and now that girl is his wife. They wrote to each other back and forth, and she ended each letter telling him to try and immigrate to America. Sam decided he had to start somewhere. He went to the U.S. embassy the next day and told one of the soldiers that he wanted to travel to America. Three days later that same soldier showed up at the Displaced Persons Camp and told him that he would be going to America that very day. Sam was in shock!
Sam stayed in an orphanage in New York City, considering that he was just over sixteen when he arrived in this foreign land and he had nowhere else to go. Seven months later his girlfriend, Goldie, moved to the U.S., but quite a lot happened to Mr. Weinreb before then. A man who took a liking to Sam started visiting him every Sunday. The man brought him an English dictionary so that Sam could start learning the new language. The man did some digging and eventually uncovered that Sam had some relatives living in Mckeesport, Pennsylvania. The man asked permission of Sam to contact them Mr. Weinreb did give him permission. The next day one of his cousins showed up in New York to see him. His distant cousins invited Sam to visit them. So he went and stayed with them for two weeks and really enjoyed it. He decided to live in Mckeesport permanently.
Sam Weinreb is now eighty-three years old with two children, one daughter and one son. Sam’s wife is unfortunately sick, but on a side note they did just celebrate their sixty-fifth anniversary. Sam has had quite some journey! Sam spends a lot of his time now going to schools across the country to tell people about his journey and to educate them about the Holocaust. I don’t think I have ever been so touched by anything in my life. Being a Jewish boy and putting myself in Mr. Weinreb’s situation is unimaginable. It really is my responsibility to pass this story down. We must never forget this atrocity, or it will repeat itself. Sam Weinreb is undoubtedly one of the strongest people I know. And what a kind soul! After seeing so much hatred and gruesome things he is still able to forgive. That is a lesson we should all take from this. Forgive. But never forget.