Peace, Gratitude, &Tomorrow:
Lessons of a Holocaust Survivor
When you wake up in
the morning, do you think this is the last day of your
life? Can you shower whenever you want? Will your food
satisfy your hunger? These are questions which holocaust
survivor and Kansai
Victor Navarsky offers at lectures
about the horrors of his childhood. Silent about his
experience for 50 years, the great Hanshin earthquake
opened a door to the past. Just before his death in 2004,
he shared some reminisces on human cruelty and the meaning
of life with
Michael H. Fox
How did the great Hanshin earthquake affect you?
I was living in
Kobe and the possibility of sudden death rekindled the
terror of being a Jew in hiding during the Nazi occupation
of Poland. From 1945 to 1995, I tried to put the Holocaust
out of my mind. I avoided books, articles and movies about
the war. I would turn off the TV at the slightest mention
of the subject. But After the quake, I wanted to transmit
my experiences to children here in Japan. I gave a lecture
to middle school students in Fukuyama, near Hiroshima, and
since then I have opened up.
When
did things begin to get bad?
After the Germans invaded Poland, they began a systematic
persecution of Jews., In September 1941 all the Jews living
in Poland were forced into three cities. My family knew
that this was a trap and my parents, sister, two uncles,
and a nephew went into hiding. Nobody expected the war
would last long because, "the Russians will come very
soon." We hid in a pig stall, seven people behind a fake
wall, no water and no toilet. But the Germans were
vigilant, they scoured the countryside and measured the
walls of agricultural structures in order to detect hidden
spaces. We later moved from place to place. One day, when
my father was out looking for a new hiding place, he was
caught by the Germans and shot dead. No burial, no grave.
He just disappeared.
How
did you manage to survive?
We were aided by a young Polish neighbor, Julian Laskowski
a man in his twenties, who cut us a secret space in a stack
of straw. He was very brave because aiding Jews meant
death. We spent the winter nights of 1943 freezing in the
bundle, and the mornings picking the lice off our bodies .
Sometimes, Julian brought us food, but most of the time, I
foraged for scraps. I developed a remarkable sixth sense,
the ability to see and hear things beyond normal human
capacity. I could sense danger and find food by
extra-sensory means. I would steal tomatoes or cucumbers,
and when these were scarce, we would chew on sugar beets.
They are inedible but provided moisture and something to
ward off the hunger. Other times we chewed on raw rye and
wheat. I noticed that pigs could not reach the corners of
their troughs, and we lived on leftover pig swill: potato
skins, potatoes, and bran husks for awhile. More than
anything, I owe my survival to my mother. Despite the
constant threat of death, she never lost faith in God, and
we never lost faith that we would survive. The Soviet army
liberated us in January 1945. My uncles unfortunately did
not make it; they were caught two weeks before the
liberation and shot dead by the Germans
Did you ever come close to death?
In August 1944 we
were hiding inside a stack of newly harvested bundled rye.
I left the stack to pee one morning and was suddenly
surrounded by Polish field peasants. I was dressed in rags
so they immediately knew that I was a Jewish boy in hiding.
One of the farmers put his scythe around my 11 year old
neck, and I thought, "this is the end." Suddenly, this huge
peasant appears from nowhere, spits on the ground, stamps
his feet and shouts "Are you not ashamed of yourself? Don't
you have children of your own? Let the boy go." The scythe
was dropped, and I ran like hell. To this day, I don't
think he was an ordinary peasant, but an angel sent by God.
Do
you still have any bitterness?
I am less bitter at the Germans than I am with the Poles.
The Germans did not have the initiative to pursue those of
us who fled into the country. But the Poles became willing
guides. We were strangers to the Germans, but the Poles
were our neighbors. They had no obligations to help us, and
some demonstrated great courage in doing so. I often wonder
how many Jews would have risked their lives to save Poles,
had the situation been reversed. But all the Poles who went
out of their way to willingly collaborate in this
slaughter, there can be no forgiving these people.
Have you been back to Poland?
Yes, I have been back several times over the years. A few
years ago I, my children and grandchildren visited the town
where my grandfather lived. I was very surprised to find
his house still very much in tact. The owner showed us
around. That night, back in the hotel, I couldn’t sleep
remembering the door of the barn, especially its knob. I
tossed and turned on the bed thinking that my grandfather
and father had also touched the same knob. I returned the
next day and the owner let me buy the door. I shipped it
back to Israel and it decorates a wall in my son’s home: an
heirloom of remembrance.
Do
you have a prescription for happiness?
One problem in life is that we take so many things for
granted. You may think that you are entitled to whatever
you may possess, but this is a big mistake You should be
grateful for everything. Life can seem so impossible today,
but there is always a tomorrow. Tomorrow will be better. So
during life’s struggles, you must never give up. Even in
excruciating times, appreciate what you have, because there
are so many more people who have less.
Is it possible to spread peace?
I am skeptical of
those who cry peace in the political arena. Here in Japan,
there is so much talk about heiwa (peace), heiwa, heiwa.
Talking about peace in the abstract sense has little
meaning. Peace begins in the home, in the classroom, and in
the neighborhood. First you must be at peace with yourself,
and then you can love and spread peace to others.
Note: The Israeli government presented Julian Laskowski
with its highest civilian accolade,” The Righteous Among
the Nations,” the same award given to Oskar Schindler and
Chiune Sugihara.
This article was originally published in the magazine:
Kansai Time Out.