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[Page 335]
In 1990, the Association of Sandzer Jews in Israel organized a tour to Sandz in Poland. The delegation was large and was headed by the president of the group, Chaim Bromfeld. The late Rabbi Pinchas Rosengarten, a native of Sandz and former chaplain of the Jewish soldiers in the Polish Army under the command of General Wladyslaw Anders, escorted us and provided excellent explanations regarding the Jews of Sandz. He knew his Jewish history
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| The late Rabbi Pinchas Rosengarten in Polish uniform, rabbi in the Anders Army and was able to coherently explain historical facts |
Rabbi Rosengarten survived the war in the Soviet Union. When the Polish government and the Soviet government decided to establish a Polish Army in Russia he was invited to assume the post of Jewish military chaplain of the Polish army. The army headed by Anders eventually left Russia and reached Palestine where it began to train and later joined the British 8th Army in Africa.
The group was also escorted by the Israeli television personality Zvi Slepon and scriptwriter Israel Winer. They extensively filmed the city and later produced a historical documentary entitled “There Were Once Jews in Sandz.” The movie was also shown on Israeli television. In Sandz, I met the sons of the late righteous Krol who saved six members of the Steilauf family during the war. They took the entire delegation to the actual site where the family was hidden. We visited a few concentration camps. We then saw a movie that portrayed the suffering of the Jews during the war. I appeared in several scenes in the movie. The Polish press took an interest in our visit and published items about our visit. We were also invited to the mayor's office where Rabbi Rosengarten delivered a lengthy historical lecture in flawless Polish on Jewish contributions to the city of Sandz. The entire event was filmed and presented on Israeli television. While in Poland I met members of the Karol family. We returned back to Israel where the documentary film about Sandzer Jews was being finished. On completing the film, the Sandzer Jews in Israel were invited to attend the official screening of the film about Jews in Sandz at the Museum of the Diaspora in Tel Aviv.
With the end of the war with Iran, Iraq invaded Kuwait and took control of the oil fields. The United States and other countries could not let this situation continue and declared war on Iraq. Saddam Hussein warned the allies that he would “burn half of Israel” if they attacked Iraq. The threat had to be taken seriously. The IDF was concerned at the availability to Saddam Hussein of considerable quantities of Russian–made Scud missiles with a range of 600 kms., against which no effective countermeasure was as yet in Israel's arsenal; particularly if those missiles were to be equipped with chemical warheads, which Saddam was reputed to have perfected with the help of German companies.
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| People sitting in a so–called safe room with gas masks on their face during the missile attacks |
On the night of January 17/18, 1991, coalition air forces attacked Iraq. In response, Iraq fired salvos of ground–to–ground missiles into Israel. Over a period of more than one month, approximately 38 Iraqi versions of Scud missiles fell (33 El Hussein missiles and 5 El Tijara missiles) in 19 missile attacks. These missiles mainly hit the greater Tel Aviv region, mainly Ramat Gan and Haifa, although western Samaria and the Dimona area were also hit by missiles. Directly, these attacks caused two civilian deaths, although indirectly, they caused heavy damages.
I lived in one of the targeted areas but we escaped without harm from the missiles that hit our area. On September 28, 1993, I met the famous producer Steven Spielberg who was finishing the last shots of his movie entitled “Schindler's List.” He invited my wife and myself to participate in the movie and asked us to come to Jerusalem where we spent the night at the Zion Hotel overlooking the walls of the old city. We were also invited to supper at the King David Hotel where we met some of the main actors such as Ben Kingsley who participated in the film. The event was very impressive and memorable. Some other Sanzder survivors were
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| Rivkah Lustig, Steven Spielberg and Mordechai Lustig at the King David Hotel |
also there such as Samek Teitelbaum, Mordchai Blauzenstein and Basha Hendler. The next morning we had breakfast at the hotel, and then the entire group went to the Christian cemetery of Jerusalem where Oskar Schindler is buried. Spielberg ordered the film crew to film the entire event as we approached the grave arm in arm.
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| From right to left: Rivka Lustig, Mordechai Lustig, the memorial. Alex Sral and the guide at Ebensee concentration camp |
On July 20, 1995, Rivkah and I joined a tour that went to Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Munich, Germany. I was familiar with Munich, having spent some time following the war in the city. We left Munich by ourselves and headed to Salzburg, Bad Ischl, Linz, Edelsberg and Ebensee. Places where I suffered and starved daily. The places brought back sad and tragic memories, especially the last place where I was liberated in May 6, 1945. While traveling to the Ebensee concentration camp I ran into an old buddy from the Palmach days, Alex Sral and his wife Sara. We exchanged small talk and then headed to the memorial. I recorded the place on video. We then headed to Vienna where we spent the night and then headed to the Melk concentration camp where I had endured hell. We visited the place and recorded the visit. I even bought a book about the camp in German. We then left for Israel.
I returned to Poland in 1994 with the committee of Sandzer Jews in Israel to bring special inscribed panels that were attached to the entrance of the famous synagogue in Sandz. At the ceremony, the mayor of Sandz and other important Polish officials participated and the Polish press described the entire event. Rivkah and I then extensively toured Sandz, Krynica, Lublin, Biala Podlaski, Janow Podlaska and Warsaw. We returned home and began to renovate our house, especially the kitchen.
In 1996 we joined an organized tour of the United States and Canada. We landed in New York, headed to Washington, D.C., then to Philadelphia, Boston and Toronto. We flew from Toronto to Buffalo, then to the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas. We reached Los Angeles by plane and headed to San Francisco. We then flew to Orlando, Palm Beach, Miami and New York. Exhausted, we flew back home. The next year we took a small tour to Turkey that included Anatolia, Istanbul, Izmir, Kusha and Dashi. The same year,1997, we were invited to participate in a special reception for the famous righteous Pole, Jerzy Bielecki, who came to Israel. The reception received headlines, for Bielecki was a great hero but never pushed himself to the forefront.
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| Mordechai Lustig with Jerzy Bielecki |
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Jerzy Bielecki and Cyla Cybulska during the war
Jerzy Bielecki was arrested by the Gestapo on suspicion of belonging to the Polish resistance. He was sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp. He spoke German and slowly reached a position that enabled him to plan his daring escape. Dressed as an S.S. officer he supposedly took his friend Cyla Cybulska to be interrogated. They escaped from the camp in 1944. They walked at night until they reached a relative's home who took them to Krakow. Here they were separated for safety reasons. He remained in Krakow and she was sent to a farm. Both survived the war but did not meet until 1993. He went to live in Nowy Targ, Poland. She met and married David Zacharowicz. They moved to Sweden and then to the United States.
The next year, the association of Palmach veterans organized a parade in the streets of Jerusalem. I took part in the parade in Jerusalem of the veterans of the Palmach headed by Zvi Zamir in 1998. Prior to the parade, I met former comrades in arms who brought back many pleasant and unpleasant memories. I met a number of people who I had not seen for a long time. The next year we went to Scandinavia and sailed on a ferry along the coast to Finland. Helsinki was a nice city and we continued our trip to Norway and Denmark.
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| Palmach veterans parading under the leadership of Zvi Zamir |
On May 9, 2000, I was invited to participate in the celebration of the defeat of Germany at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem under the auspices of the Prime Minister of the State of Israel, Ehud Barak. The ceremony was very impressive and I saw many veterans who participated in the fight against Germany. The prime minister was kind enough to permit me to have my picture taken with him. We returned to Poland the next year where we erected tombstones for my dear family that was murdered by the Nazis. They were buried in a mass grave at the Jewish cemetery in Sandz. I ordered the erection of a white marble headstone to be executed while I was in Israel. I continued my trip in Poland to Krynica and Lublin where I met the righteous gentile Stefan Mazor who saved the Jewish girl, Berta Kornman, in the clock tower of the municipal building of Sandz. She was no longer alive. I was in contact with him until he died.
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| Prime Minister of Israel and Mordechai Lustig at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem |
In July 2007 we left again for Poland and landed in Warsaw where we had a reservation at the Halupa Hotel. We stayed three days in the capital and
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| Meeting old friends from Sandz at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem |
proceeded to the resort place called Czehocinek located in the northwest of Poland. We remained one week at the resort where we had a nice time. We then left for the Victoria Hotel in Lublin where we met some friends. Roman took us to Lanalczow where we spent a nice day and ended by inviting everybody to supper at the Shalom restaurant. The next day we left for Rzeszow and lodged at the “Hatman” Hotel. There we met some of the people who had worked very hard to erect a Jewish memorial at the death camp of Pustkow near the city of Debice. The Polish government had erected Polish and Russian monuments right after the war but no Jewish monument despite the fact that the number of Jewish killed at the camp was the largest.
I first met Marek Kszenzor and Janusz Korbacki and his wife Annia. She immediately called Waclaw Wiezibienec, a Judaica professor. The latter arrived the next morning, escorted by two students and he interviewed me along the road to the site. From the road to the memorial of Pustkow were many stairs. I lit a memorial candle and recited the Kaddish for the thousands of Jews who were killed at the place. I also recited the prayer El Malei Rachmim or merciful God. About 10 days prior to my arrival at Pustkow, the Jewish memorial was dedicated in a very impressive official ceremony that included the planting of trees for Moshe Oyster, Asher Laor Lamansdorf and myself. We spent some time with our friends and then went to visit the city of Lancut where we visited the castle of Graf Potocki. We returned to the city of Rzeszow and spent time with our friend Tadeusz Pienta and his wife who were the main pushers of the Jewish memorial at Pustkow. We took pictures and they presented me with a pine sapling that they would plant in my honor at the Pustkow memorial. We said good bye and left for Sandz where municipal officials were waiting with a proposal. They wanted to send a delegation of three officials to Israel to interview Sandzer Jews in order to publish a book on Jews in Sandz. There was only one problem: there was no money for the project. I even met the deputy city mayor regarding the money problem but the subject was dropped. I gave several interviews, notably to “Gazeta Wyborcza”, “Nasz Beskid” and the local paper. I again met with the righteous Poles in the city, namely the Karol family and the Jewish woman Anna Kriegel and her husband Eduard Leszinski.We left Sandz and headed to the spa of Krynica to rest for 10 days at the “Levigrad” Hotel. As we were leaving, Yehuda, the son of Samek bar Ilan, showed up with his wife and mother–in–law and the driver Wacek. We all piled into the car and headed to Krakow where we had ice cream and promenaded in the city. We then left for our hotel, packed and headed to the airport. We passed the customs office and boarded a plane for Warsaw where we took the flight to Israel.
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| Certificate issued by the Defense Ministry to all participants in the War of Independence |
On June 1, 2008, the Israeli Ministry of Defense invited all soldiers who participated in the War of Independence of 1948 to be honored by their presence at the artistic ceremony dedicated to them. Following the ceremony, certificates were distributed to each of the participating soldiers in the war. I met many former Palmach soldiers, members of the 6th Battalion and other soldiers who I knew. We reminisced about the past. In July we again left Israel for Poland. We landed in Warsaw and proceeded to a well–known spa called Srodborowianka, near Otwock. The trip lasted about one hour. The Jewish–owned place was renowned as a Jewish rest home prior to the war. Presently there was a Jewish organization named Shalom in Warsaw that tended to Jewish war veterans. The head of the organization was Albert Herman who was also in charge of the spa. About 90 percent of the visitors were Jews. The prices were very reasonable, 150 zlotys per day for full pension. We remained at the resort two weeks. Occasionally we visited Warsaw or Otwock. We walked a great deal at the resort that is located in a forest. With us was the Fuchs family and a few other families from Ramat Gan. Most of the visitors were Jews from all over Europe. There were also non–Jews. Each Friday night, candles were lit, the blessing over the wine was made, traditional Jewish meals were served that included carp, chicken soup, challah. Songs were sung at the tables and once there was even a Jewish singer from the Warsaw Jewish theater. We spent 11 days at the resort and left for Ciechocinek pod Teurzeniami. which we had already visited in the past. The place served three full meals each day, and provided daily entertainment and dances. We walked about in the place. After a week we left the place. We took a taxi and headed for Warsaw and checked in at the Chalupa Hotel. On Saturday we went to the famous Nozyk Synagogue.
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| Nozyk Synagogue in Warsaw Poland (Yad Vashem Archives) |
The Nożyk Synagogue is the only surviving prewar Jewish synagogue in Warsaw, Poland. There were about 400 synagogues in 1939. It was built in 1898–1902 and was restored after World War II. It is still operational and currently houses the Warsaw Jewish Commune, as well as other Jewish organizations.
While we attended services, there was a bar mitzvah party. The official Jewish slaughterer of Warsaw , a converted Christian, dressed as a Hasid in Bnei Brak was celebrating his son's bar mitzvah. There were about 40 people in the synagogue. Following the services, the congregants were offered wine and cakes. Then everybody was invited to go to the nearby restaurant where a traditional meal was served on paper plates. Cold and hot dishes were available as well as beer, vodka and cola. We also visited Stalin's building in Warsaw. He gave the building as a gift to Poland. We also saw the international dance festival held in Warsaw. We then then flew home
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| Mordechai Lustig with the honorable Polish Ambassador Agniedzka Magdzach at Yad Vashem in 2009 |
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| Mordechai Lustig with Judge Bach and Roman Jagiello at Yad Vashem |
Yad Vashem in Jerusalem invited us to the official ceremony in 2009 that celebrated the defeat of Germany by the Allies. Many surviving veterans who participated in the war were present as were members of the diplomatic corps, including the Polish ambassador to Israel, the honorable Agnieszka Magdzach. She was kind enough to consent to have her picture taken with me. She placed a wreath of flowers at the memorial.
Later the same year we flew to Poland for the eighth time. We landed in Krakow and headed for Sandz. We prepared an exact plan for this trip. On Friday evening we would meet Anna, on Saturday morning we would meet Lesniak and Koltz. For lunch we made a reservation with Koltz. On Sunday we would visit the cemetery where 400 Jews are buried, including my parents, sister and brother. I planned to light candles in their memory and recite Kaddish for them. I also intended to visit the grave of the late rabbi Chaim Halberstam. I planned to visit the Meleck family. For lunch, I wanted to meet the Tokaz family and for supper the righteous Laura Kozik and her brother Artur Karol. Everything went according to plan in Sandz. We then left for Mszana Dolna and from there to Slomka where my grandfather had lived. We had a good time with the grandchildren of my grandfather's neighbors' children. On Tuesday we met the mayor of Sandz and thanked him for placing a memorial plaque for the Jews of Sandz who were killed in the action of April 29, 1942. The plaque was placed in the center of the Jewish ghetto. The meeting and the event were publicized in the local press. On Wednesday we were invited to the Lewowska museum. We were escorted by the daughter of Rutenberg who is married to a Russian woman. The latter was very active in cultural activities in the city. She also lectures on art and was writing a book. The next day Koltz took us to breakfast. We left for Krynica later in the day. We remained at the spa for 15 days and enjoyed ourselves. One day I received a telephone call from Marcin Kowalski that I was needed in Sandz where they were shooting a movie and they wanted to take shots with me in the special places like the ghetto of Sandz, the place where I lived in Sandz. When the shooting was done, we went to eat and they drove me back to Krynica. We left the place and headed to Zakopane where the movie crew continued to shoot our movements throughout the city. The filming continued at the hotel in Krakow, at the Plaszow concentration camp site and at the Schindler place. We were then returned to the Schindler place where a ceremony was conducted by the famous Jagielonski University prior to the opening of the Schindler Museum in Krakow. The university wanted to create authenticity by presenting me at the ceremony as having survived the place. The film crew also included this event and asked me to describe the conditions in Plaszow and at Schindler's place. Following the interview they drove us to the Eden Hotel. The crew presented us with a book entitled “The Legends of Krakow.” We then left for home. Shortly thereafter, the Polish film crew came to Israel to continue shooting shots of us in Israel. In 2010, we were notified that the documentary was finished. It runs for about a half an hour. I was presented with a copy of the film. The film was sold to the city of Sandz.
In March 2010, I received an invitation from the city of Krakow asking me to attend the official opening of the Oskar Schindler Museum in Krakow. The event would take place June 10, 2010, and all expenses would be paid by the municipality of Krakow. We flew to Warsaw and then took a plane to Krakow where a car awaited us. We were driven to the Krakowia Hotel. We dressed and went to the restaurant where we were invited to join the assistant mayor of the city. We ate and then proceeded to the opening of the museum. About a thousand guests arrived to partake in the event. Many Jewish delegations from Israel and
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| The Lustigs at the opening of the Oskar Schindler Museum in Krakow |
other countries arrived. Yad Vashem in Jerusalem was represented by Avner Shalev, head of the institution. Speeches were made by several people, while a film describing Jewish life in Krakow under the German occupation was shown. Then the mayor and the director of the museum removed the veil at the entrance to the museum and a group of us were directed to be the first visitors of the museum. The mayor professor Jacek Maichrowski and the director of the museum, Magister Michael Neizabitowski, received us. The audience applauded us and then the crowd entered the museum. Following the visit, we were invited to a very nice reception where there was an abundance of food and beverages. On the way out, I gave some interviews to the press and was driven to the hotel. The next day, we had breakfast and then were driven back to the museum where they screened a film that I participated in. The film dealt with Schindler and Jewish life in Krakow under the occupation. We had lunch at a famous restaurant in the center of the city with the mayor and his assistant, Krzysztow Gruner. We were driven back to the hotel. We also had supper with a municipal official. The next day was very hot and we spent it resting. In the afternoon we were driven to the airport and left the city for Frankfurt and then Tel Aviv.
Later this year, we returned to Poland and headed to Sandz where we visited the Jewish cemetery and lit a candle. I recited the Kaddish for the death souls. We then met the mayor, Riszard Nowak, and his deputy, Jerzy Gwizdz, newspapermen, the head of the local college and some righteous people. We then left for the village of Slomka near Mszana Dolna. We continued our trip to Krynica, Lublin, Biala–Podolska, Zamosc, Tomaszow Lubelski, Bełżec.
Bełżec extermination camp
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| Memorial at the site of the extermination camp at Bełżec |
Bełżec in the district of Lublin started out as a slave labor camp in 1940. It was then converted into a massive extermination camp. It is estimated that 500,000 to 600,000 people were killed in the camp, mostly Galician Jews including the Jews of Sandz and vicinity. The extermination camp operated from March 17, 1942, to the end of December 1942. With the German military defeats in the east, the S.S. decided to dig up the buried corpses and disposed of them. They exhumed the bodies and burned them on five open–air grids and bone crushing continued until March 1943 and back to Lublin. We then left for the spa of Srodborowianka near Otwock. Marcin Kowalski, who made a film about us a year ago, arrived there. The movie, entitled in Polish Statista or “silent actor,” was awarded third place at the international documentary festival in 2011. He took us to his estate in Kruszwica, a distance of about 250 kilometers from the spa. He insisted that we should be his guests at a party in honor of his marriage of 10 years. The party was impressive with many family guests and his two children. He gave original films that he made of me and some nice individual shots. The next day, he and his small son took us sightseeing. Indeed a beautiful place. We ate lunch and then Krzystow Smith took us back to the Srodborowianka spa. There we met some acquaintances from two years earlier. On Friday night, candles were lit, Kiddush over the wine was made, followed by a traditional Jewish meal that included fish, chicken soup with noodles, chicken, tea and cake. Songs were sung. We had a very nice time. The vacation ended, we flew back home where our children awaited us. We were exhausted but felt good. I decided to stop working in the movies. I now decided to retire at last.
This is my story of a Jewish individual who was lucky to survive and tell his story. I cannot give advice or direction of how I survived for I do not know. I was not the smartest or the bravest or the strongest, yet I managed to survive all the hardships and resume life and build a family in Israel that would continue Jewish history.
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| The Lustigs at their granddaughter Sivan's bat mitzvah |
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| Mordechai Lustig with his son's family |
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