Today we were guests in a kibbutz that includes the home of Simcha Berkowitz, who was 12 years old when he was on the train.
He was imprisoned at Bergen-Belsen in 1944 and still remembers vividly the filthy living conditions and the never-ending hunger … and the bodies piling up everywhere because the crematorium had broken down.
Simcha was there with his cousin. He saw his cousin beaten to death by sadistic Nazi guards.
“Angels sent from Heaven,” he said, describing the U.S. soldiers who rescued them from the train.
We’ve heard that a lot this week: “angels.”
One of my most cherished memories of the day — of the week — was the scene depicted here. The seated men are Josh Fronduti, Mike Edwards, and Joe Hammers. Standing behind them is Zvi Bessin, who was our tour guide and driver throughout the trip — but being fluent in English and Hebrew, he translated for this entire interview. Simcha spoke no English and is almost entirely deaf, so Zvi’s interpolation was essential. Back and forth in rapid exchanges: Mike asked a question in English, Zvi repeated it (loudly) in Hebrew, Simcha answered in Hebrew, Zvi instantly conveyed the heartfelt substance and subtleties of the answer in English …
You’ll see it in the movie!