Soldier, Holocaust Survivor Have Emotional Reunion After 65 Years

[Behind the Aegis]

BY LAURA BERMAN
The Detroit News

In the fall of 1945, a Soviet soldier hoisted a 5-year-old boy aloft and paraded him through a Lithuanian synagogue that had been closed throughout a long Nazi occupation.

For 65 years, the boy and the soldier carried that moment in their heads and hearts. Unknown to each other, they told the story to family and friends. A Toronto songwriter memorialized it in song. The boy became a man and included the anecdote in his 2003 book.

On Thursday, they met and embraced for the first time since then in Rabbi Leo Goldman's Oak Park living room.

"It was very emotional, much more than I would have expected," says the former small boy. He is Abraham Foxman, the New York-based director of the Anti-Defamation League. In that role, he is a public voice against racial and religious intolerance.

The soldier is Goldman, 91, an Orthodox rabbi in Oak Park and an educator who continued to work as a Beaumont Hospital chaplain until a few months ago.

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[aquart]

1. My God, he was a Jew in the Soviet army?

That must have been fun.

[COLGATE4]

3. There were lots of Jews in the Soviet Army

At least during my grandfather's time as a conscript, Jews were usually not more badly treated than the other soldiers since, among other things, they were literate (as many of the other Russian soldiers were not) and so could read and write for them.

[izquierdista]

4. Soviets were of many nationalities

That's why it was the Soviet Union. Jewish was one of the many nationalities, and a sizable one at that.

[Chef Eric]

5. No, that's not why it was called the Soviet Union.

It was called the Soviet Union because it was a union of 15 republics.

[Diclotican]

6. Chef Eric

Chef Eric

And it was many different nationalites in the Soviet Union.. The USSR was a BIG country, even today, with Russia, and not the other 15 nations, inside its border, the country is still a BIG country compared to many other nations... Its bigger than USA even?.

Anyway, it have "allways" been a large group of jews in Russia, and then in the Soviet Union.. Before the first war, and the russian revolution, the jewish comunity in the western parts of Russia, the Baltic States, and in Poland have a rich herritage, and in this large area also some of europas best artist, experts sienteces and so one was born, and got their education.. Not everyone know that Copernicenus was a jew, who also was one of the gratest mind of his time... And in banking, and in music, in the eastern part of Poland, the western part of Russia before WW1, many jews had the aknowlegde of even the most anti-semetic governour..

Not to say the religious piety who was great in Russia and Poland. A lot of Modern attitude into the more philosofical parts of the jewish religion was born, and nutured in this area for houndred of years.. And the jewish seminares, who educated rabbi's all over europe, was situated in this area

But, after world war two, all of this was more or less in ruin, the whole rich culture who had prospered for houndred of years - and even survived the prosecution under Stalins great purge, dosent survived the Holocaust, and many of the jewish greatest mind, ended their life in konsentration camps, either of starwing, or by gass.... It was murder of far more than just a pepole, it was allmoust also a murder of a whole culture.. A culture who was rich, and who had given Europe far more than it have been given by others..

Diclotican

[aquart]

8. Jewish is a nationality? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

Dear God, to hear this drivel in the 21st century. After all the money the UN spent trying to educate people.

[izquierdista]

9. Yes

If you got out a little more often, that wouldn't surprise you.

[billh58]

10. Being born Jewish

is very close to being born into a nationality. When converting to Judaism, however, one only accepts the religious faith but still has no direct descent from the Hebrew or other Semitic-speaking tribes. See these articles for more clarification:

http://www.jewfaq.org/whoisjew.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semitic

[proteus_lives]

7. They held off till the war was over.

Then the traditional attitudes towards Jews in Russia reasserted themselves.

[eShirl]

2. thanks for posting

I enjoyed reading this