Holocaust Survivor's Escape From Nazi Invasion Recounted

Eighty-seven years after the outbreak of World War II, Yossi Achimeir revisits the writings of his father, Avraham "Abba" Achimeir, detailing their harrowing escape from Poland with his wife, Sonia, and infant son, Yaakov. Abba Achimeir, a prominent figure who had previously been imprisoned by the British in Mandatory Palestine, left for Poland shortly after his son Yaakov's birth in July 1938. He reunited with his wife and infant son in Warsaw about a month later, seeing his child for the first time.

Achimeir's articles, published in the "HaBoker" newspaper under the pseudonym "Abag" (Aba Geisinovich), describe the initial days of the Nazi invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939. He recounts the German battleship Schleswig-Holstein opening fire on the Westerplatte peninsula at 4:45 AM, marking the start of the war. Achimeir contrasts the pastoral descriptions of Poland with the "terrible days" that followed, noting that while many leaders, including Ze'ev Jabotinsky and Hasidic rebbes, predicted no war, a simple Jew named Avraham Shapira correctly foretold its outbreak in late August or early September.

The family was in Otwock, near Warsaw, when the first bombs fell. Achimeir vividly describes the terror of the bombings, the immediate realization that war had begun, and the desperate flight to the basement of their home. He notes the irony that their well-built house, prepared for peace, included a basement that proved crucial for survival during the air raids. The narrative highlights the difficult decision to leave behind Achimeir's parents, who were later murdered by the Nazis in the Holocaust, including his mother, Menucha, and his father, Yehuda Leib, who perished in Treblinka.

The family's journey to safety was fraught with peril. They obtained transit visas for Romania and Turkey, hoping to reach Mandatory Palestine overland. Their train was repeatedly bombed, forcing them to seek shelter and leading to Achimeir sustaining a head injury from shrapnel. Despite the dangers, Achimeir successfully ensured the safety of his wife and son.

Achimeir's son, Yaakov, now 88, is a respected figure in the communications field in Israel, with his own family. The article concludes by drawing a parallel between the wartime need for basements in Poland and the modern-day protected rooms (Mamad) in Israeli homes, reflecting on the enduring need for security amidst ongoing conflict.