Sam Oliner was 12 years old when German soldiers, Nazis, swept through his Polish village. The Nazis ordered all Jews to quickly pack a few belongings and then moved them into a crowded, sealed-off neighborhood 10 miles (16 km) away. Two miserable months of near starvation passed. Then the Nazis came again at dawn. They yelled and pounded on Sam’s door. His stepmother told him, “Run away, my child, so that you will live!” Still in his pajamas, Sam ran and hid on the roof. From high up, he watched the soldiers load everyone else onto trucks and drive away. It was 1942, and World War II was tearing Europe, and his family, apart.
“I Will Help”
The next day, Sam snuck back down to their rooms. His mother had died when he was seven. Sam wanted the only photo of her, but he couldn’t find it.
