At just 12 years old, Herman Rosenblat lived a life of hardships. A Jewish boy in Nazi-occupied Poland, his life and his family dissolved around him each day. He was forced to leave his home with his family and live in a ghetto. Soon thereafter, his father fell ill. The doctor they snuck into their dwelling was unable to help; Mr. Rosenblat was dying of typhus. Before he passed, he said something which Herman never forgot: "If you ever get out of this war, don't carry a grudge in your heart and tolerate everybody." It was hard advice to remember in the coming months, when the rest of Herman's family would be sent to labor camps and he would be separated from his mother forever.
In Schlieben, Germany, nine year-old Roma Radziki posed as a Christian with her family to escape persecution. The Radzikis lived near a labor camp; Roma walked passed the chain link fence every day. Once, she caught the eye of a handsome boy on the other side. Asking herself what she could do to help him, Roma threw the boy an apple she was carrying. It was the beginning of a daily ritual that would last until Herman was scheduled to be transferred to a different camp. He told the strange girl he wouldn't be back at the fence the next day. "I won't see you anymore," she said. "Right, right. Don't come around anymore," he replied. Years passed, Herman's camp was liberated, and the two children forgot each other.
Herman eventually moved to New York, where ran a television repair shop. One night a friend offered to set him up on a blind date. Herman was not enthusiastic about meeting a strange girl, especially without knowing what she looked like, but he agreed. The strange girl was Roma.
After dinner, the two of them got to discussing their wartime experiences. Roma told Herman about the handsome boy who used to catch the apples on the other side of the fence, and Herman was astounded. "That was me," he said. He proposed that night. Roma thought he was crazy. But, two months later, she agreed. This summer, the couple celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.
To read the full story, visit http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/personal/10/13/holocaust.love.story.ap/index.html?iref=mpstoryview
Monday, October 13, 2008
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