Lonek's Journey: The True Story of a Boy's Escape to Freedom
Aerial view of the center of Jaroslaw 12
1 War On a sunny day in August 1939 in his hometown of Jaroslaw Poland eleven year old Lonek Jaroslawicz was cheerfully walking home He had been playing soccer with his friends and was now heading home to tell his father all about it As he approached his home he saw his father standing at the front door dressed in the uniform of a Polish soldier Lonek began to feel puzzled and frightened In his small hometown Lonek had rarely seen a soldier His father was not a soldier so why was he dressed like one Lonek ran toward his father and asked him anxiously Papa what is happening Why are you dressed like that Lonek's father didn't smile the way he usually usually did when Lonek came home from school or was playing with a friend Lonek's fear increased when his father answered him in a serious tone Listen carefully Lonek I have to leave right away The Germans are stationing their troops on our border and they might invade Poland The German army is the strongest army in the world it's much stronger than ours But we must do everything we can to keep the Germans out of Poland That is why all of our men are joining the army While I am away listen to Mama and do everything you can to help her I will be back as soon as 13
possible Lonek's father quickly hugged him picked up his bag and walked off toward the center of the town All that summer frightening rumors had been spreading through Jaroslaw At first the rumors had only been whispers but by August they were no longer just rumors but frightening frightening possibilities Lonek was aware that the adults around him were troubled and preoccupied They spoke in low voices among themselves so that the children wouldn't hear what they were saying Lonek overheard words like Hitler Germans Nazis invasion and war Lonek who was Jewish knew that Adolf Hitler the dictator of Germany had contempt for the Poles but Hitler had a particular hatred for Jews He had heard that thousands of Jews in Germany had been arrested and imprisoned imprisoned The danger of Hitler ruling a country right next to his own worried Lonek at times But most of the time he managed not to think about it For the most part Lonek's life was happy He liked his hometown In contrast to many very poor towns Lonek had seen in Poland Jaroslaw was pretty and had pleasant parks where he could play He lived in a nice house with his father mother and three year old brother Heimek Lonek was eight years old when his father first brought Heimek home from the hospital Back then he wasn't sure if he wanted a little brother Well Lonek shall we keep him his father had asked Lonek had taken a long look at the tiny baby Then he had placed his finger in Heimek's hand just as he had seen his father do The baby had curled his fingers around Lonek's Well as long as he's here let him stay he had replied Now Lonek loved 14
Heimek who was always toddling after his big brother throughout throughout the house Lonek was very proud of his father who owned a broom factory factory that was just across the street from the soccer field Lonek burst with happiness whenever his father came to watch him play soccer Sometimes he came even if he had to leave work in the middle of the day And his father was always doing helpful things for other people For instance he trained blind people in his factory so that they could earn a living Many people came to Lonek's father for advice Some of these people didn't know how to read and write so Lonek's father wrote letters for them Lonek's mother owned a store in the town square where she sold the brooms his father produced She also kept house and enjoyed playing with Lonek The household included one other person whom Lonek loved sixteen year old Sosa his live in babysitter Sosa was a farm girl who took care of Lonek and Heimek while their mother worked She took them to the park where together they built beautiful sandcastles and she was good at thinking up new and interesting games to play Lonek thought of Sosa more as a playmate than a babysitter Lonek liked his neighbors The ladies were like kind aunts who stopped to talk to him and frequently gave him treats He liked playing with their children too On Jewish holidays the families gathered around a big table shared their food and ate and drank together But Lonek also had problems and school was one of them It was not that he didn't like going to school He did well in school and wanted to be as smart as his father who spoke four languages 15
