Lonek's Journey: The True Story of a Boy's Escape to Freedom
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
languages But some of Lonek's classmates hated Jews Not just one or two of their classmates but all Jews everywhere They teased and bullied the Jewish children at school If any of the Jewish students did well on a test they grabbed their test papers after class and ripped them up In the playground and after school these boys and girls ran after the Jewish children and called them names Since some of the teachers didn't like Jews either they didn't protect the Jewish children Lonek often wondered why some people didn't like Jews He asked his mother who explained Unfortunately there are people who are so narrow minded that they dislike anyone who is different from them in any way They may not even know anything about Jews They may not ever have even met a Jew They are anti Semitic As a result Lonek did not mix much with the non Jewish children but he enjoyed spending time with his family his neighbors and their children A few days after Lonek's father left to join the army Lonek suffered another loss Late one morning Sosa's father arrived unexpectedly with his horse and wagon Because it took him many hours to travel from his farm to Jaroslaw he usually stayed to talk and have a cup of tea with Lonek and his mother but not this time He quickly stated his purpose Sosa must come home with me I am worried about the Germans at the border There is too much danger with Hitler threatening Poland At a time like this families must be together together He then turned to Sosa and said Come Sosa there is no time to lose Sosa quickly gathered her belongings and before 16
Lonek could even get a good bye hug her father had pulled Sosa up onto the wagon and they had disappeared around the corner With both Sosa and his father gone Lonek felt strange He moped around the quiet house Everybody seemed different They were tense and irritable People on the streets didn't smile or stop to say hello anymore They hurried by their minds were on other things Housewives were busy buying food and storing water in case the Germans crossed the border into Poland All the schools were closed At any other time Lonek would have been happy if his school was closed for a few days but this time it was scary He wondered why the grownups thought it was too dangerous to keep the schools open His only comfort was the thought that his father and the other Polish soldiers were ready to protect their country And then it happened On September 1 1939 the German army marched into Poland The country was at war For Lonek the worst part was that he had no idea where his father was 17
