After scrolling through the hundreds of Jewish ID cards, I decided to read about Samson Reichstein. I was left with a number of questions after I finished reading about him.
- Your father died when you were thirteen years old. What kind of impact did that have on your life from then on out? What was the responsibility you felt to your family? What work did you do to help support your family at such a young age?
- Even though death is a tragedy, did you feel relieved that your father did not have to go through the experiences you went through?
- You said that you and your wife got your son an exit visa, but it does not say what happened to him. Did he make it safely out of Germany? Why didn’t you and your wife go as well? Did you ever see your son again and if so, what was that experience like?
- What were you predicting when the Gestapo came to your door with deportation papers?
- Was it traumatizing for you to be separated from your wife on the train? What was going through your mind at that point? Did she ever tell you what happened to her while you were separated and if so, what did she say?
- In 1941 you were arrested and sent to jail. When the drunken SS guard was screaming, “Who killed the German soldier?” and no one answered, why did you choose to step forward when he asked “Who speaks German?” What was it like waiting there, waiting to be shot? Were you afraid of death? Since you were released and left unharmed, does that mean someone confessed?
- What happened to your wife?
Photo source: http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/idcard.php?ModuleId=10006343
