Thread by @shevereshtus

"Mengele saved my life, twice. To this day I don't know why."

Weird words to hear out of the mouth of a pious, simple, old religious Jew, and yet that's something that was said by an old man who passed away last year.

Here's the story, and a powerful message for Rosh Hashana:

When they were sent to the camp, he was 16. They had been rounded up and they were put on a train to Auschwitz. The day prior, they had received the Torah on the holiday of Shavuot. On the second day of Shavuot, the day marking King's David death, they made their way to theirs.

When they arrived, they were told to leave all of their belongings in the train & to get on the platform. They all lined up and got out in the cold morning. A freezing morning. So bad, he decided to jump back on the train to get his beloved father's coat so he wouldn't be cold.

After getting the coat, he was stopped by a German guard and pushed back into line, in the back, separated from his family. Having no choice, he got in line & waited. As he advanced, he saw Mengele ym"sh, presiding like a king. He had a cane, and used it as a throne to to sit on.

With a move of the hand, with a flick of a thumb, he separated people. One line to death, one line to... a slower death.

He watched as all of his family, without exception, were chosen for death. He, himself, had no idea what this meant, and slowly made his way to Mengele.

A strapping lad of 16, he was chosen for the other line, away from his family. Without knowing it at the time, Mengele had spared his life, for the first time.

Not wanting to abandon his family, he decided to switch lines. How could he leave them behind? So he started to walk.

'Young man!' Mengele sprang on his feet & walked up to him. 'This way'. He had no choice, he went back to the line he had been designated for. That's when Mengele saved his life a second time.

Until the end of his life, he had no idea why. He never asked why. He just forged on.

There are many more stories about his life, before the camps, after the camps, his journey to America, what an incredible man he was, his character, the people he helped, but this is not the time.

Except for a short one.

All of his life, he was a simple man of deep faith, always there to help other, first in synagogue, who rebuilt a new family after his perished in the camps. To the end of his life, he prayed near a plaque in the synagogue that listed all of his family members, one after another.

In his latter years, as it happens with age, he became very sick. Last year, he entered the hospital and the doctors were sure that this was it, he would never come out and in fact his final hours were coming soon... and he forged on.

At some points, the doctors, trying to finish what Mendele had started, told his family that there was no choice, they had to remove him off of life support. He had to die, that was it.

No point in trying to keep him alive. Too old, too sick, they sent him to the other line.

The family fought, discussions were had with many Rabbis and experts, but the conclusion was, take him off life support.

The day before, an orderly came in the room. His grand-son was the only one present. He asked him about his grand-father, and he explained the whole story.

The orderly said 'Did they try this treatment? It usually works really well with patients like him'. The grand-son asked his doctor. They hadn't. Not worth trying. He pushed, they did, and almost immediately he showed improvement. A few days later, he was out and back home.

When they came home, the first thing he did was to point at the table, as he couldn't speak anymore. His grand-son thought that he was hungry. He wasn't. He pointed again. Maybe he's thirsty? He wasn't. Then he put his right hand over his eyes and finally his grand-son understood

He wanted his siddur, to pray. Saved from death again, he turned his eyes upward to his Creator. This is a man who never lost his faith, who grew stronger & stronger, and left a huge imprint on all of the people who knew him.

He had many more days to pray before he passed on.

We are entering the last days before Rosh Hashana. Time for an honest accounting of our year, to look where we truly are. Are we living up to who we can be, with all of the forces He gave us? Are we're using our potential to be the best versions of ourselves? And if not, why?

His life is a reminder that while on Rosh Hashana, the day when the Books are opened and Life & Death are in the balance, that nothing is ever lost. Even in the darkest days, even in the harshest of moments, even someone like Mengele or a simple orderly can be our salvation.

A Jew can never lose hope. A Jew always has to look forward.

And a Jew has remember that whatever happened last year, we can't let anything drag us down and prevent us from advancing.

Because that's we do, as Jews.

We forge on.