Abandonment

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When they arrived in Sulejow it was very crowded as many people from Piotrkow had traveled to Sulejow. Many families were greeting each other, and spirits were up for everyone was with someone. However, very short after Sidney began to hear the noise of planes when out of nowhere the German Luftwaffe bombed Sulejow too. People, cats, dogs, horses, and pigs were all on fire from the bombing. Sidney just stood there standing in shock and looking at the sky as German Pilots shot at civilians with their airplane machine guns. He could faintly hear his mother telling him to get down when she eventually tackled him down on top of him to protect him. During this time, Frania, Sidney’s sister, was crying during the bombing and Sidney’s mother ran towards her to comfort her during the bombing while leaving Sidney alone while the bombing occurred. Once the bombing stopped, Sidney stood up with anger asking why his mother abandoned him like that and was questioning whether or not his mother loved him. He did not care about the dead bodies and destruction around him, as he was angry that his mother abandoned him during the chaos. Suddenly Sidney heard his name being called in the distance by his father. He hugged him and took him to the nearby forest where he found his family. They were told that thousands of people died from the bombing and that it was a massacre. They stayed in the forest for three days to make sure it was all safe and soon traveled back to Sulejow. Once arriving back, Sidney’s father asked around to see if anyone had seen his wife and daughter. One person said that they had seen Sidney’s mother and sister, Frania, get on a horse drawn wagon to try to make their way North to the Russian side of Poland to escape the Germans. Sidney did not care where they were since they had abandoned him during the bombing and then abandoned him once again. Sidney and his family were soon able to ride back to Piotrkow on a horse drawn wagon. After they arrived, the Nazi administrator announced that Jews in Piotrkow could live only in a designated area known as the ghetto. All of the family’s possessions were confiscated, and the children were not allowed to attend school. That was just the beginning of the atrocities Sidney would experience as a child.