OSE home for Jewish boys

OSE home for Jewish boys 

Simone Chaumet was recognized by Yad Vashem as one of the Righteous Among the Nations. Here is a link to her story: https://righteous.yadvashem.org/?search=Chaumet%20&searchType=righteous_only&language=en&itemId=7009257&ind=0 Israel Meir Lau (Lulek) was born on June 1, 1937. In November 1944, the Germans decided to liquidate the Polish work camp in a glass factory where he was living and he and his brother Naphtali went to work in Czestochowa; they later arrived in Buchenwald in January 1945. Fearing that Lulek would be killed upon arrival, Naphtali smuggled him into the camp in a large bag. After learning that there were other children there, he registered Lulek instructing him to say that he was thirteen and had worked as a kitchen helper. They were taken to Block 52, but after a few days Naphtali arranged for Lulek to be transferred to Block 8, a children's barrack under the supervision of a school teacher named Wilhelm Hammann. The children in Block 8 received relatively benign treatment, and Lulek was cared for by an older Soviet prisoner. After Passover in April 1945 in advance of the Americans, the Germans decided to evacuate Jewish prisoners from the camp. Naphtali feared he would become separated from Lulek just as the war was ending. He therefore jumped from the deportation train as it approached an embankment and walked back to Buchenwald. After several days walking without food or water Naphtali arrived back in the camp and found Lulek still in Block 8. When they were finally liberated a few days later, Naphtali had typhus fever and was near death. After his recovery, in June the boys joined a transport of children from Buchenwald to France where they were brought to Ecouis, an OSE children's home. Naphtali however did not want to remain in France and was anxious to immigrate to Palestine. One month later, he and Lulek left for Marseilles. From there they sailed to Genoa where they boarded the Mataroa and arrived in Haifa on July 15 where they met their half-brother Yehoshua. In keeping with his father's wishes, Naphtali provided his younger brother with a religious education. Israel Meir (Lulek) received rabbinical ordination and later was appointed chief rabbi of the State of Israel. 

OSE home for Jewish boys