By Kayla Chandler
Since I was little, I have heard countless stories about how my grandfather survived the Holocaust. The Holocaust was during World War II, and was an attempt by the Nazis to exterminate Jews and purify the Aryan1 race. During his childhood, my grandfather, Morris Chandler, was known to be a rebellious boy in his small town in Poland, and always caused some kind of commotion.
In 1939 when the Nazis invaded his hometown, my grandfather was only 15 years old. He was forced to change his carefree and rebellious mindset into one in which every move had to be precise and careful, or it could cost him his life. Soon after his town was invaded, my grandfather and his family were taken into the Warsaw ghetto. The ghettos were dense, over populated, and filled with disease. News struck the ghetto that the Nazis would be sending everyone to the concentration camps. My grandpa’s parents urged Avrum, his older brother, and my grandpa to escape the ghetto. Though he didn’t know it then, it would be the last time he would ever see his parents and little brother, David. Shortly after my grandfather’s escape, his family were sent to the Treblinka death camp and killed, most likely in the gas chambers. Though Avrum escaped with grandpa, he soon fell ill with Typhus and passed away. My grandpa was truly alone. But he would not give up. At the time, Jews were still allowed to work and live in the countryside. My grandfather found a job on a small farm, where the Nazis had a looser grip.
A young Polish woman named Helena Jagdzinka had hired him. While working for her, my grandfather fell ill with Typhus. When he came back, everyone told Helena to fire him, as he may get her or the animals sick. Helena ignored them and welcomed him back. My grandfather worked for her for around 2 years, until the Nazis issued an order that stated that all Jews, even in the countryside, must go to the ghetto. As my grandpa prepared to leave, Helena and her nephew, Stanislaw Pachnik, stopped him. Helena had suspected that my grandfather was Jewish, but instead of reporting him, she decided to help him.
Stanislaw worked at City Hall, and obtained a birth certificate of a young Catholic Polish boy who had died. The night before he was supposed to leave, Helena taught my grandfather Catholic prayers, blessings, rituals, and much more. My grandfather was given a new birth certificate, a new identity, and a new way to save his life, due to the kindness of Helena and Stanislaw. My grandfather lived the rest of the war in hiding. His blond hair and blue eyes were unique for Jews, and no one suspected anything. I often wonder how lonely my grandfather must have felt, with no one knowing his true identity and his family being gone. But like always, my grandfather was strong. After the war, he moved to France, then America, met my grandma, started both a business and a family, and continued on with life. Unfortunately, Helena passed away before they could meet again. However, in 2016, Helena and Stanislaw were awarded Righteous Among the Nations (an award for gentiles2 who risked their lives to help Jews during WW2). I want to share my grandfather’s story with the world to insure that nothing like the Holocaust ever occurs again, to any group of people. Though Helena and Stanislaw were not Jewish, they risked everything to save him, and I hope my grandfather’s story can inspire people by showing the will to take action rather than being silent.
1. Blond hair, blue eyes, White, and Christian
2. Non-Jews
To learn more about Maurice Chandler’s story, please read the following.
Three Minutes in Poland by Glenn Kurtz (2015), a book which highlights my grandfather’s story and hometown.
Oral history interviews by United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and University of Michigan.
Video about the story, It’s Grandpa! (produced by United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 2012).
Teen Peace Conversation 