Love and Survival
When he was 19, he was imprisoned in Auschwitz by the occupying German Nazis, who suspected him of being a “resistance fighter.”
There, he met a Jewish girl. The girl had big eyes and black hair. Her parents and two brothers had been brutally killed in the gas chamber of Camp No. 2. She had been sent to the warehouse to do heavy labor.
Under such difficult and dangerous conditions, the first time they met, she actually smiled at him.
It was this smile that brought them closer together in the midst of danger. The transition from friendship to love was natural yet intense.
With her by his side, he no longer wanted to stay in this “death factory.” He wanted to escape with her and live happily together in a free place.
He secretly obtained a Nazi officer’s uniform and a pass from a fellow prisoner who worked in the uniform warehouse. An ingenious plan began to form in his mind.
Once everything was ready, he casually told her, “Tomorrow, an officer will come to question you, and that officer will be me.”
The next day, he put on the uniform, walked into the place where she was working, greeted the guards, and pointed at her. She stood up, lowered her head, and quickly followed him out.
He handed the pass to the guard, waiting for it to be checked.
It felt like an eternity before the guard waved them through.
Their hearts pounded as they walked away, feeling as if a bullet might strike them from behind at any moment and end their lives.
Fortunately, everything went smoothly. They finally escaped the endless darkness of the concentration camp.
After nine nights of traveling in the dark, they reached his home, not far from Krakow.
His mother was overwhelmed with joy and tears upon seeing her son alive after four years. However, she was a devout Catholic and did not approve of her son marrying a Jewish girl.
He did not want to upset his mother. Moreover, with the ongoing war, they could be captured by the Germans again at any moment. To reduce the risk of being caught, he decided to part ways with her for a while and marry her after the war.
He hid her on a farm near his hometown, while he took refuge in Krakow.
On their last night together, they sat under a pear tree, holding each other tightly. She rested her head on his lap, silently weeping. It was such a peaceful scene, and this tranquility was what they had always longed for.
He vowed to return to her as soon as the war ended and never let her suffer again.
During their separation, he spent every night thinking about her. Her smile and voice softened his heart like a cloud in the sky, making any hardship bearable.
Finally, the news came that the Soviet Red Army had driven out the German Nazis. He was overjoyed and couldn’t wait a moment longer. He traveled 40 miles through the snow overnight and arrived at her hiding place at dawn.
But she was gone. She had left the farm four days earlier.
Three weeks earlier, the farm had been liberated. She had waited anxiously for him to come and fulfill his promise to marry her.
In her helpless wait, her passionate heart grew cold. She thought he might have died in the war or forgotten about her and no longer intended to keep his promise.
Either way, she saw no reason to wait any longer.
With a heavy heart, she boarded a train to Warsaw, the capital of Poland.
Time, like a ruthless sword, cut off all communication between the two lovers. She married someone else, and after a difficult search, he finally gave up and married another woman.
Though they each had their own families, their longing for each other never ceased, like wild grass growing unchecked.
Seven years after her husband died, she still delighted in telling others about her and his story.
One time, while telling her story to a Polish maid, the maid was shocked and said, “I know this story. I once saw a program on Polish television about a young man who escaped from Auschwitz with his Jewish girlfriend.”
It was like a bomb going off in her heart. She realized he had never forgotten her and had once gone through great efforts to find her!
After some twists and turns, she finally got his phone number. When the call connected, her voice returned to the brightness of her youth 39 years ago. She said, “I am your little Zibulska!”
He burst into tears on the other end of the line.
After 39 years of being cruelly toyed with by time, they finally met again in their twilight years. He held 39 bright red roses, each one representing a year he had missed her.
But they could not be together, for he had a wife and children to whom he owed his responsibilities.
She cried but did not stop him from leaving. She loved him and did not want him to face a difficult choice. After all, time had changed some things.
As long as he was happy, she asked for nothing more.
He said, “It was a great love. I loved her! After the war, I often dreamed of her and would wake up crying. Although fate was like this, if history were to repeat itself, I would still do the same.”
His name was Bielecki, and her name was Zibulska. They were the only “prisoners” who escaped from the gates of Auschwitz, all for love.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
