Open Book!
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Names Not Numbers
Leo Dreyfus
Leo Dreyfus
Leo was born on December 15, 1937, in Karlsruhe, Germany, a city situated on the Rhine River near the French border. His family had lived in Karlsruhe since the 18th century. He lived with his maternal grandmother, father, mother, and older sister. The family trade was cattle dealing, a tradition carried on by his grandfather and father. His father had also served in the artillery during World War I.
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After Kristallnacht, Leo's father was sent to Dachau concentration camp. He was released on December 9, 1938, under the condition that he would leave the country. On October 22, 1940, in a sudden action, Leo's family was sent to Gurs, a camp in southern France, originally built to house refugees from the Spanish Civil War. Leo was there with his paternal grandparents, his uncle Simon, and Simon’s wife, Meta.
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During this time, Leo's parents wrote letters to relatives in the United States and Switzerland, describing the dire conditions and rumors of deportation to Auschwitz. His sister still holds these letters. In one letter dated December 6, 1940, his father wrote, “The way of life here is indescribable. 15 to 20 people die daily. We lack everything and do not know what to do first. All day long it rains and we have almost no warming occasion.
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I ask you urgently to help us as soon as possible, because otherwise, we will be lost.” Leo's mother’s sister, Recha, who lived in New York City, sent them money and food packages, which helped them survive. Despite these efforts, the family struggled, and Leo was so malnourished that his mother had to rock him to quiet him.
In March 1941, the family was moved to Camp Rivesaltes near Perpignan, where conditions were even worse than Gurs.
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Hunger and cold were rampant, and Leo’s father described the dire situation in a letter, “It is catastrophic what we have to suffer here. Added to this, we get 200 gr of bread and twice ¼ liter turnip soup where the worms swim in it. In comparison, the previous camp was paradise. If this continues, we will die of weakness.”
In June 1941, Leo's father was transferred to a transit camp called Les Milles, near Marseilles.
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He tried unsuccessfully to secure a visa to the United States. Hoping to find better nourishment and a small salary, he volunteered for work outside the camp. Meanwhile, Leo became very ill and was sent to a hospital in October 1941. His parents managed to visit him there, and his mother arranged for Leo and his sister to be sent away to a safer home.
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In a letter, she wrote, “The farewell was hard and I long for them, but I am very glad they are taken care of.”
By January 1942, Leo's grandfather had died in Rivesaltes after losing the will to live. In May 1942, Leo’s father was transferred to a forced labor detail, and by July, his father wrote his last letter, stating, “My only thoughts and worries are with my loved ones. I do the very hard work only for them.”
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In September 1942, Leo's mother pleaded with relatives in Switzerland to save Leo, then four years old, and his sister, aged six. She put them on a truck and sent them away, but he never saw his parents again.
On September 9, 1942, Leo’s father was deported from Drancy to Auschwitz on Transport 29. Out of the 1,000 people on the transport, 889, including 155 children, were gassed upon arrival.
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On September 14, 1942, his mother was deported from Rivesaltes to Drancy and sent to Auschwitz on Transport 33, where she and 856 others were also gassed upon arrival.
Leo and his sister were moved from place to place throughout the war. They lived in various homes, including the Maison Chaumont and Masgelier, and were part of a Quaker colony. By December 1943, they were hidden by a French family in the Haute-Loire region.
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In May 1944, they were smuggled into Switzerland. Leo recalls moments from this period, such as a painful infection caused by spilled hot soup and the unsanitary conditions of the homes, where lice and mice were rampant.
After the war, Leo and his sister were placed in an orphanage in Switzerland. Their aunt in the United States, Recha, was notified of their survival.
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Eventually, their Aunt Kaethe and Uncle Albert picked them up in Basel, but his sister was treated poorly. In May 1946, they were sent to New York City to live with Aunt Recha, a working widow with no children.
Leo often wondered why he and his sister survived. He later learned that his parents had signed over all their parental rights to the OSE, an organization that saved Jewish children in France.
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Despite the risks, the OSE workers protected the children, many of whom survived the war.
Leo reflects deeply on the lessons of his experience, feeling strongly that humanity cannot afford to be bystanders in the face of suffering.
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The End
Leo Dreyfus interview at The Moriah School - 2023-2024
The Moriah School
