A Prisoner Among Many
In 1939 the Soviets began arresting Jews in Lvov, Wiensenthal was forced to close his architectural firm. His mother came to live with his wife and him in the early stages of the war. All their money was taken awya and Wiesentahl became a factory mechanic.Simon Wiesenthal had his first encounter with death in 1941 when Germany turned on the Soviet Union and arrived in Lvov. The Germans decided to celebrate this vicory by carrying out a three-day progom. Wisentahl managed to hide from this horrendous event in the cellar of a house. he was later found, arrested and brouhg to a prison. Soldiers round up the Jews and began to shoot them all. Wiesenthal was saved from death bychurch bells ringing. Those shooting ddecided it was time for a break to attend services. A fellow carpenter of Wiesenthal was at the time a policeman at the prison he was being kept at. The man lied to his supervisors and manged for Wiesenthal to escape. He returned home to a new Ghetto in the city.
Simon and Cyla Wiensenthal were given orders to report to the Janowska concentration camp in October 1941. Here they experienced long hours of work, consisting of cutting stone and digging burial pits. As the months went by the two were transfered to th eforced labor camp serving the repair shop for Lvov's Eastern Railroad. With his new job as a draftmans, Simon Wiesenthal was capable of getting Cyla a false passport from contact with the Polish underground and by the fall of 1942 she had escaped.
In April of 1943 SImon Wiesenthal had a second close encounter with death. The Nazis running the railroad decide to honor Hitler's brithday by making Wiesenthal and other men and women strip. The Nazis started to shot them once they were lined up. Luckily a sign needed to be painted saying 'Happy Birhtday" adn Wiensenthal was the man selected to do the job. He was saved once again.
Wiesenthal managed to escape in the spring of 1943. He was hidden in the attics or under the floorboards of various homes with the help of the Polish underground. As part of the FInal Solution many of the prisoners of the labor camp he escaped had been killed. Wiesnethal's "freedom" ended in June 1944, when the Nazis were tipped off, broke into the house, found him adn arrested Wiesenthal. He arrived back at the Janowska concentration camp. Whilehiding Wiesenthal had kept a diary to write about all of his experiences. It had been taken away by the Nazis. He realized that his time to die would be soon. Two Gestapo agensts entered the camp two days after Wiesenthal's arrival. They wanted to take him in for questioning. It was in the truck that he cut his wrists witha concealed razor blade in an attempt to commmit suicide. The Nazis wanted him well so they could question him so they took his to a prison hospital in Lvov. For a third time Wiesenthal had managed to stay alive.
In April of 1943 SImon Wiesenthal had a second close encounter with death. The Nazis running the railroad decide to honor Hitler's brithday by making Wiesenthal and other men and women strip. The Nazis started to shot them once they were lined up. Luckily a sign needed to be painted saying 'Happy Birhtday" adn Wiensenthal was the man selected to do the job. He was saved once again.
Wiesenthal managed to escape in the spring of 1943. He was hidden in the attics or under the floorboards of various homes with the help of the Polish underground. As part of the FInal Solution many of the prisoners of the labor camp he escaped had been killed. Wiesnethal's "freedom" ended in June 1944, when the Nazis were tipped off, broke into the house, found him adn arrested Wiesenthal. He arrived back at the Janowska concentration camp. Whilehiding Wiesenthal had kept a diary to write about all of his experiences. It had been taken away by the Nazis. He realized that his time to die would be soon. Two Gestapo agensts entered the camp two days after Wiesenthal's arrival. They wanted to take him in for questioning. It was in the truck that he cut his wrists witha concealed razor blade in an attempt to commmit suicide. The Nazis wanted him well so they could question him so they took his to a prison hospital in Lvov. For a third time Wiesenthal had managed to stay alive.