“Much like The Boy In the Striped Pajamas or The Book Thief,” this remarkable memoir from Leon Leyson, one of the youngest children to survive the Holocaust on Oskar Schindler’s list, “brings to readers a story of bravery and the fight for a chance to live” (VOYA).

 

This, the only memoir published by a former Schindler’s list child, perfectly captures the innocence of a small boy who goes through the unthinkable. Leon Leyson (born Leib Lezjon) was only ten years old when the Nazis invaded Poland and his family was forced to relocate to the Krakow ghetto. With incredible luck, perseverance, and grit, Leyson was able to survive the sadism of the Nazis, including that of the demonic Amon Goeth, commandant of Plaszow, the concentration camp outside Krakow.

 

Ultimately, it was the generosity and cunning of one man, Oskar Schindler, who saved Leon Leyson’s life, and the lives of his mother, his father, and two of his four siblings, by adding their names to his list of workers in his factory—a list that became world renowned: Schindler’s list.

 

Told with an abundance of dignity and a remarkable lack of rancor and venom, The Boy on the Wooden Box is a legacy of hope, a memoir unlike anything you’ve ever read.


當時我十五歲，餓得奄奄一息，身材有如十歲小孩，甚至得站在木箱上才能搆著被指派操縱的機器，那個木箱讓我看起來有用。其實，我躲過猶太大屠殺的希望渺茫，只有一項優勢：奧斯卡．辛德勒認為我的生命有價值，讓我成為他的猶太員工，給了我活下去的機會……

 

萊昂．雷森名列「辛德勒名單」編號289，是名單上唯一的孩童。

 

一九三九年，納粹德軍入侵波蘭，九歲的小雷森不明白平靜的生活為何瞬間變了調。雷森一家先是被迫遷往簡陋的猶太區，而後被驅趕到集中營，生活只剩下饑餓和恐懼。他眼睜睜看著向來志得意滿的父親遭受納粹施暴，而二哥就在家人面前被強行押走。

 

而後，雷森和家人以及其他一千多名猶太人在納粹商人辛德勒奔走下，被列在「辛德勒的名單」上而得以保住性命。    

 

最黑暗的時代可以挑起人性最惡劣的一面──也可以激發最美好的一面。二戰歷時六年，雷森經歷了任何孩子所不該經歷的失學、恐懼、飢餓與殘酷；所幸那最珍貴的東西並未被剝奪——對抗逆境的韌性與勇氣。

 

雷森熬過了這一切。半個多世紀後，八十高齡的他寫下這段經歷，提醒我們戰爭之惡，以及人性的光輝與力量。

Leon Leyson was one of the youngest members of Schindler’s List. He brings a unique perspective to the history of the Holocaust and a powerful message of courage and humanity. Believing that no one would be interested in his story, he rarely spoke about his experiences until the film Schindler’s List received worldwide attention.

 

A graduate of Los Angeles City College; California State University, Los Angeles; and Pepperdine University, he taught at Huntington Park High School in Huntington Park, California, for thirty-nine years. In recognition of his many accomplishments as educator and witness to the Holocaust, Mr. Leyson was awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Chapman University.

 

Mr. Leyson passed away in January 2013, leaving behind his wife, Lis; their two children; and six grandchildren.

 

Dr. Marilyn J. Harran is the author of The Holocuast Chronicle: A History in Words and Pictures, which has sold more than 250,000 copies. She holds the Stern Chair in Holocaust Education at Chapman University, where she is also the founding director of the Rodgers Center for Holocaust Education. Dr. Harran is a 2008 recipient of the Spirit of Anne Frank Award and a member of the board of the Association of Holocaust Organizations. She lives in Orange, California.

 

Elizabeth B. Leyson, Leon’s wife, lives in Fullerton, California.