The rebbe and his son boarded the train and sat facing each other. When the train reached Kalvaria, a German police officer boarded the train and spotted Naftoli. “Jude” he exclaimed. Naftoli avoided looking at his father, to avoid arousing the officer’s suspicion. The policeman began interrogating him: “Where did you come from? Where are you going? Who are your parents?” When the rebbe saw his son was in danger, he quickly stood up and stood between the police officer and his son. “I am the father of this boy,” he announced. The policeman stared at him. “Are you also a Jew?” he asked. “You don’t look like a Jew at all.” The rebbe was dressed in casual attire and was wearing a green cap with a feather. “Yes” the rebbe replied “I am a Hungarian Jew and these are my documents.” He showed the forged papers to the German officer. The tension in the train car at that moment was thick enough to be cut with a knife. Once again, the rebbe and his son were facing the threat of imminent death.
The officer guffawed:”I recognize these papers from Bochnia” he shouted. “They are forged!” In a haughty tone, the officer described an incident that had taken place on the previous night, unaware that his words would shatter the rebbe’s noble heart. “Last night”, he related, I captured a group of three women from Bochnia who were headed toward the border along with their children. I imprisoned them and brought them back to Gestapo headquarters in Crakow.”
The rebbe had no doubt about the identity of those women. They were his mother, his wife, and his mother-in-law. In horror, he envisioned the torments they were certainly suffering at the hands of the Gestapo in Cracow.
“That is exactly what I am going to do with you,” the officer added. The rebbe struggled to remain calm despite his turbulent emotions. He produced the document he received from the Gestapo commander and said “I was already held by the Gestapo in Neumark. They decided to send me back to Bochnia.: Here is the letter that the commander wrote to the SS in Bochnia.”
The German officer took the document, examined it, and then suddenly snapped to attention. He recognized the signature; the man was his own commander’s superior. “Herr Kondissar is the chief commander” he announced. Of course, he did not utter a word of apology; a German never apologized to a Jew. Then he turned on his heel and left the rebbe and his son alone.
