Anthony, Hardi, Musa, Ussery 1

Jon Mark Anthony

Dakota Hardi
Shakira Musa
Rachel Ussery
Mrs. Tiki Smith
English I
16 December 2013

Holocaust Survivor Story: Alfred Lessing

The Holocaust was a mass murder conducted by the Nazi political party during World War
II. This genocide targeted various groups, but the most sought after group was the Jews. About
six million Jews were killed during this time, and many more went into hiding. One of the Jews
that went into hiding was a young Alfred Lessing, who was only six years old at the time.
(Program for Holocaust Survivors and Families)
Alfred Fred Lessing was born on May 16, 1936 in The Hague, Netherlands. His parents
were Nathan Lessing and Angeline VanLeer. He had two elder brothers, Eliazar, and Arthur. He
also had a brother who passed away before he was born. (University of Michigan-Dearborn)
When World War II broke out in 1940, the family of five was living in Delft, a suburb of The
Hague.
On October 23, 1942, when their names came up for deportation, they hid instead of
boarding the trains. (Program for Holocaust Survivors and Families) He was only six years old
when his mother took him aside and told him, There is total and extreme danger. You must do
exactly what we tell you and you must trust no one except us and those that we say you can
trust. (Cal Poly) At that point, his family split up to hide him out in the open. Lessings mother

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had arranged for him to have forged papers, naming him as a Christian child, displaced from
Zeeland. (Program for Holocaust Survivors and Families) His mother would find homes by
ringing doorbells at random, though sometimes she would follow leads given to her by her nonJewish acquaintances. Lessing lived like this until 1944, which is when he came down with a case
of pneumonia. His mother then found a doctor that would not tell anyone that he was a Jew when
he saw that Lessing was circumcised. Lessing himself was not caught, but his mother was. She
was taken to a prison in Amsterdam, and stayed there until she was transferred to Bergen-Belsen
concentration camp. Mrs. Lessing had saved her own life by lying yet again, Lessing later
discovered. His mother had claimed to be an American citizen, and got out in a rare prisoner
exchange. (Program for Holocaust Survivors and Families

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During his mothers capture and escape, one of Lessings relatives took him from where
he was being treated to a tiny cottage in Gelderland, where he was reunited with his father and
two brothers. They stayed together in the cottage for a year, before their liberation by the
Canadian army near the end of April 1945. In late September of the same year, his mother was
returned to him at their home in Delft. This was a time of rejoicing for the whole family, for they
had all made it through this journey. However, his extended family wasnt as lucky. His fathers
brother, Yo, and his wife and son were both deported from their home and gassed in Auschwitz.
(University of Michigan-Dearborn) Roughly three years after their liberation, when Lessing was
somewhere in between the fourth and sixth grade, his family immigrated to America. Lessing
started his life over, becoming an American boy and not sifting through his Holocaust memories
until at least forty years later. At which point he began to share his story with others, even finding
other people he knew during the time.
Lessing and his family were faced with an immeasurable trial, an ordeal that meant life or
death. When they heard they were being deported, they had to form a plan to survive. With the
right acquaintances and a good amount of trust, their entire family made it through unscathed.
Lessings story continues to inspire, and awe the people that hear it, even today.

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Works Cited
Cal Poly, . "Alfred Lessing." Cal Poly College of Liberal Arts. Cal poly, 23 Februrary 1999. Web.
1 Nov 2013. <http://cla.calpoly.edu/~lcall/lessing.html>.
Program for Holocaust Survivors and Families, . "Fred Lessing." Portraits of Honor: Our
Michigan Holocaust Survivors. Program for Holocaust Survivors and Families, n.d. Web.
1 Nov 2013. <http://portraitsofhonor.org/POHSurvPage.aspx?svid=212>.
University of Michigan Dearborn, . "Alfred Lessing - January 26, 1993: Family." Voice/Vision
Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive. University of Michigan Dearborn, 26 Jan 1993.
Web. 1 Nov 2013. <http://holocaust.umd.umich.edu/interview.php?D=lessingion=1>.
University of Michigan Dearborn, . "Alfred Lessing - January 26, 1993: Memories of Staying
With Other People." Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive. University of
Michigan Dearborn, 26 Jan 1993. Web. 1 Nov 2013.
<http://holocaust.umd.umich.edu/interview.php?D=lessingion=9>.