Surviving the Holocaust

[SPEAKING GERMAN] ANN CURRY, VOICE-OVER: A HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR WHO EXPERIENCED THE WORST OF HUMANITY... MAN: MY SISTER, MY LITTLE BROTHER, THEY WENT DIRECTLY TO THE GAS CHAMBER.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: NOW SEARCHING FOR ANOTHER CONCENTRATION CAMP SURVIVOR WHO BECAME FAMILY.

MAN: I CONSIDERED HIM AS A BROTHER.

THAT'S ALL WE HAD.

I HAD HIM, HE HAD ME.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: AND A JEWISH REFUGEE WHO FLED ALMOST CERTAIN DEATH IN EUROPE TO FIND SAFETY IN AMERICA... AS THE SHIP APPROACHED THE STATUE OF LIBERTY, THERE WASN'T A DRY EYE ANYPLACE.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: HOPING TO FIND HIS FIRST FRIEND IN THIS NEW WORLD.

MAN: THIS WAS A NEW BEGINNING.

WE WERE SAFE, WE HAD A FRIENDSHIP, AND WE HAD A FUTURE.

CHARLIE PUTH: ♪ WE'VE COME A LONG WAY... ♪ CURRY, VOICE-OVER: THE TIDES OF HISTORY HAVE THROWN STRANGERS TOGETHER... PUTH: ♪ I'LL TELL YOU ALL ABOUT IT WHEN I SEE YOU AGAIN ♪ AND TORN LOVED ONES APART.

PUTH: ♪ WHEN I SEE YOU AGAIN ♪ NOW THE SEARCH IS ON... TALK ABOUT WOW.

COME HERE, SIR.

TO BRING THEM TOGETHER AGAIN.

PUTH: ♪ WHEN I SEE YOU AGAIN ♪ ♪ WHEN I SEE YOU AGAIN ♪ CURRY: IT IS HARD TO FIND ANY HUMANITY IN THE DARKEST CHAPTER IN HUMAN HISTORY-- THE MURDERS OF 6 MILLION JEWISH MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN IN THE HOLOCAUST.

BUT EVEN FROM THAT TIME, THERE ARE STORIES OF HUMAN KINDNESS, INCLUDING FROM TWO SURVIVORS WHO CREDIT FRIENDSHIPS WITH HELPING THEM GO ON AND REBUILD THEIR LIVES WHEN ALL SEEMED LOST.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: 90-YEAR-OLD BENJAMIN LESSER FIRST ARRIVED IN AMERICA IN SEPTEMBER 1947.

NOW A GREAT GRANDFATHER AND RETIRED IN LAS VEGAS, BENJAMIN IS A SURVIVOR AND A WITNESS TO UNIMAGINABLE HORROR.

BENJAMIN: THIS IS MY LITTLE BROTHER TULI WHEN HE WAS REALLY YOUNG.

THIS IS MY MOTHER, THAT WAS MY FATHER, MY SISTER GOLDIE, AND MY BROTHER MOISHE.

EVERYONE ON THIS PAGE HAS BEEN SLAUGHTERED ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.

NONE OF THEM SURVIVED THE HOLOCAUST.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: WHEN GERMANY SWEPT INTO POLAND ON SEPTEMBER 1, 1939, 10-YEAR-OLD BENJAMIN AND HIS FAMILY HAD NO IDEA OF THE SUFFERING THAT LAY AHEAD, BUT THEY SOON FOUND OUT.

EARLY IN THE MORNING A TRUCK PULLED UP TO THE GATE.

ALL THEY WANTED TO KNOW WHERE THE JEWISH PEOPLE LIVED.

AND THERE WERE TWO FAMILIES-- US AND THERE WAS ANOTHER FAMILY ON THE OTHER SIDE.

THEY CAME IN BREAKING DOWN THE DOOR, RUNNING IN, AND STARTING TO PISTOL-WHIP US.

THEY PISTOL-WHIPPED YOU?

PISTOL-WHIPPED ME, TOO, YEAH.

A CHILD?

YEAH.

"GET OUT OF BED," [SPEAKS GERMAN] [INDISTINCT SHOUTING] CURRY, VOICE-OVER: WHILE THE SOLDIERS FORCED BENJAMIN'S PARENTS TO HAND OVER THEIR JEWELRY, HE AND HIS OLDER SISTER LOLA FOLLOWED THE SOUND OF SCREAMING TO THE APARTMENT NEXT DOOR.

WE WENT INTO THEIR KITCHEN, AND WE SAW THIS MONSTER WAS HOLDING THE BABY BY ITS LEGS, LITTLE BOY, AND SWINGING IT.

OF COURSE THE PARENTS AND EVERYONE WERE SCREAMING, "OUR BABY, OUR BABY.

DON'T HURT OUR BABY."

AND... WITH A SMIRK ON HIS FACE, HE SMASHES THE BABY'S HEAD INTO THE DOOR POST KILLING IT INSTANTLY.

AND IT'S A MEMORY I CAN'T FORGET BECAUSE THIS WAS THE FIRST TASTE OF NAZI BARBARISM.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: THESE RANDOM ACTS OF BRUTALITY SOON BECAME SYSTEMATIC SLAUGHTER, HERDED INTO A GHETTO, FACING BEATINGS AND EXECUTIONS.

IN THE HORROR, BENJAMIN'S PARENTS WERE SHOT.

HIS OLDER BROTHER WAS SENT TO A CONCENTRATION CAMP.

WITH HIS REMAINING 3 SIBLINGS, BENJAMIN ESCAPED TO NEIGHBORING HUNGARY.

THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE SAFE.

BUT ON MARCH 19, 1944, GERMANY INVADED HUNGARY.

BENJAMIN'S OLDER SISTER LOLA AND HUSBAND MECHEL WENT INTO HIDING.

BUT BENJAMIN AND THE REST OF HIS FAMILY WERE ROUNDED UP AND CRAMMED INTO A CATTLE CAR WITH 80 PEOPLE AND NO FOOD.

[TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS] IT GOT SO BAD PEOPLE WERE DYING.

CHILDREN, PREGNANT WOMEN, OLDER PEOPLE SCREAMING, DYING.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: AFTER 3 DAYS, THE TRAIN DREW TO A HALT.

BENJAMIN: RIGHT IN FRONT OF US WE SEE A SIGN ON A GATE AND IT SAID, "ARBEIT MACHT FREI."

LABOR GIVES YOU FREEDOM.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: BENJAMIN HAD ARRIVED AT AUSCHWITZ.

BENJAMIN: THERE WERE INMATES WITH STRIPED CLOTHES YELLING, "WOMEN AND CHILDREN TO THE RIGHT, MEN TO THE LEFT."

MY UNCLES AND COUSIN, MY GRANDPARENTS WERE THERE.

AND YOU'RE HOLDING YOUR SISTER'S HAND.

I'M HOLDING MY SISTER, MY LITTLE BROTHER IN EACH HAND.

THEY WERE JUST TORN AWAY FROM ME.

PULLED AWAY?

PULLED AWAY FROM ME.

AND I HAVE NEVER SEEN THEM AGAIN.

THEY WENT DIRECTLY TO THE GAS CHAMBER.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: BENJAMIN, HIS UNCLE, AND HIS COUSIN ISAAC WERE JUDGED FIT ENOUGH TO BE USED AS SLAVE LABOR.

THEY JOINED THE LEFT-HAND LINE AND MADE THEIR WAY INTO AUSCHWITZ.

BENJAMIN: THERE WERE ABOUT 5 CHIMNEYS WITH FLAMES SHOOTING OUT AND ASHES JUST SPEWING OUT.

AND EVERY TIME YOU MADE A STEP, YOU LEFT A FOOTPRINT LIKE IN SNOW WITH ASHES.

AND THERE WAS A VERY STRANGE ODOR, AND WE COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT IT WAS.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: LATER THAT NIGHT, A GUARD TOLD BENJAMIN THE TRUTH ABOUT THE CAMP.

HE SAYS, "HUH, YOU HUNGARIAN JEWS, "YOU THINK YOU'RE HERE ON VACATION?

"THINK AGAIN.

YOU SEE THOSE CHIMNEYS, THOSE ASHES?

"THOSE ARE YOUR MOTHERS, YOUR FATHERS, YOUR BROTHERS, AND YOUR SISTERS.

"AND IF YOU DON'T BEHAVE AND DO EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE TOLD, THIS IS HOW YOU'RE GONNA WIND UP, ASHES."

HE WAS TELLING ME THEY WOULD...

REMOVE THE GOLD TEETH.

THEY CUT HAIR AND THEY MADE MATTRESSES AND CLOTHING OUT OF IT IN GERMANY.

YOU BELIEVE THAT?

HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?

THIS IS THE 20TH CENTURY.

IT'S NOT THE MIDDLE AGES.

AND THESE PEOPLE ARE BURNING AND GASSING PEOPLE.

ASHES.

MY BROTHER, MY LITTLE SISTER.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: IN MAY 1944, BENJAMIN'S BROTHER, SISTER, AND GRANDPARENTS WERE AMONG THE 6,000 JEWS GASSED EVERY DAY AT AUSCHWITZ.

THE NAZI'S SO-CALLED FINAL SOLUTION TO RID EUROPE OF ITS JEWS WAS IN FULL OPERATION.

THOSE SPARED THE GAS CHAMBER FACED TORTURE, STARVATION, AND ARBITRARY EXECUTIONS.

BENJAMIN: YOU LIVED FROM MINUTE TO MINUTE, AND YOU DID EVERYTHING THEY TOLD YOU EXACTLY THE WAY THEY WANTED YOU TO BECAUSE YOU KNEW IF YOUR MIND WAS SOMEWHERE ELSE, YOU'LL LOSE YOUR LIFE.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: AT AUSCHWITZ, THE NAZI'S MURDERED MORE THAN ONE MILLION PEOPLE.

AND IT WAS JUST ONE OF 42,000 CAMPS AND GHETTOS ACROSS EUROPE, WHERE THE NAZIS WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR MORE THAN 3 MILLION DEATHS.

BUT SOMEHOW AGAINST ALL THE ODDS, BENJAMIN CLUNG TO LIFE.

THE NAZI'S ATROCITY SENT HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF EUROPEAN JEWS RUNNING FOR THEIR LIVES.

AMONG THEM WAS THE ALALUF FAMILY, WITH AN INFANT SON NAMED BEN.

BEN WAS BORN IN A BOMB SHELTER IN SKOPJE, YUGOSLAVIA IN APRIL 1941.

HE SPENT THE FIRST 3 YEARS OF HIS LIFE ON THE RUN FROM THE NAZIS, TRAVELING OVER LAND AND SEA FROM DEATH AND DESTRUCTION IN EUROPE TO SAFETY AND SUCCESS IN AMERICA.

BEN: I'M EXTREMELY PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN AND EXTREMELY PROUD FOR THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT AMERICA HAS AFFORDED MY FAMILY.

I AM SO THANKFUL THAT I'VE HAD THE LIFE THAT I HAD.

BUT I COULD HAVE BEEN GONE IN 3 DAYS.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: BEN WAS JUST 3 DAYS OLD WHEN HIS FAMILY FLED THEIR HOME.

YOUR PARENTS, THEY HAD A 12-YEAR-OLD BOY, A BRAND-NEW BABY.

CORRECT.

SO YOUR FAMILY HAD TO FIND A WAY OUT.

OH, ABSOLUTELY.

WE COULDN'T STAY THERE.

WE WERE GONNA GO WHEREVER WE HAD TO GO TO STAY SAFE AT THAT POINT.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: AS THE FAMILY ESCAPED, A WAVE OF KILLING FOLLOWED ON THEIR HEELS.

OF NEARLY 80,000 JEWS LIVING IN YUGOSLAVIA IN 1941, JUST 14,000 SURVIVED THE HOLOCAUST.

AMONG THE DEAD WERE BEN'S AUNT, UNCLE, AND COUSINS.

WE LEFT, AND WE NEVER SAW THEM AGAIN.

AND WHAT DOES THAT CONFIRM TO YOU?

WELL, THAT CONFIRMS TO ME THAT IT WAS TOTALLY OVERRUN BY THE GERMANS AT THAT TIME.

AND WE GOT OUT JUST IN TIME.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: AS GERMAN FORCES PUSHED RELENTLESSLY SOUTH, THE ALALUF FAMILY STRUGGLED TO OUTRUN THEM.

BEN: WE WALKED AND WALKED THROUGH THE FOREST, THROUGH THE WOODS.

THE LEVEL OF FEAR WAS ASTRONOMICAL.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: BUT THE NAZIS SOON CAUGHT UP, AND THE FAMILY FOUND ITSELF MOVING THROUGH OCCUPIED TERRITORY, WHERE DISCOVERY WOULD ALMOST SPELL CERTAIN DEATH.

WE STOPPED FOR A REST, AND A GERMAN PATROL COMES BY.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: AS THE GERMAN TROOPS STOPPED TO CHECK THEIR MAPS, THE FAMILY HID.

I CRAWL OUT.

THE GERMAN OFFICER PICKS ME UP, AND HE'S HOLDING ME IN HIS HAND.

HE'S SAYING, "OH, NICE GERMAN BABY."

I HAD BLONDE HAIR, BLUE EYES.

MY MOTHER SPEAKED 5 LANGUAGES FLUENTLY.

SPOKE TO THE GERMAN OFFICER, "YES, FINE GERMAN BABY."

IN GERMAN?

IN GERMAN, OF COURSE.

AND EVERYBODY WAS HOLDING THEIR BREATH.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: THE OFFICER RETURNED BEN TO HIS MOTHER AND THE SOLDIERS WENT ON THEIR WAY.

MY MOTHER SAID HER HEART WAS GOING RIGHT THROUGH HER CHEST AT THAT POINT RIGHT THERE.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: FOR 3 YEARS, BEN AND HIS FAMILY LIVED IN FEAR OF BEING HUNTED DOWN AND KILLED.

THEY TRAVELED BY FOOT AND BY BOAT UNTIL THEY REACHED THE NEWLY-LIBERATED SOUTHERN ITALIAN PORT CITY OF NAPLES IN 1944.

1,500 REFUGEES A DAY WERE POURING INTO NAPLES BECAUSE THEY KNEW THE AMERICAN ARMY WAS THERE.

CAN YOU IMAGINE THE AMERICAN COMMANDERS AT THAT POINT?

WHAT ARE THEY GONNA DO WITH ALL THESE REFUGEES?

THEY GOT A WAR ON THEIR HANDS.

CERTAINLY WEREN'T GOING TO LEAVE US.

MY DAD KNEW THAT.

THAT'S WHY WE FELT SOMETHING PRETTY GOOD WOULD HAPPEN.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: IT HAPPENED 4,500 MILES AWAY IN THE WHITE HOUSE.

SINCE THE BEGINNING OF WORLD WAR II, THE UNITED STATES HAD STEADFASTLY REFUSED TO ACCEPT ANY JEWISH REFUGEES, BUT AS NEWS OF THE CONCENTRATION CAMPS BECAME IMPOSSIBLE TO IGNORE, PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT SIGNED AN EXECUTIVE ORDER ALLOWING JUST 1,000 REFUGEES TO TEMPORARILY ENTER THE U.S. A TROOP CARRIER, THE "U.S.S.

HENRY GIBBINS," WAS SENT TO ITALY TO RESCUE THE REFUGEES.

IT WOULD BE THE FIRST AND ONLY OFFICIAL MASS AMERICAN RESCUE OF JEWISH REFUGEES DURING WORLD WAR II.

BEN: MY GRANDPARENTS WERE THE ONES THAT WERE PICKED TO COME ON THE "HENRY GIBBINS."

WE WERE WITH THEM.

AT THAT POINT, THE OFFICERS PUSHED US ON.

THEY SAID, "YOU GO WITH THEM.

YOU GO WITH THEM."

AND THAT WAS A STROKE OF LUCK.

IT WAS A TOTAL FANTASY THAT WE WERE ACTUALLY GOING TO AMERICA ABOARD THIS SHIP.

AND I LOOKED AT THE PEOPLE THERE, AND I'M SAYING, "WHAT DID THEY ALL GO THROUGH TO MAKE IT ON THE 'HENRY GIBBINS'?"

SOME HAD ESCAPED FROM CONCENTRATION CAMPS, SOME HAD MADE IT ONE WAY OR ANOTHER TO THAT SHIP.

WHAT DID THEY ALL GO THROUGH?

THEY WENT THROUGH HELL, PLAIN AND SIMPLE.

THAT'S WHAT THEY WENT THROUGH.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: BACK IN NAZI-OCCUPIED EUROPE, 15-YEAR-OLD BENJAMIN LESSER WAS ENDURING THE SAME HELL THAT MANY OF THOSE ONBOARD THE "U.S.S.

HENRY GIBBINS" HAD ESCAPED.

IT WAS OUR JOB TO RAKE THESE BOULDERS, THROW IT INTO A MINING CART, RUN IT DOWN THE TRACK TO A GRINDING MACHINE, AND THEN PUSH IT BACK UP.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: BUT BEYOND THE CAMP'S BARBED WIRE PERIMETER, BENJAMIN'S CAPTORS WERE LOSING THE WAR.

BY LATE 1944, THE RUSSIANS WERE CLOSING IN FROM THE EAST, THE AMERICANS AND BRITISH FROM THE WEST.

DESPERATE TO CONCEAL THE NAZIS' ATROCITIES, THE HEAD OF THE SS, HEINRICH HIMMLER, ORDERED ALL CONCENTRATION CAMP PRISONERS TO BE MOVED AWAY FROM THE APPROACHING ARMIES AND INTO GERMANY.

BENJAMIN AND HIS COUSIN ISAAC WERE FORCED TO SET OFF ON A 250-MILE DEATH MARCH.

THE REASON THEY CALLED IT THE DEATH MARCH, IF YOU COULD NOT KEEP UP PACE WITH THE SOLDIERS, THEN THEY SHOT YOU.

AND ALL DAY LONG, YOU HEARD POP, POP.

PEOPLE WERE BEING SHOT.

AND THEY LEFT YOU ON THE ROAD.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: FOR 4 WEEKS, BENJAMIN AND ISAAC WALKED BAREFOOT THROUGH THE SNOW.

AFTER TWO WEEKS, MY COUSIN GETS SICK ON ME.

AND HE SAYS, "BEN, LET ME SIT DOWN.

EVERYONE WILL PASS.

THEY'LL SHOOT ME.

IT'LL BE OVER WITH."

I SAYS, "ISAAC, THAT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN, "NOT AS LONG AS I'M ALIVE.

"DON'T EVEN THINK THAT WAY.

WE WILL SURVIVE IT.

WE WILL SURVIVE IT TOGETHER."

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: FOR ANOTHER 4 WEEKS, THE SURVIVORS WERE LOCKED INSIDE A CATTLE CAR AND SHUTTLED FROM ONE RAILROAD SIGHTING TO THE NEXT... UNTIL THEY ARRIVED AT DACHAU CONCENTRATION CAMP IN SOUTHERN GERMANY ON APRIL 26, 1945.

THEY OPENED UP THE DOORS, AND THEY SAID, "ANYONE WHO CAN WALK OUT, WALK ACROSS THE TRACKS INTO THIS CAMP."

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: OF THE 3,000 PEOPLE CRAMMED INTO THIS ONE TRAIN, ONLY A HANDFUL EMERGED ALIVE.

BENJAMIN'S CAREFUL RATIONING OF A SINGLE LOAF OF BREAD MEANT HE AND HIS COUSIN ISAAC HAD SURVIVED, BUT ONLY JUST.

WE WERE SKELETONS.

GIVE YOU AN IDEA, I WEIGHED 65 POUNDS AT THE AGE OF 16 BY THEN.

THEY PUT ME AND MY COUSIN INTO THE BARRACK RIGHT NEXT TO THE CREMATORIUM.

I GUESS THEY FIGURED WE'LL DIE ANYWAY.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: BUT HELP WAS ON ITS WAY.

3 DAYS AFTER BENJAMIN AND ISAAC HAD ARRIVED, AT 11:00 AM ON APRIL 29, 1945, THE AMERICAN 7TH ARMY REACHED DACHAU.

WE LAID THERE, ONE DAY, TWO DAYS.

ON DAY 3, WE HEAR, "BEFREIUNG!

BEFREIUNG!

LIBERATION.

AMERICANS.

AMERICANS."

SO I TELL ISAAC, "LET'S GO OUT AND SEE WHAT'S GOING ON."

WENT OUT AND WE SEE INMATES CRAWLING ON THEIR STOMACH TO KISS THE GI'S BOOTS.

THOSE MEN LOOKED LIKE GODS TO US.

THEY LIBERATED US.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: BUT THE LIBERATION DIDN'T COME IN TIME FOR EVERYONE.

THAT NIGHT, THE NIGHT OF LIBERATION, ISAAC DIES IN MY ARMS.

AND I'M HOLDING HIM, AND I'M STILL TALKING TO HIM.

I COULDN'T BELIEVE THAT HE'S DEAD.

BUT I WOULDN'T LET HIM GO.

AND THEN SOMEONE CAME AND PICKED HIM-- TOOK HIM AWAY FROM ME.

SO I FOLLOWED, AND MY KNEES GAVE OUT FROM UNDER ME, AND I JUST COLLAPSED.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: AT JUST 16, BENJAMIN HAD SURVIVED THE WORST ATROCITY IN HUMAN HISTORY.

HE WAS ALONE IN THE WORLD.

BUT THAT WAS ABOUT TO CHANGE.

4,000 MILES AWAY, ONBOARD THE "U.S.S.

HENRY GIBBINS," BEN ALALUF HAD ESCAPED THE HOLOCAUST.

ON AUGUST 3, 1944, AMERICA APPEARED ON THE HORIZON.

BEN: AS THE SHIP APPROACHED NEW YORK AND THE STATUE OF LIBERTY, THERE WASN'T A DRY EYE ANYPLACE.

EVERYBODY WAS SAYING PRAYERS, ON THEIR KNEES, AND KISSING THE FLOOR OF THE SHIP.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: FROM NEW YORK, THE REFUGEES WERE SENT TO A FORMER ARMY CAMP ON THE BANKS OF LAKE ONTARIO IN OSWEGO, UPSTATE NEW YORK CALLED SAFE HAVEN.

THIS IS WHERE I DISEMBARKED RIGHT THERE.

AND THIS IS WHERE I SET FOOT TOWARDS MY FREEDOM, YOU MIGHT SAY.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: A SMALL BARRACK HUT WAS ALLOCATED TO BEN'S FAMILY.

THIS IS OUR HOME.

OH, MY GOSH.

LOOK AT THAT.

YEAH, THIS IS OUR HOME.

BEN: THE FIRST MEMORY I HAVE OF THE CAMP IS SNOW.

IT SNOWED ALL THE TIME.

I DON'T THINK I'VE EVER SEEN THE SUN THERE, REALLY.

IT DOESN'T SOUND SO NICE.

IT WAS BEAUTIFUL, HONEY.

I'M GONNA TELL YOU RIGHT NOW.

IT WAS BEAUTIFUL.

WHY?

IT WAS HOME, AND IT WAS SAFE.

AND THE BOTTOM LINE, IT WAS AMERICA.

THAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: IN HIS FIRST HOME, 3-YEAR-OLD BEN COULD FINALLY LAUGH AND PLAY WITH HIS FIRST REAL FRIEND, A LITTLE GIRL WHO WAS ALSO FROM YUGOSLAVIA WHO HE CALLED SEKA.

BEN: SEKA WAS THE ONLY FRIEND THAT I KNEW.

THIS PHOTOGRAPH ILLUSTRATES HOW HAPPY WE WERE PLAYING TOGETHER.

TAKE A LOOK AT THOSE SMILES FOR CRYING OUT LOUD.

WE'D RUN AND HIDE IN THE SNOW.

THAT'S WHAT I REMEMBER.

ALL WE KNEW IS THAT WE WERE SAFE, WE WERE FED, AND OUR FAMILY WASN'T ON THE RUN.

SO THERE WAS A CONNECTION THERE.

YEAH, THE CONNECTION WAS THERE.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: BEN BELIEVES HIS FRIENDSHIP WITH SEKA CHANGED HIS LIFE AND SHAPED THE MAN HE GREW UP TO BE.

THAT FRIENDSHIP SHOWED ME THAT I COULD TALK WITH PEOPLE AND NOT FEAR IT.

I LEARNED TO BE WITH PEOPLE AND LEARN FROM PEOPLE.

YEAH, THAT'S CARRIED ME ALL THESE YEARS.

I'VE DONE THAT MY ENTIRE LIFE.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: BUT THEIR FRIENDSHIP CAME TO AN ABRUPT END.

ON DECEMBER 22, 1945, PRESIDENT TRUMAN SIGNED AN EXECUTIVE ORDER GIVING THE REFUGEES THE RIGHT TO STAY IN THE UNITED STATES.

BEN AND HIS FAMILY LEFT THE CAMP A FEW DAYS LATER, AND HE HAS NOT SEEN SEKA SINCE.

DID YOU SAY GOOD-BYE?

DID YOU EVER SAY GOOD-BYE?

NO, I DON'T REMEMBER THAT, NO.

BUT, YOU KNOW, AT THAT TIME, SOON AS YOU GOT THE WORD THAT WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO STAY, I THINK EVERYBODY, I MEAN EVERYBODY, STARTED PACKING.

THAT'S WHY IT ALWAYS DESTROYS ME MENTALLY TO THINK 70 YEARS AND MORE.

COME ON.

HAVEN'T SEEN HER IN ALL THIS TIME?

NO!

THE ONLY THING I'VE SEEN IS THE PICTURE.

YOU KNOW, MY FAMILY AND I, WE TALK EVERY NOW AND THEN, AND I SAY, "I WONDER WHAT HAPPENED TO HER.

DO YOU THINK SHE MADE IT OK?

I HOPE SHE DID."

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: BUT BEN HAS NEVER BEEN ABLE TO FIND OUT.

THE REFUGEES HAD SCATTERED ACROSS AMERICA, AND BEN SUSPECTS SEKA WAS A NICKNAME.

NOW, WHETHER HER NAME IS SEKA OR SOME OTHER NAME, I DON'T KNOW IF SEKA IS A NICKNAME, IF YOU WILL, OR MAYBE HER REAL NAME IS SARAH.

I'M 77.

SHE'S GOT TO BE IN THE SAME BALLPARK.

HOW MANY YEARS DO YOU HAVE LEFT?

YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS THE CHANCE.

ABSOLUTELY NOT.

HELL, NO, I DON'T WANT TO MISS THAT CHANCE.

I WANT TO MEET HER, ABSOLUTELY.

THIS IS A PERSON THAT I'VE KNOWN AT THAT CAMP, MY FIRST FRIEND IN AMERICA.

GIVE ME A BREAK.

DO I WANT TO MEET HER?

YEAH, YOU BETTER BELIEVE I WANT TO MEET HER.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: CONCENTRATION CAMP SURVIVOR BENJAMIN LESSER'S NEW LIFE AFTER THE HOLOCAUST WOULD ALSO BEGIN WITH A FRIENDSHIP IN A GERMAN MONASTERY TURNED MAKESHIFT HOSPITAL.

BENJAMIN: I FEEL I WAS BORN HERE, WAKING UP IN THIS BEAUTIFUL PLACE.

I KNOW I PASSED OUT, IT WAS IN DACHAU.

THE NEXT THING I REMEMBER I WOKE UP IN ONE OF THESE ROOMS.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: BENJAMIN WAS 16 YEARS OLD.

HE HAD LOST EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE.

TWO MONTHS AFTER FALLING INTO A COMA, HE WOKE UP HERE, AT THE ST. OTTILIEN MONASTERY 20 MILES FROM DACHAU.

THIS BED WAS LIKE WAKING UP IN A BEAUTIFUL RESORT.

AFTER THE CAMPS, THIS WAS AN UNBELIEVABLE, LUXURIOUS PLACE.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: THE HOSPITAL WAS FULL, SO THE NUNS ASKED BENJAMIN IF HE WOULD BE WILLING TO SHARE A BED WITH ANOTHER SURVIVOR.

BENJAMIN: THEY BROUGHT THIS YOUNG MAN TO ME.

HE WAS A LITTLE OLDER THAN I, MAYBE A COUPLE OF YEARS.

AND WE HUGGED EACH OTHER.

HE WAS THE ONLY PERSON ALIVE THAT I FELT WENT THROUGH WHAT I HAD BEEN.

WE BECAME VERY CLOSE.

THAT WAS MY ONLY FAMILY AT THE TIME.

YOU CALL HIM FAMILY.

I CONSIDERED HIM AS A BROTHER.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: THE YOUNG MAN'S NAME WAS MOSHEH OPATOWSKI.

LIKE BENJAMIN, HE WAS A POLISH JEW AND A CONCENTRATION CAMP SURVIVOR.

THIS UNIQUE FOOTAGE SHOT AT ST. OTTILIEN APPEARS TO SHOW THE TWO FRIENDS SITTING TOGETHER ON THE WARD.

THIS IS AFTER I CAME BACK TO LIFE, AND HE, TOO.

WE WERE SO CLOSE.

WE DRESSED ALIKE AND WE ATE ALIKE AND ALL THAT, DID A LOT OF THINGS.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: WITH NO HOMES OR FAMILIES TO RETURN TO, THERE WAS NO GOING BACK TO THEIR PREVIOUS LIVES.

BENJAMIN: WE WERE JUST SO FOCUSED TO MAKE A LIFE FOR THE FUTURE AND TO HAVE OUR OWN COUNTRY.

FOR JEWISH PEOPLE.

RIGHT.

WE WANTED THE WHOLE WORLD TO KNOW THAT YOU CAN'T PUSH US AROUND AGAIN.

WE ARE STRONG, AND WE WILL NOT ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN.

WE WILL HAVE A VOICE 'CAUSE RIGHT NOW WE HAVE NOTHING.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: WHEN THEY WERE WELL ENOUGH TO LEAVE THE MONASTERY, THE TWO YOUNG MEN JOINED A GROUP OF LIKE-MINDED JEWISH ORPHANS LIVING TOGETHER IN A DISPLACED PERSONS CAMP.

IS MOSHEH IN THIS PHOTOGRAPH?

YEAH.

I'M HOLDING MY HAND ON TOP OF HIM, SEE?

YEAH, YOU ARE.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: THE GROUP SELECTED BENJAMIN AND MOSHEH TO TRAVEL TO PALESTINE AND BEGIN BUILDING A NEW JEWISH HOMELAND.

BENJAMIN: IT GAVE US A NEW REASON TO LIVE, AND THAT WAS SO POWERFUL.

YOU WERE NOBODY BEFORE, AND NOW YOU HAD A REASON TO DO SOMETHING WITH YOUR LIFE THAT'S GOING TO HELP OTHERS.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: THE NIGHT BEFORE BENJAMIN AND MOSHEH WERE DUE TO EMBARK ON THEIR MISSION TO PALESTINE, BENJAMIN RECEIVED A MESSAGE THAT SHOCKED HIM TO HIS CORE.

HIS OLDER SISTER LOLA WAS ALIVE.

INCREDIBLY, SHE WAS IN THE VERY SAME MONASTERY BENJAMIN HAD JUST LEFT.

BUT HE WAS TOLD SHE WAS DYING.

BENJAMIN FACED AN IMPOSSIBLE DILEMMA.

SHOULD HE CONTINUE HIS MISSION AND ABANDON HIS SISTER, OR GO TO HER AND ABANDON MOSHEH AND THEIR DREAM OF FOUNDING A NEW HOMELAND?

SO I SAYS, "MOSHEH, I FINALLY MADE A DECISION.

"IT'S MY SISTER.

SHE'S DYING, "AND I CAN'T--I CAN'T FORSAKE HER.

I HAVE TO LEAVE."

HE TURNED HIMSELF AROUND AND WALKED AWAY.

AND THAT WAS THE LAST TIME I'VE SEEN HIM.

YOU NEVER SAW HIM AGAIN?

I HAVE NEVER SEEN HIM AGAIN, NEVER HEARD FROM HIM AGAIN.

HE JUST TURNED AROUND AND WALKED AWAY LIKE HE NEVER KNEW ME.

WHAT WENT THROUGH YOU IN THAT MOMENT?

I FELT BROKENHEARTED.

MY HEART WAS BROKEN.

IT WAS MY OWN BROTHER WALKING AWAY.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: WITH A HEAVY HEART, BENJAMIN LEFT MOSHEH TO FIND THE SISTER HE HAD BEEN TOLD WAS DYING.

WE EMBRACE AND I HUG HER, AND THEN I NOTICED SOMETHING, THAT LOLA HAS A BELLY.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: LOLA HAD LIED TO MAKE SURE BENJAMIN RETURNED TO HER.

SHE WAS NOT DYING.

IN FACT, SHE WAS ABOUT TO GIVE BIRTH.

WELL, OF COURSE I WAS VERY HAPPY.

SHE'S ALIVE AND SHE'S GOING TO HAVE A CHILD.

SO MY WHOLE LIFE CHANGED, OF COURSE.

MY LITTLE NEPHEW WAS BORN.

AND A NEW BEGINNING-- A NEW BEGINNING.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: WITH LOLA, MECHEL, AND HIS NEW NEPHEW, BENJAMIN MOVED TO AMERICA IN 1947 AND TO A NEW LIFE.

HE GOT MARRIED TO JEAN AND HAD TWO DAUGHTERS-- SHERRY AND GAIL.

HE WENT ON BUILD A SUCCESSFUL REAL ESTATE BUSINESS IN LOS ANGELES.

BUT THROUGHOUT ALL THE YEARS, BENJAMIN NEVER LOOKED FOR MOSHEH, THE FRIEND WHO WAS LIKE A BROTHER.

I SHOULD HAVE TRIED TO FIND HIM, BUT I FELT HURT, AND I WAS HOPING HE WOULD COME TO HIS SENSES SOMEHOW AND EVEN LOOK ME UP.

BUT IT'S STUBBORN IN BOTH OF US.

I MEAN, I SHOULD HAVE DONE IT, TOO.

WHY NOW WHEN IT WASN'T RIGHT THEN?

BECAUSE OF OUR AGE.

NOW I'M RETIRED.

I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE THIS WORLD HAVING HIM ANGRY AT ME.

I WANT HIS FORGIVENESS.

AND IF I COULD, I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE IT.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: LIKE BENJAMIN, FORMER JEWISH REFUGEE BEN ALALUF ALSO BUILT A NEW LIFE IN AMERICA.

AFTER FINDING SANCTUARY AT THE SAFE HAVEN REFUGEE CAMP, BEN'S FAMILY MOVED TO BROOKLYN IN 1946.

BEN: OH, MY GOODNESS.

THIS IS MY HOUSE RIGHT HERE.

OH, BOY.

MY ROOM WAS RIGHT THERE.

RIGHT WHERE THOSE SHADES ARE RIGHT NOW, THAT WAS MY ROOM.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: BEN SEIZED THE OPPORTUNITY AMERICA OFFERED HIM.

HE WENT TO COLLEGE, BECAME A TEACHER, AND THEN AN ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL.

HE HAS A WIFE, MARTHA, AND A DAUGHTER, AMY.

BUT BEN HAS NEVER FORGOTTEN THOSE FIRST FEW MONTHS IN AMERICA AND HIS FIRST REAL FRIEND.

TODAY, MORE THAN 70 YEARS LATER, THE ONLY CLUE TO HER IDENTITY IS A SINGLE PHOTOGRAPH AND A NAME--SEKA.

BEN: IT'S LIKE PICKING A NEEDLE OUT OF A HAYSTACK.

YOU'VE GOT MILLIONS OF PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES.

AND IF SHE'S IN THE UNITED STATES.

HOW DO SAY, "HEY, HERE SHE IS"?

I DON'T KNOW HOW THIS IS DONE.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: THE FIRST STEP IN BEN'S SEARCH IS THE LAST PLACE HE SAW SEKA, THE REFUGEE CAMP ON THE BANKS OF LAKE ONTARIO IN UPSTATE NEW YORK.

TODAY, THE ONLY TRACES OF THE CAMP ARE THE TRAIN TRACKS WHERE BEN ARRIVED AND A MUSEUM WHERE HE IS HOPING TO DISCOVER SEKA'S REAL OR FULL NAME.

WOMAN: THERE'S YOUR FAMILY'S NAME RIGHT THERE.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: JUDY COE RAPAPORT IS THE MUSEUM'S PRESIDENT.

AND THIS GIVES YOU THE HOUSE NUMBER THAT YOU WERE AT HERE.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: JUDY HAS FOUND NO RECORD OF A SEKA, CONFIRMING BEN'S SUSPICION THAT IT WAS A NICKNAME.

THIS WILL MAKE HER HARDER TO FIND.

SO JUDY AND BEN NEED ANOTHER WAY TO TRACE HIS LONG-LOST FRIEND.

JUDY: WE KNOW THAT YOU WERE IN 164.

YOU WERE 4 YEARS OLD AT THE TIME.

SO WE CAN RESEARCH THE FAMILIES FROM YUGOSLAVIA THAT WERE AROUND THIS NUMBER, WHICH IS 164.

THAT'S INTERESTING.

AND CHILDREN BORN BETWEEN 1938 AND 1941.

CORRECT.

THERE'S '38 RIGHT HERE.

FLORA KALDERON.

K-A-L-D-E-R-O-N. AND THAT'S 1938.

OK. AND THIS IS RENEE KONFORT.

SHE'S IN THE BALLPARK, TOO, BECAUSE SHE'S 165.

AND THAT'S 1940.

AND 1940.

AND THEN LUNA KAMPOS.

'38.

AND LOLA KAMPOS.

SO BASICALLY WHAT I HAVE IS LIKE 12 THAT WE COULD WORK ON RIGHT THERE.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: JUDY HAS CONTACTS FOR MOST OF THE FAMILIES WHO WERE AT SAFE HAVEN, SO SHE'S GOING TO SCAN THE PHOTO OF SEKA AND EMAIL IT TO EACH OF THESE 12 FAMILIES.

I MEAN, IT'S ALMOST UNREAL, TO BE QUITE HONEST WITH YOU.

WE HAVE 12 PEOPLE.

ANYONE OF THESE HERE COULD BE SEKA.

ISN'T THAT AMAZING THE WAY WE BROKE IT DOWN AND ALL OF THE SUDDEN YOU COME UP WITH A POSSIBILITY THAT ONE CAN BE SEKA?

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: CONCENTRATION CAMP SURVIVOR BENJAMIN LESSER HAS DEDICATED THE LAST 23 YEARS TO ENSURING THAT THE HOLOCAUST IS NEVER FORGOTTEN AND NEVER REPEATED.

THEY COME FROM THE TIME AND HISTORY WHERE CIVILIZATION LOST ITS HUMANITY, ITS HEART.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: WITH HIS FAMILY, BENJAMIN RUNS THE ZACHOR HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE FOUNDATION.

IF YOU SEE A SIGN THAT SAYS "ARBEIT MACHT FREI" ON A GATE, WHICH MEANS WORKS GETS YOU FREEDOM... CURRY, VOICE-OVER: THE FOUNDATION WORKS TO PRESERVE THE MEMORY OF THE HOLOCAUST AND TO PROMOTE TOLERANCE.

PEOPLE ASK ME, HOW DO YOU FEEL THAT YOU SURVIVED AND OTHER MEMBERS AND... YOU KNOW WHAT I ANSWER THEM?

I SAY, GOD NEEDED A WITNESS.

HE NEEDED SOMEONE WHO CAN TELL IT, TELL THE STORY.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: BUT BENJAMIN'S STORY IS NOT FINISHED.

NOW HE WANTS TO DISCOVER WHAT HAPPENED TO MOSHEH, THE FELLOW CONCENTRATION CAMP SURVIVOR HE CALLED HIS BROTHER.

BUT FINDING HIM IS NO EASY TASK.

AS HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS SCATTERED ACROSS EVERY CONTINENT, MANY ADOPTED NEW LANGUAGES AND NEW NAMES.

SO BENJAMIN HAS COME TO THE LOS ANGELES MUSEUM OF THE HOLOCAUST IN SEARCH OF EXPERT ASSISTANCE.

HELLO.

HI, JORDANA.

NICE TO MEET YOU.

JORDANA GESSLER IS THE MUSEUM'S DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION.

WE LOOKED FOR SOME RECORDS FROM THE HOSPITAL, AND WE COULDN'T FIND ANY.

BUT WE DO HAVE A DATABASE OF OVER 50,000 TESTIMONIES OF HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS FROM AROUND THE WORLD.

PERHAPS HE GAVE TESTIMONY.

PERHAPS WE HAVE THAT AND WE CAN SEARCH FOR IT.

WONDERFUL.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: JORDANA IS USING THE UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM'S HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS AND VICTIMS DATABASE.

JORDANA: DO YOU REMEMBER HIS LAST NAME AT ALL?

OPATOWSKI.

CURRY, VOICEOVER: BUT MOSHEH OPATOWSKI IS NOT AN UNCOMMON NAME, AND IT ALSO HAS MULTIPLE POSSIBLE SPELLINGS.

SO JORDANA NARROWS THE SEARCH.

YOU SAID HE MIGHT HAVE BEEN 3 YEARS OLDER THAN YOU?

YEAH, MAYBE '25.

SO WE CAN DO 1928 AND PLUS OR MINUS 5 YEARS.

OK, WE DIDN'T FIND ANYTHING WITH THAT.

I'M GOING TO EXPAND THE SEARCH, AND I'M GOING TO LOOK IF THE NAMES SOUND SIMILAR.

NOW WE HAVE 27 PEOPLE TO GO THROUGH.

DO YOU KNOW WHERE HE WAS BORN AT ALL?

IN LODZ.

OK, HERE'S SOMEBODY WHO WAS BORN IN LODZ.

HE WAS BORN IN 1927.

IT SAYS HE WAS IN DACHAU.

AND HE IS IN ISRAEL.

SO THIS COULD BE HIM.

COULD BE.

WE CAN LOOK AT SOME OLD PHOTOS OF HIM.

THAT'S HIM?

DOES HE LOOK FAMILIAR TO YOU?

THAT MIGHT BE HIM.

IT MIGHT BE HIM.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: JORDANA COMPARES THE PHOTOGRAPH WITH ONE OF BENJAMIN'S.

IT'S HIM.

THIS HAS TO BE HIM.

IT HAS TO BE HIM.

DOESN'T IT LOOK THE SAME?

IT LOOKS JUST LIKE HIM.

YEAH.

HEH.

OH, MY GOD.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: BENJAMIN NOW KNOWS MOSHEH DID REACH ISRAEL.

AND THERE IS ANOTHER SURPRISE.

ACTUALLY, THERE'S AN INTERVIEW WITH HIM THAT WAS FILMED IN NORTHERN ISRAEL AND IN HEBREW.

AND YOU KNOW THAT MOSHEH WENT TO ISRAEL.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: THE INTERVIEW IS STORED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SHOAH FOUNDATION, ALSO IN LOS ANGELES.

BENJAMIN: I FEEL GOOD.

I DON'T KNOW IF HE IS ALIVE OR IF HE ISN'T, BUT I'M HOPING HE IS.

AND I WOULD LOVE TO SEE OR HEAR WHAT HE HAD TO SAY.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: BENJAMIN'S NEXT STEP IS TO WATCH MOSHEH'S TESTIMONY AND SEE THE FACE AND HEAR THE VOICE OF HIS FRIEND 72 YEARS AFTER THEY PARTED.

HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR BEN ALALUF IS SEARCHING FOR HIS FIRST FRIEND IN AMERICA.

AT THE SAFE HAVEN MUSEUM, JUDY COE RAPAPORT HAS EMAILED THE FAMILIES OF 12 POSSIBLE CANDIDATES.

[CELL PHONE RINGS] HELLO?

JUDY: HI, BEN.

HI, JUDY.

GOOD MORNING.

HOW ARE YOU?

OK, GREAT.

LISTEN, I'VE GOT SOMETHING FOR YOU.

ONE OF THE FORMER REFUGEES CONTACTED ME LAST EVENING.

HIS NAME IS CY KALDERON.

HE WANTS TO MEET WITH YOU.

OK, THAT'S WONDERFUL.

I'D LOVE TO MEET HIM.

ABSOLUTELY.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: FOR BEN, THIS IS THE FIRST POTENTIAL CLUE TO SEKA'S WHEREABOUTS IN OVER 70 YEARS.

THERE MAY BE A CONNECTION THERE.

I DON'T KNOW THAT, BUT WE'RE OFF TO MARYLAND.

I GOT MY SNEAKERS ON, SO LET'S MOVE.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: SIMON KALDERON HAS INVITED BEN TO VISIT HIM AT HIS HOME NEAR BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

HELLO, I'M SIMON KALDERON.

BEN.

BEN.

[SPEAKS NATIVE LANGUAGE] [BOTH SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE] CURRY, VOICE-OVER: LIKE BEN, SIMON'S FAMILY FLED YUGOSLAVIA, TRAVELING ON THE "U.S.S.

HENRY GIBBINS" BEFORE FINDING SANCTUARY AT THE SAVE HAVEN REFUGEE CAMP IN UPSTATE NEW YORK.

THE ONLY PERSON THAT I KNEW WAS THE LITTLE GIRL NEXT DOOR THAT, YOU KNOW, WE USED TO PLAY TOGETHER.

THIS IS SEKA.

OH, MY GOSH.

AND THAT'S ME AND-- SEKA AND I RIGHT THERE.

GOT TO TELL YOU, THIS LOOKS LIKE MY SISTER.

WHAT?

THAT LOOKS LIKE MY SISTER.

OH, MY GOODNESS.

WOW.

YOU'RE TELLING ME THIS IS YOUR SISTER?

OH, MY...

HERE'S SOME OLD PICTURES I HAD TO DREDGE UP.

OH, MY GOODNESS.

LOOK AT THIS.

THIS ONE REALLY LOOKS LIKE HER.

I'M TELLING YOU, IT'S HER.

OH.

THAT IS HER.

THERE'S NO DOUBT IN MY MIND.

NOW, LET ME ASK YOU.

WHAT IS HER NAME?

FLORA FRIEDMAN.

FLORA?

WELL, IT'D BE FLORA KALDERON WHEN SHE WAS... HAVE YOU EVER CALLED HER SEKA?

YES, SEKA MEANS SISTER.

THAT'S WHAT THEY ALL CALLED HER.

OH!

SEKA.

YOU KNOW, SEKA MEANS SISTER.

I DIDN'T PUT IT TOGETHER.

OH, MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS.

THIS IS INCREDIBLE, TOTALLY INCREDIBLE.

IT'S BEEN OVER 70 YEARS SINCE I'VE SEEN SEKA.

I WOULD LOVE TO MEET HER.

I'LL GIVE HER A CALL.

OH, BOY, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.

THAT WOULD BE SUPER.

BEN: WHEN HE SAID IT WAS HIS SISTER, ABOUT KNOCKED ME OUT OF MY SEAT RIGHT THERE.

ALL THE PIECES, SUDDENLY, OF THE PUZZLE FIT TOGETHER.

AND THE PUZZLE WILL BE COMPLETED WHEN WE MEET.

IT'S TOTALLY SURREAL, TOTALLY SURREAL RIGHT NOW.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR BENJAMIN LESSER HAS DISCOVERED HIS FRIEND MOSHEH MADE IT TO ISRAEL AFTER THE WAR, BUT HE HAS NO IDEA WHERE MOSHEH LIVES OR IF HE IS EVEN STILL ALIVE.

SO BENJAMIN IS HOPING THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SHOAH FOUNDATION CAN PROVIDE SOME ANSWERS.

THE FOUNDATION IS DEDICATED TO KEEPING ALIVE THE MEMORY OF THE HOLOCAUST AND OTHER GENOCIDES.

IT HAS COLLECTED SOME 55,000 AUDIO/VISUAL TESTIMONIES OF GENOCIDE SURVIVORS AND WITNESSES, AND AMONG THEM IS THE TESTIMONY OF BENJAMIN'S LONG-LOST FRIEND MOSHEH.

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME BENJAMIN HAS HEARD HIS FRIEND'S VOICE SINCE 1946.

IT'S A LITTLE EMOTIONAL FOR ME TO SEE HIM.

OH.

UM.

VERY TOUCHING TO ME.

AND HE REMEMBERED ME.

HE MENTIONED ME.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: BENJAMIN NOW KNOWS MOSHEH WAS NOT ANGRY WITH HIM, BUT HE STILL DOES NOT KNOW WHERE HE IS.

USC FOUNDATION'S EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DR. STEPHEN SMITH HAS BEEN INVESTIGATING.

HEY, BEN.

SO HOW WAS THAT?

OH, IT WAS GREAT.

UH-HUH.

CLOSURE TO ME.

I COULDN'T BELIEVE THAT I'M LISTENING TO HIM AND HE'S MENTIONING MY NAME, LIKE HIS BROTHER.

I GUESS HE DOESN'T HOLD A GRUDGE AGAINST ME.

AND IT MEANS AN AWFUL LOT.

SO WE HAVE REACHED OUT, AND I HAVE SAD NEWS TO TELL YOU.

MOSHEH HAS PASSED AWAY IN 2012.

SO HE'S NO LONGER ALIVE.

I HAD A FEELING THAT HAPPENED.

YEAH.

I'M SO SORRY THE NEWS ISN'T BETTER.

I REALLY AM.

I NEVER HAD THE CHANCE TO PUT MY ARMS HIM AND TELL HIM HOW I FEEL.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: BUT FOR BENJAMIN, ALONG WITH GRIEF COMES A RAY OF HOPE.

WE HAVE REACHED OUT TO THE FAMILY, AND THEY'D LOVE TO MEET YOU.

REALLY?

WELL, SO WOULD I LOVE TO MEET THEM.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: BENJAMIN NOW KNOWS MOSHEH FULFILLED HIS DREAM OF STARTING A NEW LIFE IN ISRAEL.

AND HE HAD A FAMILY NOW EAGER TO MEET HIM.

BENJAMIN: TOO BAD, MOSHEH, I WON'T BE ABLE TO SAY GOOD-BYE TO YOU IN PERSON, BUT I WILL BE THERE WITH YOUR CHILDREN.

AND I FEEL BEING ABLE TO TALK TO YOUR CHILDREN, THAT'S PART OF YOU.

SO I'M SO THANKFUL THAT I'LL BE ABLE TO HAVE THAT CHANCE IN LIFE TO MEET THEM.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: AND THAT MEANS TRAVELING TO THE LAND THE TWO ONCE DREAMT OF MAKING THEIR HOME--ISRAEL.

FOR BEN ALALUF, THE WAIT IS NEARLY OVER.

HE IS ON HIS WAY TO MEET SEKA, HIS FIRST FRIEND IN AMERICA.

BEN: IT'S TOTALLY UNBELIEVABLE THAT SOMEBODY YOU KNEW AS A VERY, VERY YOUNG CHILD, 70-SOMEWHAT ODD YEARS LATER, YOU'RE GONNA SAY HELLO.

COME ON, HOW MANY TIMES DOES THAT HAPPEN IN REAL LIFE?

IT DOESN'T REALLY.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: A LIFETIME SINCE THEY LAST MET IN A SNOW-COVERED REFUGEE CAMP, IT'S TIME FOR TWO CHILDHOOD FRIENDS TO MEET AGAIN.

SEKA?

[LAUGHS] HI, BEN.

HOW ARE YOU?

I'M WELL.

HOW ARE YOU?

OH, IT'S SO GOOD TO SEE YOU.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE A SEAT?

SURE.

OH, MY GOODNESS.

IT'S BEEN SUCH A LONG TIME.

TOO LONG.

TOO LONG.

TOO LONG.

YOU WERE MY FIRST FRIEND.

EVERY TIME MY MOTHER USED TO LOOK OUT THE WINDOW AND SAY, "SEKA'S OUT FRONT.

GO OUTSIDE.

PLAY WITH SEKA."

THIS IS AT THE CAMP.

I THINK IS THE LINEUP WHERE THEY WERE ASSIGNING YOU WHAT BARRACKS YOU WERE GONNA BE IN.

WELL, IT MIGHT BE THAT YOU'RE STANDING IN LINE TO EAT, BECAUSE THEY USED TO STAND IN LINE FOREVER.

AND GET THE FOOD.

FOREVER, RIGHT.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: AFTER LEAVING THE CAMP, FLORA'S FAMILY SETTLED IN BALTIMORE.

THERE SHE MARRIED IRVIN.

TODAY SHE HAS TWO SONS AND 7 GRANDCHILDREN.

SEKA, THIS IS THE PICTURE THAT I ALWAYS HAD OF YOU AND I.

MY FIRST FRIEND IN AMERICA.

AND WHEN I MAKE ANY POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS AT THE HOLOCAUST CENTER, MY BEST LINE, WITHOUT A DOUBT, IS, "THIS IS MY LITTLE GIRLFRIEND."

THEY ALWAYS ASK THE SAME QUESTION-- "WHERE IS SHE TODAY?

DO YOU TALK TO HER?

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN"-- I SAID, "NO, BUT ONE DAY I AM GONNA MEET HER."

AND GUESS WHAT, TODAY WAS THE DAY.

YEAH, SO IT WORKED OUT REALLY WELL ALL THE WAY AROUND.

IT'S VERY EXCITING.

THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT I MET MY FRIEND AFTER--WELL, IT WAS A SHORT TRIP, 70 YEARS.

I HOPE SHE LIVES UP TO YOUR EXPECTATIONS.

OH, SHE DOES.

FLORA: IT'S UNBELIEVABLE AFTER ALL THESE YEARS TO MEET SOMEONE THAT YOU SAW WHEN YOU WERE LITTLE.

I AM JUST OVERWHELMED THAT SOMEONE THOUGHT OF ME SO MUCH.

BEN: I'M GONNA HAVE TO CHANGE MY PRESENTATION NOW.

YES, I DID MEET HER.

SHE'S DOING QUITE WELL.

THANK YOU.

AND SHE'S ALIVE AND WELL.

FLORA: WELL, IT HAS BEEN A WONDERFUL DAY.

I LEARNED THAT THIS WAS A TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

I REALLY DID.

GOOD PICTURES.

AM I GONNA KEEP IN TOUCH?

YES.

ABSOLUTELY.

WHY NOT?

YEAH.

WHY NOT.

WE COULD STILL DO THIS, YEAH.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: IN ISRAEL, THE TIME HAS COME FOR BENJAMIN LESSER TO COMPLETE THE FINAL CHAPTER OF HIS EXTRAORDINARY STORY.

TO DISCOVER WHAT HAPPENED TO HIS FRIEND MOSHEH, BENJAMIN HAS TRAVELED 7,000 MILES FROM HIS HOME IN LAS VEGAS.

THE MILEAGE DON'T MEAN ANYTHING TO ME.

I WOULD DO IT OVER AGAIN, AND I WOULD GO TWICE AS FAR IF NECESSARY IF I HAD A CHANCE TO MEET MOSHEH.

OBVIOUSLY THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE.

MOSHEH IS GONE.

BUT I'M VERY HAPPY TO MEET HIS CHILDREN AND TELL THEM HOW I FELT ABOUT THEIR FATHER, HOW MUCH I LOVED HIM.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: A WORLD AWAY FROM THE HOSPITAL WHERE THEY FIRST MET AND A LIFETIME SINCE BENJAMIN LAST SAW MOSHEH, AT YEHAIM KIBBUTZ IN NORTHERN ISRAEL, IT IS TIME FOR BENJAMIN TO MEET MOSHEH'S CHILDREN, OSNET AND ZOHAR.

HI, BEN.

HELLO.

OSNET, ZOHAR.

HOW NICE.

I'M SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU.

PART OF MOSHEH.

AND THIS IS ZOHAR, MY BROTHER.

ZOHAR.

HI.

SO GLAD TO SEE YOU.

OSNET: SIT DOWN.

THIS IS WONDERFUL.

I FEEL PART OF MOSHEH IS WITH ME RIGHT NOW.

I WAS HOPING TO MEET MOSHEH, BUT UNFORTUNATELY, I WAS A LITTLE TOO LATE.

BUT I'M SURE HE'S WATCHING US.

HE'S WATCHING US.

AND HE MUST BE JUST AS HAPPY TO SEE ME WITH YOU TOGETHER.

[INDISTINCT] JUST BEING WITH YOU.

YOU'RE SO WELCOME TO US.

OH.

WHAT WAS IT WITH MOSHEH YOU COULDN'T FORGET?

WELL, MOSHEH AND I, WE WERE LIKE SURROGATE BROTHERS.

WE FELT WE BOTH LOST OUR FAMILY AND ALL WE HAD WAS HE AND I.

WE FORMED A BOND.

IT WAS A REAL BOND.

I DON'T THINK THAT A TRUE BROTHER WOULD FEEL TOWARDS EACH OTHER AS CLOSE AS I FELT TOWARD MOSHEH, AND HE FELT FOR ME.

HE WAS HERE ALL HIS LIFE IN THIS KIBBUTZ?

HE CAME--YEAH.

HE WAS PART OF THE FOUNDERS OF THE KIBBUTZ.

THEY LIVED HERE.

IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT CONDITIONS HERE.

THERE WERE NO ROADS, NO ELECTRICITY, NO WATER, NOTHING.

THEY REALLY CREATED A NEW WORLD HERE.

MY FATHER SAID HE HAD NOTHING TO LOSE.

AND HE BUILT HIMSELF A NEW LIFE WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE AND FRIENDS.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: MOSHEH ARRIVED IN YEHAIM IN 1948.

AROUND THE RUINS OF THIS ANCIENT CASTLE IN A BARREN AND HOSTILE LAND, MOSHEH HELPED BUILD A THRIVING COMMUNITY.

HE DEDICATED HIS LIFE WORKING A THE KIBBUTZ, AND WITH HIS WIFE HELEN, RAISED A FAMILY.

BUT FOR BENJAMIN, MEETING MOSHEH'S CHILDREN IS MORE THAN A CHANCE TO LEARN ABOUT HIS FRIEND'S LIFE.

IT'S A CHANCE TO FIND PEACE.

WE NEVER HAD A CHANCE TO MAKE UP.

OUR LIVES TOOK TWO SEPARATE ROUTES, AND BEFORE YOU KNEW IT, TIME SLIPPED BY.

OSNET: I THINK HE FELT LIKE YOU DID, AND I THINK HE MIGHT FELT BAD BECAUSE HE DIDN'T GIVE YOU HIS BLESSING TO GO TO FOLLOW YOUR HEART.

YEAH.

I GUESS HE DIDN'T WANT TO COME BACK TO THIS BECAUSE HE WAS ASHAMED OF HIS REACTION.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: OSNET AND ZOHAR BELIEVE THIS SHAME PREVENTED THEIR FATHER FROM DISCUSSING THE PAST.

MY MOTHER HEARD YOUR NAME.

SHE KNOW ABOUT YOU.

BUT WE NEVER HEARD ABOUT HIS LIFE BEFORE.

NO, HE DIDN'T WANT US TO BE HURT BY THE STORIES.

HE WANTED TO KEEP THE CHILDREN OUT OF THE HOLOCAUST.

I FELT THE SAME WAY.

I DIDN'T WANT TO GET MY CHILDREN CONTAMINATED.

ONCE THEY HAD CHILDREN OF THEIR OWN AND THE CHILDREN ASKED ME, THAT WAS TIME TO TALK.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: THIS COMMITMENT TO PRESERVING THE MEMORY OF THE HOLOCAUST IS ANOTHER THING THE TWO FRIENDS SHARED.

YOUR FRIEND, OUR FATHER, ACTUALLY WORKED FOR THE SAME PURPOSE.

HE WAS LECTURING AT SCHOOLS.

I'M HAPPY TO HEAR THAT MOSHEH DID THE SAME THING THAT I'M DOING.

YEAH.

HE HAD A BEAUTIFUL LIFE.

HE DID.

I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT.

AND HE ACHIEVED ALL HIS DREAMS.

I'M SO HAPPY.

I'M SO HAPPY.

I'M SO HAPPY.

WE ARE HAPPY, TOO, BEN, TO SEE YOU.

BENJAMIN: MEETING MOSHEH'S SON AND DAUGHTER, IT'S MORE THAN JUST A MIRACLE.

AND IT MADE ME FEEL LIKE I'M YOUNG AGAIN.

I'M SEEING MOSHEH.

ZOHAR: IT WAS MORE EMOTIONAL FOR ME THAN I THOUGHT TO SEE HIM.

I FELT WITH BEN LIKE WE MEET--SORT OF MEET AGAIN WITH PART OF MY FATHER.

I THINK MY FATHER WOULD EMBRACE HIM FROM ALL HIS HEART.

THIS CHUTZPAH, THIS STRENGTH THAT BEN EXPRESSED, THIS WAS KIND OF THE ENERGY THAT OUR FATHER HAD.

NEVER, NEVER GIVE UP.

BENJAMIN: IT IS CLOSURE.

BUT IT'S ALSO A NEW BEGINNING.

WE MADE FRIENDS, AND WE'RE GOING TO KEEP IN TOUCH WITH EACH OTHER, BECAUSE I FEEL IT'S JUST AN EXTENSION OF MOSHEH OPATOWSKI, AND THIS MAKES ME VERY HAPPY.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: IN THE DARKEST OF TIMES, TWO MEN DISCOVER THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP, BONDS THAT GAVE THEM THE STRENGTH TO OVERCOME THE HORRORS OF THE PAST AND BUILD A BETTER FUTURE, PROVING THAT IN THE END, LOVE DOES TRIUMPH OVER HATE.

CURRY: NEXT TIME, A 7-YEAR-OLD GIRL CAUGHT IN NORTH AMERICA'S LARGEST EARTHQUAKE... WOMAN: THE INTENSITY OF IT DID NOT SLOW DOWN.

CURRY: NOW SEARCHING FOR THE BEST FRIEND WHO SURVIVED IT WITH HER.

WE WERE TERRIFIED.

WE THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO DIE.

CURRY: AND THE BOY WHO LOST HIS BEST BUDDIES, LOOKING FOR THE FRIEND WHO SHARES HIS PAIN.

IF BY THE GRACE OF GOD, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN ME.

ANNOUNCER: TO ORDER "WE'LL MEET AGAIN" ON DVD, VISIT SHOPPBS OR CALL 1-800-PLAY-PBS.

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