The deputy commander of the 122nd Squadron landed in Germany yesterday with the letter given to him by his grandfather, a Holocaust survivor before his death • "Historically, I had a chill"
The "Nachshon" plane landed in Germany yesterday
When Major A., the deputy commander of the 122nd Squadron, landed yesterday with the intelligence plane "Nachshon" on German soil, in an Air Force plane, he closed the circle for the third time. In his pocket he carried an exciting letter written by his grandfather, Moshe, a Holocaust survivor, before he died, in which he briefly told the story of his survival in the Holocaust.
This was the third time he had held the moving letter, after a trip to the extermination camps in Poland as a high school boy and as an officer as part of the "Witnesses in Uniform" project.
Just a year before A. enlisted in the IDF, first as a fighter in Unit 669 and then, at the age of 21, when he continued his pilot course, he arrived in Poland, where his grandfather survived for six difficult years in hiding, only to find his entire family exterminated by the Nazis. His grandfather wrote to him was the story of his life. Moshe rode hundreds of miles east of his home during World War II, thus escaping the Nazis. When he returned after the Holocaust he discovered that his entire family had perished. "When the war ended I started looking for roots, maybe someone survived my family? "Unfortunately, they were all burned and killed by the Poles, the Russians and especially the Germans," A.'s grandfather said in the moving letter.
After immigrating to Israel in the late 1950s, when the gates of Poland opened, his grandfather started a glorious family. "You went to Poland to see the results of the cooperation, killing and extermination of six million Jews. Dear A., I am very happy that I was privileged to have the cute grandson come to my homeland. For us, this is closing a circle."
"If Grandpa had known I was here, he would have been very excited, realizing how historic and empowering this event is," says Major A. in a call from Germany. "His letter has been kept with me for almost 15 years, since I was on a delegation to Poland. About seven years ago, I was in the "Witnesses in Uniform" delegation, and now he is with me again. "
Major A. says that he felt great pride during the flight from Israel to Germany yesterday. "At the entrance to Germany, we met the German Air Force, saluted each other and connected to the building - an intelligence plane of the State of Israel with German planes. It was clear that they too were very excited. "I looked at the patch with the Israeli flag on my shoulders and the German flag on their planes, and I had a real chill," he shares.
Even on landing, Major A. points out, there was a sense of excitement. it is really exciting. You understand what history has taken place here and see that it is possible to overcome and connect together, despite all the difficulties. I'm sure Grandpa is looking and seeing the power. Even when I fly over German soil today, I will think about this connection - that we see a common future after so many difficulties. This is proof that it is possible otherwise. "
